I love what this novel is trying to say even if I’m not enamoured of the style in which it was said. This is a sharp and witty commentary about today’s online living and the need to reconnect with each other. It’s poignant and funny and the MC is interesting. Not a fan of the writing but that really was personal preference. It’s a good book.

Emma Jane Unsworth give us an authentic view of the use of social media. To look better in internet than it is actually in real life. I liked to hate her main character Jenny because she want so much to be seeing, to be the most seeing.

Adults is the kind of modern day novel to make me get on my soap box and rant!! This comic tale is so relevant in our digital age, where lives are lived via social media platforms and our self worth is gauged by our number of followers/friends/likes. We now live in a society where individuals are self obsessed, selfish, shallow and keen to buy into the notion that everyone else is living the perfect life and that’s what we should aspire to;anything less and you’re a failure. This is the major theme flowing through this novel and will resonate with many.
The protagonist Jenny is most definitely in need of a digital detox preferably for a VERY long time!! She is guilty of all of the above and completely glued to her devices,wasting ridiculous amounts of time pondering over the right pic to post on Instagram accompanied by the ‘perfect’ comment. For her it’s a disaster if she gets it wrong so her poor long suffering friend Kelly has to endure many many emails from Jenny asking for validation. Basically this woman has lost sight of what is truly important in life, preferring to live her life through a lens, thinking that strangers are her ‘friends’. There are some very comic moments taking the rise out of what is very much a first world problem! Her relationship with Art ends (for many reasons) but if you’re glued to your phone during sex there’s no hope really!! Will Jenny wise up and see the error of her ways? Who can help her see the light?
In many ways Jenny is a complex character, having had a strange relationship with her clairvoyant mother and no father in the picture. She works as a columnist for an online magazine, lives in her house with lodgers now that Art has fled the scene and is trapped in a vicious circle trying to be someone she isn’t. I found her frustrating and irritating but she’s basically a good person. I much preferred the characters of Kelly (single mum friend) and her bonkers mother who provides much of the laugh out loud moments. I have to say that as someone who belongs to an older generation, some of the references here went straight over my head and I didn’t always appreciate some of the more colourful language.
Whilst I read this fairly quickly I feel rather ambivalent about the novel, neither loving nor hating it. It’s probably something I would pick up when browsing in a bookshop but I expected to enjoy it more than I did. Like I said there are many hilarious moments, too many to mention, and I like the fact underneath the silliness is a real message urging people to live in the moment and to try and manage their online presence so that they don’t lose sight of what really matters. ( the scene where Kelly questions their friendship after Jenny abandons her son in the middle of the street highlights this beautifully).
I’m grateful to HarperCollins for inviting me to read ‘Adults’ and thanks as always to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Jane Unsworth's breakout novel Animals featured two main characters – Laura and Tyler – and as with Zoes and Zeldas, you're either one or the other. I'm definitely a Laura, and Animals was powerfully resonant for me partly because of that. Adults, on the other hand, is narrated by the equivalent of a Tyler: Jenny, a loud, selfish character whose brashness is often a mask for uncertainty or loneliness. The opening scene sets the tone, as Jenny obsesses about how to caption a photo on Instagram: 'I am creating a social media post about a croissant that I am pretty sure will define me as a human.'

Adults follows Jenny as she stumbles through life, trying to get over her ex-boyfriend Art and thinking about her personal brand every five seconds. She's 35, so we're at the very tail end of the 'millennial woman figuring herself out' thing here, and that's kind of the point. This book's Laura, Jenny's more reasonable friend Kelly, is often relegated to the background. (We hear from her when she texts Jenny – pleas that often go unanswered – or when Jenny needs to bounce something off her. Like an email to Art or yet another Instagram caption.) The more important relationship here is between Jenny and her eccentric mother Carmen, a flighty and often neglectful fortune-teller who swoops in and out of Jenny's life and, it quickly becomes clear, is responsible for a lot of her neuroses.

There's more of a chick-lit vibe here than in Animals. If I hadn't known who'd written it, I'd have guessed Lisa Owens (Not Working) or Lauren Berry (Living the Dream). Jenny's narration is sparky and entertaining – and pretty exhausting too. I read the book quickly not because I was loving it, but because spending more time with Jenny felt detrimental. She's a solipsistic and arrogant character who's hard to like, even when her insecurities are laid bare. The very current tone of the satire doesn't really help: some of it already seems dated (especially the bits about the online women's magazine Jenny writes for). I did like the ending, and Jenny's various relationships are all wrapped up in ways that feel both satisfying and plausible.

I read Animals three years ago. There are lines and moments from that book I still think about regularly. I don't think I will remember the details of Adults beyond the next couple of weeks. I don't mean to be harsh; it's enjoyable, I guess it just didn't really speak to me. There's too much gloss and not enough grit.

I was really, really excited from the moment I heard about this book - it sounded right up my street and I had pre-ordered it already before the NetGalley copy dropped.

Unfortunately, I found it really difficult to get into as I just couldn't click with the protagonist's voice. There are some brilliant one liners, and the observations about life are spot on, but it just didn't captivate me which was a real shame. A solid 3.5 stars.

Sorry I just could not get into this book at all - I didn't get it - hate giving a negative review but the book just wasn't for me

I think this book was talking to me, ok maybe not, written for me, yeah also unlikely but that is exactly how I felt reading this. Struggling in the world to find your place, to be an adult, don’t feel like you are an adult , then this book is definitely for you. Filled with 100% relatable characters, a hilarious, touching, emotional and entertaining read. This is the first book I’d read in ‘chick lit’ where I felt it’s breaking new ground, it felt new and original and I haven’t had that feeling in forever. A highly recommended read and one of my favourites this year.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

There is something seriously wrong with me, I am very worried.

Two comments in praise of Adults are:-

A DAZZLING book’ Marian Keyes

‘HEARTBREAKING and HILARIOUS … I completely and utterly adored it’ Dolly Alderton

Actually I am a bit stunned. You see, I thought I had a good sense of humour but only once did I laugh when reading this book. Yes I was slightly amused in places but never Hilarious. Heartbreaking? Well, I did feel for Jenny in a few places – particularly when her mother abandoned her at Christmas, but if I am honest my heartbreak was for myself because I just didn’t get this book.

I know I am sounding ancient, and I do understand people are obsessed by their phones and social media but Jenny didn’t need any of this, she was just living in her own head, in her own space. A space which didn’t leave any room for self-worth.

Also, I didn’t like the structure of the book. For me it felt a bit dis-connected and certainly for the first half of the book I was not even sure what was happening, particularly into Jenny’s relationship with Art: on/off, on/off or what, compounded by his relationship with Jenny’s mother, or with Suzy – just weird. By the end of the book I was slightly more comfortable, because clearly there was some sort of closure, but this was overlaid with a more overwhelming feeling – relief.

So sorry Emma Jane for such a negative review, but it is only my opinion and I have never written a book

I tried to get into reading this one but unfortunately, it's just not for me. This particular story has a very distinctive narrative voice and whilst run-on tangents might gel with some people, it didn't for me. I could tell quite quickly that I was going to have some issues with this book, but those are mainly on a personal level and shouldn't detract from anyone else picking up this book. The issues addressed in it are important and will be a great read for anyone who enjoys novels about that strange intersection between childhood and proper adulthood we call being in our twenties.

I adored this book!

I hadn't read or watched Animals before going into Adults, so I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a hilarious and insightful look into social media and narcissism, with a cast of characters that makes you roll your eyes so much they're in danger of getting stuck.

Unsworth writes unapologetically, and delves deeply into her main character's psyche, particularly her addiction to social media, but presents it in such a frank and often hilarious manner.

I can see the movie adaptation already.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing me with an advance read copy.

Ever felt like your life is spiraling away from you? Then you'll completely identify with Jenny, who is clinging onto her job, her house, her friends and the dregs of her relationship by the skin of her teeth. I thought this was a wonderful, clear-eyed look into the dissonance between how we want to portray our lives, and how they actually are, as well as a sharp and warm investigation of love and family.

I'm torn with this one, sometimes I loved it, sometimes I got a bit lost with it...so I've gone with 3 stars.

Our main character is Jenny, she's 35 and obsessed with maintaining her presence on social media. She is fixated on the number of 'likes' and puts hours into a single sentence post. The story focuses on the relationships in her life - her Mum, her ex, her best friend. There's humour and tragedy and the actual story lines I enjoyed. As a 35 year old, there was a lot to relate to in terms of juggling life and making sure you dedicate time where you need to!

The style though, at times, I found quite intense. There is a lot of jumping around, going off on (relevant) tangents and the pace throughout is pretty fast. I feel like this mirrors the mind of the main character, her anxiety and  worry about so many things in her life or around her make her brain go a million miles an hour. So I was left, as a reader, with a feeling of how tired she must feel!

I'd definitely recommend it, I think it could be a good tv show or movie if it hasn't already been signed up!

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the opportunity to review. Published 30th Jan 2020.

#libraryatsevern #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #igreads #bookshelf #goodreads #bookstagram #netgalley #adults #harpercollins

Sadly,this book didn't appeal to me at all. Perhaps you need to be a social media addict like the main character, Jenny to appreciate its humour. I reached 25% and decided not to read on.

Jenny is trying, and mostly failing to be a grown-up. She is obsessed with how she is perceived on social media. She lets rooms in her house to people who don't like her very much. Jenny is pretty solipsistic. Perhaps it's because I am a bit older than Jenny, but I kept wanting to give her agood shake and a stern talking to. Adults is very witty. Four stars.

I really enjoyed this book. Jenny our protagonist is mid thirties and going into melt down. Her relationship with a well known photographer has ended and she has become obsessed with her social media. Continually over thinking and editing her repsonses, checking her likes by the minute, obsessively following and catastrpghising over why Suzy Brambles has recently unfollowed her. Jenny's finances are in tatters and she has had to rent rooms in her house (lucky her owning a London house) to 3 twenty something youngsters. She drinks too much, takes drugs and parties whilst knowing as an introvert that deep down she really hates socialising. She is so obsessed that her closest friend who has "real life" problems is withdrawing. We follow Jenny through her impolsion, jumping back and forth across time, exploring her difficult relationship with her larger than life, medium mother, tracing her relationship with the handsome but vapid Art from its origins to aftermath and discovering the core of what causes her guilded life to disintegrate.

I have to say thatt after the first few chapters I was becoming quite frustrated with Jenny and didn't really like her or her circle of friends and employer. I almost gave up but I soon got drawn into the flow of the narrative and Jenny's crazy life. This was good stuff.

Such a good read if you are of the 'Social Media' clan

I found myself relating to Jenny quite a few times after she becomes obsessed with 'likes' on her Instagram, I think that it is a very slippery slope to start to go down, and could very easily take over your life, as it did Jenny.

I enjoyed this story and found it very funny, and found myself to have quite a hatred toward a certain 'Arty' character, he was very manipulative, and Jenny fell for his charms every time, even her mother did!

I was kindly given a DRC of Adults by @emjaneunsworth in exchange for an honest review, by @harpercollinsuk / @harperfiction and @netgalley
The Louise Rennison/Georgia Nicolson for women in their thirties, Adults tells the story of Jenny, recently single, social media addict, almost-dangerously-friendless, with a string of roommates and a morally ambiguous column job.
Reading this felt like a really long chat with a friend, half the time I felt myself responding to Jenny in my head, wanting to smack her phone out of her hand and physically cringing every time she spoke to her ex.
Even though in general this book is really, very funny, there are plenty of heart wrenching moments too. The difficulties of maintaining friendships when you’re so focused on your own shit that you’re just being selfish is a familiar feeling, and one that makes you feel guilty as you read - we have all been a rubbish friend at one point, whether we admit it or not. The way Jenny gets wrapped up in the Instagram of ‘Suzy Brambles’ - her perfect, styled life - is very telling of Instagram culture as a whole. We are all far too concerned with being liked by people who don’t really exist. When Jenny’s mum sees Suzy’s profile and points out that every post of Suzy’s is an attempt to sell herself, Jenny might miss the point, but as the reader, it definitely makes up question how much of your time and energy you put into your virtual world instead of the people physically around you.

I found some sections of Adults kind of confusing/hard to read, but I think that was more to do with the formatting of the proof than the writing. I’m looking forward to buying the special edition of the hardback (with sprayed edges!) when it comes out and re-reading then to see how it’s formatted on paper.
Adults reminded me of the Georgia Nicolson books because it’s written in a stream of conscious style prose, and throughout you feel like Jenny is saying everything with a nod and a wink, to you the reader. When I was 13/14 and read Louise Rennison for the first time, I felt seen. Now at 26 and reading Emma Jane Unsworth for the first time, I feel seen again.🥐 Adults is out 30/01/2020.

I loved ‘Animals’ and this is another wickedly funny look at modern life and female friendships. While it also throws a social media addiction and the heroine’s mother into the mix (a frank psychic who once appeared in Coronation Street) a lot of the book’s emotional power comes from a faltering friendship between two women that feels more like a romance gone wrong.

This is the third novel from the author of the critically acclaimed novel and film, Animals, I had seen the great reviews and so decided to pick it up despite having not read Animals. I am therefore probably a rare reader of this book and unfortunately I have to say I didn't like the main character Jenny. I found her too obsessive and it made me look the bridget jones nostalgia I thought I would get from this book however by the end of the coming of age novel I found myself more drawn into her character and able to see how it is going to play out on TV.

Ah this was great. Just what I needed after a few months if heavy reading.

I’m probably way older than the target market but this was a great contemporary read. Utterly relatable, utterly readable, I laughed throughout. Jenny is a great lead character who has a troubled relationship with .... well everybody really! Her boyfriend, her mother, her social media, her boss....
Raw and heartbreaking at times, funny and fabulous at other.
This is utterly one for a new generation of young woman. Move over Bridget Jones... move over Queenie... Jennie McLaine is coming for you!