I am sorry to say this but I profoundly disliked this novel. I found it sooo long-winded and boring! I read all of it and found it tedious and annoying. There were parts that were good: Jessie’s little girls were funny and I enjoyed the Nell/Ferdia sub-story. But the execution of it all was very haphazard. It was like a sculptor presenting a giant marble slab as his finished piece; a marble slab without much carving at all - so the viewer cannot appreciate any order or semblance of a shape within it. The beginning was extremely slow (there was no ‘plot’ in the first half) and then the end was extremely rushed - there was a frustrating tempo throughout. I’m so sorry to be writing all this, I really wanted to love this and expected to since I very much enjoyed the author’s previous novel. I can appreciate a lot of work went into this but it felt “not ready yet”; it felt like a story in need of serious chopping and polishing to become compelling!

Marian Keyes has struck again. With a whole cast of characters that are absorbing, unpredictable and utterly loveable. I feel very much like I did the first time I read about the Walsh family, all their love pouring over me. This time we meet the Casey clan, a batch of quirky misfits who are each struggling with their own identity in their own ways. What I loved is that it became obvious that you weren't meant to like them all, but sometimes family is like that. Marian Keyes depicts it so perfectly. I don't have a big family, but reading this made me wish I did. The huge get-togethers, the chaos that ensues. Relationships are complex and so multi-dimensional. I did particularly like the way you got a feel from the very beginning of where things were going, but how we got there was better than I could have expected. It did mean I spent a lot of the book "looking out" for each of the clues you're given.

For me, the sign of a good book is always how likely I am to cry on the tube. Towards the end, it was bucketfuls, people were definitely giving me strange looks. Probably not as strange as when I was reading the section about the murder mystery weekend on the tubes and my shoulders were convulsing with laughter. It was hysterical and awkward, and just pure happiness.

I think the thing to note is that the book doesn't really "go" anywhere. But it doesn't matter, this isn't that kind of book. You read it for the characters, you stay for the love. I do wonder if Marian Keyes will ever revisit the Casey clan, I have so many unanswered questions! This was an utter triumph and I loved it.

Marian Keyes always creates stories and characters that feel real and relatable. Every story I read of hers has a character that strikes a chord in my heart and I end up routing for them all the way through the book. In this story Cara made my heart break and as we followed her story I just couldn’t help but wish I was there to give her a hug and say it’s going to be ok just dont give up! I loved this story it is full of pain, heartbreak, love, passion and deceit and what more can you ask for! This does not disappoint.

It’s been a long time since I read any of Marian Keyes’ books so when I saw Grown Ups I figured I’d give it a go. I am so glad I did as I really enjoyed it. Really relatable, great insight into family dynamics and genuine wit alongside the real troubles in the Casey family. Loved it!

A long novel in which you need to get to grips with a huge cast of characters as you encounter the busy, attractive Casey family, revolving around the three brothers, Johnny, Ed and Liam, each with their wife and children, plus extra cousins and friends. and a family tree would have come in handy.

Gradually it unwinds to reveal Johnny is second husband to Jessie and they have a blended family, a business, and so much money that they literally pay for the rest of the family to go on several holidays and weekend trips a year. This is handy for the plot but doesn't seem believable. Ed and Cara are dealing with Cara's eating disorder, badly, but it's Cara's sudden truthfulness after a bang on the head that opens the novel and which we go back and wind up to through the rest of the novel. Feckless Liam and his kind wife Nell are quite newly married, she is his second wife and does she have more in common with the younger members of the family?

So we follow these people through six months of complicated trips and holidays and messaging and learn what who knows about whom, although it's so long and the characters are well drawn but somehow not really people I wanted to invest in. Nell is the most interesting, while Cara's story is well done and useful to explain to people how eating disorders work but so detailed it might be triggering. There are funny side characters, especially the youngsters, but it overall feels pretty sad, with the gloss coming off relationships, marriages and friendships.

I’ve loved every other Marian Keyes book and this one was no exception! An absolute page turner. I got to know and love the characters and found myself disappointed when I’d finished it as I didn’t want to give them up yet! Totally recommend!

Marian Keyes is, well, everything. I love this woman. I am unashamedly biased towards everything she does and says and writes. I actually squeaked when I got approved for this book. I was not disappointed by it, not even a bit. I devoured it over two nights and it was a joy. I love the richness of this story, the vast array of characters and all their differences. All the story lines that pull you. Like the Walsh family, I want to know everything about every single one of the people in Jessie's family, even the peripheral characters. I want to read about them every night, forever. I devoured it, and now I feel bereft.

It took me a while to get into this book and I really struggled to place all of the characters, however I persevered and I am glad I did. I love Marian’s style of writing and the way she develops a story. Overall, an enjoyable read for anyone who likes her previous novels.

This is a modern-day family saga, examining the lives and ups and downs of the three Casey brothers - Ed, Johnny and Liam - and their wives and children.
There is a large cast of characters and it took me a while to get to grips with who was who. I almost needed a family tree. Consequently I found this a bit of a slow burn.
But gradually I started to believe in them and care about their lives and the many twists and turns.
This does feel like a more grown-up novel than many of Keyes’ others - there are some serious themes such as mental health issues - explored, and it’s a long novel too. But that does mean that there’s plenty of space for it to breathe and for plots and characterisation to develop.
I do like a Marian Keyes novel and this does feel like something of a re-invention: recommended as something a bit different from this very popular author.

I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this book from @netgalley. Marion Keyes has been a favourite author of mine for a long time. This book certainly didn’t disappoint.
The story starts in the present day, then moves to the past and then back to the present and onwards from there. There are many main characters in this book with their own stories but the authors writing style is so good that this never becomes confusing.
This book deals with some sensitive issues- betrayals, divorce, bulimia, death and grief. The author handles these issues very well.
This was a page turner as I just wanted to know more about the characters.
A great read which I would definitely recommend

Marian Keyes has done it again, this is an unputdownable piece of art - I loved every second! She had created a cast of varied, fascinating, flawed yet loveable characters who are so easy to get to know and keep track of - no mean feat when a book has so many points of view. I thoroughly recommend this book.

Grown Up is a story of three brothers, Johnny, Liam and Ed and their wives and children and children’s friends and other relatives, confusing with all these characters to say the least.
Ed’s wife Cara has concussion after a head injury leaving her unable to filter what she thinks and then says out loud. Attending a family dinner party at Johnnys house she starts blurting out all manner of secrets where lives that were thought to be so perfect are not at all.
The story then takes us back 6 months so we learn all about the main characters, unfortunately apart from three characters most of the others are unlikeable particularly Liam.
This is a long book which normally I love, you have time to wallow in the depth of the story and assembled cast, here though I have to admit I was speed reading through pages not finding them particularly entertaining and dare I say it a tad boring.
This started on a great premise and I was looking forward to hearing all of Cara’s truths, but nothing more than what was at the start of the book was revealed as she was quickly ushered away, and although these truths have been revealed throughout I felt let down not to read everyone’s reaction at that time.
Mostly I did enjoy this book but non of the great humour we expect from this author. That said this is obviously my opinion and I’m sure many others will love it.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I haven't read a Marian Keyes novel in the last 15 years, (kids and life getting in the way!) but I loved Lucy Sullivan, Watermelon and Rachel's Holiday so I was really looking forward to this. However, the first quarter of the book I was debating whether or not to give up! There are so many characters that I couldn't work out who was who and how they were related. As a result I wasn't really invested in the characters and didn't care what happened to them.
Anyway, about quarter of the way in things began to fall into place and through a series of flashbacks I began to understand the intricacies of the various families. By about halfway through I couldn't put the book down! This would make a great drama for TV and I really hope there is a sequel. I'm off now to read the Marian Keyes books I've missed over the last 20 or so years!

Marian Keyes is my all time favourite author and, having read and loved every one of her novels, I was ecstatic to be approved by netgalley for an early copy of her newest book.

Thankfully this did not disappoint. As always, Marian’s characters are developed to the point where you feel like you have gotten to know them as friends by the end of the story. Despite dealing with some deep issues, such as eating disorders, divorces, deaths and betrayals, the book never felt like a slog, her cheerful Irish wittisms and smaller, brilliantly funny characters along the way manage to raise the mood where needed and kept me entertained and desperate to read more.

The story has the potential to be confusing, with 6 different main characters and a storyline that starts in the present, moves into the past, then works its way back to the start, finishing in the future. However Keyes keeps all of the threads moving clearly, with her beautiful writing style allowing the reader to get to know each character and feel part of their story as it unfolds.

I felt I identified with all of the female characters in one way or another and was rooting for their happy endings throughout. I also really loved the way that Jessie had two really clashing parts to her personality. She is such a strong female business owner, but her insecurities were realistic, she wasn’t portrayed as a ‘ball breaker’ as sometimes women can be in books and I felt I really wanted to be her friend!

I definitely recommend this book, it’s pure Marian Keyes escapism.
Thank you so so much to netgalley, the publishers and the author for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hold you diary and cancel your appointments. You won’t want to put this down (and it’s a 650+ page commitment). I loved it.

The Casey brothers and their (extended) families are a tight knit bunch. Or so it seems until one family member gets a bump on the head a the home truths start to spill forth.

Marian Keyes has delivered and then some with this book. The plot develops incrementally (and believably) but it’s the characters which keep everything moving along. All are rounded and bring something to the party. At no point does the narrative dip (despite the length) and it nicely swings between laugh out loud funny and poignancy. A solid 4.5*.

With many thanks to #netgalley and Michael Joseph/Penguin UK for an advance copy in consideration of an honest review.

I want more! And given that this is a long old book, that's really high praise.

I fell in love with these characters. And the characters are 100% what drives this story. Marian Keyes has always been a master of creating believable, relatable people, and has perfected the art of writing relationships - whether those are familial, romantic, or platonic.

Much of this book happens through glimpses into the Casey family's life via extended vignettes. We catch up with the characters each time there is a family gathering - five in the space of a year in this case. The book opens during the fifth one, where things appear to come to a head, and then the reader is immediately transported months back into the past to witness how tensions shifted and built up towards that opening scene.

The cast of this book is huge for one family, and a large number of them are first person narrators too. For many books this would be a too many, however it works so well here as the thin threads of plot intertwine and converge towards the climax.

I managed to relate to almost every character (with a couple of notable exceptions), even when they were on opposing sides of an argument or situation. They are flawed in mostly everyday ways, meaning that I as the reader could picture myself in the place of many of them.

Among the light-heartedness, there are some weighty themes contained within the story. Cara's battle with bulimia is terribly sad, and on more than one occasion I found myself tearing up. What got to me most was that - thanks to the multiple first person narratives - the reader saw the stark contrast between her own self-image and how other people saw her.

What helps make the characters feel so truly human is the amount of insecurity that each experiences - that majority of which is totally unknown to the others.

There is also a constant underlying thread of denial, particularly from the three main female characters. Jessie is in denial about her financial situation. Cara is in denial about her eating disorder. And Nell is in denial about the person who she married.

Speaking of Liam, it was interesting to note the decreasing age of the women who caught his eye. He went from Paige, to Nell, to Sammie, and then to Robyn. It's mentioned in the book, particularly when it came to Robyn, but it's unsettling to read. Liam was the least likeable character by far, and one of the few who I found no redeeming qualities in.

The main theme of this book, however, is family. And the titular relationships of "grown ups" that this involves. It's chaotic. It's fragile. It's messy. And little things can change everything.

The book doesn't remotely feel incomplete, but I'm still itching for more!

Rating: 4.5/5

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Marian Keyes is on top form with her latest, a gorgeously sprawling character-driven feast of a book following the fortunes of the Casey family - brothers Johnny, Ed and Liam , their respective wives Jessie, Cara and Nell, plus assorted children. Businesswoman Jessie is the one who holds it together, gathering the family at regular intervals for various iterations of A Bit of a Do. Safe to say all the characters have their ups and downs, relationships change, develop and disintegrate, there are challenges with work, illness and murder mystery weekends, some people grow and develop into pretty great people and others turn out to be disappointing jerks.

Marian Keyes always excels at hilarious dialogue and Grown Ups is no exception, seems everyone in Ireland has a degree level qualification in Witty Banter. But deeper issues are touched upon, too.

A cracking read with its heart firmly in the right place.

What a treat an advance copy of the new Marian Keyes book and I loved it. It is full of funny sad humour and a great storyline. I am yet to read a book by her I haven't loved. If you need a pick me up like sliding into your pyjamas and snuggling on the sofa this is it.
It is like meeting your best friend unexpectedly
Pre order this book it will cheer you up. The characters are real you feel like you are part of their circle and I feel bereft now it is finished Fantastic!!

"Living's such hard work, these days. Every moment has to be Instagram worthy."

I'm familiar with this author from The Break Up, and instantly recognised similar themes running through this new work on the nature of relationships. True to form, Marian Keyes continues to write believable, fully fleshed out characters that are disturbingly relatable even when they are occasionally bonkers. In Grown Ups, embedded deeply between quickfire wit and constant banter there is an assured look at growing up from the perspective of the newly independent and also the middle aged. Highlighting maybe that none of us know what the hell we're doing and every person who pretends to be adulting is just making it up as they go along.

The book is not perfect, in fact I did sometimes grow weary of the charmingly precocious saccharine children with their unbelievable dialogue. I also sometimes felt that I was snooping on text messages as for whatever reason every character speaks in abbreviations- I am not Irish but have never once heard anyone say BTW or IMO so it distracted. About halfway through the story began to diverge so much that it was occasionally difficult finding all the strands back to the centre, but strap in tight. Once the fireworks go off in the final act, the drama explodes like the end of a Tarantino film.

I had slightly mixed feelings when NetGalley approved me for Marian Keyes new novel Grown Ups which isn’t out until February next year. I’m a big fan of Keyes’ work, her deceptively light style, combining a laugh out loud humour with searing insight and moments of real emotional punch, and her talent for unreliable narration and slow reveal which can turn a book, and your feelings about it, on their head within just one sentence. Her last novel The Break was a perfect example of this, up there with the superlative Rachel’s Holiday as books which should — and probably would if they were written by a man — transcend whatever divide there is between popular and ‘literary’ fiction. So, although I was pretty sure I’d enjoy Grown Ups, I knew it was a lot to ask for any book to follow The Break. I needn’t have worried…

Warning: do not, like I did, start to read this book when you’re on any kind of deadline. What I wanted to do was build a blanket and cushion fort on the sofa, surround myself with snacks, make space for the dog and not surface until I finished it. Instead, I had to combine it with a deadline, the day job, and the occasional spot of parenting. However, this meant that instead of glommimg it in one day I managed to make it last three.

Grown Ups starts at a birthday dinner. The Caseys are a family who get together a lot, often whether they like it or not. Jessie, married to Johnny Casey, is an only child and therefore likes to keep not only her own five children but her husband’s brothers and their wives and children close, with lavish hospitality and holidays to bind them close. But at this dinner, tensions are running high as months of secrets simmer hotter than the soup. Cara, married to Johnny’s younger brother Ed, starts to blurt out those secrets thanks to a concussion sustained earlier, and as a result of just a few blunt statements Jessie’s, Johnny’s and the whole family’s lives start to unravel. The narrative then takes us to Easter six months earlier and then through several key family events until we arrive back at the dinner and then beyond, following those events from multiple viewpoints, carefully unveiling secrets as it goes.
Keyes captures brilliantly the impossible paradox of being a 21st-century grown-up, furiously trying to keep up, pretending you know what you’re doing, never feeling like you’re enough, parenting children brought up in a world it’s difficult to understand, and sometimes just wishing someone else would sort it all out for you. The three brothers, products of an unloving home, are all messed up in different ways. Johnny covers up his insecurity with charm and good nature, aware that to many people he’s just superficial. Ed’s a nice guy, but is his niceness enabling the secrets tearing apart his marriage? And Liam? Liam’s an arse. The question is, what on earth does the lovely Nell see in him? Meanwhile Jessie hides her bone deep insecurity through lavish hospitality and spending, and refusing to look into the future, Cara is equally in denial, risking her marriage and health in the process. Finally Jessie’s eldest son Ferdia has to go through the painful process of growing up, throughout the novel moving from rude, entitled youth to a compassionate and promising young man (and dangerously sexy with it).

Grown Ups is populated by cast of three-dimensional characters, alive in every way. Every person from six year old knowingly precocious Dilly to the Casey brothers’ father is perfectly drawn even if only on the page for a couple of sentences. It’s hard not to read Grown Ups and see your own insecurities spread down the page: money, body image, family, the future, friends, likeability, making the right choice. It’s a compulsive read, funny and dark and knowing like the best of Keyes’ work and I absolutely didn’t want it to end. In fact, I absolutely want a Walsh sisters-type sequel please. Highly highly recommended.