The Grown Ups
Library Journal Review:
For teenagers Sam Turner, Suzie Epstein, and Bella Spade, life in a New York suburb is a jumble of friendships and young crushes, complicated but retaining some innocence. This insulated world collapses in the aftermath of family break ups and the path to becoming grown-ups is suddenly more complex. Over the next decade, Suzie and Bella barrel through college and into relationships. Sam drifts about switching jobs, and they all reshape their ties to aging parents. Despite stumbles and losses, each finds a way to adulthood, sometimes aided and sometimes held back by their childhood bonds. VERDICT Like Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings, Antalek’s second novel (after The Summer We Fell Apart) is an engaging ensemble piece with revealing insights about friendships. A great choice for book clubs looking for new adult titles. --Jan Blodgett, Davidson Coll. Lib., NC |
The Summer We Fell Apart
"A preoccupied playwright father and a cult-actress mother are
the stars of the Haas family in Antalek's well-crafted and cunning debut novel....a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and to the importance of family ties regardless of family history, making this an endearing and easy-to-relate-to dysfunctional family drama." - Publishers Weekly |