Adult World Paperback – February 15, 2012

ADULT WORLD is a racy and addicting read. Like the characters in the book, the story keeps throwing curve balls at the reader and is not what you expect it to be. Brian Hartman's 18th birthday starts out with a glimpse of the inside of an Adult World pornography store, an environment unknown to him until that morning, when his age gives him clearance to enter and view things both odd and foreign, gross and titillating.His best friend's father owns the store. Brian happens to be in the right place at the right time to receive a job offer he can't turn down--not with college costs looming and the need to save buku bucks.So begins Brians journey from teenager to man. As he makes his way toward the prom, graduation, and his future, he has to make some decisions about where his boundaries lie. The characters are all deftly drawn--from Brian's sweet (or not so sweet?) girlfriend Jennifer to his best friend's father to his mother and her latest boyfriend to a popular porn star selling a rubber mold of her vagina. No one, including Brian's mother, is who he thought they were.Alternately sweet and raunchy, hilarious and insightful, ADULT WORLD is genuine and real, a coming of age tale that will appeal to teenagers dealing with the vagaries, excitements, and "firsts" of high school, facing major decisions about relationships (both emotional and sexual), college decisions, and adult responsibilities. It is a story that will appeal to the teenager in all of us.Will Brian remain grounded in the face of temptation to make easy money for college, where he wants to study art? Will he hold onto his dreams no matter what? What will he do when a beautiful porn star comes on to him in the back of a limousine?Christopher Scott Grimaldi knows how to capture a reader. Highly recommended and easily rounds the bases to 5 stars.Author Kelly Jameson

I read Adult World for my adolescent psychology class. At first I dreaded opening this book, assuming that it would be another boring book that would take forever to read because I would not be interested in the story. After begining the story, I couldn't put the book down. I actually read the entire book in one sitting. It was easy to understand and I was able to relate to the story. It reminded me of my own confusing adolescent years. I do not think you can truely appreciate this book until you are out of that stage. I think the author did a great job capturing the struggles that adolescents face when it comes to love, trust, and different kinds of relationships in life. I like the fact that it did not have a fairytale ending like most books but it still enforced life lessons that I think we all encounter at some point in our lives. I think this book could also help remind parents of what their adolescent is going through and help them remember how hard this time can be to control emotions and make new decisons. Adolescence is a time when you are stuck between adulthood and childhood. With that being said, some adolescents think that they are ready for the Adult World when in fact they are not. Its a vicious cycle. When we are children, all we want to do is grow up and become an adult. Once we are adults, we wish we could go back and appreciate those simple years of life when there were no mortgages or marriages to worry about.

Adult World  is a coming-of-age story, as the main character not only finds himself thrust into the retail establishment named "Adult World" but also has to take off his rose-colored glasses of youth and see the people in his life as they really are. At age eighteen, he is now officially part of this "Adult World."The main character Brian is both sensitive and insightful. It fits with his wanting to study art in college and aids the reader, as the story is told from his first-person perspective. The storytelling is straightforward and believable, and delightful to read. The story is filled with several well-rounded characters, whose dimensions unfold throughout the plot.Grimaldi gets points for authenticity. His description of the actual store which inspired the retail location in the novel are spot on. There really are booths to the right, and (spoiler alert!) they really do test out the battery operated merchandise for you at the register before you buy them, since you can't return them.Yes, there are descriptions of sex acts and sex toys, but none of it is too explicit or gratuitous. Since the reader is inside Brian's head, and he's a nice, likable guy who's motivated by emotions (and hormones, as even he admits that he is 18 after all), those scenes are enjoyable on multiple levels. Brian's character is not simply interested in sex for the sake of having sex, and as such, Grimaldi deftly uses those descriptions to enhance the overall novel.

I started reading this book around 10:00 pm and 3 hours later, I was finished. Not only was it a pleasant and non-demanding read, but it was so refreshingly realistic.Mr. Grimaldi wonderfully portrays the realities of adolescent love, strife and discovery. His take on the "ups and downs" of growing up, falling in love, learning about yourself and those around you, is something we can all relate to. You can't help but cheer on the main character, as he navigates his way through things that we have all faced as teens: sex, love, friendship, job, school, and grown-ups. Mr. Grimaldi never goes over-the-top, but narrates in a way that is real, funny, and never predictable. The steamy scenes never go too far, but rather, are maturely laid out and delicately described.In Adult World, the main character Brian has to deal with personal issues, that are a result of his own expectations and perceptions (like all of us). Watching Brian develop and grow, through his encounters with others, is a joy to watch. Mr. Grimaldi's formula on love isn't this fairy-tale, teen love lasts forever type, but is down-to-earth and poignant, which I think sends a great message to teens and young adults.This was a warm and engaging contemporary. I enjoyed it and highly recommend!