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A review by beverly_h
The Adults by Caroline Hulse
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My favourite section of this book was pages 260-300, the karaoke-scene-and-Alex-fiasco. I thought this scene was amazingly well-written, intelligently realistic and tantalisingly tense. So kudos to the author for that!
Overall, I found this to be an easy, enjoyable read. I liked the story's setting: a log cabin in the holiday park, and I was intrigued to learn how everything would pan out between the blended families, thrown together like that as they were. Though I found the beginning to be quite slow-moving and not immediately commanding of my attention, the snappy, dry and at-times cutting dialogue kept me engaged as the story and characters within it developed. The boozy and conflict-ridden scene referred to between pages 260-300 (referred to above) was everything I want in a story: risk, intensity, risquéness and interpersonal turbulence.
I didn't find the plot to be the strongest throughout, and the characters perhaps lacked some development, but I thought the inner psyches of the characters were well-explored, which was a big win for me as a character-driven reader. The dialogue too was entertaining and wry, as referred to above. I did find the inclusion of Posey in the story a bit exaggerated and 'extra'; I wasn't fully convinced by the scenes with him and the reality with which they were depicted. A few grammatical errors were evident throughout the book.
Overall, an engaging read, with a realistic and fitting ending.
Overall, I found this to be an easy, enjoyable read. I liked the story's setting: a log cabin in the holiday park, and I was intrigued to learn how everything would pan out between the blended families, thrown together like that as they were. Though I found the beginning to be quite slow-moving and not immediately commanding of my attention, the snappy, dry and at-times cutting dialogue kept me engaged as the story and characters within it developed. The boozy and conflict-ridden scene referred to between pages 260-300 (referred to above) was everything I want in a story: risk, intensity, risquéness and interpersonal turbulence.
I didn't find the plot to be the strongest throughout, and the characters perhaps lacked some development, but I thought the inner psyches of the characters were well-explored, which was a big win for me as a character-driven reader. The dialogue too was entertaining and wry, as referred to above. I did find the inclusion of Posey in the story a bit exaggerated and 'extra'; I wasn't fully convinced by the scenes with him and the reality with which they were depicted. A few grammatical errors were evident throughout the book.
Overall, an engaging read, with a realistic and fitting ending.