The Adults: A Novel
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The Adults: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Caroline Hulse (Author), Penelope Rawlins (Narrator), Peter Kenny (Narrator),
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 1,287 ratings
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Named One of the Best Books of the Year by Real Simple

"If Love, Actually and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are your two favorite holiday movies, you’re going to love The Adults." (Bustle)

"Sometimes a nasty family comedy is just what you need for the holidays." (Entertainment Weekly)

Meet The Adults.

Claire and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, Scarlett, to have a "normal" family Christmas. They can’t agree on whose idea it was to go to the Happy Forest holiday park or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did - and it’s too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick (never Pat), a seemingly sensible, eligible-from-a-distance Ironman in waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, who is seven, brings her imaginary friend, Posey. He’s a giant rabbit. Together, the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Forced Fun Activities, drink a little too much after Scarlett’s bedtime, overshare classified secrets about their pasts...and before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends where this novel begins - with a tearful, frightened call to the police.

What happened? They said they’d all be adults about this....

Praise for The Adults

"A delectable premise...Hulse skewers her characters uproariously, zeroing in on every quirk, and she humanizes them, too." (Entertainment Weekly)

"The ending is worth every page turned in this funny, redeeming wade through the rough tide of blended family." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Caroline Hulse’s farcical debut is an ode to the big personalities and drama you find in families - unconventional and not." (Real Simple)

"This wry holiday novel will make you chuckle and remind you that nobody’s family is perfect. If you’ve ever sat through an awkward family dinner (who hasn’t?), you’ll relate so hard." (HelloGiggles)

"Brilliantly funny." (Good Housekeeping UK)

"Razor-sharp comedy." (Sunday Mirror)

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    9 hours and 20 minutes
  2. Author
    Caroline Hulse
  3. Narrator
    Penelope Rawlins, see all
  4. Audible release date
    November 27, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B07JJHS5M1
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 9 hours and 20 minutes
Author Caroline Hulse
Narrator Penelope Rawlins, Peter Kenny, Sarah Ovens
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 27, 2018
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07JJHS5M1
Best Sellers Rank #283,242 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#3,142 in Humorous Fiction & Satire
#5,091 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#9,443 in Women's Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
1,287 global ratings
I wanted to love this so badly, but it just wasn’t for me.
2 Stars
I wanted to love this so badly, but it just wasn’t for me.
Time to share an unpopular opinion! I was so excited to receive a copy of THE ADULTS. It sounded like a great drama filled holiday read, but sadly this one wasn’t quite what I had expected. The pace was so. So slow. In fact it was so slow to the point that I wasn’t looking forward to picking it up (I even considered DNFing it) and just wanted to skip to the end to see how it all came together. I ended up switching over to the audio version about halfway through and actually enjoyed it a bit more that way. I also didn’t love any of the characters (other than Posey if you count him lol). I did really love the idea of the dysfunctional family holiday and wish that there had been more tension, more drama (because what was there didn’t seem like enough), and a bigger reveal at the end because that ending… meh.I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.
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Top reviews from the United States

Tom Bullock
3.0 out of 5 stars No real plot that holds it all together
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
The first half was like an introduction. The second half was better. Easy reading. I read it with a group, otherwise I probably would have skipped it.
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Laurel-Rain Snow
4.0 out of 5 stars AN EXPERIMENT GONE AWRY...
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Claire and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, Scarlett, to have a “normal” family Christmas. They can’t agree on whose idea it was to go to the Happy Forest holiday park, or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did—and it’s too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick (never Pat), a seemingly sensible, eligible from a distance Ironman in Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex, funny, smart, and extremely patient. Scarlett, who is seven, brings her imaginary friend Posey. He’s a giant rabbit. Together the five (or six?) of them grit their teeth over Forced Fun Activities, drink a little too much after Scarlett’s bedtime, overshare classified secrets about their pasts . . . and before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends where this novel begins—with a tearful, frightened call to the police.

What happened? They said they’d all be adults about this. . . .

My Thoughts: From the very beginning of The Adults, I had one of those “uh-oh” feelings. Nothing about this plan of theirs could be a good idea. Right? Vacationing with exes and new partners during the Christmas holidays sounded like the death knell for at least one or two of those relationships. A long five-day “weekend” could be disastrous.

Add in the somewhat bratty child Scarlett with her Imaginary Rabbit friend…and you are in for some tension, at the very least.

Matt was the first one I couldn’t stand. He was an annoyingly vague kind of person, unsure of what to tell his partner Alex about anything, not wanting to deal with the complications that might arise. He knew she wouldn’t want to go on the trip, so he didn’t tell her until the plans were all set.

Claire, Matt’s ex, seemed to have way too much control over everything. Others might feel slighted, or even ignored. And everything seemed to center around keeping their daughter Scarlett pleased about anything and everything.

Then there was Patrick, Claire’s new partner, whose jealousy reaches extremes before the weekend is done. What eventually happened took a while to sort out, and part of the narrative focused on a police investigation. What could have gone wrong indeed?

This interesting story with unlikable characters earned 4.5 stars.
4 people found this helpful
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B. Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious read -- too true!
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2019
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This is a great book, recommended by Real Simple magazine. Anybody who has a blended family (or a crazy family or any kind of family) can relate to this witty, charming and hilarious story. Oh, if only it were a true story!
2 people found this helpful
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Pat Grenz
3.0 out of 5 stars Family troubles
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2020
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The adults in the book were very mixed up and the daughter had some problems a well. It was to be a comedy but it was not. My book club did not like it.
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Ellasmom2011
4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018
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This was a quick, but very engaging read! I enjoyed the holiday setting and quirky family dynamics. All in all I would definitely recommend, went down like a favorite glass of wine.😊
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Terri B. Klingman
2.0 out of 5 stars Just No...
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2018
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This one wasn’t for me. I just kept reading because I hate to give up on a book. An invisible rabbit? Seriously? Just silly.
One person found this helpful
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Camri Jacobson
5.0 out of 5 stars Movie material!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2019
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Light and entertaining- nice to know some divorced couples can effectively co-parent and remember they were once friends. I could totally see this made into a film.
One person found this helpful
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Mel Baskerville
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019
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Foolishness
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Top reviews from other countries

Inga
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected - in a good way
Reviewed in Germany on July 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book surprised me a lot. I expected the usual love story - I'm not really a fan of those kind of books, but needed something a bit easier and more positive than my usually crime novels during the covid lockdown - and it is so much more than that. Great, likable characters, surprising ending and very very funny.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and interesting dynamics
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it had me gripped from the start. The characters were very believable even Posie! This brought an interesting angle to the story. Cleverly written, believable and honest.
One person found this helpful
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Andrew S
1.0 out of 5 stars Ripped corner
Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2019
Verified Purchase
Just ordered this New book and the back left corner is ripped, as well as brown stain lines going down the edges of the front of the book. Would like partial refund
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Andrew S
1.0 out of 5 stars Ripped corner
Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2019
Just ordered this New book and the back left corner is ripped, as well as brown stain lines going down the edges of the front of the book. Would like partial refund
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L. Sears
4.0 out of 5 stars Not as funny as it's made out to be, but still very enjoyable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2018
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Despite being set at Christmas, the festive season is merely the backdrop for the unfolding events.

One child, two couples; each made up of a parent and a step parent, come together in one house in a holiday park so that the little girl gets to spend Christmas with both her mum and dad; they're all adults, what could possibly go wrong.

The premise sounds enticing and as the cover suggests, it certainly has the potential to become hilarious; except that's not how it goes down at all. The story exposes flaws in each of the characters, normal human flaws. The stepfather's desperate need to prove himself a worthy partner and father figure, having failed in his first marriage. The step mum's confusion at her role in the child's life, and her difficulty in grasping how the mum could be such an all round nice person; so accommodating and so welcoming of another woman in her child's life. And believe it or not it's the step-parents I ended up sympathising with.

Of course, mum and dad have struggles of their own, trying to make this blended family holiday work. Secrets come out, which tip the step parents over the edge, with disastrous consequences.

Meanwhile, the little girl is exposed to all this tension and becomes increasingly reliant on her imaginary friend- a life size, stuffed purple rabbit, just to make sense of it all - much to the frustration of the adults

It's incredibly well-written, with characters you could actually believe in. But there is an underlying sorrow to this book, which is that a family has been split up, and new lovers have been hurt. There are comedic moments in the writing, of course there are, but it's far from a hilarious tale. However, it's still a very good read.
7 people found this helpful
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Liverpool1mandl
3.0 out of 5 stars Unsure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2018
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Liked this book up to a point, many amusing moments, well written, bit unrealistic in parts, and disappointing end!!! Felt like something was missing but not sure where!!!
One person found this helpful
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