by Robin Antalek
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Published: January 27, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Women's Fiction
Paperback: 384 pages
Rating: 5
From the author of The Summer We Fell Apart, an evocative and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel involving three friends that explores what it means to be happy, what it means to grow up, and how difficult it is to do both together.
The summer he’s fifteen, Sam enjoys, for a few secret months, the unexpected attention of Suzie Epstein. For reasons Sam doesn’t entirely understand, he and Suzie keep their budding relationship hidden from their close knit group of friends. But as the summer ends, Sam’s world unexpectedly shatters twice: Suzie’s parents are moving to a new city to save their marriage, and his own mother has suddenly left the house, leaving Sam’s father alone to raise two sons.
Watching as her parents’ marital troubles escalate, Suzie takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers and plans an early escape to college and independence. Though she thinks of Sam, she deeply misses her closest friend Bella, but makes no attempt to reconnect, embarrassed by the destructive wake of her parents as they left the only place Suzie called home. Years later, a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother will reunite her with both Sam and Bella—and force her to confront her past and her friends.
After losing Suzie, Bella finds her first real love in Sam. But Sam’s inability to commit to her or even his own future eventually drives them apart. In contrast, Bella’s old friend Suzie—and Sam’s older brother, Michael—seem to have worked it all out, leaving Bella to wonder where she went wrong.
Spanning over a decade, told in alternating voices, The Grown Ups explores the indelible bonds between friends and family and the challenges that threaten to divide them.
First sentence:
It was the summer all the children in the neighborhood caught a virus.
My two-bits:
Just like the title suggests, this story is a kind of coming of age process. A group of characters experience the ups and downs and eventually find their way through life's lessons.
The story is told through the perspective of three characters each of which have distinct voices and personalities. I liked being in the shoes of each equally.
Loved how the group of friends in this story remained in contact and their sideline stories and growth development were monitored as well.
Along with a reading guide, the book includes a playlist for each of the three characters with descriptions of why the songs were selected which was fun to read for extra insight on character background.
About the author:
* part of Summer Reading Challenge 2015. It's not too late! You can join the challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2015
Destination: Escape to the Northeast
