*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

The Extraordinary Endicotts have all achieved greatness in their own right:

Gemma... the oldest sibling, she provided stability and love for her younger siblings while their parents struggled in their own ways. However, she and her husband have officially taken the leap into parenthood and Gemma isn't sure she's ready to be a mother again.

Connor... still chasing the high of his latest novel's success, he's starting to face the mess his success has left his life. Divorced, alone in a new city, and no new story to tell; he's still not quite ready to admit his actions may be what finally tore the family apart.

Roddy... a retired professional soccer player, he's given the chance to play again. However, the chance to extend his dream for one more season may mean the end of his relationship with his beloved fiancé.

Jude... in the height of the Oscar season, and as an Oscar nominee, she has (for some unknown reason) called the estranged siblings together in the backwoods of North Dakota. And while she keeps insisting she doesn't have ulterior motives, Jude does have a few secrets she's decided she's done keeping from the family.

Messy and emotional, FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY is an examination of the fractured family and what it means to decide to heal together. While predictable (and perhaps even anticlimactic) at times, this story was still beautifully written and executed. I loved each of these siblings (and each of the people in all their lives), and how messy they all were.

4.5 ⭐️

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Jennifer E. Smith

As an only child, sibling stories can be hit or miss for me. I felt that Jennifer E. Smith crafted an excellent sibling story where these four siblings (Jude, Gemma, Connor and Roddy) had fallen out of touch but are suddenly reunited by Jude, the famous actress, in North Dakota of all places. It felt like an authentic adult sibling relationship.

The reader learns about each sibling and what each is grappling with personally and how each plays a part in the sibling dynamic. Their chaotic mother had tied them together, and will they be able to pick up the pieces in their lives?

➕ I thought each sibling was well-crafted. Each came through as a unique individual with strengths and weaknesses and their own journey.
➕ This novel is extremely well-paced.

➖ I don’t like the cover of this book…or the terrible title. The publisher did this author dirty.
➖ There is some inplausibility here that such a terrible mother would produce a bestselling novelist, a professional soccer player, and a famous actress. Right? Gemma is the only one who wasn’t #1 in her field, and that had to suck to describe her three siblings to someone else.
➖ It was a lot of perspective/time switching. Usually I don’t mind it, and I see the purpose in this novel to do it, it just brought down the novel a little bit for me because it was so often.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

It publishes April 8, 2025.

Meet the Endicott siblings. Gemma is the eldest and has the least extraordinary but the most stable life. Connor, the second oldest, is a divorced father of two who became a famous novelist after writing a thinly veiled story that upset his family. He now struggles with writing another book. Twins Roddy and Jude have excelled in their professions. Roddy is a professional soccer player approaching the end of his career, and Jude is an actress nominated for an Academy Award. With largely absent parents, Gemma took on a parental role for the once-close-knit foursome. After several years of not speaking with one another, Jude has arranged a getaway to a small North Dakota town to confront the issues that have kept them apart, including disclosing secrets she has kept from the ones she loves the most. 

Don't let the title of Fun for the Whole Family fool you. Jennifer E. Smith's latest book is an emotional story packed with lots of family drama, yet it also incorporates a lightheartedness, which explains the cute cover. You will find yourself caring for each member of the Endicott family, having experienced an unconventional upbringing. Not only have their relationships with one another been strained through the years, but each one is facing personal issues and struggles. A snowstorm in a secluded location provides the perfect setting to try and address their challenges. This book tugs at the heart as it explores themes of love of family, loss, regret, and forgiveness. 

4.25 stars.

Fun for the whole family? More like tears for the whole family. 😭

An absolute heartwarming and beautiful story of 4 siblings (Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude) and the many road trips that defined their life. They stop speaking after their dad’s funeral and 3 years later, Jude somehow manages to get everyone together for a trip to North Dakota. Out of all places. 😆 What ensues is a beautiful story of the journey of forgiveness and remembering the importance of their relationships.

This book has the perfect balance of staying in the present and going back in time as well as switching POVs. It added to the movement of the story and I didn’t feel like it took away from it at all. It felt like all 4 siblings really got an even amount of time.

Some of my favorite moments were: Roddy and Winston bantering, the break in that Gemma and Roddy do, the epilogue 😭

I went in thinking this was really going to be fun but here I am crying so take that as you will.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

What an emotional and hopeful read. Told in multiple points of view (4 siblings)and alternating timelines. I found this book enjoyable to read but would drag on a little bit too long at times.

4 stars.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Jennifer E. Smith (Out April 8th)

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith is the kind of book that hits you right in the feelings—equal parts messy, heartfelt, and surprisingly funny for a story about estranged siblings with a ton of baggage.

The Endicott siblings—Gemma (the responsible one), Connor (the struggling writer), Roddy (the almost-retired soccer star), and Jude (the famous actress with way too many secrets)—haven’t spoken in years. But when Jude randomly summons them to North Dakota, they have no choice but to face their past, their grudges, and each other.

Told from multiple perspectives, this book is full of family drama, emotional gut punches, and just enough humor to keep you from crying the whole time. It’s a beautiful, complicated look at love, forgiveness, and how family can drive you absolutely nuts but still be worth fighting for.
If you love books about messy sibling relationships and second chances, you’ll eat this up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Reviews to be posted on Goodreads, Instagram and BN.com.

In this family saga, we flash between current day and childhood for 4 siblings. After becoming estranged as adults, they meet up in North Dakota at the mysterious request of the youngest sister..

I was looking forward to this one, but it ended up being too many POVs and too predictable. By 25% I had guessed the sad ending and didn’t feel like putting myself through that after other reviews confirmed my suspicions, so I DNF’d.

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an entertaining, character driven story. It dragged a bit in the middle, but was really well written. I do wish it had a cover and title that would better suit the story.

I loved Jennifer Smith's first book, so I was beyond thrilled when I was approved for this title. I really enjoyed this book as well. It didn't pack as strong of an emotional punch ending, but I was invested in the characters and their stories. A solid 4-star read!

Four siblings haven’t seen each other in years. They had many reasons for the break, but when Jude summons them all to North Dakota for a weekend, the other three can’t help but say yes. As kids their mom would show up in the summer, whisk them away to visit different states, and then disappear until the next time. Now all four siblings are struggling in their own way, and the weekend away will help? Make it worse? Who knows with the Endicott Family.

Oh man…I true look at family, both siblings and parental relationships. I enjoyed each of the four siblings, and reading through each perspective, though I certainly wanted to shake some sense into each of them at times! I can only imagine one f my siblings bringing us to the middle of nowhere in North Dakota and getting us snowed in without power. I might lose my mind, but I truly loved how the siblings got to the point of being able to open up to each other and be honest about their past, present, and hopes for the future. This was such a heartfelt story and I really liked it!

Thank you to @randomhouse for my gifted copy of this book!

A captivating family saga that had me eagerly turning pages. Four siblings with mostly absent parents raise themselves and each other are reunited after a 3-year break. The dynamic between the siblings is interesting and feels real. They have a lot of the past to rehash and, more importantly, future plans to make. I loved how, despite the differences that had come between them, they found the real love that held them together.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.

4 - I really enjoyed The Unsinkable Greta James, so I was super excited to get an early copy of this author's newest release!! For a contemporary fiction novel, this was a really beautiful story about forgiveness, siblings/family, and the power of love.

Fun for the Whole Family follows the Endicott siblings, who are brought back together for a family reunion. Each sibling over the years has gone on completely different life paths and they have been estranged since the death of their father a few years ago. Each sibling has a very different personality, career, and idea of success and family. When they are forced to be with each other again for a reunion at a cabin, they are forced to confront their secrets and deep rooted issues with each other.

This was such an emotional book to read and I found myself tearing up constantly throughout. Anyone who has a family with different dynamics knows how difficult it can be for every person to be happy and feel loved and appreciated by each other. This really was a book focused on the power of forgiveness and working through many realistic family dynamics and issues to come back together. It really was beautiful to see these siblings work through their emotions, issues, and grief and lean on each other again. Overall a very heartfelt book.

Thanks to Random House and Ballantine Books for the free book!!

I always enjoy Jennifer E Smith’s books! Fun for the Whole Family didn’t have many fun moments and jumped back and forth through time too much for my liking, but I was nonetheless caught up in all the feels by the end!

Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for the DRC of #FunfortheWholeFamily. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I love a book about siblings and sibling dynamics. Throw in annual family road trips and you've got near perfection in my opinion.

This is the story of the Endicott siblings - Gemma, Connor and twins Roddy & Jude. As children, their mother left them to follow her dream to become an actress. But she returned every summer for a family road trip with the goal of visiting all 50 states. Those trips stopped abruptly after an incident that scarred Jude. Now adults, the siblings are scattered around the country, but they haven't spoken in more than 3 years. When Jude asks everyone to gather in North Dakota, you know there's a lot to unpack (pun intended).

Told by all 4 siblings in alternating time periods, you learn about their childhood and their current lives. The characters feel authentic and relatable even though 3 are "extraordinary" - Jude is an Oscar nominated actress, Roddy is a professional soccer player and Connor is a national book award winning author. While it was pretty easy to guess the secrets that Jude gathered her siblings to confess, I really enjoyed this story and read most of it in one day. Definitely recommend.

A dysfunctional family that's full of love. Family road trips that build happy memories and also disasters. Siblings who love each other deeply but haven't spoken in three years. This book has it all for anyone who loves a family drama that is heartfelt and hopeful.

Thank you to @netgalley and @RandomHousePub for this ARC. While growing up, their mom Frankie would take them on a week long roadtrip to a different state each summer...That is until the fire. Now the 4 kids haven't spoken to each other in 3 years until Jude sends them each a message to meet her in North Dakota that weekend. She has been keeping a couple of secrets from them and it is time to tell the truth. This is a sweet story of family, sibling love and forgiveness. It is true that you live your daily life with small reminders of your family but you just don't take the time to reach out. Do you truly know what is going on with your siblings? You don't know until you ask. #FunForTheWholeFamily #JenniferESmith #RandomHouseBallatine #April2025

Family is hard...and great, and this book really gets both realities across in a very visceral way. The Endicotts certainly seem like a fictional family in their extraordinariness--an actress, an author, a professional soccer player, ...and Gemma. As kids, following their parents' separation, their mom would show up every summer and whisk them away on a roadtrip. Her bohemian attitude and semi-abandonment had a permanent impact on the kids' psyches. Gemma stepped in as the substitute mom, and that also had a permanent impact on their relationship. Now as adults, they are all trying to deal with the fall out in their own partnerships as well as in their interactions with each other. Drawn together for an emotional roadtrip after not speaking for three years, they all have to work through their past and present to set up a positive path for the future. There were many poignant moments, and the combination of sibling rivalry and love were easy to identify with. I was sucked in from start to finish.

As an only child I have a little bit of a fascination about the different relationships and dynamics that go on between big families and siblings. Fun for the Whole Family showed me a glimpse of what it's like to grow up with four siblings who have gone down different paths as time goes on. There is two different timelines, the past where all four siblings are younger and fully in each others lives and the future where after a big blow up fight they haven't spoken to each other in years. Until the siblings get a text from the baby in the group, Jude asking them to meet her in North Dakota and she has a few secrets she's been hiding.

I read Greta James and loved Smith's work and the same goes for this book. I enjoyed how different chapters focused on each of the siblings, their successes and also the ugly/dark parts of their personality. It was heart warming and really touched on what's important in life.

I absolutely loved this book. The Endicott siblings are such complex, relatable, and authentic characters, and I couldn't put this book down. It isn't easy to switch between points of view and still make each character stand out with a unique voice, but Smith manages this excellently. The suspense throughout the story, although it felt melodramatic at times, was ultimately a good addition that kept me glued to the page. The ending was so full of hope and love, despite its heaviness. Highly recommend this read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

"Fun for the Whole Family" by Jennifer E. Smith is a poignant and beautifully written exploration of sibling relationships, shared history, and the power of forgiveness. The Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, bound together by their absent mother’s whirlwind summer road trips. But decades later, they’ve drifted apart—until Jude, now a famous actress, unexpectedly summons them to North Dakota. Each sibling is at a crossroads, struggling with personal and professional dilemmas, and as the weekend unfolds, long-buried tensions and family secrets come to light.

Smith skillfully alternates between past and present, adding depth to the characters’ relationships and highlighting the lasting impact of their unconventional childhood. The novel has been praised for its emotional authenticity, sharp character development, and heartfelt exploration of family dynamics. While some readers felt that the multiple perspectives occasionally blurred individual voices, the story’s themes of reconciliation, identity, and resilience resonate strongly.

A touching and immersive read, **"Fun for the Whole Family"** captures the complexities of familial love and the enduring bonds that shape our lives.