I love books which explore families and relationships and boy do the Casey family provide excellent reading . We first meet the three brothers, their wives and families at a birthday celebration where secrets are about to be unintentionally uncovered .

We then go on a voyage of discovery into the lives and events of each family member prior to the birthday party. I admit I struggled initially remembering each character and their relationship to each other but as the story progressed I found with a stronger connection to each character this issue disappeared.

This was a compelling read , proving that every family may look postcard perfect from the outside but most have their own personal struggles underneath.. Being a grown up sometimes is difficult, and this is portrayed beautifully throughout the book. Life throws us all curve balls and the way we deal with them is individual to us all ,,so when the Casey clan suffer issues such as low self esteem, eating disorders, grief, age, death and divorce I was intrigued to find out how it would affect them.

This is quite a long book with such a beautiful mix of humour and heartache and truly believable characters that will have you hooked. Fantastic insightful writing by Marion Keyes I found it the perfect book to curl up with,, my one problem is I’d love read more about the Casey’s.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for my chance to read this beautiful book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest offering from Marian Keyes. Full of vim and vigour but with enough depth behind it that you feel it in your heart, this is classic Keyes. The Casey family, fractured, torn, and hiding secrets from each other, isn't perfect - what family is? But as their story unfolds over the course of a series of family events - birthdays, holidays, family dinners - you get to know each member of the family, and investigate just what's going on under the surface. A cast of couples anchored around the three Casey brothers - Johnny, Ed, and Liam - puts a lot of moving parts in play, but Keyes balances them just right. Cara, Jessie, and Nell are our three main characters, three very different women with a very different set of problems, but I loved them all.
The structure of the book was great - starting at a family birthday dinner for Johnny. In the prologue, Cara's suffering from a concussion, and has become the accidental keeper of all the family's secrets. But, confused and concussed, she lets it all out, scattering grenades into relationships between partners and families. Then we flash back several months to trace the development of these difficulties. And through a series of family occasions - in a variety of locations, but almost always with Jessie, successful entrepreneur, paying - the strings begin to tangle and unwind, only to tangle again.
This was an intensely satisfying book to read. We flipped between characters quickly enough not to get bored, but lingered long enough on each of them to develop a real connection, particularly with the three leading ladies - Jessie, Cara, and Nell. All three are having trouble in their relationships, but sometimes this is the symptom of a deeper-rooted problem. And as the months pass, we come to know and love and root for these women, who are acting like grown-ups in the way everyone acts like grown-ups - actually acting like children and just pretending to be grown-ups when anyone calls them out on it.

There are some hard-hitting issues in this book, and one really totally unsympathetic character who I absolutely could not warm to at all. I hope he ends up miserable for the rest of his life. But it's all suffused under a layer of realism and warmth which emanates from Keyes' books and makes them feel so real. I almost wish I could go to a Casey family dinner, just so I could hug Cara and tell her she's doing great, kick Liam in the shins, and ogle Ferdia to see if he's actually as sexy as he seems to be.
Just the right mix of serious and funny, light and heavy, Marian Keyes has done it again!

As are most Marian Keyes books, this is a long read at over 600 pages. Covering a relatively short period of time in the lives of the extended Casey family there's certainly plenty going on between the pages to keep the reader entertained.

The story starts out with the family gathered together to celebrate Johnny's birthday where Cara, his sister-in-law suddenly starts speaking her mind, no holes barred after a previous fall causes her concussion. From there the book goes back over time giving the background to all the members of the family and the dynamics of their relationship with each other. Eventually it comes full circle back to the events of that rather disastrous birthday party.

Jessie has assumed the position of matriarch in the family. She earns a good living from her restaurants and likes to share her wealth by paying for her family to accompany her on luxurious holidays, parties and general get togethers. Her husband Johnny also works in the family business, though what his actual official position is I don't think we ever really find out.

It did take me a while to get into this book. I'd estimate I had read at least a third of the book before I finally decided to stick with it and read it to the end. I didn't like Jessie and even as I reached the end I still never really grew to have much sympathy for her. I had more sympathy for her husband Johnny, as he worshipped Jessie and everything he did was to please her. Most of the characters from the Casey family were quite insecure people, and as a result of their insecurities and low self esteem did a fair bit of whinging if I'm honest. Or maybe I'm just not a very sympathetic reader, who knows.

For me it was Nell married to Liam, the youngest of the Casey brothers who gave saving grace to the beginning of the book. I liked Nell as she was the most down-to-earth of the characters in the family. She had her head screwed on, knew what she wanted from life and often felt somewhat uncomfortable at the amount of money Jessie lavished on everyone.

Once I'd got into the book I did enjoy it very much, once again showing me that perseverance and a bit of patience pays off. It's a story of family dynamics, and insecurity. I preferred the younger characters, Nell and Ferdia. They were very likeable whereas the older ones, especially the women just kind of annoyed me really. I did actually think it was time they grew up, especially Jessie.

Overall I found it a compelling read once I'd got past the initial stages of the book, with humour, chaos and interesting story lines being the trade mark of a good Marian Keyes novel.

Review to be posted to blog a week before publication. Posted to good reads now.

I have always loved Marian Keyes' books. Her latest did not disappoint. Marian manages to deal with challenges that face us all in an unflinching way that is also kind and sensitive. She makes you laugh, whilst also making you feel heard and validated.
As always with Marian's books, I found myself missing the characters long after I'd finished. I think it's quite a skill to write about life's issues without being cliche. 'Grown Ups' is so relatable, yet it is also different from any other book I've read about 'adulting' in the best possible way.

I enjoyed the premise of this book - the birthday dinner where secrets are inadvertently given away at the beginning of the book - and then the background is painted for us as we go back over the months prior to this dinner. We meet the Casey family - the three brother and their wives and families all organised by Jessie. all hiding secrets and all needing to do some growing up.

I struggled a little with some of the detail of how Jessie came to meet both her husbands - I did skim some of this detail to focus on the most recent developments. Overall the characters were well drawn - if not always totally believable - and I was drawn in and wanted to finish the book to find out how the partnerships evolve.

An interesting enjoyable read.

Marian Keyes is very good. She’s good on families, she’s good on relationships, and she writes excellent, realistic dialogue. And she really knows how to tell a story. Grown Ups is an insightful, enjoyable read with a memorable cast of characters.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really like this author she write great family stories. Have to admin that this was not one of her better ones, all the same old thing really.

Marian Keyes is exceptionally good at creating rounded and realistic characters and this book was no exception.

I enjoyed the format of the story- we started with a major incident then jumped backwards and worked our way forwards again. This enabled us to reassess and re-evaluate everything we thought we knew!

I did several u-turns in from my initial impressions of the characters, but I loved the relationship between them all.

This is a perfect book to read over long winter nights. It’s nice and lengthy so you really get involved in the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

She’s done it again!!! Marian Keyes never fails to deliver.
The writing style is purely character lead- which is done beautifully. It is well balanced with the combination of sadness and love/happiness.
I never tired of Marians books.
Keep them coming!!
Thank you to both NetGalley and Penguin UK/Michael Joseph for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

Trying to review this book without spoilers is hard for me, because I just want to talk about everything! The novel starts at a dinner party and an incident occurs. Sounds simple right? But there's so many characters, you've no idea what's going on and then suddenly, you're six months before. It sounds insane, but it is so worth the read.

Every single chapter you learn more about each individual family member, you learn exactly what's been happening, you see what exactly has been going on in the background and you really get to work out exactly who is who.

Suddenly, I was so gripped by this book that I was texting my friend updates of how many months / weeks / days before the incident I was because I needed to know exactly what the trigger was, and what changed in the moments leading to it.

I was not disappointed. When we finally got to the incident again, I was already seeing all of the characters in a different light as to how I had originally painted them. Luckily, the incident is explained again, so you get to see exactly who has said what, which brings a whole new element to the story and these characters that you've really been getting to know.

The story does continue after this point, the journey is a roller coaster and one that I both (a) wanted to speed up, so I could find out what happened next and also (b) never wanted to end. I truly loved this book. It covers a whole range of things and ideals, including; family life, love, loss, disorders, power struggles, romance, comedy, pure shock, laugh out loud moments and some really lovely morals. All round a wonderful read and definitely something I will be recommending.

This is a book of heft, quite literally speaking - it’s 656 pages, so it’s not necessarily a quick read and it deals with some hefty topic material like love and age, death, divorce, grief, eating disorders and self belief. Pretty much the whole gambit of being a ‘grown up’ in our messy, mixed up, modern world. This is not typical Marian, it is not wall to wall funny, although there are some slapstick moments that are just fab.
This is, if you will, a more ‘grown up’ version of Marion Keyes, probing and sensitive but uncompromising in her storytelling skills.

Grown ups introduces us to the Casey clan, Johnny, Ed and Liam et al., some of whom you will like, some you won’t and some you’ll grow to love. I’m hoping for a follow up with Cara and her hotel occupants. But for now, thank-you Ms Keyes, Grown ups is a real achievement - highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another accomplished novel by Marian Keyes. A long and complicated storyline that delves into the difficulties of an extended family and their relationships. The characters are well written and easy to engage with and the story is told with good humour. An enjoyable read.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Covering many modern dilemmas that afflict families today.
I come from a small family so it is sometimes hard to imagine what so many family members would be like – great fun and/or claustrophobic.
I didn’t want the stories about this extended family to finish.
A very good read.

I have read and loved most of Marian Keyes' earlier books and was not disappointed with this one. Loved this story, I felt as though I really got to know the characters.
Marian's characters are all so authentic and individual and I can ‘see’ them all, she manages to draw the reader into their lives. The character creation was definitely one of the best features of the book. Marian brilliantly crafted each member of the family, with all their quirks and differences.
Grown Ups is not fast moving or action packed but I couldn’t put it down. A compelling heart warming easy read book which I recommend to fans old and new.

Another book by the fabulous Marian Keyes, I was beyond excited to read it and it didn't disappoint.

As usual Marian deals with some hard hitting serious subjects with humor and compassion.

The cast of characters was large and difficult to follow at first but having finished the book I now think that was part of the structure, it leads you into meeting all the characters and getting to know them, then circles back to when we first encountered them so now we know their motivations for that very first scene. Some other reviewers have said they couldn't get into the book but my advice is stick with it, after a while I couldn't put it down.

I think the Walsh family books will always be my favorite Marian Keyes books but this is page turner that I definitely recommend.

Having read all of Marion Keyes previous books, absolutely loving the Walsh family, I was slightly scared to begin reading Grown Ups. Would it be as good? Would I be disappointed? I really needn't have worried. Once again Marion Keyes has written a fabulous Irish family saga. It is a big read. There is a big cast of characters but once you work out who is who, who should maybe belong to who and what their part is in the story, it makes for a great read.
The story begins with revelations and secrets spilled at Johnny's 50th birthday party. We are then transported back 6 months and the story begins. As we move forward through the following months the author deals with many sensitive issues, death, grief, bulimia, betrayals, divorce and financial worries but it is not depressing as it also contains lots of Marion's trademark Irish humour. I loved most of the characters- flaws, warts and all - and found myself rooting for their happy endings.
I really enjoyed reading Grown Ups and look forward to more, perhaps a spin off or two?
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and of course Marion Keyes for an advanced copy.

A long but very enjoyable read. With so many characters it took a few chapters until I got to know them all, how a seemingly perfect family starts to deconstruct.

I love Marian Keyes’s Novels and this one was no exception. Maybe not one I might read time and time again but a very good read. An enthralling tale of the Casey brothers and their wives along with many children. It took time to work out how they all linked together and who was whose bunnies! However once we had got that sorted it was a great read

Totally up to Marian Keyes usual standard and an enthralling family saga. It was a little over long and confusing with so many different characters and time scales to start but persevere, keep reading and it will be worth it.. There are some very funny scenarios within the book, the murder mystery weekend at a dubious hotel and the totally airy fairy festival in particular. There's some delightful input from the younger characters of the Casey/Kinsella tribe that the story is centred around. Wonderful characters with some to love, others to hate but many just add to the joy of the plot, particularly, as mentioned, the children. A few serious issues interspersed which arise unexpectedly but important overall.

Thank you to Penguin UK and the author Marian Keyes for this advanced readers copy in return for an honest review.
Description 🔖
The Casey family is made up of many characters with some big personalities. They're one of those families that spend a lot of time together and make a big deal of every occasion; often in an extravagant manner.
There are a mixed bag of feelings amongst the Casey family, with some members unable to stand each other and others closer than they probably should be. The dynamics all change when Cara suffers a concussion and triggers an outpouring of all of the family secrets.
General Thoughts 🤔
I like me some Marian Keyes. I feel like every time I read one of her books, I'm on holiday, so it was a change for me to enjoy this book cuddled up on the sofa at home; and this was the perfect book for just doing that.
Every family has its dramas and it's secrets and I think we all delight in getting all up in the cobwebs of other people's families. That's how this book made me feel. I felt like a fly on a wall in every household of the Casey family and it was brilliant. 
Characters 👫👭👬
The Caseys are a large bunch so there are a LOT of characters to keep track of. With each character having their own private ongoing dramas there are a lot of moving parts. I struggled at first to know who was married to who, which kid belonged to which adult, but I soon knew them all very well.
My favourite character was probably Nell. She seemed to be the most level headed of them all and by far the coolest.
My least favourite character has to be a popular choice...Liam. What an arse. I love it when authors can make me dislike a character so much. It only proves to me that they're an author worth reading.
Writing Style ✍🏽
Marian Keyes most definitely has her signature writing style and this book doesn't disappoint. It's full of understated humour, heart wrenching emotion and most of all; relatable. I think her strong point in this particular book is most definitely character building. I felt like I was a really good friend of the Casey family, the characters felt so real to me.
I really enjoyed the way that the story started with an event, before going back in time and unravelling everything back to the starting point. I was confused in the beginning but it was a nice "aaaahhhhh" feeling as everything started to become clear.
Conclusion & Scoring 🎖
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Would I recommend it? Yes. Will I be recommending it? Yes. I was almost disappointed when everything was out in the open in the story, I didn't want it to finish. It's an awesome story, about awesome characters, told through awesome writing.