I highly recommend Fun for the Whole Family. Once I started it, I could not put it down. This is a family saga, that alternates between the perspectives of 4 siblings, who grew up in a chaotic way after their mother left and then took them on road trips every summer. The siblings have grown up to be extraordinary in different ways, but are also all struggling, and the novel alternates between their childhood and the current day, when they reunite in North Dakota after not speaking for 3 years, which we eventually learn why. I really liked all the siblings and the other characters, especially Winston, and was rooting for them all, and I cried some real tears but also laughed a lot. I will look out for anything else this author writes, at least in the adult categories!

This was a great fun ride that also was a heartbreaking, bittersweet journey for the Endicott siblings. I deeply enjoyed how the author took us into the relationships of the whole sibling group while also exploring the bonds individual siblings had with one other sibling. It was a super heartfelt book for when you are in that mood without having the total breakdown associated sometimes with books like this. It reminds me of another book I absolutely loved earlier this year - Blue Sisters. I definitely think this book is a great read for when you are in the mood for this type of experience.

This book moved along very slowly. I found it long and slow because not much was happening. It was all about the characters and relationships. It was rather sad and depressing and I guessed early on what was going to happen. This book has a lot of great reviews, but unfortunately it wasn't a favorite of mine.

Fun For The Whole Family stole my heart. It is the story of 4 siblings, called together by one of them to meet in North Dakota after not seeing each other for years. The book flip flops between prior trips to various states and present day. It’s heartbreaking so have Kleenex on standby. But also so heartwarming. It’s about the strength of family, forgiveness, love and resilience. So much emotion mixed with witty one line zingers. I laughed and cried and hugged my kindle. All the stars. I loved it so much.

If you enjoyed The Unsinkable Greta James then you will love this new book by Jennifer E. Smith. This book will fill you with joy as you get to know the family and all their secrets. You will find yourself thinking about these characters long after you put this one down. Highly recommend!

I went into this book expecting a fun, funny family dramedy. And that's exactly what I got. I wasn't expecting it to be a tearjerker that actually made my eyes mist up though. The majority of the book was light-hearted and reasonably realistic and then wham. I probably should've seen it coming, but oh well. It was an emotional roller coaster that was worth riding in the end.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This is an emotional, heartfelt and character-driven novel about the lives of the four Endicott siblings — Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy and Jude — who reconnect as adults after going three years without really communicating with one another. Their mother left them as children, but she returned each year for a few weeks to take them all on a roadtrip to one of the 50 states — which they enjoyed immensely. As the siblings reunite, they are forced to face and deal with a variety of long hidden issues and secrets which may or may not bring them close together once again. All in all, this is a well-written and captivating family saga that is extremely engaging.

Unfortunately, Fun for the Whole Family was a miss for me. I love a family drama and this started out strong with four adult siblings reuniting after not speaking for the last few years.

However the secrets and dramas they each brought to the reunion didn’t ring true for me and instead of feeling with them I just found myself rolling my eyes. Thank you to Random House for the free book to review.

This book is about family & the ties that bind us through thick and thin. For the four Endicott siblings: Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy & June, life hasn’t always been easy but one thing was certain, they could count on each other.
When they were younger their mother, Frankie had left to set out for her dream of becoming an actress. Their father escaped into work for long hours which left Gemma, the oldest sibling, to take over that parental role of her siblings. Frankie shows up for a few weeks each summer to whisk the kids away on an adventure. Together they enjoy road trips to various states in the hopes to one day cross off all 50 states. Unfortunately tragedy strikes one summer changing the course of their lives and later on this tight knit crew will go their separate ways. Until one day when they each get a bizarre text from Jude asking them to meet her in North Dakota. They haven’t seen each other in years but curiosity gets the best of them and they could never say no to her. A weekend in rural North Dakota could be exactly what they all need to reconcile the past and move into an uncertain future together.

Fun for the Whole Family is a beautiful story. You get invested in the lives of the siblings and can’t help but cheer for each one. It’s a heartfelt novel that’ll bring warmth to any reader.

Four estranged siblings are reunited when one of them reaches out by text to see if they can all meet in a small town in North Dakota. With the passing of time each of them have found themselves missing something from their lives—each other and the past that they shared.

This is an endearing story of family, forgiveness and love that is relatable and memorable. I was invested in their lives and their story.

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Fun for the Whole Family is a heartfelt, layered exploration of sibling bonds, long-buried wounds, and the ripple effects of an unconventional childhood. Jennifer E. Smith brings warmth and nuance to the story of the Endicott siblings, whose shared history of parental absence and spontaneous road trips left both fond memories and emotional fractures.

The novel shines in its character work—each sibling is at a personal and emotional crossroads, and their reunion is as messy, funny, and poignant as you'd expect. The central mystery surrounding Jude’s secrets adds momentum, but the heart of the novel lies in its themes of forgiveness, self-discovery, and the strange, enduring power of family.

It’s a nostalgic, emotionally generous book—bittersweet in all the right ways. Perfect for readers who love character-driven stories with both charm and depth.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am really sorry to say that I DNF'ed this book at around 78%. I thought the story held promise, and I kept reading to learn more about the characters and their resolutions, but the cancer storyline really threw me. I understand that this is on me, but I just was not in the right headspace to read that kind of emotional storyline right now. Reading about the dynamic between the characters was interesting too, but I felt like all four of them were at a stasis point until I stopped reading. Each character had so many chances to grow, but I felt like they were all incredibly stuck in their ways, and it became a bit tedious after a while.

I really enjoyed the evolution of this story and the characters within it! I love a book that evokes feelings and makes me feel for the characters and their turmoil. Definitely a book I will be recommending!

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of those rare stories that sticks with you for a long time! It takes you through a variety of emotions and brought me to tears at points. It shows the real connection between family, even when life gets difficult, and while it had heartbreak and tragedy, was a beautiful story that I’m glad I read. If you like family fiction and drama, be sure to check this book out!

This book was soooo fun! I definitely recommend it for a light hearted good time! Lots of laughs and great storyline!

Dear Fun for the Whole Family,
You are a story with so much depth and heart. Gemma, Connor, Jude, and Roddy were such deep and complex characters. I loved the way they each are at such a pivot point in their lives that were so relatable. Using the family's journey through the states was such a unique concept. It made the pacing and flashbacks in your story feel perfectly timed. Your ending broke my heart. I loved you and immediately started suggesting you to other people.

This wasn’t a new favorite, but it was still a good story about a family being broken apart and brought back together. There were really good moments where the siblings were confronting each other that the reader got to see the messy dynamics and characteristics, which I wish we got more of. I don’t think I was really in the mood for a story like this, but in the end it was a good reminder that life is short.

I love contemporary stories about adult siblings. This was really interesting and I loved all of the different characters and points of view. These siblings had a rougher childhood in regards to their parents, but the bond of the 4 of them was strong. I had a hunch of why one sibling wanted them all to meet in a small town after a few years of not seeing each other, but there were some other secrets along the way that I did not expect. The ending was bittersweet.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Oh boy! Sometimes I feel so bad that I’m an only child, but sometimes I thank my parents for saving me from the drama. Endicotts were all successful slinking who got to have a roadtrip per year to check the box for “almost” every state in the US before family experienced a tragedy tearing them apart and fight incessantly in the years after

Despite all the fights and hard feelings, when Jude, the Hollywood star, called all her siblings to North Dakota for a weekend getaway, all three dropped everything and answered the summon. The weekend that was expected to be pretty boring in North Dakota got even less climactic when all of them were snowed in at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Cabin fever lead to many confessions from siblings turning this story into chaos and wholesome get together at the same time

Spoiler here! Tell me how many of you guessed what would the baby’s name! After Endicotts taking over the US, I expected them to take over the world now that they can get along well and I’m glad to see plans were made in that direction. I think this book will be fun for all the readers