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.

I love books about family and all of their multiple dramas. I have always enjoyed Marian Keyes and this book did not disappoint. I always look forward to her books. My only complaint was the large number of characters that I sometimes had trouble keeping track of. Overall an enjoyable yarn that was a good distraction during this difficult time of pandemic. I come from a large family on my father's side and this book reminded me of all the various foibles in a a large family.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy of this book for an honest review

This is a big messy family - the children act better than the adults.

The book is really large - and I felt it went fairly slow.

There seemed to be so many characters that I almost wanted some sort of family tree or key at the beginning that I could follow.

This book seemed to want a lot of my patience and I just wasn't interested.

I’ve never read any of the author’s previous books but have heard good things about them.
I was disappointed in this book as the blurb did not live up to its promise.
Too many characters and the story was drawn out.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Always a pleasure to disappear into the pages of a family saga, and even more tantalizing when there is some dirty bits, some secrets and lies, and some truly imperfect characters. The Casey family embody all of this and more, and know well how to party and celebrate, connive and deceive, but most of all, they know how to truly support each member. Three brothers, their spouses, children and extended families work through the ups and downs of business dealings, health concerns, infidelity and poor communication, and manage to grab this reader’s heart completely. This is my first Keyes novel, but I am definitely on the hunt for backlist titles now.

I have been a fan of Marian Keyes writing for quite a few years now, her books are always well-written, with humour and wit and Grown Ups is no exception! I love reading about big Irish families and the Casey family is not without dramas and their own quirks! It did take me a few chapters to get into this story, but I was invested all the way through, intrigued to see what would happen next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC I received :) Marian Keyes fans will love her latest publication, Grown Ups is a 4 star read from me.

I love Marian Keyes books and over the years I can’t think of a disappointing one. I love that they are on the longer side as I hate finishing books sometimes if you know what I mean! This book lived up to my expectations and I enjoyed the large family and trying to remember who was who! The domestic issues in the book are relatable and this was the perfect to escape into for a good while.

Marian Keyes is probably my favourite contemporary author. I started reading her books in 2002/3 😳 and I read each new release the minute it comes out. I was so jealous of all the UK bookstagrammers talking about her 2020 release Grown Ups so imagine how THRILLED I was to get an ARC via netgalley.

Ok onto the book. Marian Keyes excels at writing big, messy families. The Casey family is no exception. There are so many characters in this book and they are all distinct with their own dramas and secrets and intersect in realistic ways.

Another aspect of Marian Keyes’ novels that I enjoy is how she integrates real life issues in a seamless way. In Grown Ups, the struggles that asylum seekers face in Ireland are specifically mentioned and included throughout the book.

Regardless of all the drama that the Casey family is going through, there are a lot of laughs and steamy bits. It is out in North America today!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

CW: eating disorder

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and Doubleday Canada for this ARC.

I tried so hard to enjoy this. Believe me, I did. However, I found the story a bit slow and the length of the book put me off continuing to read it. Unfortunately I couldn't finish.

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨.

One Irish family and all it’s messy complications is Marian Keyes newest novel. For this brood, there is plenty of stumbling, bickering, inappropriate longings and as always insults and digs. Who would we be without our family to tell us? As someone once said, families are not democracies. We all fall into our roles, regardless of how much we’ve stretched our wings. Struggles for power, surrender, what family is without that? Bad guys, good guys, liars, leaders and followers- we are who our families expect us to be… until we’re not. Forever trapped in a pecking order, not of our making. Family dynamics are carried into partnerships, and it’s a weight! Those closest to us don’t notice when we’re unraveling, nor do our partners always want to see when another is vying for our affection. Get everyone together and we repel and attract, oh the drama it brings! Young and old, every family member holds their own.

The Casey’s are made up of three brothers, their wives and children. Jessie is the control freak of the family, charging ahead, taking on planning of the family gatherings, knowing how important it is strengthen bonds. She spends a lot of money so everything runs smoothly, supplying happy times, and she has plenty of it. She and her husband Johnny paying for them all isn’t always welcome. Cara in particular feels uneasy, but she is swamped in self-loathing, trying to keep her career going, filling herself with an unhealthy habit, starving for emotional fulfillment. Big problems that are growing by the second. Problems that are overwhelming Ed and testing his love for her. Nell is challenged by her distaste for her older husband’s spoiled nephew. Every adult is going off the tracks.

Time goes back and forth, it isn’t hard to follow though sometimes keeping the characters straight was a challenge. When all is said, it’s family as they really are- full of resentments, insight, hurts and betrayals. It’s knowing when to let go and when to begin. Sometimes, we have to see each other differently, through the space of distance, to get a clear picture of where we stand. Sometimes it takes a concussion to tell people how you really feel. People act out, abandoning their steady branch on the family tree, what absolute havoc!

A clever, funny, painful story of a family shedding it’s old ways. You can’t bite your tongue for eternity. The Caseys are long overdue a shake up. It’s different from past Keyes’ novels I have loved, but there is quite a bit of wisdom within.

𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬

𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮

𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘆

I have read a few of Marian Keyes's books and was excited to find Grown Ups on my Netgalley shelf. Marian does a great job of weaving stories about Irish families with delightful, believable characters.

Grown Ups was quite a long book with a large cast of characters. It took me about halfway through to become really hooked into the story. The last half of the book, however, flew by. I became invested in the Casey family and their complicated lives. There were many heavy moments-bulimia, the plight of those seeking asylum in Ireland, and period poverty-and yet, it only added to the story and did not weigh it down. It made the characters more interesting and relatable. I was actually disappointed when I reached the end because I wanted to know more. That is rare for me.

I was so pleased to be able to review an ARC of this book, courtesy of Netgalley, and all opinions are my own.

Rating: 2.5 rounded down to 2 overly long stars

As a long-time Marian Keyes fan, I was so excited get an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. Five-hundred pages later, with 150 pages left to read, I was slogging a bit resentfully towards the end of the book. This is an okay contemporary story about three Irish brothers and their wives. The middle-aged Casey brothers Johnny, Ed and Liam married women of varying character and talent. This story is about their individual and collective relationships; as well as the familial interactions that they have with their children.

Characters. There are so many characters in this book. They each have their own issues. The much detail is used to describe the issues. The timeline and narrators switch very frequently. It took me awhile to get into the rhythm of the book. I kept waiting for a big payoff for the hard work I put in. Sadly, for me, it never arrived. This could have used an editor with a sharp red pencil. I think it could have been trimmed down by a couple of hundred pages. That would have made it less plodding and more compelling.

There was one weekend’s events (the murder mystery weekend) in particular where Keyes’ expertly used her trademark humor to liven up the story. I needed more of that humor to make the book sparkle. The lack of that humor, and the length of the book, which did not really go anywhere, makes it a bit of a miss for me. If you like long, involved contemporary family stories though, this might just be the book for you.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada; and the author, Marian Keyes, for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The genre the publisher is placing this is a Romance, but I found this to be a much more. In fact, I would say this is more of a complicated families story, more than anything.

The book is about the Casey Brothers and their respective families. Johnny and Jessie and their blended family, Ed and Cara and their two son’s and, Liam and Nell who are just dating when we meet them.

We meet them at a family gathering, which will be the first of many times this family gets together throughout this book. An incident occurs, it leaves these couples in a much reflective state.

This sounds like a great setup, however this book comes in at over 600 pages and it is just way to long. This story could have told in half the time. The timelines were all over the place, and made it difficult to follow at times. The storylines for each couple kept me going, but somehow the meshing was just ok.

If you are fans of Marian Keyes, I am not sure this is her best work, but it will keep you entertained for the most part for a long time. If you have not read Marian Keyes before, you probably do not want to start with this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bit of a change of pace for Marian Keyes. The characters are "grown ups" in their 40s and it is a wonderful family saga which people in this age group will love even more. There are a lot of characters to follow but there is a chart at the beginning which explains them all. I have read all of her books and her writing has matured over the years. I highly recommend this novel.

It seems the Casey family has it all: money, love, happiness, etc. but as the reader finds out right away, through one of the main characters blurting out secrets at a birthday party, this family has a lot of hidden secrets. This book is like an onion, with more secrets being revealed chapter by chapter. Despite the fact that this family is revealed to be messy and complicated, I was rooting for most of them until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Marian Keyes for this ARC !

Grown Ups by Marian Keyes is a family drama that focuses on the three Casey brothers (Johnny, Ed, and Liam) and their immediate family.⁣ It shows you their lives through a series of big family get togethers.
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I love the timeline that was used in this book! I found it super unique and it helped keep me intrigued during the 600+ pages. The book starts with an opening scene in the present where Cara (Ed’s wife) threatens to spill major family secrets. Before she has the opportunity to say anything, you flash back to 6 months before that fated family supper and follow their lives back to that original date. ⁣
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There are a lot of characters in this book - but thankfully there is a family tree in the first few pages. I highly suggest you mark that page because until you start to get to know the characters, you’ll need to refer back to it.⁣
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I adored this novel! There was such amazing character development throughout the story - there were characters who I hated and grew to love and others who I learned to hate over the course of the book. It’s written from multiple point of views which really helps you connect with all of the characters. ⁣
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The book touches on so many important topics and I feel like it did them all justice. As a trigger warning though, there is a large chunk of this book that deals with bulimia, so if that’s a trigger for you, I would avoid this one. ⁣
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I knew this was a 5⭐️ read for me because when it was over I wanted more! Yes, after over 600 pages, I wanted even more of the Caseys ! I am begging Marian Keyes for follow up novels 🥺🙏 I need to know what happens to Ferdia and the other kids !! ⁣
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This books shows that no matter how perfect a family looks, we’re all human, and even the most successful among us still have some growing up to do. This book comes out on June 30th, so exit your app immediately and go pre-order it ☺️ If you love family dramas, you will adore this! ⁣
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