Jenny McLaine is in her mid thirties and, on the surface, lives a successful life as a columnist for an online magazine and even owns her own home. However, her career is not a career anymore, her photographer boyfriend breaks up with her and replaces her with - please God it can't be true! - with her biggest Instagram obsession, her best friend Kelly doesn't want to be her friend anymore. And her psychic mother comes to stay with her. Please send help.

Based on the premise, I was expecting this book to be a humorous and sarcastic view at adulthood. However, what I got, was a novel that was impossible to get into, with a heroine that was on no account relatable nor likeable. I don't know, maybe I'm too old for this already but Jenny McLaine and her unhappiness with everything, her seeing problems where there weren't any just made me annoyed with the book and with her. I wanted to DNF this novel more than once however I kept reading hoping that something is going to happen, something that will make me change my mind and like the book. Nope. For me it was neither realistic, nor humorous, nor relatable. If this is what adulthood really looks like then I must be living on different planet.

It was a very character driven read. Jenny, as a main character, was anxious and insecure and all the time wanted to be in the centre of attention. Nothing interested her, neither people, friends nor family, but social media, where she followed people with, as it seemed, perfect lives, incriminating in the feeling of failing at her own life even more and more - it was like a vicious circle, she was all the time obsessing about likes, receptions of posts, her ex. She was annoying and irritating and her realisation that she needs to grow up came too late for me to change my feelings towards her and the book.

Nevertheless, the book had some strong points, for example in exploring mother - daughter relationship and pointing at the damage that social addition may cause. It sounds very authentic and the author has captured well the feelings of desperation and addiction to social media that can change the whole attitude to life and relationships. The writing is very modern and sophisticated, but sometimes it felt that the author tried too much and especially the humour felt much too forced. I wanted to enjoy this book but, sadly, it didn't work for me.

Absolutely hilarious! Haven’t laughed out loud so much with a book in AGES. An instant modern classic that I’ll be buying for all my friends. Bloody brilliant!

A quick read for a Sunday morning. A focus on the Instagram generation and how much time is spent on or thinking about social media.

I'm in two minds about this book: on one side I found it a meaningful and interesting description of the Instagram generation, on the other side I found the characters a bit too unlikable even if there's a good development and they change.
I think it was an interesting read and I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Initially I found this book hard going. Are there really people in their thirties out there who behave like Jenny? Jenny annoyed me, I laughed once in the first half of the book and it was heading for a one star review. I actually wanted to stop reading but you can’t review a book honestly unless you’ve read the whole thing and so I kept going. And I laughed, laughed a bit more, suddenly I understood Jenny and felt incredibly sad for her. I raced through the second half and suddenly it ended. I felt a little sad when it ended. What happens next?

If you read this and struggle keep going. It is worth it. It jumped from a one star to a four star so that alone says it got a lot better.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I started reading this book with really high expectations but sadly I don't feel the book lived upto my expectations
I didn't find it side split tingly funny or approachable
Maybe just me but not my cup of tea

This book was one of my most anticipated books of 2020 - I actually haven't read Unsworth's hugely acclaimed Animals yet, but the description of Adults just immediately grabbed me. It sounded like a warm and hugely funny take on what it is like to be a woman in her 30s in the modern world, and gave me strong Fleabag vibes!

On first glance things seem to be going okay for the main character, Jenny - she owns her own house, works for a super-on-trend feminist magazine, and spends her days socialising - mainly on her phone, but occasionally in real life (if it is Gram-able). But although Jenny is, at 30, technically an adult, she definitely doesn't feel like one.

As I turned the first few pages, I could see right away that it was going to be hilarious - there is such a natural and genuinely laugh-out-loud humour to Unsworth's writing. Jenny is often frustrating and ridiculous - a bit of a parody of modern 30-something on the surface (which might annoy readers looking for likeable characters). After the breakdown of her "proper relationship" with boyfriend Art, Jenny finds herself distancing herself from her friends and her family. But she feels has no choice but to simply pick herself up and get on with things. As she says, there's no place for vulnerability at the "front-line of feminism", in a world that's looking for "a roar from the lady jungle, not a whimper". Most importantly, what hashtag should accompany her picture of her morning croissant (which is actually stale and extremely disappointing) to show just how over Art she is?

I have to say that when I thought I had the measure of this book - witty, wry and wonderfully observant - it then took me a bit by surprise. I didn't relate hugely to Jenny's addiction to her phone and her social media life, although I did find it pretty funny. But as I continued reading, the book drew me in more and more, as I got to know Jenny more and see see behind her carefully selected Instagram filters. Beneath the humour of Jenny's theatrical daily struggles, the novel gradually shows us she is often deflecting from her innermost fears - of not being wanted, of her and her body not being good enough. What I found here at the heart of the novel actually really got to me, and left me feeling quite exposed and raw: sometimes sad and self-pitying, but ultimately immensely proud and grateful for women, and our ability to feel, share and love.

Jenny is obsessed with social media and seeing how many likes and comments she receives. It ends up ruining her life. It's starting to spiral out of control so her mother, Carmen, comes to stay.

There were parts of this book I enjoyed and others not so much. I struggled to connect with the main character, Jenny, but she did grown on me as the story progressed. There are some funny one liners that will make you laugh out loud. The book covers how social media can take over your life. I liked the authors style in writing this story. Adults is a relevant topic just now.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and the author Emma Jane Unsworth for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bob in and meet Jenny, who has the perfect life, a wonderful partner, a brilliant career and a constantly rising number of followers on Twitter and Instagram. She has her phone in her hand every waken hour. How many likes has she had on a picture or a posting? And why hasn't Suzy Brambles still not followed her back on Twitter? Her reality is very different. In fact, enough was enough with her partner when she was messaging while he was making love to her. Her career is far from sparkling and her friends are neglected. To top it off her mother arrives to stay and that is never a good thing.
This book covers all the terrible pitfalls of social media taking over your life and trying to better everyone else and their 'perfect online lives'. The characters are all larger than life, from the 'worship me' boyfriend to the mother who is overpowering. It all makes for a hilarious read as you can pick out bits of your own life from it too. Jenny's addition to social media and journey to actually breaking away from it and live a real-life becomes to aim.
An entertaining read that so many people will relate to.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I really shouldn't have liked this book and when I started it I really wished I hadn't accepted the offer to read it. The thought of people living their lives on the internet is not my idea of entertainment. The book is irreverent, the subject matter often tasteless and I felt uncomfortable ... but then it started to make me laugh, despite myself. It managed to cover subjects very relevant today and there was a real depth to it. Sometimes confusing, often funny and often thought-provoking. I'm very glad I was invited to read it.
Three and a half stars for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Emma Jane Unsworth/Harper Collins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am sorry this is not my type of book. I could not identify with Jenny’s life.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Found this funny but a bit too much. Not as real as some of the other books of this sort and the main character was very unlike able. A good read nethertheless

I took a chance on this because OMG I'M THIRTY-FIVE I SHOULD READ THINGS ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE ME.

Or not. Really, really not.

I finished this with the same kind of vague disconnect that I had reading Normal People; the kind of feeling that I should like this, I should relate, but I don't. Who are these awkward creatures posing as humans and doing these outlandish things that no one in their right mind would? There's a huge cultural divide, even after recently spending much time amongst these fancy white people.*

Sure, there were some things that pinged: an over-reliance on social media and its accompanying anxiety, the need to always perform, needing to disconnect but being unable to, the call of the aging female body to procreate**.

But it all hinged overly much on Jenny's neurosis, which flares in very unattractive ways.

Overall, Adults is a book with too much drinking and too little class. I am obviously not the target audience, despite the sad similarity in age and single status. I shall toddle back to my bright-eyed boys and girls trying to save the world with magic. Or dragons. Or both.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harper Collins via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

* Or, rather, not going out to avoid very drunk white people.
** If anything, the thing I related to the most was the confused desire of my bloody uterus to host a little alien in it. Whether or not I really do want to have kids or have any maternal instincts at all.

Made me laugh out loud. A very delayed coming of age story, of a London woman hampered and aided by social media. Obsessing and paranoid over very action as it is recorded, reported and changes her relationships in real life. Skewering online journalism in passing.

Jenny has her life sorted, a successful columnist, a good boyfriend and fantastic best friend, that is until she lose her job, boy friend and Kelly and her mother moves in with her.

Jenny is obsessed with social media, how many comments and likes she will get. Jenny has become selfish, self righteous and inconsiderate towards those that love her most.

A fantastic book exploring the perils of social media obsession, and the effect it has on mental health.

Jenny is falling apart. Her boyfriend has left her, her friends are sick of her, and her job is hanging by a thread, but you wouldn’t know it from her social media. On the surface, Jenny’s life looks successful and happy, but on the inside she is anxious, insecure and has an obsessive need for validation.

I found this to be a really stressful read. Jenny was a truly infuriating character, but also incredibly relatable. Despite being pretty annoying, she has a marvellous narrative voice.: smart, witty and full of hilarious insights.

There isn’t really that much of a plot. The story centres around Jenny’s relationship with social media, and how that affects her relationships with others. The only way the plot really develops is in Jenny’s acceptance of her problem, and the way that allows her to let go of her ex and repair her relationships with her friends and her mother.

I liked the way the book is written. The writing style is excellent – very readable – and the chapters jump backwards and forwards through time, which was a little bit confusing but quite effective. My biggest criticism is that Adults is almost too smart. It’s very ‘woke’, and Jenny seems to be completely aware that she has a problem throughout the book, but doesn’t bother to do anything about it, rather than being in denial which would have felt more genuine. This took away some of the realism.

Adults is such a relevant book right now, with such an emphasis on our obsession with social media and our need for validation and ‘likes’ from strangers on the internet.

A very poignant novel very much of our time. I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the characters within. However I was confused at times as to who was speaking and had to go back and re read. There were also times when the main character having a moment of introversion when I didn't really understand her thought processes but I am rather old, so maybe more my own problem.

We meet Jenny, our social media obsessed lead character as she is spending an afternoon framing the perfect caption for her Instagram post (a croissant picture). An exclamation mark or none? Or maybe even two...........

I wasn't sure what to think when i first started this book but now i have finished I think there are themes throughout which will resonate with social media users, even those who are nowhere near as addicted as Jenny. I mean, who hasn't worried about how others will view or interpret their on line presence at some point? Who wouldn't want to hide their rough edges and only portray the sunny side of life? And even if you don't have you ever looked at someone else's post and envied the "perfect" life they are living? This story feels very timely during a time where there is a definite shift on social media towards sharing both the good and bad and reminding others that social media does not show the full picture.

I enjoyed the style of this book, the chapters were short, sharp and punchy and I liked the way the characters and back story developed. I would recommend.

I struggled to get into this, and then was gripped. Jenny’s issues with social media and her phone are easy to identify with, and it’s an effective way of considering your own uses and behaviours around connectivity. I loved getting to know Jenny and the impact that Carmen and Art have had on her, and then her own relationship with Kelly. Complex but easy to read - highly recommend.

I'm not in the demographic audience for this book, however, I could still really relate to it. I think if you aren't into social media or understand it's significance for so many people, then a lot of this book will be lost on you.

As the book begins with Jenny agonising over a post for her Insta account - does she have the right filter?, has she got the #tag right? You may think this is going to be a lighthearted chick lit kind of aread, and you would be so wrong.

Once we begin to get to know Jenny and her foibles, a whole deeper world is unearthed and actually at one point I did have a little cry; not only for the wonderfully evocative writing, but a memory it stirred in me. Yet at the next moment I was laughing out loud at the reference to The Scottish Restaurant - do not say its name!

There are some wonderful characters in the book. The author develops them so well and the interactions so wonderfully crafted that it felt like I was stood there watching it all happening.

The story line does flip flop at times and not sequentially. However, it meanders around much like Jenny's mind and I really rather liked how it was all mapped out in a haphazard way. Although I realise now that the more painful memories were surfacing towards the end.

I think the author has a unique voice and I look forward to reading more of her books. I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars.My thanks to netgalley and Harperfiction for inviting me to read and review this book.