Behaving Like Adults Paperback – Import, 22 May 2003

I love Anna Maxted’s adult books and cannot understand why they weren’t more popular when they were first published or higher rated on Amazon. I’m struggling to find new books to read at the moment- something that I can pick up after a busy working day that isn’t twaddle.Her books are just what I want to read

Didn't immediately enjoy this book but then found I really cared about the characters. There are surprising depths in the book - it covers date rape for a start - but they are largely hidden in froth. Provides plenty to think about; I'd read other books by the same author.

The first Anna Maxted book I read was 'A Tale of Two Sisters', which I enjoyed very much. This was a disappointment after that, although to be fair 'Behaving Like Adults' was her first novel.This is definitely NOT 'side-splittingly comical' as Cosmopolitan claims in it's review ...... in fact I didn't laugh once. It's a good enough read though; I certainly didn't feel like giving up part way through.

After years of re reading all of Anna’s books , they have survived many a cull, I realised I should write a review in support of her. I just love all her books, characters you care about, heartfelt themes and highly entertaining - please write more Anna xxx

I always like Anna Maxted books - they're realistic and thought proviking

I am so impressed with how Anna Maxted dealt with such a sensitive issue with careful thought, sensitively, emotionally and with true brilliance.She is one of the best writers around, to be able to deal with such a dark issue in this book and still bring humour, romance and still make you generally enjoy this book and feel good is so clever.I myself am not a writer and cannot put into words how brilliant this book is so you will have to buy it and read it immediately.

On reading this book I found the rape and Holly's reaction to it very uncomfortable reading. At times the descriptions of how she felt made me feel the violation for her.The rest of the story is sweet, although I guessed the plot early on, but made enjoyable reading. I enjoyed this book and didn't want to put it down at times, even tried to read it at work but kept getting bleeped!If you're feeling low yourself or are going through an emotional time, don't read this book as it will not help your mood. If you want an insight into what it is like to be raped however, I would recommend this as a starting point to put yourself into someone else shoes. Be warned though, at times this book is not light reading.

Holly Appleton believes in old fashioned love; the kind where girl meets boy and they all live happily ever after. She believes it so much that despite her own track record in the lurve department (a recent un-engagement to her fiance Nick), she sets up a dating agency and calls it Girl Meets Boy so that others might fulfill their romantic destiny.Sounds a bit too airy-fairy? Well don't stop reading yet because Holly's problems start when she decides to give her newly "unaffianced" other half a kick up the new millennium by trying to shock him into moving out. She does this by agreeing to go on a date with one of the men who has applied to her agency. Not only is Stuart Marshall light years away from Holly's usual type (Nick, the ex-fiance), but he is also incredibly unpleasant. Stuart Marshall is oilier than the Exxon Valdise.... and he's not the sort of chap who takes no for an answer.If you have never read any fiction on the rarely broached subject of date rape, then Anna Maxted's book is a good place to start. Date rape is something that happens to far too many women, and Holly's story is not an uncommon one.I'm not going to give away the ending (and believe me, highlighting the subject matter does not even touch the surface of the story beneath it), suffice to say that Holly goes through the wringer, running the whole emotional gamut from denial to self hatred and finally to acceptance and re-building her confidence to deal with the rape and come to terms with it in her own mind (the scariest place of all).I enjoy Anna Maxted's work generally and was surprised by the intensity of this story compared to her other novels. I had been looking forward to its publication and whilst I was not disappointed, it was not what I was expecting.I bought Behaving Like Adults second hand from Amazon Marketplace (for a measly £1.50 - BARGAIN!), however, some people do not like to have their books sullied by the hands of others (I'm on a budget, so I can't afford to be fussy) - anyway, it's published by Random House, ISBN 0-09-943988-3 priced £6.99 and came out in June 2003.