I tried this book, put it down, and then decided to pick it up again. I am SO glad that I did! I admired Emma Straub because of her store, Books Are Magic, but this is the first one of her books I have read. It was really refreshing to read a book that was character driven instead of plot driven-I feel like these books are becoming more rare. I found all the characters engaging, especially Astrid. I definitely recommend this beautifully written book!

This is my first book by this author. I was really excited to read it based on the premise. Unfortunately for me, it just wasn’t that good. I didn’t really care much about the characters or what was going on. I finished the book because I didn’t feel like it would be fair to give up on it. I think there will be other people that will really like this book though. Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of #alladultshere.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Riverhead for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I struggled through Straub's previous book, Modern Lovers, so I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one. This one was better for me, maybe in part because I used to live in the Hudson Valley region. I enjoyed the well-developed characters, especially Astrid and August/Robin, but the plot felt lacking. Not much happened, which I guess was kind of the point. The book involves a number of current issue topics, possibly too many different topics to fully explore any of them properly.

Overall it was an enjoyable, light read over a weekend, but I won't be encouraging everyone I know to read it.

The book seems too disconnected.
The introduction of August was in Chapter 7, and seemed like it had nothing to do with this story for so long, that as a reader, I felt like I missed a part of the story as I read because I was trying to figure out how he fit in.  When he was brought back into the story later, it still felt disconnected in relation to what we knew about him.
     Even the curse words in the story didn't seem to fit the narrative.  I think the "f" bomb could have been left out. The occurrences in the story didn't seem bad enough to warrant the language.
     I may be biased because the ideas the writer is trying to portray as normal, I believe are anything but normal.  Astrid's idea that all widows would most likely become lesbians is ludicrous.  Her daughter Porter's idea that having a child via sperm bank is the new norm is also far fetched. It seems that the Book Title,  "We Are All Adults Here", implies that whatever the choices, it is acceptable to society because the decisions are made by adults.  When the  parents of teen-age Cecelia quickly shipped her to Grandma's house to live because they couldn't deal with a little teen rebellion, makes a statement  that if you are not an adult, you aren't allowed an opinion.  Teenager August is portrayed as a very inwardly troubled youth, hating his life, even though he has parents that dutifully show him affection.  He has plans to get away from all these "adults" in this town.  I can't blame him.

Emma Straub is the queen of the family story and All Adults Here really delivered this. We learn about the Stricks, Astrid, the matriarch who has decided to finally come out to her children. Elliot, the oldest, who feels like he constantly lets his mother and family down. Porter, the middle child, who decides to have a child all by herself. And then there is Nicky, Astrid’s supposed favorite, who get minimally famous as a teen and then did almost nothing for the rest of his life. When a mishap has Nicky’s daughter, Cecelia, sent to spend the summer and school year with Astrid, the Stricks become closer then they have ever been.

Such an enjoyable book with a quirky set of characters. If you are a fan of The Gilmore Girls, this book gave the same kind of feel. Definitely a great book for the summer!

I don't know quite how to feel about this book.  The focus is mainly on the Strict family.  Astrid has a life changing event right at the beginning that seems to set off a series of decisions.  Mostly for the family to finally talk to each other.  It was coincidental that this occurred at the same time as Porter making her own life changing decision, Elliot facing his anger toward his mother, and Nicky sending his daughter to live with his mother because of some shady and never quite clear events at her middle school in New York.

I liked several of the characters.  I actually liked Astrid, Cecelia, and Robin.  I think the problem for me came when I would finally get into the story about a certain character only to have it spiral off in a different direction and I never feel like I got a complete understanding of any one character or their subplot.  And they did all seem like subplots without any real central plot.  Throw in everything and let the reader wander through was the game plan here.  There could have been some characters left behind in order to focus on someone else.

There were a lot of themes here. Family, bullying, transgendered issues, bisexuality, acceptance...

Some were heavy handed.  For example, Robin (who we didn't see enough of) was handled like someone who didn't really have a lot of experience with any of the issues involved but wanted to appear to be an ally.  To a certain extent, so was Astrid's story.  No spoilers, but pronouns are not dependent on costume.  Cecelia seemed to be just there to help the other characters to see themselves reflected in another.  She could have had so much more.  Her experience in New York is walked around and never fleshed out.  It's hard to understand her fully without more.  Just more.  

The overall result was an outline of a group of characters without any being truly deep.  I could see the makings of something I would have liked more with some decisions about focus being made.

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for providing me a copy of this title in return for an honest review. 

I chose this book simply for the cover. Yes, I judged a book by the cover. Honestly, this title isn’t in my normal wheelhouse of books I pick up. I would not describe this book as plot driven at all. In fact, I’m not sure exactly what the overall plot, climax, conflict, etc. points even were. This book is 100% character driven. Each character of the Strick family is experiencing adulthood in their own way and the story follows their choices through roughly a 4-5 month period and while there is resolve at the end between the characters, the book is more about the characters individual growth than anything else. 

After Astrid Strick witnesses the death of Barbara Baker by bus, she resolves to do better by her adult children and begins to make right on mistakes she made as a parent. Nicky, Astrid’s youngest, is a free spirit struggling to parent his own teenage daughter. Elliot, the oldest, measures his life by his accomplishments and never seems to feel as though he measures up. And Porter, the only daughter and middle child, has never truly grown up in her relationships and is now entering parenthood for the first time completely alone. The story follows the Strick family, their relationships, their children, and their choices as they each learn what adulthood means for them in their current lives. 
I won’t lie. I started this book and didn’t love what I was reading. I spent some time thinking I wouldn’t finish the book. And then I kept going and I have no regrets. Being such a character driven novel, it took me a while to adjust my reading style, but once I did I fell in love with each Strick family member in their own way and felt myself rooting for their individual changes, growth, trials, and triumphs. 

If I have two complaints with this book it is that Astrid was at times too rigid and hard to connect with and secondly I felt like Straub tried to cram too many big issues (single parenting, death, online bullying, transgendered teens, gay marriage) into one book that none of the issues got the true focus they deserved. 

My favorite parts of the book easily came in scenes with Cecelia navigating teenage life and the softening of all the characters when they were around Birdie (she was like magic). I also appreciated how while rigid, Straub showed the softening of Astrid with each of her children. Some of my favorite quotes and moments came in the last ¼ of the story as Astrid opened up to her children and became the kind of parent each of them needed her to be, even as adults. 

Overall a deep and meaningful read that would have any adult examining their choices and wondering what it truly defines adulthood.

Emma Straub has a talent for writing the perfect beach read. All Adults Here is a novel that deals with family and the secrets they keep. The characters were interesting, particularly Astrid, the matriarch of the family; however, I would have liked more depth so I could have better connected with them.

Well I found this book really good in spots I didn’t enjoy all perspectives in this story. It just fell a little flat to me in places. I loved Astrid’s story. That was my favorite. I enjoyed seeing how Barbara’s death affected her (not a spoiler. It happens right away). I wish they had fleshed out Elliott’s character more and Robin didn’t seem to get as much time as everyone else.

Really liked the nuanced family dynamics and authentic siblings relationship. I enjoyed living with them for a few days. I especially loved the teens perspective of Cecilia and August.

Sixty-eight year old Astrid witnesses the sudden and tragic death of someone she has known for years. This leads her in a quest for honestly with her adult children, a way to open doors and mend fences.

This story was full of quirky characters who don’t always make good choices. I especially loved the sections where we get a glimpse of Astrid as a mother, and her regrets, memories, and wishes for healing.

A wonderful read that reminds me that even when we are all adults here, families aren’t perfect, and beauty can be experienced in them anyway..

Another classic from Emma Straub!  I loved this story with a slice of life perspective from Astrid and the stories she shared from her family.  I love stories that show a family changing over time, and this one was no different.  There were pieces of each character that I connected with and could relate to.  I will definitely be suggesting this one to my friends!

Fun and quirky characters, all keeping secrets from their family. Even though some of the secrets would be things that would make the characters unlikeable, I was rooting for them through the whole book and I thought Cece and August were the best characters in the story. Great beach read!

An easy enjoyable read that takes place in a small town which lends itself well to a character-based rather than an action-based story. And boy are those characters quirky! Especially poignant for me was the reflections/worries of the matriarch of the family over her mistakes in mothering her three children and her thoughts about the road not taken.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Riverhead Books for the ARC to read and review.

Having enjoyed Emma Straub's previous books, I thought this would be another enjoyable read by this author.  Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into this book.  Too many characters, all experiencing their own issues in life, from bullying to extra marital affairs, etc., seem to bog down the story and not enough time was devoted to certain characters to make them interesting enough to want to read about.  Halfway through the book, I found I just didn't care about any of it and couldn't wait to finish.  I would have a hard time recommending this to anyone.  Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an Advance Reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw.

I really liked this book and it is my favorite of all the books Emma Straub has written. It is a story about a family and their relationships as well as broader topics like bullying, transgender identity, family secrets, infidelity and much more.   It got off to a slow start for me and I was not sure I cared about the characters but very quickly I become engrossed in their stories.  Straub took the time to develop the characters into multi-dimensional people, with some surprising twists and turns along the way.  In reading the book I grew to care about each of the characters and was invested in their stories and what happened to them.   Thanks to Cecelia, I learned that privacy and secrecy really are two different things.

The further I got into Emma Straub's latest novel, the more I enjoyed it. It is an intergenerational story about relationships and how they change over time - including one's relationship with oneself. As other reviewers have noted, the focus here is on characters, not plot, and the book is populated with quirky and interesting ones. A thoughtful, satisfying read that I would give 4.5 stars, with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, who provided me with an ARC of this book.

This book is an interesting glimpse into the different members of a semi-dysfunctional family with a side of small town drama thrown in.  It is well-written and there were often times that I found myself relating to Astrid, the matriarch of the family.  Her approach to motherhood and her second-guessing of herself and her decisions were realistic.  I think the author tried to tackle too many phases of life and their challenges in the book when it would have been better to focus on just one or two.  Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!

I have a new author to add to my list of recommendations. Emma Straub has written a realistic, timely novel that is extremely easy to read and highly relatable. I can’t wait to share All Adults Here with anybody who loves women's fiction.