Do you judge books by the cover? Well I most certainly do….. let’s say when I got this book and even read the synopsis I thought…. Oh a fun and lighthearted story about siblings. What I got? Was an in depth look at how this family of kids bonded together through their own trauma all while holding back their hurting from their siblings, the ones they loved the most and held dear. Meanwhile these things do what they do and tear small seams in the happy moments and cause families to fight and drift apart. I really had to pause multiple times and I saw things in my own life that mirrored these experiences. When all was said and done and as I wiped my eyes at the end…. Not all stories end happily ever after but with a realistic view.

“Fun for the Whole Family” really does live up to its name. This was such an enjoyable and honest read—there’s truly something any reader can relate to in this book, whether it’s personal relationship troubles or not wanting to disappoint a cherished family member. The novel did feel slow at times and less engaging than I would have preferred given the numerous characters and their interwoven stories, but this is certainly a book I would recommend, especially for those of us with complicated family relationships. I loved how the character’s arcs and concerns inevitably worked out and the all the layers of humanity that involves.

A breathtaking, joy-filled novel about the people we love, the secrets we keep, and the enduring power of family, from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.

Decades later, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself; Connor, a celebrated novelist, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block; and Roddy, at the tail end of a professional soccer career, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.

Jude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together—but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.

A captivating journey and an ode to forgiveness that takes readers across all fifty states, Fun for the Whole Family brims with heart and resonates long after the final page.


This book and the family dynamics are so gooood!

Gemma - is married and is figuring out whether she wants to become a mother after she raised her three siblings her entire life. Not as "successful" as the rest.
Conner - is a famous and successful writer who is divorced and also brings his kids to North Dakota.
Roddy - is a famous soccer player who is poised for retirement, and brings his fiance' Winston to the trip.
Jude - a very famous actress who was just nominated for an Oscar and has a few secrets of her own to share during the weekend. Planned the trip to get the siblings together.

You may need a few tissues and this book is definitely never boring!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC! Book will be published April 2025!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for this honest review.

Perhaps 3.5 stars? I know giving a 3 stars feels "middling," because it technically is, but I actually liked this one a lot. Once I got who was who under my belt with the siblings and those in their lives, I thought they all felt like real people for the most part. The past timeline chapters I hurried to get through because I felt like the present day ones in North Dakota were far more interesting, save for the chapter that had the siblings' big fight.

<spoiler>
The reason for the three stars are personal (aren't all reviews?). I hate the whole "babies and marriage is what makes people happy" sentiment so many books have and this one fell into that. Gemma was my least favorite sibling to follow anyway because her story just didn't click with me, but I was hoping her hesitation about being a mother would end with her realizing that she didn't want to be. Not because that's the "right" thing for everyone, but just because I so often see the opposite and I was hoping for that subversion, even though I realized it was unlikely. The epilogue, while sweet, just hammered home the babies + marriage = happiness, including for Roddy. I also thought that Connor's side romance wasn't necessary (or all that believable). </spoiler>

But that's focusing on the dislikes. Like I said, by the end of the book, I felt like I knew each of the Endicott siblings. I adore stories about siblings, typically sisters, so I was pleasantly surprised that Jude and Roddy were my favorites here. Jude had three secrets she wanted to tell everyone and I clocked her biggest and last reveal pretty much from the start. It didn't impact my enjoyment, since again the other two I hadn't anticipated.

The book was an easy read but well written and I would look at future books from the author.

Here’s a great book, a real family saga with a lot of gutting issues. The title seems somewhat tongue in cheek.
Thanks to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC which I most enjoyed.
This is a totally character driven book and I found the characters to be delightful
4 grownup siblings who had a difficult childhood - their mother left them returning for one road trip each summer. Their father was not coping well (emotionally unavailable) and the eldest Gemma more or less raised the brood.
The stories of each sibling Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude were so diverse and captivating. Over the years they had become estranged. Jude who is a famous actress arranges a getaway in North Dakota in some very challenging weather- what could go wrong?
The result is an unputdownable story that was charming and engaging. As we meet the characters in the present day there are also chapters that go back in their past to illuminate how things came to be as they are. There are many touching moments - both happy and sad - for the reader. Tissues will be needed.
Highly recommended for those readers who love a good family drama!

The sibling dynamic was heartwarming certainly, but I couldn’t get behind the story fully. Lots of cheesy moments but also lots of tough conversations between characters. The ending dragged on a bit and was fairly predictable. I also couldn’t grasp the concept of three famous/successful siblings. You’re telling me out of four kids there ended up being an actress, pro athlete, and author? C’mon now

This book honestly surprised me. It seemed to be about a dysfunctional family who had siblings that drifted apart before being summoned back together. It was funny, I expected that. It was wacky, I saw that coming. What I didn’t see was it being so touching and heartfelt. I found myself tearing up more than I ever thought and the ending was a damn-near sob-fest. I really loved this book and the characters were perfect in their own quirky ways. So well done!

This is a story of 4 siblings told in the past and the present. Lots of family drama, dysfunctional family, and fun road trips make this a fun book that deals with lots of issues. As someone that had a crappy childhood, I definitely connected with this book. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This is a wonderfully written family drama for the ages filled with love, disappointment, and hope for the future. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was an entertaining family drama. Although it didn't feel as if this story were breaking any molds, the characters were engaging and I found myself really caring about their stories.

The four Endicott siblings - Gemma, Connor and twins Roddy and Jude were once a close knit group. Unfortunately,
an argument after their father's funeral has ended up with the siblings not speaking for three years. When Jude i
nvites her siblings to a reunion, each one's past and current life are revealed. Will the secrets Jude reveals mend t
he broken ties? Realistic portrayal of family dynamics and a heartwarming read.
#FunfortheWholeFamily #RandonHouse #Ballantine #NetGalley

This book was delightful! It was heartfelt, entertaining, and had me tearing up at the end. Perfect for anyone who likes books about big complicated families.

So much less of downer than much of the adult fiction out there. I loved the characters, who were not perfect.

Based on the cover I thought this was going to be a light hearted fun read, but it was anything but. I loved the premise of the four siblings together but it seemed to fall a little flat for me. I wasn't really connected to the characters and I found myself skimming through parts just to get done. There were some parts that I felt dragged on and on and some parts that didn't flow well with the story. The ending was unexpected for me and I did love how it wrapped up all the relationships at the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Family dramas are one of my favorite genres and Jennifer E Smith definitely delivers on just that here. I was hooked from the beginning and finished this in just two days! Estranged siblings receive a text from their eccentric sister to meet them for one more adventure in a new state. The characters are well developed and multidimensional to the point they really feel real. I was obsessed from the beginning.

TFW you loved a book so much that you had to write a review immediately after you finished. Thanks so much to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book!!

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy and Jude—were an inseparable unit growing up. Their mother, an actress dreaming of her big break, left their family but would return for a few weeks every summer to take the four of them on a road trip. The destinations were never exciting but the trips were always memorable—until the events of one trip changed everything.

Now, as adults, it’s been three years since the siblings have seen one another and have barely communicated. But they get a text message out of the blue from Jude—now an Oscar-nominated actress—asking them to meet her in a small town in North Dakota in a few days.

Jude has called her siblings together because she has three secrets to share with them. Each has the potential to upend everything.

At the same time, each sibling is at a crossroads. Gemma, the oldest, who served as a surrogate mother for the others, wonders if she is pregnant—and if she wants to be. Connor, whose last book fictionalized their childhoods and angered his siblings, is divorced and has writer’s block. Roddy, a professional soccer player ready to retire, has the chance for one more season, but hasn’t discussed it with his future husband.

I love family drama, and this book was just so emotionally rich and compelling. The narration shifts between past and present and among the siblings, and the whole story was just so beautiful.

The book will publish 4/15/2025.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the eARC!

Wow. This book is wonderful. I was completely hooked from page one, and every subsequent page was equally as perfect. It is a heartwarming, funny, emotional, hopeful family saga that flips back and forth between present and past. I absolutely adored the format, with each chapter bouncing from state to state - especially as she is recounting the three years the siblings were apart, done through a series of one page chapters from wherever they were thinking about each other. Ugh, just so smart and so sweet.

And speaking of those siblings - I love them all so much. When there are four main characters, I usually find that some are less developed or less involved. Not the case here. Every single Endicott is fully their own, and they equally take center stage. The interactions between the four of them are so natural and realistic, making you desperate to be in their orbit.

This book is equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking, and made me cry like a baby.

The Endicott siblings haven’t seen each other in years, since their big fight. When a random text from Jude, now a famous actress, brings them together they will learn more about their past and family history.

If you like family drama stories, this is a good one. The family are all so different, yet three out of four of the siblings are somewhat famous, which was the only unrealistic piece to me. There were a lot of secrets being held, but the family heals together as they relearn the past.

“You put out story into the world like it was the truth, and you didn’t even get it right.”

Fun for the Whole Family comes out 4/15.

This is a first time author for me. I really enjoyed this story book. It is about 4 siblings who were close. Gemma, Roddy , Connor and Jude . After there mother's disappearance from their life and some secrets that were shared in a book written by Connor they hadn't seen each other for a while.Jude decided to arrange a reunion in the last place she and their mother went before she died. Portree, North Dakota. They all agreed to come.
Roddy, Jude's twin is at the end of his professional soccer career and his fiance' Winston , Gemma comes by herself and finds out her IVF worked this time while she is there , Connor, the writer , is having writer's block he brings his children Rosie and Hugh and Jude , is an actress. I don't do spoilers so I am going to let you, the reader follow them to find out what this journey is about, the secrets held back for years. A VERY GOOD READ
This story made you stop and think just how sad things can be and they can never get back the wasted time.

Fun for the whole family is the story of the four Endicott siblings, told in alternating points of view and also switching from present day to past timelines . We have Gemma, the oldest, who had to grow up fast and be mother to her siblings with a mother who virtually disappeared except for the yearly summer road trips she took them on and a father that was barely present, Connor, the brother who became famous writing a thinly veiled story about their family, and twins Roddy, a famous soccer player who is now at then end of his career, and Jude, an Oscar nominated actress. When their father died 3 years ago the siblings had a falling out, and they have had very little communication until they all receive a text from Jude, asking them to meet her in a tiny town in North Dakota for the weekend, and they all drop their plans and head out.

What follows turns into a tale of secrets revealed, the unbreakable bonds of siblings, forgiveness and family, and I loved all the characters in this messed up family. Although none of them is perfect and they have all made their mistakes, the ultimate bonds are unshakable and I found this a very heartwarming and heartbreaking tale. I loved this authors adult debut, the Unsinkable Greta James, and her second adult novel is another winner.

Thank you to net galley and Random house for an e galley in exchange for an honest review..