Super read. There’s nothing like family - the bigger the better - and the dynamics that go on within. There was so much going on within this family unit it just makes for an excellent read. It was almost like peering through a mirror and just watching from the outside. The way they all interacted and shared their lives and history together. Nothing appeared to truly phase them.
I loved how the author brought in matters that affect couples today, identity challenges and other issues which are part of life as we know it. It really is a great read and I’d highly recommend it.

I’d never heard of the author before. I decided to read the book because I was looking for something different from the stuff I usually read. I enjoyed this book so I might check out other books by the author. I’ve read similar books before, so I was in comfortable, familiar territory. I have a soft spot for family sagas but not too light. I found the characters, especially the children relatable. Just because someone is an ‘adult’ doesn’t mean they have a clue about life or have achieved what they want. Much of the focus in the book is Astrid and the relationship she has with her three children, who even though they are adults are still figuring things out. There’s a lot to enjoy here but the book falls short at times. Everything is reported at times and I struggled to make an emotional connection. I enjoyed a lot but felt the book could have been much better.

Loved, loved, loved this!
For fans of Ann Patchett and Ann Tyler, this is an observation of a family. How the three adult children still require their mother's approval and love, how the mother starts a new life once widowed and how the granddaughter copes with modern life but the same old problems.
A warm embracing bath of a book - perfect for our troubled times.

An enjoyable involving read. At times it made me think of my three children and some tears were involved. All the characters were well drawn and came to life off the page. So involved was I that I wanted to know Elliot's decision at the end!

This normally would be exactly my sort of book - a beautiful family saga covering issues including sexuality, adultery, and the complexities of family life, whilst also covering a range of other topics through including a range of other members of the family's local community. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. I'm not sure why, something about it just felt a little flat and dull, like reading a diary of someone who lives a very ordinary life. Even the elements of the plot that should have been a bit more lively just weren't. Everything sort of just... happened. With no fan fair or excitement. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful book that covers some very important issues in a careful and interesting way, but I just personally found it to be one that I didn't really connect with.

This is exactly my sort of book. A sharp, perceptive and warm exploration of family dynamics and human behaviour, with lots of relatable and deftly-drawn characters that a reader can really get behind. I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

All Adults Here, a family sagà to keep you captured to the pages from start to finish. The mother Astrid lost here husband a few years back leaving here to bring up her children alone. Two boys Elliot & Nicky plus Porter who is now pregnant and going it alone. They are all adults traveling along the road as, well adults warts and all.
Cecelia is Nicky's daughter who had been sent to live with his Mum after a incident with her best friend (now not her best friend). On the day Cecilia arrives Astrid witnesses Babara a lady she knows walk out in front of a bus and becomes history. This shakes her up and she makes some big decisions one being to tell her offspring that her & Birdie are actually lovers not just friends. That's enough about the plot you can read and enjoy the rest yourself and it is worth the time.
So yes I enjoyed this book it's not my normal sort of read but I'm glad it came my way the characters are all great in very different ways some cringingly so others well most you will probably love I did. This is normal family life in there way that is with several story lines that each will draw you in but without overcrowding you showing what a fantastic writer Emma is.
I feel this novel is more than worthy of five stars and feel you may have a hard job not to feel the same that's my view anyway.

I thoroughly immersed myself into this family. There romantic and familial relationships. Worth the read.

** spoiler alert ** The three best things in this book are Astrid,Porter and Cecelia,three generation of the Strick family.
Some might call the family dysfunction,but they each had a certain charm (well maybe not the twins 😁) and grew on me more as the pages went past.
Dealing with some good issues of sexuality,community,internet dangers,bullying,violence,acceptance,adultery.... the list goes on.
Never once does it feel like preaching.
There's humour and warmth amongst the character.
Very enjoyable.

Sorry really struggling with this book. It is one of those beautifully written stories that meander from placeto place with the thoughts and views of the many characters. But nothing of any substance actually take place.
There is little or no confrontation or excitement. It is almost like reading someone's diary.

I got so bored I gave upo.

Sorry

All Adults Here is a masterful novel of second chances. Astrid Strick is the matriarch of the family. She is organised, efficient and rather chilly. Her devoted husband, Russell, is long dead. Unexpectedly, she has found new love with Birdie, her hairdresser. This has given her a new perspective on the many mistakes she has made as a mother, and a desire to repair them. We meet her three adult children, Elliott, Nicky and Porter and a niece called Cecelia, all of whom are in need of repair. These are real people who make real mistakes but are capable of having happy lives. I would strongly recommend this book.

This is a very thoughtful book which encompasses many themes which surround the dynamic of family. The novel starts dramatically with Astrid Strick witnessing a death of someone she didn’t especially like but who frequently occupies her thoughts. We then meet the rest of the family in turn, we learn what makes them tick and what their issues are. There’s Elliot married to Wendy with twin whirlwind sons, the middle sibling is Porter who has a goat farm, no man (well.... she does but she shouldn’t ...) and a desire to be pregnant and finally there’s New York based hippy Nicky married to Juliette who is French and a dancer, they have a daughter Cecelia. Astrid lives in Clapham in the Hudson Valley as do the older siblings. When Cecelia isn’t exactly expelled from school but it seems wiser (though not necessarily fair) to send her to live in Clapham with her Gammy for a year.

This is a very enjoyable read with many likeable characters, especially the Strick family and Astrid's more than friend Birdie. Cecelia is an outstanding character, very true, honest and a wonderful friend to August Sullivan. She doesn’t always do the right thing but when she goes wrong it’s for reasons to do with a being caring friend and standing up for people. At times she acts with greater maturity than the adults! I like how the book explores the love of family and it’s dynamics and after a series of events occur this pulls the family closer than they have possibly ever been. They are able to be honest which makes them all feel secure. It also looks at sexuality and at acceptance of who you are with no judgements given. The town of Clapham provides a good backdrop and we see a good cross section of society on display here.

Overall, this is a very sensitive book principally about love and family which I really enjoyed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the ARC.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub is a multi-generational family drama about parenting, ageing, sibling dynamics and making mistakes.