The cover slays but the story does not. Ida is manuplative and egotistical. I failed to see how the ending is supposed to resolve whatever that's going on between the noxious family. In a way, it almost felt brilliant, to leave readers to ponder as the characters was not offer any growth or development. However, as a character driven reader, this book does not resonate with me.

Good book with a few slow parts. I enjoyed the overall book but a few parts got wordy to me. Nothing bad just more descriptive words than necessary.

This is a book filled with tension. The storytelling and writing is very good. I didn’t warm to the characters which was problematic as it’s very much character driven

I found the story boring and the characters annoying, though I guess that is what made it so realistic.
I was continously asking myself "why would anyone do that?". I might have to read it again in a decade, to see if I understand the people better.

I loved how raw and honest this story which portrayed the struggles (and pettiness) you go through with family. The writing was sharp, witty and brilliant!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the gifted e-book ❤️

This was a quick read. The main character was unlikable to me so I struggled. This just wasn't for me.

Unfortunately I could 100% get into this book but it was well written the story just didn’t catch my full attention but I did enjoy 50% of the book

3/5

Thanks for the ARC

Grown Ups follows Ida, a single architect who is fretting over her bleak chances of motherhood now that she is 40. She takes a break from the worries of her future to go to her family cabin for her mother's birthday; but here, even more tension and drama ensues.

This book highlights not only the common stress and drama that a family goes through, but also includes the pressure that is put on societal norms to get married, buy a home, start a family, and live a seemingly perfect life. This story hones in on the reality that our lives are often far from perfect, even more so behind closed doors and away from the spotlight of social media.

This book wasn't a favorite of mine. The characters were difficult to warm up to, and the storyline itself didn't interest me as much as others.

Marie Aubert’s Grown Ups chronicles a family’s weekend in their cabin celebrating their mums 65th birthday, where sibling rivalries are in full swing. Ida, from whose perspective the story is being told, is forty, single, and coming to terms with the fact she most likely will not get to become a mother. Then there’s her sister Marthe, at the cabin with her partner Kristoffen, where she’s just told Ida she’s pregnant.

A story about growing older, Grown Ups really tackles family jealousy and rivalry in a beautiful way.

This one just wasnt for me. I thought it was well written and definitely a quick read. The main character was to bratty for my taste and the other characters just seemed miserable. 


Thank for this ebook though NetGalley and publishers.

This book didn’t do much for me. I couldn’t get into the story or relate to the characters. Even the way it was written made it hard for me to stay with it. Not for me

A fairly ordinary story of a fairly ordinary family, but one which is so well-written, with such empathy and insight, that it’s far more than the “summer read” or the “escapism” it’s been described as. Quite the contrary. It’s a dark tale of sibling rivalry, jealousy, resentment, fertility, motherhood and life passing by. A far more complex read than it appears at first glance. Two sisters go to the family holiday cabin to celebrate their mother’s birthday with her and her second husband. The older sister is approaching 40, single and worrying about whether to try having a child by herself. Her younger sister is married and pregnant and all is not well with the marriage, one that is complicated by the presence of a step-daughter. None of the characters are likeable, all being self-centred, but that’s not the point. Families are held together by ties that sometimes defy comprehension and so it is here. They all seemed very real to me, however flawed, and their conflicts and rivalries, their regrets and longings, make this a poignant contemporary read.

Interesting story line, but hard to get through....the translated aspect may have played a role. Surprised by ending.

I'm not 40 yet, but I felt like this was comparable to me in a way?? I think many women can relate to the character. This was a quick, easy, and slight cringey read (in a funny way).

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

This book tells the story of Ida, a forty-year-old woman struggling with infertility. She decides to go visit her sister at the family's lake house. That's until some tensions between the family start to appear.

Ida is a lonely and scared character who is jealous of her sister and will do anything regardless of the consequences, as she has shown in the past. Ida is in a stage of her life where she feels she lost her time and is now desperate to achieve everything she wanted in no time.

I must say that I didn´t find the characters loveable. It was clear who the favourite in the family was and I understand why Ida acted the way she did. Although none of that made me feel any sympathy for her.

I believe the title has a sarcastic tone since none of the characters in this story acted as they should have for their age.

I would have liked to see more character development through the novella, maybe that would have changed the way I see the characters and the story itself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Marie Aubert, and Pushkin press for the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed how realistic this story was for me. I loved the view into another family and all of the inner workings. I felt that this was a very immersive experience and I really felt as though the author was able to transport the reader into the family. At times, I forgot that I was reading the book. I am excited to see what other works the author publishes in the future.

A short read that I'm sure is very relatable for a lot of people - personally not for me. It was reasonably well written, but just not something I connected with.

Ugh this was terrible. Ida (ee-dah? ooh-dah?) was selfish and bratty. Sure her mom sucked for giving such preferential treatment to Marthe all those years but who’s suffering from being a spoiled brat now? Ida. Everything she did was only to hurt her sister or make herself look better. Then she runs crying to the same sister expecting her to care. I didn’t feel bad for anyone in this book. They all deserved each other. What a bunch of miserable folks.

40 year old Ida is single and concerned that time is running out for her to have a child. She investigates freezing her eggs, then heads off to her family's seaside cabin to celebrate her mother's 65th birthday. At the cabin, Ida struggles to respond positively to her sister Marthe's news and the sisters become stuck in the same dynamics that dominated their childhood - Ida sees herself as the accomplished, capable grown-up and Marthe as immature and helpless.

I loved this little book! Ida is a difficult character - she's selfish, reckless and cruel, especially towards Marthe. On the other hand, her loneliness is very skillfully handled by the writer and the insights into her and Marthe's childhood go a long way to explain her behaviour and the dynamics between the sisters. I would have liked a bit more attention given to how things might be within the family after the events of the weekend in the cabin but that's a minor criticism.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy.

CW: Pregnancy, infertility, pregnancy loss, death of a parent, infidelity

Grownups by Marie Aubert could really be about many families. Dysfunctional. Competitive. Resentment. And on and on and on.

Ida is 40 years old and wants to have a family. Ida’s younger sister Marthe may be well ahead of her on the path to motherhood. Ida is not pleased. If family drama is your thing, this might be the read for you. For me, it was an okay read.

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for this eARC.