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.

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

Fun for the Whole Family is a family drama about the four estranged siblings. We follow multiple POV about four siblings who reunite abruptly. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. This book is just really heartwarming and more emotional than I thought it would be.
I loved everything about this book! highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My favorite books are about complicated family relationships, and this certainly fits that description. Gemma is the oldest sibling, caring for the younger ones as their mother was often absent. Connor was next, while twins Roddy and June were the youngest. Their mother left when they were young, supposedly pursuing an acting career, and reappeared every summer to take them on a road trip. Gemma became the de facto mother, living a more ordinary life than her accomplished siblings, author brother, Connor, professional soccer player Roddy and actress Jude. Chapters alternate between reminiscences of the trips, with their current get together after an estrangement. The story and the characters are absorbing, making it hard to put down this well written novel, as some secrets are exposed. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is your family. The people who have known you.....and sometimes hated you......your whole life. The Endicott siblings have all managed to survive and thrive their unconventional childhood. When younger, the four of them took an annual adventure with their mother that created so many memories that they are all emotionally scarred from the experiences. Now as a dults, they will answer an invitation from the youngest sister that may let some light into the complicated family dynamics that have kept them apart for three years.
This is an emotional read. Smiles, laughter and tears can all be found on the same page as these four compare their memories. They've found out that their lack of communication has left a hole in their lives where their siblings have always lived. If you have brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and the extended family ties, you'll recognize the feelings, good and bad and in between that Jennifer E Smith paints on the page. This is an excellent book with a story that many of us lived through in one form or another. Read, review, share, repeat.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this book. Unfortunately at this time I will be unable to give it my full attention, so I will provide a starred rating and return when I can give it a proper review.

After a falling out three years ago, four siblings finally reunite. Three of them are famous: Jude, the Oscar-nominated actress; Roddy, the famous soccer star; and Connor, the award-winning author. Gemma, the oldest, lives a normal life with her husband, Mateo. This hilarious family drama had me laughing out loud at the siblings’ witty banter. It also made me feel emotional about family secrets that were revealed after years. Jonathan Tropper’s “This is Where I Leave You” is a comparable novel with a similar family dynamic storyline, dialogue, and humor. If you enjoyed that book, you’ll definitely enjoy “Fun for the Whole Family.” I listened to the audiobook, and I loved the narrator, Lauren Graham. I think she’s the actress from “Gilmore Girls,” and she does an amazing male English accent. The book was easy to follow, even with chapters alternating characters and multiple timelines. Some of the flashbacks were during the summers when the siblings and their free-spirited mother would travel all over the United States experiencing life adventures. It was a great read with quick short chapters. I couldn’t put it down, I was eager to finish it to find out all the secrets and what happens to the four siblings. I can’t believe this book didn’t get more press. It’s so good! Be sure to check for trigger warnings.

A beautifully written, character-driven family drama that explores the complexities of sibling relationships, memory, and forgiveness. Smith masterfully weaves past and present as the estranged Endicott siblings reunite and confront the emotional weight of their shared history. Heartfelt, nostalgic, and quietly powerful—this book is perfect for anyone who loves a story about finding your way back to the people who knew you first.

A well written family drama! I loved the dynamics between the siblings and the others in their lives. The format of alternating past and present made for interesting reading. Thanks #NetGalley#BallentineBooks

This book is a tender, layered look at the complicated ties that bind and sometimes pull families apart. Smith’s storytelling is warm, emotionally honest, and full of small moments that quietly break your heart. It’s the kind of novel that lingers long after the last page, in the best way.

When this novel starts, the four adult Endicott siblings haven’t spoken in three year when one of them asks the others to all join her for a trip to North Dakota. The book is told from all four siblings’ perspectives in both the present and the past. In the past, we learn about their chaotic childhood with an erratic mother that left them but returned each summer to take them on crazy road trips. And in the present, we see that each of them have their own problems/secrets/struggles and we slowly see them try to reconnect and eventually learn why they stopped speaking.

Given the title, I feel obliged to say this one puts the “fun” in dysfunctional family, though I’d say that the book is somewhat heavier than the cover or title suggest - but still written with a light touch. With four perspectives and jumping around in time, it does take a minute to get oriented to who everyone is and what’s going on, but once I did I really got invested and cared for all the characters - culminating in an emotional ending that left me crying.

The four Endicott children had an usual childhood that brought the four of them together as they had to take care of themselves. Their father worked long hours and their mother was gone most of the year, but would return every summer to go on road trips to visit all 50 states. After a tragic event on one of their trips, they do not go on another trip with their mom. Although the siblings, Gemma, Connor and the twins Roddy and Jude, have a special bond, life gets in the way as they go into their own orbit and having successful lives. Gemma hopes to have a baby, Connor is a writer, Roddy is a professional soccer player, and Jude is a famous actress. As each one is facing a decision in their lives, Jude invites everyone to a small town in North Dakota. The four of them had not been in close contact but they drop everything to make the trip. While there, they reconnect but also learn of each other's secrets. Fun for the Whole Family was a bit darker than the title might imply, but the story was engaging and the characters were believable. Fun for the Whole Family, which is told from each character's point of view, is an excellent story of the love and bonds that are within a family where they all support each other no matter what happens.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Fun for the Whole Family.

Me 🤝 messy family dramas…

Fun for the Whole Family follows four estranged siblings as they reunite for the first time in years. They spent their childhood going on roadtrips throughout the US, and their sister, Jude, has planned for them to meet in North Dakota. While stranded in a snowstorm with no electricity, the four siblings are forced to work through their past and present, as their secrets unfold. Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not the light-hearted novel it suggests.

I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this! I loved the sibling dynamic. The snippets into the past added layers of depth to their story. It was messy, emotional, and ultimately heartwarming.

Also, have tissues handy — I cried so much by the end.

4.5⭐️

This novel about four siblings coming to terms with the truth about their shared past is a solid three-star read. This author is a talented writer (I used to love her YA books), and I enjoyed her dialogue and description, but at times, I felt distant from the characters, whose personalities felt a little bit issue-driven as characters dealt with homophobia, IVF, and other common contemporary issues. I had a hard time getting immersed in the story emotionally even as I appreciated the turns of phrase. I was surprised to see reviewers saying the book made them cry, as I was never invested enough to feel much of anything.

The audiobook narration by Lauren Graham (which I purchased from Audible, despite having a digital review copy from Netgalley) was also surprisingly not as dynamic as I expected. I think more of a performance from her as an actress and not just a straight reading would have done a lot to bring the story to life more fully. I'm not at all sorry that I read this, but it also wasn't a huge favorite.

An enjoyable and fun read that was just OK for me--I didn't really connect to any of the characters. The road trip aspect was fun, though. I liked the author's previous novel, so I'll definitely keep her books on my radar in the future. The writing was solid.

This probably didn’t hit as much for me because I’m an only child. It got me in a reading slump.

Jennifer E Smith was one of my favorite YA authors growing up, but this was a different type of love story than I’m used to from her.

But the ending 😭

Also, this quote: “It's funny how you can want something and not want it at the same time, how you can love your life the way it is and also wonder if there's more.”

If that isn’t a summary of your twenties, idk what is

Gotta love a book that quotes Jerry Seinfeld, "There's no such thing as fun for the whole family!"

This was a sweet family saga with surprising depth by the talented @jenniferesmith . I appreciated the family dynamics as each character had something to bring to the narrative. And while there were somewhat dubious details and the ending was a bit predictable, it didn't take away from the storyline. I really loved the way it was written from each sibling's perspective, both in the past and present - it made the story so compelling.

I do so enjoy reading stories about siblings from large families, as I often ponder my own children's relationship with each other in hopes that they will always remain close.

I'd recommend this book for fans of family dramas, sibling rivalry enthusiasts, and devotees of the Rashomon approach.

Many thanks to partners @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for this #gifted review e-copy!