These deeply flawed and wounded characters, shaped by a tumultuous childhood marked by abandonment, are outwardly successful. I love how the story explores the human experience within families, highlighting dysfunction like the parentification of children, abandonment wounds, and the raw emotions that accompany such experiences.

The humor woven into the dialogue adds a unique touch, and I truly enjoyed the setting. I couldn’t put this book down from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I loved this story! The author really got all the dynamics and nuances of sibling relationships. It’s about siblings growing up, growing apart and trying to reconnect. It was emotional and so relatable. Highly recommend!!

4 stars

This is another solid effort from Jennifer E. Smith.

I really enjoyed _The Unsinkable Greta James_ and had high expectations for similarly strong character development and meaningful plotlines. That all comes through here.

The four Endicott siblings survived the traumatic and odd departure of their mother in their youth and the fairly recent death of their father all to find themselves drifting from each other as adults. When the novel begins, they haven't spoken in any meaningful ways (or at all, in some cases) for years, and they've now been summoned to a dubious retreat by one of the sisters, Jude. No one can make sense of why they've been brought together, but readers learn along with the siblings that a number of secrets will be told, reveals will be experienced, and further changes to their relationships are on the way.

For me, this was incredibly readable and engaging. The characters are well drawn but not so nuanced that they slow the quick pacing. Then that ending. I'll stay spoiler free on that front, but I'll share that it did hit me hard.

This author will continue to be one whose works I'm excited to read and recommend.

This is a story of siblings, and the lives that they lived during their younger years, as well as when they grew to be adults, and how their lives were shaped, somewhat, by their mother. Once upon a time, they were very close, but as their lives diverged over the years, they haven’t spent much time together. And so, eventually, they gather together for a weekend where secrets are revealed, some wisdom found, and their bond a bit stronger.

A lovely story of the bonds of family


Pub Date: 08 Apr 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books

4.5 stars.

✨This was such a heartwarming character-driven family drama with authentic characters who are flawed but lovable. It’s packed full of emotion and humor. I laughed, and I cried.

✨At its heart, this book is a love story for anyone who loves – whether it be your family, your pets, your partners, your passions or your pursuits.

✨I loved it and highly recommend.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Character-driven novels
✨Dual timelines
✨Multiple points of view
✨Family drama
✨Sibling narratives
✨Tear-jerkers

My thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Don't let the title and cute, colorful cover of this one mislead you. Was this story fun? No not at all. But it was still wonderful and very much worth the read. In this book we follow four estranged siblings as they reunite several years after the death of their father. The story is told through alternating perspectives and as the book continues you see that we are traveling with the siblings and their mother as they try to visit all 50 states.

While the perspective and timeline shift throughout the book, it's still relatively easy to follow as we begin to learn more about how the close the siblings once were, what happened to them that drove them apart, and how they are going to reconcile on their weekend together in the present. I was expecting a lighthearted family story, but this heart-wrenching book was so much more than that and left me weepy in the hair salon as I finished the story. I would highly recommend!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Fun for the Whole Family tore me up, even though I suspected it was coming. I was sad to say goodbye to these 4 siblings, their journeys through time and the states, their families, and their life failures and successes. I feel like one of the sibling’s books, which he describes as “personal, but not true”, is exactly how this story feels while reading it. The characters feel so personal, even if they aren’t true.
This character driven novel was beautifully written and I enjoyed every minute of it. Bittersweet to the end, speaking my book love language.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: Each of the four Endicott siblings has a story, some baggage, and maybe some secrets. I was immediately drawn in with the multiple timelines. The books skips between the siblings present day reunion trip, and past years. Slowly, slowly things start to fall into place so the reader can see what happened in the past and from varying points of view. Jude definitely seems the most mysterious, a real example of how those who “have it all”, don’t really. Connor seemed the most lonely and I hoped for him to make more connections: with his siblings, his kids, a random Uber driver.
Everyone has secrets. And in allowing them to spill out one can only hope for the best, some understanding,
and some grace. The siblings let things grow and closed off from one another. The book and its different timelines carried so many feelings of sadness and regret and I was eager to see how and when things would come back together.

A lot of family trauma and trigger warnings for parental abandonment, illness, and fertility issues. But a great in-depth look at a family. And yes, I cried at the end. I have not done that in a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

This book about family dynamics, relationships, past histories, and following your dreams. Wonderfully written with rich characters - highly recommend this book!

Fun for the Whole Family is Jennifer E. Smith’s latest book and once again she tackles difficult family relationships. Don’t let the title or cover fool you into thinking this is going to be humorous. This time, the story involves four adult siblings, still trying to make sense of their unpredictable mother, who left them to find herself and would return once a year to take them on a road trip. The siblings have gone on to lead lives that seem remarkable on the surface. But they have also fallen out when one writes a novel based on their childhood. Three years later, the youngest forces a meet up to get things resolved.
Smith has crafted four well developed main characters and I was invested in each one’s life. It worked well to have the chapters keep alternating between the four. The book managed to keep my attention and there wasn’t any drag or downtime. Keep some tissues handy for the end but there are also plenty of moments that brought a smile to my face.
This was a difficult book for me to read. The mother was strangely reminiscent of my husband’s first wife, who also left her four daughters when they were young. I’ve seen first hand the emotional scars from their mother walking out and ours were lucky to have a father invested in them. The book has a lot to say about family, secrets, forgiveness and working together.
My thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book.The sister plans a trip for them all to get together since they haven’t seen each other in three years. The place is a cabin in North Dakota and they get snowed in with no power. They all think they will hate it but much is revealed in their time together. It’s a sweet story that could be a Hallmark movie. I would highly recommend.

Jennifer E. Smith is one of my must-read authors and she NEVER disappoints. Fun for the Whole Family is a unique, original story that had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next, until the very end. Such a relatable story about family dynamics and where you fit in. Highly recommend to readers of adult realistic fiction.

I do love a dysfunctional family drama. This one was fun and interesting with intriguing conflict that left me both curious for more and also eager for the coming resolution. The characters were well developed and brought life to the story. It's never fun when a character driven story has...flat characters - not a concern here! I recommend!

This was really well done and well written. I did think the big, epic, conflict wasn't really that big or epic, but it was fine.

Such a great family story! Drama and conflict but love and reconciliation too. The issues over the many years are revealed, replayed and recast as truths are shared with the family members. Lots of sadness and loss balanced with happiness and growth. I enjoyed reading this book by Jennifer E. Smith.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is the first book I’ve ready by Jennifer E. Smith and I didn’t have any expectations going in, other than that the story sounded interesting. Fun for the Whole Family is the story of the four Endicott siblings - Gemma, the oldest who took over parental duties in the face of absent and inattentive parents, Connor an award-winning author, and twins Roddy, a professional soccer player and Jude, a famous actress. The four of them were once inseparable, but age, experience and secrets have torn them apart. As the siblings come back together for a weekend together, relationships are tested, secrets are revealed, and the Endicotts must decide what their relationships will be moving forward.

I enjoyed spending time with the Extraordinary Endicotts. The Endicott siblings are all at crossroads of their respective lives and careers and as they figure out what their futures will look like, they pick at and support one another as only siblings can. This book is about family and relationships - what tears us apart and what we are willing to do and forgive to move forward.

This book is character driven and I loved the interaction between the Endicott siblings and their extended family members, There was witty banter, real emotion and the dialogue sounded like other big families I know- loud, messy, noisy and ultimately, loving. I was invested in what would happen from the beginning and even though the characters’ secrets weren’t at all surprising, I still felt the impact of them as the siblings reacted to each new revelation. I laughed out loud, I cried pathetically sentimental tears; I was fully invested in the Endicotts.

This was a wonderful novel, full of heart and I look forward to finding more books by this author.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. This book will be published on April 8, 2025.

It was okay, I didn’t really feel connected to any of the characters. I could tell a lot of what was going to happen from the beginning few chapters

Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude haven't spoken or been close for a long time.

When Jude sends a text asking each one ​of her siblings to meet her in North Dakota, they all balk at the idea at first, but are curious what it's about.

Sooooo - they all head to Portree, North Dakota, to see what's happening.

It's a bit awkward for everyone, but at least they are together and perhaps can mend all the broken pieces.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY is written in two timelines in alternating chapters.

The past is about their absent mother who always returned at the end of summer and took them on trips across the United States to different states.

The present is getting to know each other again.

Will they mend what became broken?

Will they become close again?

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY is a light read, but also ​a heartbreaking​ read. 4/5

​Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am in love with this book! I gave up all respect for sleep and responsibilities while reading it. It was also my first 5-star book of the year! I will be recommending this book to everyone for a long time!

The Characters in this book could not have been a better representation of siblings. They are supportive yet petty, loving yet calling it like it is. Each one felt like a real person, not someone made up on a page.

I really liked this overall, but the point of conflict wasn't enough of a big deal to me to warrant the extreme reactions everyone had that tore apart an already close family. I kept waiting for more to unfold to justify it.

Overall a great easy read. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.