This was quite a cheeky little novel. I read it fairly quickly and it kept my attention. I enjoyed that we knew in the beginning that someone had wound up shot on holiday, and I enjoyed unraveling the mystery. The thought of spending time trapped in a cabin with your ex-husband and his new girlfriend, your current boyfriend and your daughter sounds like a nightmare doesn't it? That's the premise of this story. The notion that these people could get along for the sake of their daughter sounds nice in theory, but the niceties don't last long. It's is a quick & fun read!

In an effort to give daughter Scarlett a Christmas with both parents, Claire and Matt arrange a vacation (along with their new partners) at the Happy Forest holiday park. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually! Full of humour, great characters - including a 6 ft. imaginary bunny - this is a great read!

Huh, well the premise of this book had me thinking I was in for a quirky banter filled story and I was really looking forward to a bit of fluff in between books. Ex-wife and husband with young daughter and imaginary rabbit and their significant others embark on a Christmas vacation together. It had the potential for epic disasters. In reality what I got was a slow building novel with unlikeable characters. I guess this one was not meant for me.

This laugh-out-loud story explores what can happen when well-intended, but not-completely-thought-out ideas go seriously sideways. Imagine your ex’s and current partners living together in a small space.... for Holiday!! A fun and light read that had me smiling the whole way through.

4 adults. 2 ex's. 1 child. 1 imaginary rabbit. 1 holiday lodge. Magical Christmas time.

What could possibly go wrong?

Exs who share a child and their new partners come together to have a epic christmas.
There is a mystery that the book starts right off with, and I won't comment or spoil on it.

I also love how there are parts where we see the insight from a child and how this common situation affects them also!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Isn't this the most intriguing cover? I chose to read this book simply because of it. Now, having finished, I think it's even more PERFECT! I have to say, I really, really, really enjoyed this one. I wasn't familiar with Caroline Hulse, but now I can't wait for all of her future books.

Here's the premise: Alex, a seemingly normal woman (and very analytical and sober scientist) is invited to go on a Christmas holiday at a family fun park with her boyfriend, Matt, an admittedly lazy but fun-loving guy. Sounds fun, right? But there's a catch. Matt's ex-wife, the perfect lawyer Claire, their (Claire and Matt's) spunky 7 year-old daughter Scarlett, and Claire's boyfriend, Patrick (a total dud, according to Matt) are joining in on the trip.

What could possibly go wrong??!

From the very beginning, when witnesses to an unfortunate "accident" are being interviewed by the police, I was in stitches. This book is HILARIOUS. Dark, black humor funny, which happens to be my favorite. Patrick, in particular, had me laughing out loud. He hides the fact that he's an exercise addict from Claire, not to mention his obsession with training for and competing in an Ironman competition; his internal dialogue is so dang self-concerned and unintentionally hilarious. Seriously, I think this might be the funniest book I've read all year so far! 

The interactions between all of The Adults are so honest and awkward and let me mention it again...downright funny! Scarlett has an imaginary friend named Posey, which led to some hysterical moments, and each character was so perfectly flawed and wonderful and terrible at the same time. Can that even be a thing? Apparently, because by the end of the book, I was hoping nobody died and at the same time, feeling sad to let these characters go. 

I must mention there are also some incredibly heartfelt and honest moments in The Adults. I think the overall theme is that life is messy, and even the most well-intentioned blended families can succumb to the pressures of facing our partners' former lives. Maybe not to the extent that these characters did....but still. 

I give The Adults by Caroline Hulse 4 out of 5 stars. You definitely won't regret reading this one, so add it to your TBR list and circle November 27th on your calendar, because that's when this great book comes out!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for providing my honest review.

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.

My interest was piqued right from the beginning when I read the description of this book. Two exes going on holiday together accompanied by the their partners could only mean a recipe for disaster! And it certainly was !! I loved that the story was narrated from different protagonists point of view as it peeled back the layers and revealed the complexity of the characters. Posey, Scarlett's alter ego was a good technique which allowed us to get a glimpse of the child's psyche. I felt very sorry for Patrick who appeared weak and insecure but only because he had already lost so much and wanted desperately to avoid losing anymore. Things got much worse for him before they got better. Matt was my least favourite character - he was obnoxious and I don't know how Alex put up with him. The title is also ironical, suggesting that the "adults" we're anything but !! All in all, a wonderful and entertaining read.

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.