The Grown Ups: A Novel

ISBN: 0062302477

Author: Antalek, Robin

Condition: New

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 hes fifteen, Sam enjoys, for a few secret months, the unexpected attention of Suzie Epstein. For reasons Sam doesnt entirely understand, he and Suzie keep their budding relationship hidden from their close knit group of friends. But as the summer ends, Sams world unexpectedly shatters twice: Suzies parents are moving to a new city to save their marriage, and his own mother has suddenly left the house, leaving Sams 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 Sams 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 Sams inability to commit to her or even his own future eventually drives them apart. In contrast, Bellas old friend Suzie-and Sams 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.