Witty and fun with very British humour. A few laugh out loud moments. 7 year old Scarlett is the true star of the piece. I feel that there’s perhaps more to this novel than meets the eye in places but it fell a little short of the mark for me.

3.5 - 4 stars

Your live in boyfriend asks you along to a Christmas Centre Park type holiday with his ex wife, her partner and his daughter Scarlett (who btw seems to hate you) .. what could go wrong?

This is an entertaining funny read and I especially loved Scarlett's role and the conversations with her imaginary friend and confidant Posey (A giant purple rabbit with a touch of attitude). The expected awkwardness of such a trip is brilliantly portrayed, the characters are extremely human and not always likeable and the exploration and dynamics of the relationships between the adults and with Scarlett was insightful and wittily portrayed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion for the copy of this book - My honest thoughts and opinion are expressed in this review.

I absolutely loved how The Adults makes you feel like you're right there on holiday with this dysfunctional family, as they try to muddle their way through an awkward, too-close-for-comfort family holiday in somewhere that I imagine to be like Centerparcs, but SO Christmas-themed-it-hurts! Think a LOT of forced 'magical festive fun' for the whole family to 'enjoy'... except things are falling apart fast!

From reading the very first page I assumed this would be moresort of a mystery story, where the reader can piece together what happened to the 'male' who needs an ambulance in the first scene. However, it's much more about the family drama and relationships between the characters - though the 'emergency incident' does play a big part, of course - and I was compeltely fine with that. I didn't at all mind the lack of focus on the mystery (for once) because the story is so entertaining and fun to read.

Caroline Hulse has a way of making you feel like you could be reading about so many 'normal' families who are doing their best to spend Christmas (an often-fraught time  of year, in terms of family, at the best of times) together for the sake of little Scarlett (who I have to say, I kind of disliked, despite her only being a child!).

I'd really recommend this funny read; it's got some mystery in there to keep you hooked and I loved the funny (and fraught) dynamics between the characters - so entertaining!

'The Adults' is a fun and quirky little family based drama.

This is an enjoyable quick read which might suit a reader looking for something they can just enjoy, without having to overthink and without committing huge amounts of time.

Claire and Matt have a daughter together, Scarlett. As their divorce was amicable and they are still on friendly terms, why not spend Christmas all together at a holiday resort? Add in Patrick, Claire’s boyfriend, a man obsessed with his healthy regime who thinks his girlfriend is perfect and has a lot of resentment towards his ex-wife. Add in Alex, Matt’s girlfriend, with her insecurities and her analytical mind. And add in Posey, Scarlett’s imaginary friend, a giant rabbit no one else can see. What could possibly go wrong?
The book opens with a call for an ambulance because someone has been shot with a bow. From awkward conversations to secrets spilled out, these five people (plus the rabbit) will spend five days together that they will never forget. Told from various points of view, this was a hilarious and entertaining read. I laughed at the weirdness of the situations, at Matt’s infantile behaviour, and at Patrick’s stiffness and perfection. I can see this book turned into an enjoyable Christmas movie and if you are already looking for a fun festive read then you should definitely pick this up.

This was the Perfect Holiday read, I wish I read it in Christmas! It was such a fun, witty read.

Scarlet's parents, Matt and Claire got divorced when she was very young. Claire is now with Patrick, Matt with Alex. All these guys have their own unique features that makes them fun to read. Alex is a scientist, who doesn't want kids. Patrick is obsessed with training. Claire is difficult to fault.
I loved to be in the world of these characters in this witty, easygoing book. I really enjoyed Hulse's writing and character development.
She focused on relationships with talent.

If you're looking for a fun read focused on family drama & relationships with a witty voice and characters, this book is for you! Totally recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas is the perfect time for families to get together, but in this time of fractured families & parents finding new partners combining them doesn't sound like a great idea. However, somehow Matt manages to get Alex to agree to spending Christmas in a holiday park with Claire, his ex & her partner Patrick, so that his seven year old daughter Scarlett can spend Christmas with both her parents.

Scarlett has not taken her parent's split very well. The main sign of this is Posey-a person sized purple rabbit- that is her constant companion even if no-one else can see him! Personally I disliked Posey intensely!!!

I really wondered how on earth these characters got together. I liked Claire, I understood why Matt drove her crazy even though I think I would find living with him a lot more pleasant than the totally obnoxious Patrick! I also liked Alex, although I wondered how on earth she got together with Matt- very likeable but about as mature as Scarlett!

From early on we know that someone has been shot with an arrow although it takes a long time to find out how that happened.

I really liked this book. It was a bit like watching a disaster movie- you knew things were going to end badly but you couldn't look away. It let me thinking about the characters long after the last page was read & for that it deserves five stars.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

The Adults Caroline Hulse
An easy, comfortable read about the complicated lives of a group of adults all trying to do the right thing for their daughter / step-daughter Scarlett. The characters are well-developed and I actually wanted to shake a couple of them to bring them to their senses. The story is interesting told with short blasts from the present before the main story unfolding from flashbacks.

The opening of this story instantly draws you in, and you spend a lot the book trying to figure out who has been shot by an arrow.

The idea of two exes going on holiday together with their current partners and their daughter sounds like a nightmare, but a great idea for a plot. There are many laughs throughout and the characters are all so different, everyone will have different favourite characters.

It’s not the type of book I would normally read, but I enjoyed it and Caroline’s wonderfully written characters.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This had me absolutely creased over with laughter and tears running down my face, What a great read

Oh what a book. This was just riveting. I thought it was going to be funny and it is in a lot of places, but mostly it's awkward, hide behind your hands, car crash unfolding in front of your eyes. It's absolutely gripping.
It reminds me of the TV series Motive, where you find out what happened at the end, then spend the episode trying to figure out the motive and what occurred leading up to the event. It doesn't distract from the plot, in fact it made me think harder about what might have happened to cause such a dramatic situation. This is me trying not to give away any of the plot, it will make much more sense once you're read it. It's a great page turner and I loved how awkward the characters made me feel. I found it quite an emotional roller-coaster of a ride but i can see for some it would not be there cup of tea at all. I think it's a perfect slice of Marmite on Toast!

I really enjoyed this book and laughed out loud on numerous occasions. The main premise is definitely a recipe for disaster; the divorced parents of seven year old Scarlett and her parents respective new partners going away together for the Christmas weekend to try to make Christmas a fun time for Scarlett. They are also accompanied by Scarlett’s imaginary friend, Posey, a giant purple, moon boot wearing rabbit who is terrific fun and says all the things Scarlett wants to say, but knows that she shouldn’t. I would love a friend like Posey! 😁🐰
It soon becomes apparent that someone has done something very wrong that means the police become involved... but who has done what to whom, when and why? It is these questions that kept me utterly intrigued and enamoured until the very last pages of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this novel but I didn't love it. I thought the premise behind this novel and the storyline itself was great. The idea of a blended family trapped together at Christmas is a villa in a holiday park in Yorkshire, awesome idea, so much could go wrong. Throw into that the fact that the little girl who this is all for has a giant rabbit as an imaginary friend who requires his own chair at the table and cup for drinking from, winner. But at times I found it to be a little confusing and it left me wanting just a little bit.

The characters in this novel are not the kind of characters you take an instant liking to. The only overly 'nice' on of the group is Claire, Matt's ex-wife and Scarlett's mum. She tries her best to be nice and to do the right thing and the great thing is, you spend the novel wondering what she's covering up by being so nice all of the time. She is with Patrick who definitely has more to hide than he is letting on. He doesn't seem too bothered by not spending Christmas with his own kids and doesn't really seem to like the rest of the group. He may not be likable but boy is he intriguing!

Then the other couple are Matt and Alex, Matt used to be married to Claire and now lives with Alex, he is Scarlett's Dad. He is easy going but so much so that he is lazy. You get what you see with him and I spent most of the novel resenting him, a strong feeling! Alex definitely has more to her than meetings the eye. We know that she is a scientist and no longer drinks but we don't really find out an awful lot about her past until way way on in the book. I just really didn't sympathise with her at all and I think that's one of the issues I had with this book at some point.

Scarlett to me seems like a little brat and I really didn't like her imaginary rabbit friend either. He seems evil and I almost became scared for her to be alone with him because I was worried what he might do and if he really was real or whether he was someone in a purple rabbit's suit, interesting concept I know! The scenes from her point of view though were good because I spent the whole time hating her and so I wanted to read on to get past them.

This book is structured a little bit like Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty but I found it a little confusing at times. We know something has happened and we have police reports and hospitals being mentioned and these police reports and interviews are dropped in throughout the novel, slowly, slowly revealing what happened. I think this was just a little bit too slow for me and sometimes it interrupted something that was happening in the rest of the book that never really felt resolved.

Overall I thought there was definitely potential for this to be a gripping read but it just fell short on a few basic points for me and so I don't think I would be recommending this one to you.

Again, I think this is a case of mis-selling the premise. From what I read in the blurb, this was an exploration of complex family relationships from the point of view of the child involved in the strange friendship between a divorced couple, perhaps along the lines of 'Where'd You Go Bernadette'. That's not what you get. Unfortunately, I found this novel to be quite lacklustre in its execution. Though the premise is interesting, I struggled to continue connecting with the characters after the first few chapters. The writing style was too ordinary and didn't grip me to carry on reading. I'm sure this book will appeal to some readers, I just wasn't one of them.

Thanks for the early review, I've read this book and couldn't put it down, enjoyed it from begining to end.

**RATING 3.5**

THE ADULTS by Caroline Hulse is a sharp-witted, clever, often funny, tale of family, as old partners and new get together for the Christmas holidays to make it perfect for Scarlett, the little girl who holds them all together.

Claire and her partner Patrick, together with Matt and his partner Alex, are going to spend Christmas together in a picture perfect holiday park in the woods so that Scarlett, Claire and Matt's daughter, can experience a magical Christmas together as one big happy family. What can go wrong? After all, they are all intelligent, sensible adults who want the best for each other. Right? But life and emotions are never as straightforward in practice and as jealousy, misunderstandings, old flames, and an imaginary bunny start to get in the way, it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt ... and not just in the figurative sense!

The characters in this story are intelligent, independent, and determined to be grown up with their blended family situation, but like us all, they are also flawed, each in their own way, and it is their insecurities and failings that bubble to the surface in this postcard holiday moment. The story flowed well for me and I was never bored, and I enjoyed the byplay between everyone but I must admit I expected this to be a lighter story judging from the description and the cover, and I didn't expect the darker undertone that could be sensed throughout.

Overall, I enjoyed THE ADULTS by Caroline Hulse and would recommend it to anyone who has had to spend time in close quarters with family members that they would rather avoid. A solid story.

A Christmas with a difference! When divorced parents Claire and Matt decide that the best way to celebrate Christmas with their daughter Scarlett, is a trip to a holiday village, complete with fun family activities, they also think it will be great to bring their new partners along. Throw an imaginary rabbit in moon boots , and an old crush and you are looking at a recipe for disaster, as is clearly indicated by the dramatic opening of the book.
Full of warmth and humor, but with plenty of bite, I really liked this unusual seasonal read, the perfect antidote to some of the more mawkish offerings set at Christmas. The book is shot through with genuinely funny moments and the characters (including Poesy the rabbit) feel ready to step off the page. The dynamics of the relationships between the characters are so well crafted, they feel completely believable , and by the end of the book I felt almost like I was among friends, though not necessarily ones I will invite for Christmas any time soon,
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

With thanks to Netgalley and Orion fit for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Congratulations to Caroline Hulse for her debut books The Adults.

Divorced couple Claire and Matt wanted to spend christmas with their daughter seven year old Scarlett. Claire and Matt decided to spend five days at the Happy Forest Holiday Park with their respective partners Alex and Patrick. Scarlett was accompanied by her invisible friend Posey a 5ft purple boy rabbit with a tag by his bum that said made in China.

I knew I would be in for a treat when the book began with the transcript of a 999 call Alex made calling for an ambulance. A man was lying unconscious, bleeding heavily after being shot by an archery arrow..

The story was told from the POV of Scarlett, Matt`s partner Alex, a scientist and finally Claire`s partner Patrick a barrister. The most interesting characters in this book were Alex and Patrick who felt like the outsiders in the cottage.

Alex seemed a little cold and as a scientist was apt to over analyse things. The incident with the injured partridge reminded me of a scene in Everyone Loves Raymond. Although she was an intelligent woman she seemed to put up with Matt who was a man baby who was seemed to still love his ex Claire. She was jealous of Claire who seemed like the perfect housewife always cooking. She was also upset because Scarlett disliked her and would talk to Posey about her under her breath.

I liked Patrick the middle aged barrister with two teenagers from his first marriage. Patrick knew he was boring and felt like he punching above his weight with the attractive Claire. Patrick was into to health and fitness and was entered into an iron man contest but was too scared to tell Claire. During the holiday he felt annoyed that Matt insisted in calling him Pat.

My favourite characters were Scarlett and Posey. Scarlett and Posey disliked Alex because they thought she was a scientist who tested on rabbits. After the partridge incident Posey became scared and said he would be careful around her. I found the Posey thing fascinating because he was intelligent and astute about the adults.

I enjoyed the interviews with the employees of Happy Forest after the incident, it was interesting how strangers perceive things. The circumstances of archery incident was surprising, definitely not what I was expecting.

I thought the plot was funny and the perfect book to start my countdown to Christmas 2018. I look forward to reading more from Caroline Hulse in the future.

A really entertaining read, very funny but heartfelt. I enjoyed the way that we got all the different perspectives, it gave the story a raw honesty.
The characters were very believable and the dynamics worked perfectly.
A definite recommend.

Well, what a Christmas break!! Note to self: however you celebrate yuletide, don't do it like this ...

Matt and Claire used to be married; they have a daughter, seven year old Scarlett. These days, Claire's new partner Patrick lives with them whilst Matt moved in with his girlfriend, Alex. So whose bright idea was it that they all head off to a 'fun' park to spend Christmas together? Either no-one knows - or nobody's owning up!

I love Christmas! Having been a single parent - and completely believing in putting children first, well above personal feelings, my ex-husband did come and spend Christmas day with me, our two children and my now husband. But go away with him and a girlfriend for days on end? Not on your life! This novel is alternately gobsmackingly shocking and amusing. Including Scarlett's 'friend' Posey the rabbit was a brilliant idea and frankly it's a toss up as to whether Posey or Scarlett was the most grown up of all of them!

From sober over-politeness to drunk revelations and attacks, this is one book which will keep your attention. One thing for sure, this author has a wicked sense of humour which shines through all the upsets. The book begins with a disaster and there are little snatches of that, reminding the reader that something monumental occurred. I rather liked how this was done; it added to the mystique. It kept my attention from start to finish - the only annoying thing was the use of a couple of repeated words which jarred and seemed unwieldy, interrupting the flow of the story. I even googled the author to check if she was in the UK!

That aside, it was fun being a silent spectator on the relationships of others; whilst I didn't find it hilariously funny, it was honest and amusing. 3.5*

My thanks to publisher Orion for approving my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.