This book starts off strong, but then spends the next 80% dragging. There is potential for some lovely storylines, but everyone in this book is wrapped in their own drama and the ten pages at the end that bring it all together are far too philosophical to be enjoyable. What could have been a nice story about a family coming together is instead a tedious slog through life in the Hudson Valley.

The writing is engaging and has many perils of wisdom seen through out.

I enjoyed the multugenerational familial relationships and the story had so much potential. I got lost in the neverending controversial topics thrown in at every turn of the page. This gave the storyline less time to gain traction.

I was excited to read this one but it wasn't for me.

A great family drama with warm relatable characters. Emma Straub has such a natural tone to her books; I can just sink right in. Each of the main characters in this book feels so well written and fully realized. The family dynamics are spot on, painfully accurate.
This book is most definitely about how we change through the course of our lives and how what seems like the right thing to do can completely change 5 or 10 years later. At the heart of this book is the phenomenon of parenthood and how no one really knows what they’re doing. It’s kind of terrifying because it acknowledges that no matter what —you are going to screw up when it comes to your children— there is no way to always say the right thing and do the right thing. What even is “the right thing”? Inevitably you will say something that will stick with them forever and affect their own decisions and attitudes toward their children, etc. It’s one never ending circle of mistakes and forgiveness and love and pain.
Whew. But ultimately the book is great and uplifting for sure. The human experience is reflected and that’s what makes a book great right ?

I couldn’t have loved this book more.  It is available May 4 and if you haven’t pre-ordered do it now!  Love, acceptance, and the strength that a loving family can offer in times of change are all key themes in this book  and are things that we could all use a little more of, especially in these times.

Straub is a master of family stories and this book is no exception. I love that in Straub’s work all members of a family are treated with the complexity they deserve.

This book is all about family dynamics, growing into who you are, and how secrets impacts relationships with those closest to you. I loved it and I’m still thinking about the Strick family after I put the book down. The story follows a mother, her three grown children, and her granddaughter coming to terms with the truths about their lives. It’s full of quiet but impactful moments in their lives, past and present. The characters deal with issues of sexual identity, gender identity, and different ways of creating a family in very sensitive ways. You would hope every family accepted each other so openly. If you enjoyed Straub’s Modern Lovers you will love this one too. 

Thank you to Emma Straub, Riverhead Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Strauv is a treasure! I loved this so much I bought my own personal copy. Highly recommend for book groups

ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straub is a soothing, easy read for this time. No huge plot, just a look into small town life through the eyes of the Strick family. Astrid, the widow and matriarch, introduces us to the story via seeing a friend of hers get hit by a bus in the middle of the town in upstate New York where she raised her family of 4. We are then introduced to her children, Elliot, Porter, and Nicky, all struggling with their own family issues. 

The fun of this novel is the slowly unravelling family secrets that are unearthed as we bounce back and forth between the characters. We learn about Astrid's marriage, their children's own struggles raising a family, and the oldest grandchild struggling with starting 8th grade at a new school. I just wish there was more of a story here, because the characters themselves weren't terribly interesting. Some of them were pretty terrible to each other too, which was slightly upsetting. I always love the world Straub creates though (I haven't missed a book from her yet) and her writing is enveloping and gorgeous. I also enjoy all the pop culture references she peppers throughout. A comforting read for today, but not a total slam dunk.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!  Thank you so much for the chance to read an ARC.  I enjoyed the Vactioners, and All Adults Here was similar in that I felt uncomfortable with the main characters at first - which I think is what Emma Straub intended.  The story opens on small town Clapham in New England.  Astrid Strick is the matriarch of the Strick family, as well as the town.  She is shocked when a local woman is hit by a school bus and killed just a few feet away from her.  Throughout the story we meet the rest of the family - Astrid's three adult children and three grandchildren with one more on the way.  Witnessing the accident leads Astrid to question her life and her choices.  She'd been a rather cold parent and the death of her husband when her children were young didn't help matters.  Then Cecilia, the thirteen-year-old daughter of her handsome youngest son Nicky, needs a break from the bullying in her New York school.  She arrives in Clapham to become friends with August, whose parents run the local second-hand/vintage clothing store.  She's a breath of fresh air for Astrid, Astrid's daughter Porter, who is a pregnant single mother and goat-cheese entrepreneur, and even the oldest son, stuffy, buttoned-up Elliot.  So many funny, happy, sad, surprising events happen to shake this family up and raise questions about the relationships between each other and themselves.  By the end of the book I was in love with this family, the town and the story.  I can't wait to see what Emma Straub does next!!

All Adults Here is a fast, entertaining read.  It would be a great Mother's Day gift for mom's of any age.  There is so much for discussion your book club may actually talk about the book this time.  I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this book and I urge you to pick it up in May when its released for publication.  Enjoy!!!

Emma Straub's All Adults Here is a warm, lovely novel about a family and the many dynamics that bloom out of years of secrets, trying to be a good parent/sibling/child, misunderstandings, and above all, flawed but fierce love. With thoughtfully-crafted characters, a well-paced plot, and buckets of small-town charm, this was a sweet, delightful read, on par with The Vacationers.

Some books are enjoyed because of plot, some because of characters, others because of the tone or style of the language.  One might recommend this book for the plot, which moves along, or possibly even the style, which is engaging, but probably not for the characters, most of whom seem more to become fully colored in, more than they grow throughout the book.

But there are plot points aplenty.  The book nominally centers around the matriarch of the family, who has a stunning revelation to share with her three grown children.  Her middle child, and only daughter, has a very different revelation of her own, and her eldest son is struggling with a weighty decision.  Her granddaughter is struggling with a new school, and the reason she left her old school.  There's more than enough here to keep us turning the pages.

My biggest issue with this book is the fact that they are not, in fact, all adults.  The most compelling parts of this book come from children.  Eighth graders, to be specific, as they navigate the difference between secrecy and loyalty, and what it means to really be someone's friend.  It is these parts of the book that had the most meat to them.

Perfectly readable story about Astrid, her children and grandchildren, most of whom live in a small town situated somewhere between Poughkeepsie and Rhinecbeck in the Hudson Valley.  There are no great revelations, no exciting action sequences, just the joys(?) of small town life and paced to match.

eARC provided by publisher.

In All Adults Here, Emma Straub introduces us the Strick family. There is the matriarch, three adult children, in laws and grandchildren. The story revolves around the childhood home in a small town a train ride from New York City. This is a story of family dynamics, how our past influences our future, and how where we come from becomes a part of who we are. 

As you read along with each character you get to know them, and understand them as individuals. You laugh with them, cringe at their missteps (big and small) and cheer them on as they each muddle through life and attempt to change themselves for the better. These are real people, living their lives and doing the best they can. If you have adult siblings, ageing parents, teenage children, old High School crushes, or simply come from a family, you will relate to this book. 

The story is engaging, and authentic. It is at times humorous and at times insightful and deeply moving. In the end, you are drawn into this family and all of their mess, and are happy to have met them.

I fell into a book and I can't get up! Emma Straub's All Adults Here captivated me all last weekend and I did not want to put it down. With gentle humor and a good touch of irony, Straub explores family dynamics in a small town in NY. Recommended highly, especially for readers of Anne Tyler.

My favorite Emma Straub book thus far. The characters were fully fleshed out and all endearing. A touching story about family and all the different ways to love.

Thus was a great novel about families and what makes us work, or not. Well written, warm and engaging.  I read it in one sitting.

Sometimes you want to read a book that entertains and does not strain. This would be one of those books.

Astrid Strick is her sixties. As she looks back on her life, she regrets some of her decisions and some her interactions with her children. She is also ready to live life on her own terms and be who she really is. While the message is empowering, the more than 12 key characters and a boat load of issues (death, grudges, Internet predators, bullying, homosexuality, transgender, infidelity, gentrification, career struggles, small business, middle school, family secrets....) made things a bit muddled. Naturally, some characters are not fully developed. There are lots of questions remaining.

I adored All Adults here. Thanks to NetGalley for my Kindle review copy. I want to move to Clapham NY, get my hair cut at Shear Beauty, eat at Spiro’s Pancake House, shop at Secondhand News and have a drink at Buddy’s. I need to become friends with Porter Strick, eat her goat cheese, and find out what happens to Cecelia and August. Emma Straub’s characters are so flawed, they are all perfect. Beautiful depiction of family secrets, family love, parental mistakes, and second and third chances. Publication date is May 5th. It will be a great summer read and would be a lovely book club choice

[I will post a review of 'All Adults Here' ASAP; I'm typing this placeholder "review" because I wanted to get my LibraryReads vote in before the deadline . . . . . ]