I wanted to like this book.  I love Emma Straub.  I think she’s fun and funny and I loved her other books but this one did not work for me.  I did appreciate the 80s references.

As we meet various members of Astrid's family, her 3 grown children, their spouses and children, we learn how various generations have related to their children, parents and spouses. And when Astrid, a widow for many years, chooses a new significant other, her adult children have varied reactions to this late in life change. No need for me to praise this book because those reviews are already out there and I heartily agree. Emma Straub does not disappoint!

It’s not often I give a book a two-star rating, so obviously the review is not going to be rainbows and unicorns. I’ll try to keep it brief.  I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Didn’t laugh, didn’t cry. Didn’t connect to a single character or the storyline at any point. I also was put off by the fact that Straub attempted to throw in entirely too many social issues, and never delved deep into any of them. I would not recommend this book, because I don’t feel it was an actual “story.” Just some characters in a dysfunctional family bumbling about for 300+ pages. Can’t love them all, but it’s super disappointing when you’re eager to read a book and be let down to this degree.

I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure if it had a plot at all for much of the book, but turns out that worked perfectly for following the everyday lives of extremely lovable characters. It felt like I knew them; like I was an unseen extra member of the family, rooting for everyone to just please get along and talk to each other. I really enjoyed seeing each character grow up — and just plain grow — as the story progressed.

Wonderful contemporary fiction felt like I knew the characters!   Glad this was a bn book club pick.  I would love a follow up

The Strick family: dysfunctional people just trying to navigate life. Astrid is a quirky, uptight mother of three adult children. She recently witnessed a woman get hit by a bus, triggering her to explore her life and act before it's too late. Meanwhile, her three children Porter, Nicky & Elliot are making mistakes in their own lives. All Adults Here explores friendships, family, morality, sexuality and most importantly love. 

I always enjoy a book with some family dysfunction, because whose family isn't a little dysfunctional? Reading 
 this was pretty entertaining and found myself chuckling throughout. This book covered  many topics without feeling pushy or forced. The characters came off like a real family, that should  be on a sitcom. The growth of the family was really well thought out.  This book was a win for me, and I will be recommending it to all of my dysfunctional friends.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead books for my ARC. 
All Adults here is available now!

I’m judging a 2020 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile. 

These descriptions are incredible:
Birdie was from Texas, and her parents were from Mexico, and Astrid thought of her as human sunshine: bright, warm, sometimes harsh, but always good for one’s mood. 

And the humor:
“I can’t believe it. I’m in shock. Listen to me! My brain is nonfunctional.” She stopped. “Am I having an aneurysm?” “You’re not having an aneurysm. Those people just drop dead.”

But also look at the dialogue tag… “She stopped” Straub is excellent at her craft.

This book is about a dysfunctional family who has operated within their prescribed roles for so long that they find it difficult to break out of their patterns. That is, until the mom, Astrid, witnesses a death and begins to question her relationships with her adult children as well as proclaim her love for someone her family didn't expect. All of this leads to reflection from the rest of the family as well. Thrown in the mix is Cecilia, Astrid's granddaughter, and her friend, August* who are both struggling with how much to reveal about themselves and the people around them. 
This book is well-written and subtle, sometimes too subtle. I kept thinking it was building up to something, a secret, a mystery, a major revelation, but it didn't really. I liked the book overall because I do like "slice-of-life" stories, but at times I struggled to connect with some of the family members and their choices. Still, they come around, especially Astrid. I found the frame story about Barbara a little odd, though. I never really saw the connection between her and the family.
Final note: Although I didn't have any "a-ha!" moments while reading this book, I did like it overall. 3.25 stars.
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Riverhead for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It might be my favorite Emma Straub so far. 

She has a wonderful way of creating complex characters who aren't very likeable at first. But as they evolve, and we as readers get to know them, they become very real. 

It was a charming read that will stick with me.

All the wisdom, humor, perceptiveness, kindness and wit which are the hallmarks of Emma Straub's earlier novels shine on every page of this novel about the messiness and joys of being a parent, child, lover. From the moment the bus strikes the unfortunate Barbara, the reader is swept into the whirlwind of those whose lives are touched by her death. Incomparably captivating--don't miss this read.

I didn’t like this book as much as I expected to enjoy it. I love books that deal with ordinary people and the struggles families, even with adult children, deal with. The main character, Astrid, is a widow and she spends a lot of time worrying about what she did wrong as a parent. The story is told in alternating voices of Astrid, her two sons and one daughter as well as her granddaughter who has come to live with Gamma for the school year There’s a lot to deal with in this family and sadly, it didn’t keep my attention as I expected it to do.  . Of all the family characters in the book I thought Cecelia, the 8th grade granddaughter had the most integrity. I enjoyed the story and genuinely loved the ending.

I loved this novel, which follows several members of an extended family based in a small town a few hours outside New York City. The story is a nice blend of comedy and drama, and portrays characters that are all flawed but charming. I also liked the setting and the description of the small town community. This was as enjoyable as her previous book "The Vacationers," which I also really enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley.

I enjoyed this book.  If you like family drama then this book is for you.  The family is dysfunctional at its best.  Astrid Strick is the matriarch of the family. After seeing an acquaintance Barbara hit by a bus and die.  She decides to try to right her wrongs with her 3 children.  Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Riverhead for an ARC.  This is my own opinion.

I found this book fairly formulaic, but the characters were easy to sympathize with and the shifting perspectives was a nice touch. It was a fine book, but not my favorite of Straub's.

A wonderful novel to get lost in!  The novel is funny while having a poignant perspective on all kinds of family issues:  elder parents, teenagers, gender issues, infidelity, newborns, and financial matters.

I really enjoyed this sharp, funny, quickly paced story of a dysfunctional - but loving - family. Anyone who is a parent can relate to Astrid Strick's questions and regrets about how she raised her now adult children. I also enjoyed the Hudson Valley setting as a former resident of Hyde Park, NY.

When Astrid Strick witnesses a school bus accident in the center of town, it throws her for a loop.  Astrid starts to think about her life and her choices.  Was she the parent she had wanted to be?  What does it mean when you realize that maybe you weren't?  How can she make it right while dealing with all of the added responsibilities of having three grown children, a grandchild who's just moved in, and a new found partner?

I loved this book!  I love a good family drama!  I've never read a book by Straub, but I think I will be picking her others up soon!  I've seen some complaints that this book is more character-driven than plot-driven and I think that's true, but who cares when the characters are so great?  Almost every current hot-button topic is touched on in the story, and I think it's very well-done without coming off like "see how progressive and woke I am?"

If you're a fan of family drama and character-driven books, read this!  You will not regret it!

Had the description of All Adults Here by Emma Straub described the main characters as homosexual, bisexual, and transsexual, I would have not requested it as I am not the audience for this particular book. I found it to be short on plot and just a hot mess trying to say something about every current social issue from adultery to pedophilia. The message of the book is severely diluted with this everything-in-the-world approach.

The message does deal with an aging parent who realizes she made some mistakes parenting her children, and the outcome of their adulthood she struggles with, as do they.

While I found the book to be well written and heavy on detail, the plot only went from a to b. Tighter editing might have helped as there was a great deal of redundant verbiage. I found the same problem with her book Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures (2012).

Emma Straub and her husband own Books are Magic, which is an independent bookstore located in Brooklyn, New York.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting May 7, 2020. 

I’d like to thank Riverhead Books, the Penguin Group, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

An accident, an epiphany, and the lives of one crazy family. Fall in love with the antics of an unusual bunch of characters as they roll through life trying to do the best they can. 

On a normal day turned chaotic, Astrid Strick has a life altering realisation. After seeing a bus hit and kill her mortal enemy, Astrid gains a new found awareness about how short life can be and what she is possibly taking for granted. Now wanting to value every moment she has, especially with her now 3 adult children, Astrid starts to analyze her role as a mother and how she can change to better support her children. With her youngest child, an unfocused parent struggling to support his own daughter; her daughter, a single mother trying for a relationship with a married man; and her eldest son, a workaholic that is distancing himself from everyone who loves him,  Astrid has her work cut out for her. But with moments of love from new and old friends, and that of blossoming relationships, the hope for change in her crazy family is always present. 

Though this book isn’t perfect, with many conversations about sexuality, class, and gender only brushing the surface, this is a feel good book at its core. This novel is highly recommended for readers this summer who desire something light, witty, and loveable.

My first Straub read, and I enjoyed it! Reminded me of Eileen Hildebrand - not earth shattering, but enjoyable.