Jenny is unloved and totally lacking in self confidence, her best friend is sick of her constantly needing reassurance. A totally different theme with some home truths.

A chick-lit novel with a wildly unlikable protagonist and a lot of social media/pop culture references that will date almost immediately. Rather disappointing after the brilliant Animals, but sure to be widely read.

I loved Animals, so I was excited to read this book. It didn't disappoint - it's bitingly funny, painfully honest and expertly executed. The main character, Jenny, is obsessed with how other people see her, spending more time crafting the perfect Instagram caption than paying attention to what's happening in her life. On the surface it looks quite frivolous, but there's a lot going on in this book and it's thought-provoking as well as funny as we explore the the relationships between Jenny, her mother, colleagues and friends, and the way she moves through the world. Also, Jenny's mother may well be one of my favourite characters ever.

I really enjoyed this story of a social media-obsessed, 30-something woman battling her way through heartbreak, career issues and family problems. As I near my thirties I am relating to these kind of books more and more!

The writing style and way the book is divided made this a really fast read. I must admit though, it did start to get old about halfway through the book. The main character, Jenny, definitely seemed to become a bit of a caricature, especially with regards to her social media obsession. I know this is the purpose of the book, and I'm sure there are people like that out there, but it was a bit much at times!

The enjoyed the different storylines though, and thought it wrapped up really nicely. Her mum was a brilliant character too.

This was a could not finish, for me. I found the character extremely annoying and lacking in common sense. I presume it is meant to be quirky, in the style of Bridget Jones or Shopaholic, but it came across as lacking in humour and I couldn’t connect. The cover quotes seem to suggest a completely different book. It perhaps suits a younger readership, who care about likes on instagram or who have no sense of worth. I’m in my forties and could not believe that a character in her 30s would behave like this. Sorry, but could not recommend.

I liked this book but didn't love it. It was well written with interesting characters but I just didn't connect with them that well. Definitely worth a read though.

A must-read for anyone who has ever posted a photo of their breakfast on Instagram - and a reminder that what we see on social media is often very far from reality indeed. Funny, moving and true.

This book just wasn't for me, I'm afraid. I was 30% in when I realised I'd hardly absorbed a word and nothing was happening.

Jenny is an adult. Apparently. On the surface, she is a home owner, columnist and has amazing friends surrounding her. But, she can't afford the house, her boyfriend Art has left, her best friend Kelly seems to be severing ties, she's frazzled and social media obsessed, her career is spiralling and her mum has appeared on her doorstep.

It's not the first book around a character who needs to grow up, and it won't be the last, but I'm sure it's the only one that will have a never ending internal monologue about posting the perfect photo of croissants and accompanying caption.

<i>Adults</i> is funny and frustrating. Jenny's reckless grasp on friendship and social media makes you (almost) hate her at moments, watching her sack off people in need to deep dive on Instagram. Leaving a child on the street alone because of an IG post she saw! Ignoring cries for help from others! Being ruled by followers! She sucks at times, but she's far from the only one, and eventually you root for her to bounce back.

It's an easy book to inhale, too easy to relate to if you've ever been totally sucked in by social media, and just a good book on modern life. It's stupid and fun and a good read.

This is one of those books that is very much anchored in our social-media-driven times with a main character which isn't always very likeable. I spent a lot of time, while reading this book, wanting to shake main character Jenny for being so self-centered and so obsessed with the stupidities of Instagram. You do come to realise that this obsession is rooted in deeper mental health problems but my oh my, grow up woman!

The mother/daughter relationship while entertaining felt a little clichéd.

I wouldn't say this book is wildly original but it does follow the Fleabag trend of not quite lovable main characters. Despite my criticism, I did read it to the end, so I guess it had some gripping qualities.

Disclaimer - this is not my usual choice of book. I haven't read Unsworth's first outing but I have heard people talk about it and apparently she is an alumni of my own university department so I thought I would give it a go.

Good points first - It is searingly honest and contemporary. You can tell that it is a novel about a modern woman written by a modern woman. There are some brilliant one liners and the language was fresh and truthful. I read it quickly and found it pretty engaging, especially towards the end.

However, at times it felt too much like a caricature of a social media obsessed millennial. About half way through I felt like Jenny was becoming too ridiculous that I was losing swift interest in her.

I'm really glad I stuck it out all the way through to the end. Jenny made so much more sense once her backstory was fully explored. The novel became not a look at a social media obsessed 30-something but one that was about far darker, deeper issues. There should have been more of that throughout rather than spending too much time making her a parody of a generation.

In all, I would definitely recommend but I'm not entirely sure I will be returning to it myself.

Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in return for an honest review.

To say 35-year-old Jenny McLaine is obsessed with social media is an understatement. When we meet her she is doing important work: “I am creating a social media post about a croissant that I am pretty sure will define me as a human.”

This contemporary, funny, tongue-in-cheek tale explores the complex relationship Jenny has with her smartphone, her flamboyant, actress mother and her friends. She works for a digital feminist magazine, owns her own place in London and has a cool photographer boyfriend, so on paper, she’s doing OK. But in this digital-led world, she is full of self doubt as her priorities are warped towards the digital representation of her life. She craves approval from her Instagram icon, influencer Suzy Brambles, “Suzy Brambles only posts in black and white. This is because she has real integrity.”

There are echoes of Fleabag in this book’s wit and tone (“I always feel better about buying wine when the bottle has art on it. It’s classy bingeing.”) and that’s always going to be a hit with me. I did like the fact that Jenny writes emails (but only as drafts) to the people that piss her off – her version of the imaginary arguments people have in the shower – as a cathartic (and very funny) release.

She is a pretty self-involved character, at many points tipping into narcissism. However, this didn’t annoy me as it is balanced nicely by the fact she is just trying to figure out who she should be when she’s not creating content for the squares.

I liked its kind of diary entry structure which added a personal element and actually, structure-wise, it reminded me of Not Working by Lisa Owens and topically it’s not dissimilar to How Do You Like Me Now? by Holly Bourne – both highly enjoyable reads, so these were nice comparisons to have while reading.

This was such a funny, witty read with topical, satirical-tinged commentary on navigating our digitally-soaked era.

Jenny McLaine is a thirty-five year old graduate with a job and a house so, technically, she is an adult but she has become a slave to social media, is incompetent at real personal relationships and requires to be rescued from all this by her mother. That's a strange plot for a novel and this one is certainly quirky.

Jenny feels compelled to post comments on almost anything that happens. She frets about the number of followers and 'likes' that she has and about the people and bloggers she particularly wants to notice her like Suzy Brambles. She has a boyfriend called Art but is so distracted that she is losing touch with him and she has a good friend called Kelly who she could also lose because she simply seeks advice from her about her social media posts. It is clear that both relationships are being damaged by Instagram!

The book is disjointed with short quirky episodes and then Jenny's eccentric mother arrives. Her cure for social media and for forging genuine relationships seems to be alcohol but she also interferes in Jenny's life, texting her boyfriend and moving in with her before flitting off to America with some therapist. Along the way there are lots of contemporary asides and some London scenery.

I'm not convinced that Instagram enthusiasts would recognise themselves in the description of Jenny as she acts out someone else's idea of an obsessed social media person and something of a caricature at that. It also seems like we are expected to believe that the arrival of her mother has been a good thing leading her to have more balance in her life but that's not altogether convincing either. So, although this is a very trendy novel in subject matter and presentation, there is something very conventional lurking behind it with yet another incompetent heroine needing a man to sort her out and a mother to put her on the straight and narrow.

It's an odd read and I can imagine some readers delighting in Jenny's antics and her chaotic life but it didn't work for me.

I don't often have a strong response to a main character. I disliked Jenny so intensely that I almost aborted the book. Then it occurred to me, the author probably wanted to provoke a response and decided to explore a bit more. Jenny is completely self absorbed and opinionated. She is obsessed with the perception she gives and everything about social media. She has a very loose touch with reality and it appears to be compromising a lot of her relationships - boyfriend, friends, mother. The story jumps back and forward in time and we start to peel back the layers of Jenny. She is intelligent and complex and struggling to find her way through life and her emotions.

The book is more about the character development of Jenny, and sort of rambles through a story-line, which is designed to showcase her personality. I'm still not sure how I feel about this book or if I even liked Jenny better by the end. I respect what the author was trying to do and loved the little observations, facts and wisdoms that she seamlessly slipped into the prose. That said, the story also kept me reading right to the end, which means something was working.

A very apt book and I’d say typical of lots of people today always checking their phones and addicted to social media. I have to admit I like to see what’s going on myself.
However I didn’t particularly enjoy the book. The opening scene in the cafe with the overthinking of the pastry didn’t help and kind of put me off.
I love the concept
It’s well written and funny in parts but not really a book for me.
I think it will be really popular and will have lots of people who will love it.

Adults by Emma Jane Unsworth a three-star read that needs to do a little growing up. I didn’t know what to write about this one, in some parts I loved it and in others I was seriously considering not even finishing it. I found Jenny McLaine to be knuckle whiteningly annoying for most of the story, I know she is supposed to be neurotic and insecure and we are supposed to watch her become someone you can cheer for, but honestly I couldn’t get to that point with her. The only redemand feature of this story is the writing, that was very good, and I like the style, I will give this author another try and see if I like any other characters they write.

Brilliant!! This book will take you through the complete range of emotions. Wasn't sure I was going to get in to it...but I was hooked. First I've read by Emma Jane Unsworth. Well written and brilliantly observed.

If you want a heartwarming, heartbreaking hilarious novel then this is the book for you.
Jenny has everything but at the same time she has nothing at all.
Social media being used at it's best or worse whichever way you look at it.

A hilarious and relatable read.

This is not my usual book and it was good to get out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed being taken along for a ride in the characters life.

A truly superb read, and a fantastic follow-up to Unsworth's previous book 'Animals'. It's funny, painful, hilarious, sad, profound, real and raw. Few books are this relatable and empathetic towards love, friendships, relationships and social media. I binged it in less than a day. A must-read for 2020!