Unfortunately I found this book very long winded and a lot of characters and things to keep track of while reading which led me to put it down and pick it up at a later date multiple times to try and get into it as felt it was a bit too much. There were pieces that could have been left out to condense the book down to make for a better read and while a few things like that irked me I did like the characters, they were flawed and vulnerable and the story was good also.

I really enjoyed this book. It was long, but I didn't mind because it was a treat. Really fun while dealing with serious topics at the same time. The perfect summer read!

This was my first Marian Keyes book, but I will definitely be looking for more! Loved the book, loved the Casey family. There is a lot packed into this story, and for some reason the draft I received was very rough and not proofed or formatted so it was tough to follow at times when the characters changed, but the story is just that good that you want to wade through it and figure it out. Many families have dysfunctional aspects and the way Marian Keyes is able to portray real issues while maintaining humor and interest is a real testament to her writing. Really liked the book and cannot wait for more.

I adored Grown Ups by Marian Keyes. The story of the Casey brothers. Johnny, Ed and Liam and their families. This story reminded me of great family tv dramas-Brothers & Sisters, and Parenthood. A big, dramatic, character driven book., it was everything I love in a book! And it takes place in some fabulous settings in Ireland so I felt like I had multiple holidays while staying home.

If I had one criticism, in each of the family get togethers, the interactions are basically the same. And this family gets together a lot!

Overall, I really did enjoy #Grownups and would recommend to anyone looking for a good family drama. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the e-copy in exchange for a review!

[2.5 stars] I really wanted to love this, but this one just didn’t do it for me (except for the last 100 pages). There are too many characters, not enough connecting elements and the book is quite long (over 600 pages). It had the potential to be really good as it explores the messiness of being a ‘grown up’ and I loved that it touched on so many interesting themes like family, bulimia, money, etc. I wouldn’t recommend this one, but I would urge you to pick up previous books Marian Keyes has written.

This book was SO good that even if it was 600+ pages I couldn't put it down and finished in 5 days!

It tells the story of the Casey family: Johnny, married to over-achiever Jessie; his brother Ed, married to nice and complacent Cara; and his other brother Liam, newly married to hippie Nell; as well as their children and step-children. They are a big family that usually get on big gatherings together.

Coming from a small family, I love books about big families (and of course, big family dramas!). I liked almost all of the characters (except for Liam, which I despised). I was inmersed in the story and felt like I knew all of them pretty well. I also think the author did a magnificent job wrapping the end up.

I had read some other Marian Keyes's books (I read the Walsh family ones maybe 10 or 15 years before) and I was looking forward to reading her latest one. And I haven't been dissapointed! She is even better than I remembered.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion **

I almost gave up reading this book because my download was formatted so wonky...but I am so glad I stuck with it! What a treat! I loved every minute I spent with the Casey family. “Grown Ups” is a must read for anyone who enjoys family dramas. Marian Keyes did a fantastic job of balancing well developed characters with an interesting plot. I will definitely be picking up more of her books!
#NetGalley #GrownUps

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I typically drift towards any story about large family dynamics so I had high expectations for this one and I have to say, it didn't disappoint. Keyes is a talented writer. The storytelling is composed of both tear-jerking and laugh-out-loud moments. It's a large book; however, you could chip away at it over a month in the summer or cozy fall weekend.

Loved the book. The plot is based around the intertwining lives of a large blended family. The characters are real, flawed but relatable. It can be confusing to begin with because there are so many characters who are introduced quickly, the story is told in first person, switching between characters but once you've established them all, it's a joy to read. There's depth to the characters, I felt emotionally connected to them. There was humour, sadness, anger and more emotions experienced while reading this book. I'd definitely recommend it.

I'm a huge Marian Keyes fan and just thoroughly enjoyed the world and family she built in this book. Will definitely recommend this book to others.

I found this book very confusing. For the majority of the book, it was simply a stating of mundane, day to day tasks. I guess that was the character development part, but I found it very flat and boring. The most exciting part happened at the very beginning of the book and the very end. At the beginning of the book, the Casey family is gathered for Johnny's birthday celebration. Cara, who is married to Ed Casey (Johnny's brother), had fallen earlier that day and hit her head apparently giving her a dose of truth serum. She starts blurting out what all the family secrets are about each other basically destroying every marriage at the table. Then the next 90% of the book is a collection of random flashbacks showing the moments that led up to this birthday dinner. Most of them were disjointed and I honestly had a hard time keeping my timeline straight. Then at the end of the book (thank goodness!), we reach the birthday dinner again, but this time we spend a little bit of time examining everyone after the dinner to learn how they dealt with the shocking information.

I thought the idea of this book sounded cute, but it just didn't work for me.

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

Synopsis: The Casey’s, 3 genetically charming brothers with their self-made, strong, talented wives living in Dublin, Ireland find themselves in a pothole or you can say in an utterly naked situation with all their secrets out in open in front of each other. How they ended up being so vulnerable in each other’s face? and What caused this for them to be in a pickle after spending so much time together in those fancy Get-togethers at exotic and way expensive holiday locations all year?

Characters:

Johnny: Eldest Casey Brother, Partner at PiG, h/o Jessie
Jessie: Owner at PiG, Ex w/o Rory, Mother of 5
Liam: Ex- Athlete, Works at bike shop, ex h/o Paige, h/o Nell
Nell: Theatre set-designer
Ed: Botanist, h/o Cara
Cara: Head Receptionist at Ardglass Hotel,
Ferdia: Eldest son of Jessie-Rory

Weak Points:
* Way lengthy without much impactful plot.
* A lil’ difficult to cope up with many characters & their backstory.

Strong Points:
* Monthly categorized events and plots.
* Character details and backstory makes them alive.
* Grabs readers attention from the Prologue page.
* Frequent twists and character development keeps the story interesting.

Conclusion: Firstly, I am a big @Marian Keyes fan from the day I picked “Sushi for Beginners”, my first ever novel by her. In a typical Marian Keyes Novel world, there is One big plot with loads of characters surrounded by many small twists and turns, and strong talented working female protagonists, also the novels are reallllly thick (U know what I mean). So, coming back to #GrownpUps the characters are well written with a detailed backstory to bring them alive and easily relatable. The story begins with a big Dramatic family drama (being a bit confusing with huge no. of characters) and revelations disclosed by Cara’s concussed state. The story is about how adults with their busy complicated lives try to avoid any mistakes, and yet being hugely wrong by their doings whereas kids being kids still act as grown ups in situations where adults find it difficult to manage. Just like any other novel by author, this novel also has self- established, strong female characters. The story is well structured to show the reality behind lives of families where at one point everyone seems so close to each other yet moments later whinging behind their backs.
Lastly, the novel leaves the reader wanting to read more even after 650pgs(lol).

Thank You #netgalley for the #arc

I rarely pick a book outside my comfort zone, but hearing so much about Marian Keyes, I finally dived in. It's a long read (over 600 pages), but I couldn't put this down en read the book in a mere two days whilst on holiday. 'Grown ups' has got everything you want in a book: it has fun and wit, colourful and in-depth characters, a thrilling plot, heartbreak. It tackles complex issues as money problems, eating disorders and of course love. You will love the Irish Casey family from beginning to end. Well, maybe, not all of them...

I loved every word of it. Is this going to be filmed? It needs to be filmed! In the meantime, there's thirteen other Marian Keyes novels. I know what I'll be doing this summer.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#GrownUps #NetGalley #MarianKeyes

I have read other books by Marian Keyes and was entertained. This story was very hard to follow. It starts in the present and then jumps around a lot. I could never tell what had or hadn’t happened yet. And there were so many characters to get to know. It wasn’t until the story started wrapping up that I felt I knew who was who.

Families can be so complicated -- and fun to read about, as in this great story. I look forward to recommending this book to readers who enjoy Jojo Moyes or Lianne Moriarity.

I'll be honest, I didn't get very far in to this book because I had such a hard time keeping the characters straight and couldn't figure out what exactly was going on. I am extremely disappointed, because I love this author and have read several books by her and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

I have loved Marian Keyes' books from the very first one I read! Grown Ups is no different.

A cute, even funny take on a subject that some might think to be taboo. As expected, the author handled it well, When secrets start to spill, watch out for the ricochets!

Keyes' characters are enticing, their story deeply involving and keeps you turning pages.

Another great read, I am going to miss this crew - and isn't that always the sign of a good book?

[Many thanks to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. I was not required to write a review. The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.]

I always look forward to a new book from Marian Keyes and this one did not disappoint. This is a family drama that is fun and amusing at times but also deals with some serious issues. The only downside to this book for me was the vast amount of characters, I did get a little confused at times as to who was who but overall another great book from Marian. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm going to preface by saying that for the last 20 or so years I have adored ever single Marian Keyes book. I love her ability to make her characters so real. Unfortunately, this time Cara was a little too real for me and I was unable to finish the book (at this point) due to her eating disorder triggering me. I hope to be able to go back and finish the story when my mental health is in a stronger place.

What I was able to read, I loved the characters and relationships with each other. I will definitely be reading her next book too.

Grown Ups by Mariah Keyes

2.5 stars. I’ve read a lot of Marian Keyes’ books before. I did. About more than 15 years ago. So when I saw this book available on NetGalley, I requested it immediately. And got it. Sigh. And then it was slow going for me.

It’s an ensemble cast here. We have the big Casey family gathering every so often for one event or another. Johnny, Ed and Liam, their parents, spouses and kids. The story switches from one adult perspective to another. Just the Casey siblings and their spouses. Back and forth among them, present time and past. And it got slow and tedious.

The title was apt because a few of them slipped up on acting like grown ups. Their struggles are real and with a few, rather serious. But I couldn’t get into the story, did not get invested in any character, and I kept checking how long do I have to go. The author’s other books that I’ve read was not an ensemble, and those were fun to read. She had one or two that had about 4 characters I believe (Watermelons, off the top of my head?) This one, not for me. No wonder I didn’t finish this before pub day.

Thank you Doubleday Canada for the arc of this book. And thanks NetGalley also.