The Grown Ups
A
Novel
By: Robin Antalek
Releasing January 27th, 2015
William Morrow
Blurb
From
Robin Antalek, author of The Summer We
Fell Apart, comes an evocative and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel
involving three friends who explore what it means to be happy, what it means to
grow up, and the difficulties in doing both together. Spanning over a decade,
and told in alternating voices, The Grown
Ups explores the indelible bonds between friends and family and the
challenges that threaten to divide them. It is the addictive and moving story
of these old friends who wind up confronting their past in order to find
happiness in their adult lives that make this novel an anticipated winter
release.
Sam
Turner, the summer he turns 15, feels lucky enough to enjoy the unexpected
attention of his friend Suzie Epstein, even though it’s only a few secret
months. For reasons Sam doesn’t entirely understand—and will never question—the
budding relationship is kept hidden from their close circle of friends. But
before their summer tans can even start to fade, Sam’s world unexpectedly
shatters twice: Suzie’s parents are moving away 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 Epstein takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers while simultaneously planning an early escape to college to seek independence. Though she occasionally thinks of Sam, it’s her oldest friend Bella Spade she finds herself missing. Embarrassed by the destructive wake of her parents as they left the only place Suzie could call home, Suzie makes no attempt to reconnect with the one person she needs. Its years later that a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother Michael will reunite her with both Sam and Bella—finally forcing her to confront her friends, her past and what she left behind.
After
losing Suzie, Bella surprisingly finds her first real love in Sam. But his
inability to commit to her or even his own future eventually drives them apart.
Watching Suzie and Michael as they seem to have worked it all out, Bella’s only
to wonder where she went wrong and how to make it right.
Link to Follow Tour: http://www.tastybooktours.com/2014/11/the-grown-ups-novel-by-robin-antalek.html
Goodreads
Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21936828-the-grown-ups?from_search=true 
Author Info
Robin
Antalek is the author of The Summer We Fell Apart. Her nonfiction writing has
been published in literary journals and in several collections, including The
Beautiful Anthology; Writing off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema;
and The Weeklings: Revolution #1 Selected Essays 2012-1013. Her short fiction
has appeared in 52 Stories, Five Chapters, Sun Dog, The Southeast Review, and
Literary Mama among others. She lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Excerpt #1
Mrs. Spade
died in the winter of their junior year of college and they all returned home
for the funeral.
Bella had called from Vassar to tell
Sam. He’d picked up the phone and heard his name and then nothing, just a rush
of air across the wires followed by what sounded like a far away howling. Bella and Sam had continued, despite distance
and any real commitment, to find their way back to each other. She surprised him first at school, showing up
at his door, and they had fallen back onto his twin mattress as if they were
starving. It felt exotic, somehow, to
be in a place where no one knew them as a couple. To hold hands as they shared
crummy food off Sam’s meal ticket at the dining hall, to drink dollar pitchers
at The Rat, to wake up next to each other and have sex without talking, like
they had the map of what they liked inked indelibly in their brains. By the time Sam’s roommate returned from his
girlfriend’s place, the weekend ended, the buzz would wear off, and Sam would
think they wouldn’t do it again. Until
one of them showed up on the doorstep of the other’s room and it started up all
over again. Sam thought this thing with
Bella was casual, comfortable. They had never labeled what they were or talked
about where it was going. He thought that was what they both wanted. Or maybe
they were just too scared to bring it up.
Sam liked things the way they were until something like this happened,
and he had no idea how to act or what they meant to each other.
My Review:
This is a great book to read whenever I feel like I could have done something different with my life. In order to know and shape your future you have to resolve your past. What I liked about this book is that each character had their own issues and they each had to delve into their past in order to fix their present. However the book alternated between voices and each character had their own way of doing things and their own style. It was interesting to see how each dealt with life in the first person. This book is not all fun though, because the characters face real issues. At times I had to regroup to remember what character was talking, but it was easy to follow and I liked that they each had their own voice. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
This is a great book to read whenever I feel like I could have done something different with my life. In order to know and shape your future you have to resolve your past. What I liked about this book is that each character had their own issues and they each had to delve into their past in order to fix their present. However the book alternated between voices and each character had their own way of doing things and their own style. It was interesting to see how each dealt with life in the first person. This book is not all fun though, because the characters face real issues. At times I had to regroup to remember what character was talking, but it was easy to follow and I liked that they each had their own voice. I am giving this book a 3/5. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.
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