Great story that starts with a frightened phone call. What happened? Two dysfunctional families on a holiday. Loved it. Great read. Page-turner.

As instructed in the cover, a full public review will not be posted until the publication date of November 27, 2018.

Although I tend the stray away from ANYTHING that is holiday based, I am a sucker for British humor, Love Actually being a favorite movie of mine. Also, being it is August, I figured I was safe from being triggered by anything in the book given the description. This wasn't exactly the perfect family holiday book.

I liked the structure of the book, with the opening of the 911 call and the arrow shot. You know right away "what" the emergency is but the why and how is left to be unfurled throughout the book and you really couldn't have guessed how the family could have gotten there (and I would leave that out of a review as to not spoil it).

For me, I love the British slang, dry dead-panned humor and character archetypes. However, I can imagine for the broader American audiences this wouldn't be the case. Not everyone is obsessed with Coupling, About a Boy, Live Forever (the movie and the CD), Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and is basically an all around Anglophile (mostly from the 90s-2010).

Outside of that, some of the plot can drag on a bit. Posey and the rabbit seems unnecessary. She only really ever interacts with the rabbit and her mother. Everyone around her seems to placate to her delusional rabbit friend. Alex can come across two-dimensional and robotic at times. It didn't stop me from enjoying them as I stated earlier.

I think the biggest missed opportunity was Scarlett. Leave Posey at home and let her interact more with what was happening with the family. Especially with the emergency, the confusion between the extreme over-the-top politeness and dutch-courage enabled inane shocking rude behavior and revelations that the "adults" were wavering between. That would have definitely add more depth, bitter-sweet emotion, and you never do know what will come out the mouth of babes.

This book is a mostly humorous look at the blended family and how out of control things can get when people bury their feelings or don't express themselves. A divorced couple decide to go on vacation together with their new partners so they can both spend Christmas with their daughter. With the 4 adults, the daughter, and her imaginary rabbit staying together in a rather small cabin, things realistically spin out of control. I loved the multiple points of view. It made the story very well rounded. I was very pleased with the happy/hopeful though somewhat unrealistic ending. I would definitely recommend this to people like situational comedies with more emotion.

I read about 60% of this before setting aside. Some of it was funny, to be sure, but it just didn't hold my attention.

For some reason, Claire and her live-in boyfriend Patrick, and Matt and his live-in girlfriend Alex, take Claire and Matt's 8 year old daughter Scarlett to Happy Forest holiday park for a 5 day weekend. Claire and Matt cooked this up so Scarlett can spend the holiday with both her parents. You know this is not going to work out well when the book opens with the transcript of a 911 call ( or 999 since the story takes place in England) reporting a shooting (bow and arrow!) on the Happy Forest archery range. We know its Patrick who got shot, but how two couples, a girl and a giant imaginary rabbit end up there is a hilarious if not cringe-worthy story of miscommunication, creative omission of information on all parts.. I enjoyed it immensely! The Adults was a quick read and Caroline Hulse did spot-on job of depicting the different kinds of relationships involved in today's families as well as what can happen when people aren't totally honest with each other. She moves the story along quickly while changing points of view at each chapter - somehow making it read easily with none of the cumbersome narrative that often happens when authors employ that method. The story takes place at Christmas, but can be read at any time. This is more for adults, not because of adult content, but young people may not get the full impact of all the intertwined relationships.

I was expecting more from this book than it was able to give me. A story about exes vacationing together (along with their new significant others) for the sake of their daughter at Christmas, should have had a lot of potential. I was not impressed by any of the characters, and I found myself skimming pages trying to get to the "good parts," which were few and far between.

I am sure there are readers who will enjoy this story, but I was not among them.

A sort of a satire I think vs just a comedic novel. It was funny and quick paced. The holiday setting made me wish I wasn't reading it in July though!

A man, his ex-wife, their daughter, and their significant others head out for a family Christmas vacation. Just about everything goes wrong (as you might imagine). What leads to a horrible vacation for the characters leads to an amazing read. The Adults is dark, dry humor at it's best. The characters are over-the-top ridiculous, yet somehow relatable and likable. And, in the end, you find yourself rooting for the five-foot bunny on his Chinese adventures (just read the book-it is worth it, I promise).

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

At the last minute, Alex's boyfriend Matt suggests a week-long holiday vacation to a children's adventure park with his ex-wife and daughter, and the ex's current boyfriend; what could possibly go awry? This tricky British rom-com isn't a bit sappy sweet or formulaic; the Man as Protector trope is upended back over assward and three-quarters of the way through I realized my assumption of the bow and arrow victim's identity was entirely wrong. The Adults is acerbic in a good way, full of knee-jiggling, nervous tension, and dry hilarity. Especially Posey, little Scarlett's imaginary bunny friend.

I know this satire but this did not entertain. I found the premise ludicrous and the adults anything but. Perhaps this is just me. The only redeemable characters were Scarlett and Posey, who were delightful. Escapism at best.

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this title before it releases in November of this year. Two exes, their daughter, and the two new significant others spend the Christmas holiday together at a resort. What could possibly go wrong? Maybe even some things you hadn’t considered.

Everything starts out well with extreme politeness and the new couples paying attention to one another. They even all recognize the imaginary rabbit, the little girl pals around with. But this vacation is too long to maintain that status quo.

The writing is smart, funny and revealing. The pace slowed down a bit in places for me and that’s why I gave it 4 stars. It’s still a worthwhile read with well-painted characters and some excellent conversations.

I was excited to read this book, it seemed like it had an interesting premise, but I had a hard time really getting into it. It's British so, beware of that first off. It was confusing trying to keep track of which character was with who and who were exes, etc. The story unfolds like a train wreck, you want to keep reading to see if it's going to get worse, if the conflict is going to escalate, but unfortunately, it comes to a poor ending that was lacking in excitement or twists. I expected more from the conflict and build up but the story kind of just dies at the end.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this Kindle advance copy of "The Adults." The book is what I would describe as witty British chick lit. Caroline Hulse writes with a light, humorous style while tackling the subjects of ex-spouses, current loves, a child with a wild imagination and a ill-advised Christmas holiday vacation for the entire group. Matt and Claire are ex-spouses, with one child, Scarlett, who has an imaginary 5 foot tall purple rabbit named Posey that she talks to constantly. Alex is Matt's current love, while Claire has moved on with Patrick, who seems to be a bit of a bonehead, in my opinion. Matt comes up with the wickedly bad idea (but with good intentions) of the entire group spending the Christmas holiday together for the sake of Scarlett, who is adjusting to the two new adults in her parent's lives. The characters are well-rounded and the dialogue is sharp and fun. I would recommend this as a book to read around the holidays or for anyone who enjoys reading about our friends across the pond.

The things we do for our children! When two divorced parents decide to go on vacation together (with their new partners), it brings out the worst it them. Both hilarity and tragedy ensue and the adults' behavior devolves into pettiness and jealousy - and highly childish behavior. Great story with well developed characters (although my favorite might be the giant imaginary rabbit).

Great cast of characters in this page turner. You cant help but root for each of them . Witty writing leads to a fun book you dont want to put down.

Claire, Matt and their daughter Scarlett opt for Christmas at a holiday resort. Sounds great except Claire and Matt are divorced and each brings their current partner; neither of them wants to be there. The holiday is pleasant at first but conflicts--old and new--soon surface. Tensions flare among the new couples and long time relationships are tested. Can the group figure out a way to make things work without killing each other? Will anyone have a merry Christmas?

The book starts with an ominous call to emergency services. Someone has been shot. This is not a domestic thriller though, it's more of a character study of 4 people who are connected to each other but don't really want to be. Some of them know each other too well and others not at all. Everyone tries to act like adults and get along but there is a lot of history to deal with. For the new partners, there's also the future to consider: they're going to be spending a lot of time with their partner's ex. How badly do they want this relationship to work?

I enjoyed it. Family drama that does not directly involve me is the best kind of family drama.

What happens when four adults try to get along for the sake of the child? Except she's not really a child anymore but a teenager with problems of her own. This book is a trainwreck, in the vein of Home for the Holidays or The Family Stone.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Good book by Caroline Hulse! Four adults try to get along for the sake of a child and it turns out that does not go well! Also a great look at how children are using electronics to learn things that we are trying to protect them from!

I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it.

Who would not want to be a fly on the wall when a divorced couple, their 7 year old and new significant others all go away together for a 5 night holiday? Add in Posey, an invisible rabbit friend as an additional character and imagine the places this book can go. The story did well to play with each character's insecurities. All of the main players were likable in their own way and there is someone for any reader to relate to. I found Alex's interactions with Posey at one point in the book to be hysterical and had a good chuckle.

I liked this book. It was a good read, a bit train-wrecky but in a good way. Patrick's character really annoyed me, as he reminded me of an ex LOL.