Grown Ups
A Novel
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4.2 • 108 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT #1 BESTSELLER!
From the #1 bestselling author of The Break and The Woman Who Stole My Life.
They're a glamorous family, the Caseys. Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together—birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie—who has the most money—insists on it.
Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much . . .
Still, everything manages to stay under control—that is, until Ed's wife, Cara, gets a concussion and can't keep her thoughts or opinions to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, and Cara starts spilling all their secrets.
As everything unravels, each of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's—finally—the time to grow up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Keyes's comical and engaging outing (after The Break) dissects the breaking point of the Caseys, a close-knit extended family in present-day Ireland. After Cara hits her head at her brother-in-law Johnny's 49th birthday party, she blurts out various secrets that have been plaguing her family, causing a chain reaction to ripple through the guests. Socially conscious, artistic sister-in-law Nell realizes she and Liam Johnny's immature and shady youngest brother didn't really know each other before getting hitched. Nell's mutually drawn to her dynamic nephew, Ferdia, Johnny's 22-year-old stepson. Johnny is handsome and charming but insecure. He's married to Jessie, a successful businesswoman with imposter syndrome, and he betrays Jessie's trust by surreptitiously meeting with an old lover with whom he and Jessie used to be close. In the months before the party, Cara struggled with bulimia, and her husband, Ed, the middle brother, threatened to leave Cara if she didn't seek treatment, and Cara, a hotel receptionist, regrets agreeing to look at Jessie's finances, which leave her privy to Jessie's chronic overspending and Johnny's secret. Keyes not only manages to keep this potentially unwieldy cast under control, she delivers a character-based plot that's emotionally honest and resolves in ways that feel authentic. There's a lot going on here, and it all pays off with dividends.
Customer Reviews
Grown-Ups
I love all of her books. They are so “real”. The people in them aren’t just fantasy characters, but people dealing with real issues. They are always funny.
Disappointing
I usually love her books, but not this one. It’s too long, has too many characters, not enough of a plot, and it feels like the author is trying desperately to be young and cool. The characters are not relatable. There are too many dramas for each character. It’s almost as if the author cleared out a junk drawer of ideas and threw them all onto paper. The numerous grammatical errors and the verbose nature of this book, makes it a tedious read. It’s very disappointing.