Having not read a lot of satirical fiction, I found Adults a pleasant surprise; an outrageously funny story that any 30-something woman would relate to. Our protagonist, Jenny, is what one would consider an ‘upper-millenial.’ At the age of 35, she’s overworked and underappreciated as a columnist for a feminist(ish) website.

At the same time, her best friend seems to be orbiting in a different world and is pulling further away, and then her dysfunctional, ex-actress mother reappears – the last person Jenny wants to see. It’s not quite the picture-perfect life she’s tried to recreate like her favourite Instagram influencer.

From the start, Jenny is a woman we are all familiar with, rooted in the deep-set anxiety of overthinking, oversharing and overcomparing on social media. Every facet of Jenny’s life is dictated by her phone, as if it’s a lifebelt as she tries to make up for her past. She comes off as shallow and self-absorbed, but at the same time completely lost in how to be an adult. The book switches from the present to the past as Jenny shares important moments in her life that have shaped her.

At times the witty one-liners seem overdone, but it’s in the last quarter of the novel that Jenny’s vulnerability is laid bare to the reader.

Altogether, Adults is a tender, relatable and laugh-out-loud read for anyone trying to find their own way in this digital age.

Reviewed by Hannah Membrey