Let me get this out of the way, TMFWEH is an excellent book. For sure one of my favorite reads of the year. I thought Lombardo did a great job really investing the reader in the Sorensen family, so much so that you have no problem reading 500 pages about their family dynamics and issues. I think a lot of that is due in part to the narrative structure and the really effective use of time jumps: telling the story out of order really helped create drama and tension and mystery: what caused such a rift in Wendy and Violet’s relationship? Did David cheat on Marilyn? Why is Grace such a lying loser? Haha, I will say at a certain point I was a little exhausted with so many grown white women blaming all of their problems on their parents for being amazing, loving people who did a pretty solid job raising 4 whiny, privileged daughters (I actually had to put the book down and read something else for a while). With that being said, this minor criticism should not put you off from reading this one as overall I thought it was pretty fabulous and worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of recent books such as #AskAgainYes, #NormalPeople, and #WhiteElephant. Thanks to my friends at @doubledaybooks for the gifted copy of this one!

Family drama centered around a Chicago suburban family with 4 daughters who, despite their seemingly perfectly in-love parents, have various levels of issues/drama/obstacles to handle. It helps having a connection to the Chicago area as it adds some nostalgia to this book, but overall I really enjoyed getting to know the Sorenson family. All the characters seemed very real and flawed in a way that made you hate them or empathize for them (sometimes both at once).

{My Thoughts}
I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but it bears repeating, “Every family has a story.” That is especially true in Claire Lombardo’s gorgeous debut, The Most Fun We Ever Had. Spanning nearly 50 years and over 500 pages that flew by, Lombardo delivers to us the Sorenson family with all their triumphs and failures. Always maintaining focus on the family, she wisely told her story in alternating timelines.

One began in 1975 as Marilyn and David first met, fell in love and married. That timeline moves slowly forward as the reader gets to know the Sorensons as a couple and as parents. We’re introduced to each of their four daughters and watch them grow up, change and begin their own lives. This is the timeline where we really get to know this family of six, though it takes all 500+ pages and the journey right up until 2016 to truly understand them.

I’m giving nothing away when I tell you that the catalyst for the second timeline, is the arrival of Jonah, a 15-year old boy who had secretly been given up for adoption by one of the sisters. This is not a family that wants to let go of one of their own, yet Jonah’s arrival stirs the pot of tensions between sisters that has been threatening to boil over for many years. As the two timelines finally mesh, the full picture of the Sorenson family finally becomes clear.

I loved so much about The Most Fun We Ever Had, starting with the relationship between Marilyn and David. It was so refreshing to read a story about a couple that truly loved each other and were committed to their relationship despite hardships. The daughters’ frequent embarrassment with their parent’s amorous behavior just added to the beauty of their marriage.

“The room spun again. Kid made her think of her parents, suddenly, of her father bowing theatrically to her mother at Wendy’s wedding, hearing Otis Reading – “win a little; lose a little” – and declaring, “It’s our song, kid.” Every song belonged to her parents it seemed; everything recorded in the last six decades had something to do with David and Marilyn, those two inexplicable people from whom she hailed.”

I also found the complicated relationship created between the two oldest daughters, Wendy and Violet, especially poignant. If you’re a fan of family dynamics and/or character-driven stories, you will love The Most Fun We Ever Had. I predict you’ll find it high on my list of top books for 2019. Grade: A

Note: I received a copy of this book from Doubleday (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a sucker for multigenerational family stories (a la Commonwealth) and this might be my favorite yet. Lombardo's writing is stunning, so visceral yet beautiful, it's hard to believe it's a debut novel. Her ability to depict the complicated and nuanced relationships that exist within families is wise beyond her years, the characters so sharply drawn you feel like to intimately know each of them. At 532 pages, this book is not short, but I could have stayed with the Sorensons forever, so absorbed was I by this family. No matter what size family you come from, you'll be able to relate to the complex, intricate, tangled relationships between siblings, parents, and lovers. I highly and enthusiastically recommend this book!

DNF- I stopped reading this novel about 30% of the way through the book. I tried to get into this one but the characters were all over the place- back and forth between past and present. If you are into complicated family drama, you will like this one. I just was hoping for something lighter and this one was too much to handle right now.

Entertainment Weekly's book critic called them a "bougie" family and they are definitely that! We follow Marilyn, David and their four daughter through a year in their life. There is backtracking as to how things got to where they are. Each daughter is going through their own troubles in life. It is a long read and at times I was ready to throw in the towel. I did not love it like so many other readers have but it was a good story with interesting characters.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book.

A multi-generational novel that I will return to again and again. A family epic that started with a deep love between two people. Daughters with personal issues. A story of people. I love these sorts of books. I love following a family from one decade to the next.

It's insightful and makes you appreciate your own family and your own epic story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This juicy, sprightly, substantial novel is a great pleasure from start to finish. This is Claire Lombardo's first novel, which seems impossible because it's so balanced and neat. People talk like this, act like this, and do their best and worst, just like this.

The Sorenson parents, Marilyn and David, love each other completely and set a high bar for their four daughters. The four girls are very different people, differences that are highlighted when Wendy, the oldest daughter, discovers that the baby Violet, the second daughter, gave up in a closed adoption at birth, has been in the foster care system most of his life after his adoptive parents died in a car accident. Jonah is now fifteen, and you'll love him. The question is whether everyone else in the family will, too.

If you love a big, engrossing book that will delight you with every page, here you go! Just a warning--if you're looking for a beach book, you may be so into "The Most Fun" that you'll forget to turn over. Just saying.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

I'm in love with this novel. It's the first time in a long time that I wish Goodreads had more than five stars, and I'm completely baffled that every reviewer isn't giving it five stars. While this novel is over 500 pages, it never felt like it. I didn't want it to end, simultaneously not wanting to put it down, but also dragging my feet as I read it. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a simple novel, and by that I mean it's about a family and how the members of that family change and affect each other. But Lombardo has written this (debut!!) novel so intricately, weaving each character in with flashbacks and personal memories, that it took me no time to know each character. And while they are flawed, so much so that sometimes I wanted to shake them, they are real and completely fleshed out.

At the heart of the story is the parents, Marilyn and David, who have remained very much in love and affectionate for forty years, much to the dismay of their four daughters, who feel like they will never be able to attain such happiness. Lombardo takes us through those years and shows us how hard Marilyn and David have worked to maintain their love story, and just how much it has influenced their children.

A lovely, beautiful, and refreshing novel that had me laughing and crying. There was so much within this book that I identified with, and maybe even learned from.

I hardly finish and too many times to drop it, because a story can be told by reducing 200 pages at least, well told family drama but not my cup of tea so I gave 3 stars!

The story-telling technique by jumping timelines made me read two times most of the parts and I had really hard time to focus on characters' stories. The first sex scenes are a little irrelevant. I didn't catch what they bring to characters' definitions or her life styles.

Sisters' bounding parts are good, heartwarming, I liked the writing mostly but this book is not spectacular just a mediocre one for me!

I appreciate the writer's hard-work and ambition to combine different characteristics on a same story and mix them with a pint of humor, tragedy.

But again the long parts made me lose my attention and bored me a little.
Thanks for the publisher and Netgalley to give me opportunity to read this book. It was definitely one of the good ones but not the best one for me!

This book is a family saga, but it deals with many character and also does not follow start to finish. The girls are kind of fun, although each of them has a flaw--which makes them human. And I did enjoy the mom and dad's relationship. It does take awhile to figure out who is who and who their mates are and of course then there is a surprise character that changes all their lives. The end does seem a little rushed, but other than that an enjoyable read.

This is definitely in my top list of 2019! An in depth look at the inner workings of a Chicago family spanning years, decades, events and changes, Claire Lombardo allowed me to fall in love with these characters through her amazing story telling. To think that this is her debut novel blows me away - it is amazing. It's a long one, but don't be deterred it goes quickly especially as you become invested in the characters.
I found myself routing for Marilyn and David and their true love that spanned so much. Each of the 4 sisters had distinct personalities and reasons to love them and I did find myself "routing" for one or two over the others.
Loved this book, will definitely be telling people about it!

I really couldn't get into this book. None of the many characters had a standout personality to root for, though some behaved in ways that made it easy not to care for them. The parents are loving, to each other, to their children and grandchildren. The 4 daughters are very different and never seemed like a unit, but rather were very individualistic. In addition, it was way too long. Just when I thought it would be wrapping up, I'd realize I was only at 42% and think I could not go on reading. In fact, I skipped many chapters, went to the end and don't feel like I missed anything. It took a lot of time to read and was just not worth it in the end.
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book but I just didn't. While the stories were good, I felt that it was a bit dragged out.

Oh, Claire Lombardo, how can you be so young and yet so wise?

Seriously, how does this--yes, obviously very talented--young novelist write with such clarity and truth about stuff she (likely) hasn't experienced herself? My favorite literary novels are the ones that are super intelligent (emotionally and otherwise) and yet are a pleasure to read; this novel is exactly that.

I could go into a summary, but you got that at the top, didn't you, and all you really need to know is that this novel is a gut-smacking, funny, poignant novel to lose yourself in perfect summer read. It took me a little longer to get through, but I didn't mind because it allowed me to spend more time with these characters. Okay, I could start gushing now, but let's just get to the important part--so much wit and wisdom, and yes, fun.

AUTHOR: Claire Lombardo

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction | Family Saga | Coming of Age

RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

PUBLISHER: Doubleday

COMPARABLE TITLES: Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner, The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

SUMMARY: The Most Fun We Ever Had is the story of the Sorensons—a Chicago-based family with four adult daughters, Wendy, Violet, Liza and Gracie, and their still-madly-in-love parents, Marilyn and David.

The Sorensons always assumed their family’s problems were pretty run-of-the-mill—potential torrid love affairs, life-threatening overdoses and sociopathic children. But when a long-buried secret emerges, the entire family has to question how “normal” they really are.

Diving into the gritty, and often dark, histories of each family member, this book is an unputdownable story of the pain we bring to those who love us the most.

WHY THIS IS A MUST-READ: This book had me gripped from the very first page. I laughed. I cried. I didn’t want it to ever end. This has been one of my favorite books of the year (easily as amazing as Where the Crawdads Sing and Daisy Jones & The Six!).

Claire Lombardo is a master of words, capable of running you through the gamut of emotions in just a single page. I fell in love with this family and their story. This is a must-read!

A love that crept up on me and then took. me. down. When @doubledaybooks pitched this book to me, it sounded amazing and I was like, “Yeah, I’ll give it a shot! Send it over!”......and then it showed up at my house and it is 532 pages of fairly small print and I got a little nervous.
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And then I started reading, and was instantly furious with numerous characters. And I thought about quitting. Multiple times. But you guys. Trying to quit this book is like me trying to quit candy - not possible OR a good idea. For every character that made me want to give him/her a good shake and a lecture, there were others who made me fall in love SO HARD. And they’re all so intertwined that I had to take the frustrating with the endearing. Just like real life, no?
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This family saga/drama set in the Chicago suburbs takes us from the 1970s to 2016 and back and forth and in between.....there is love and parenting and siblings and marriage and joy and heart wrenching grief and drama and monotony and the absolute epitome of FAMILY.
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The title’s genesis is found in the book and is something I’ll never forget - there are so many times since finishing it that I laugh to myself and think, “Yes. The most fun I ever had”.....and I turn to my husband to say it and realize it’s NOT our secret love language, but that from a book. And then I mourn the ending of getting to live in the world of Marilyn and David Sorensen and their motley crew......I want to be a part of their family - I really do.
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This book stole my heart and I hope it steals yours too - be patient. Let it suck you in. It’s one to take with on vacation when you can only pack ONE book - sink in. You’ll be glad you did, and you’ll never forget it. Relatable for anyone who is a parent. Or a sibling. Or who has a family of any kind!

This was an engrossing novel of a Chicago family. It tells of their love, secrets, and dysfunctions. Each character has a story and I enjoyed spending time reading about them.
Many thanks to Doubleday and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a lovely story about a young couple, David and Marilyn who are true soulmates and are deeply in love. They marry and raise four daughters and are now involved with their grandchildren. This multigenerational story made me nostalgic as I recalled growing up in my own family of seven children. I enjoyed reading about the daughter’s lives from childhood to adults with their own families. As we all have experienced, life is not always easy and there are heartaches, tragedies and pain along the way. This book covers the lives of this family showing their love, family secrets, and conflicts along the way. The Most Fun We Ever Had is a large book encompassing over 550 pages.. I was sorry to have it end. I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley and I have provided an unbiased review of this book.

“Your family could do that to you sometimes, catch you off-guard with their charm and normalcy.”

Meet the Sorenson family. Marilyn and David have four daughters: Wendy, Violet, Liza, and Grace.

The story goes back and forth in time between the past (Marilyn and David’s early years raising their family) and present (told from everyone’s perspective, but really taking off when Wendy arranges a meeting with Jonah, the boy Violet gave up for adoption nearly two decades ago).

Gradually, we see the emotional backdrop of this family. It’s slow moving, but nonetheless so lovely.

This was a wonderful study of relationships. I don’t think I’ve ever read something quite like this novel. My favorite is between Marilyn and David - I loved reading about their earlier years when life threw so many obstacles in their path, and they ventured on, with love at the core. Also, they do not shy from displays of affection in front of their children.

I relate mostly to Violet, in that she and I can be tightly wound! One of my favorite scenes: at the end of the novel where Violet has a heart to heart with Jonah. It makes you think that life itself should be the most fun we ever have. That scene will stay with me for a while.

The Most Fun We Ever Had was one of my favorite reads so far this year. It releases June 25. I highly recommend snagging a copy!