Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
From the author of The Summer We Fell Apart comes an evocative and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel 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 turns 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. 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 close 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 and told in alternating voices, The Grown Ups explores the indelible bonds between friends and family and the challenges that threaten to divide them.
Synopsis
Spanning over a decade, told in alternating voices, The Grown Ups explores the indelible bonds of friends and family and the connections that form between Sam, Suzie, and Bella as they navigate parents, siblings, and one another on the way to becoming who they really want to be when they grow up.