“If Love, Actually and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are your two favorite holiday movies, you’re going to love The Adults.”—BustleNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE • “Sometimes a nasty family comedy is just what you need for the holidays.”—Entertainment WeeklyMeet The Adults. Claire and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, … and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, Scarlett, to have a “normal” family Christmas. They can’t agree on whose idea it was to go to the Happy Forest holiday park, or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did—and it’s too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick (never Pat), a seemingly sensible, eligible from a distance Ironman in Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, who is seven, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He’s a giant rabbit. Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Forced Fun Activities, drink a little too much after Scarlett’s bedtime, overshare classified secrets about their pasts . . . and before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends where this novel begins—with a tearful, frightened call to the police.
What happened? They said they’d all be adults about this. . . .
Praise for The Adults
“A delectable premise . . . Hulse skewers her characters uproariously, zeroing in on every quirk, and she humanizes them, too.”—Entertainment Weekly
“The ending is worth every page turned in this funny, redeeming wade through the rough tide of blended family.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Caroline Hulse’s farcical debut is an ode to the big personalities and drama you find in families—unconventional and not.”—Real Simple
“This wry holiday novel will make you chuckle and remind you that nobody’s family is perfect. If you’ve ever sat through an awkward family dinner (who hasn’t?), you’ll relate so hard.”—HelloGiggles
“Brilliantly funny.”—Good Housekeeping (UK)
“Razor-sharp comedy.”—Sunday Mirror
more
The Adults, by Caroline Hulse, was a little bit funny and sort of uncomfortably realistic, and I say that as a happily married woman. Exes Claire and Matt plan a Christmas trip away with their new partners so they can both be with their young daughter for the holiday. They’re all adults, so what can possibly go wrong?
I didn’t love the characters, though at times, I did like each of them a lot and I did find I could sort of relate to them. I did appreciate that the story was told through the new partners’ viewpoints, which did tend to make me believe their narrative and even side with them on particular events and arguments. I wanted to like Scarlett, the little girl, but I had a difficult time believing she was seven, because at times she seemed much older than her age, while still having an imaginary friend (a giant stuffed purple rabbit) who accompanied her everywhere she went.
This was a fast, easy, fun read for the holidays. If you’re looking for something light with a touch of twisted, adult humor, I recommend The Adults.
“The Adults” by Caroline Hulse centers around a Christmas vacation that no one will ever forget. A joyful sign welcomed guests to “The Happy Forest Holiday Park! Where relaxation is a force of nature.” The plan was for a nice quiet holiday vacation with extended family, all reasonable adults. What could possibly go wrong? Readers find out quickly that a lot can go wrong when the novel opens with the transcript of a call to emergency services Operator: “Emergency, which service?
Woman: We need an ambulance at the Happy Forest Holiday Park… We need an ambulance. He’s been shot. It was an accident.”
This is not just any ordinary Christmas vacation; it is a holiday with one young child Scarlett Cutler, her now divorced parents Matt Cutler and Claire Petersen, their new partners Patrick Asher and Alex Mount, and Scarlett’s imaginary friend, Posey, the rabbit. Why would this group ever think they could spend a holiday together without tension and trauma? From very beginning, anticipation and dread hangs on every page.
The chapters are written from alternating points of view to guide readers through events and to help shed light on how all these sensible adults got to that prologue. They all wanted Scarlett to have a memorable Christmas vacation, and in that, they certainly were successful. Their relationships with each other were certainly memorable as well, but those times were filled with insecurity, lies, and manipulation rather than holiday cheer.
Fundamental inconsistencies, prevailing insecurities, mounting tension, and underlying conflict indicate the thunderstorm of events that are on the way. Even when there seems to be some semblance of civility among these adults, readers are reminded of the “incident” by chapters with transcripts of interviews by park employees and other quests who observed the growing strain and the aftermath of the “event.”
“The Adults” works because of the diverse and realistic characters; readers get to know them very well. They are all like-able, familiar, and sympathetic despite their disturbed routines and unnecessary drama. In fact, every reader knows of someone like these people among their own families and acquaintances. However, behind all that familiar normal behavior, readers know there is still the shooting. Readers frantically turn pages because although “the event” has occurred, the details and specific participants are only disclosed a little piece at a time throughout the narrative.
“The Adults” is compelling and entertaining book. I finished it shaking my head and asking, “How could people think this would be an appropriate vacation?” I of course knew the answer because I knew all these characters. I received a copy of “The Adults” from Caroline Hulse, Random House Publishing Group, and NetGalley. This is certainly not a run-of-the-mill “Christmas Book,” and I found it a painfully wonderful book. It reminds me that my own holiday vacations are not as bad as I thought.
** spoiler alert ** The Adults
Let me start with I love how this book is written. It toggles between each person and their perspective of the situation. 4 adults, 1 child and a giant invisible bunny. What could possibly go wrong? Oh boy!!! I read the description of this book and was quite pleased to get an advanced copy. I just couldn’t get into it. I did not like any of the adults. Not even a little! I really didn’t find it funny and I like to think I have a pretty decent sense of humor. I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn’t find anything to grab on to. I firmly believe that divorced or separated people need to love their children more than they dislike or even hate each other, but these people are clearly not there yet. They are not mature enough to handle the situation they created. It was clearly too soon for them to all try to be together. Claire knew her relationship was for all intents and purposes over and yet she brought Patrick who thought Matt wants his ex back. Matt brought his girlfriend while still not over his ex who is clearly uncomfortable about the whole trip and very nervous about being with his daughter. I know I am in the minority so maybe give it a try, but for me I did not enjoy the read.
(less)
The bulk of this story is set over a 5 day period. The concept, ex-wife/ex-husband on a Christmas vacation getaway with their daughter and respective new boyfriend/girlfriend. The relationship of the child’s parents is great. They get along, they joke with each other they don’t fight. They are content to be apart from each other and in their new roles as “exes”. I liked the way this book was split up into each day of the vacation, and I also like how the transcripts from the police interviews were placed. The transcripts told you what was going on, without revealing too much of the story. I actually didn’t know who the “victim” was until pretty close to the end of the book. I really enjoyed this book.
I had so much fun reading this little novel! I really enjoyed the characters, who were unique with interesting quirks and personalities, wrapped up in a Christmas story unlike any I had ever read before. I loved the idea of this novel, a pair of exes trying to gather together with their partners for the sake of their child at Christmas. A recipe for disaster. This one was great for readers who like to laugh during the holidays!
This clever take on post-marital relationships made me laugh multiple times, definitely kept me up past bedtime and generally just entertained me. I like my books light but complex and this met the bill.
Such a breath of fresh air! Witty, intensely human, and (dare I say it) relatable . . . This novel is the perfect comedy of errors.
Just read it. So brilliant! Also, great as a Christmas present for book lovers. Funny, observant, sharp, honest. Going to be a smash hit.