Laurie Frankel does it again! I have loved her two previous novels and, while it took me a bit to get hooked on this one, I loved it just the same; in fact, it may now be my favorite of her novels. An absolutely gorgeous, and beautifully written, story of found family and the ways in which family = in whichever form it may take - finds us, bonds us and, sometimes, breaks our hearts. While I do not have any personal experience with it, I can only imagine that this is a fantastic representation (based on the author's experience, as shared in the author's note) of adoptive families - both adoptive and biological parents, children, other individuals involved in the process - and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommend for fans of stories by authors like Ann Napolitano, Kevin Wilson, and Angie Kim.

What a beautiful story about family and all the joy, love, messiness, and complications it takes to be one!

India Allwood is quirky, ambitious, and unstoppable. After placing her baby for adoption as a teenager, she creates a full life for herself filled with acting and motherhood. When Covid hits and her regular tv work dries up, she signs up to do a movie that happens to be about adoption— and that’s where Family, Family really begins…

The media firestorm that results from the movie creates a havoc in India’s personal life, havoc that forces her to reckon with the decisions she made as a young woman.

This fresh look at adoption—taking it from the position of a last, worst choice, to a thoughtful choice no matter the circumstances— is one that actually challenged my engrained thoughts. There are multiple timelines and strong character development— there are quite a few characters, each written to make their way into your heart. But it’s not only for those with a connection to adoption— it’s for anyone who considers others part of their family, family.

The author’s note at the end is also a must read! This was my first by this author, but I will definitely be checking out her backlist.

Thank you to @netgalley and @henryholtbooks for my advanced copy! *throws confetti in the air #iykyk

Thank you to @netgalley and @henryholtbooks for the advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

“Not all stories of adoption are stories of pain and regret. Not even most of them. Why don’t we ever get that movie?”

This is the story of India Allwood, who grows up always knowing that she wanted to be an actor. Through drive, determination, great talent and a lot of tough decisions, she brings her dreams to life. India is a fantastic character, full of humor, honesty and wild and crazy decisions. The other characters in the story are introduced along the way as the story unfolds. It's a bit of a spoiler to actually name them all and who they are to India. It's so fun to see them all come onto the scene. The book really explores the different meanings of family, adoption and how families can come about. Laurie brings special insight into it from her own personal experience with adoption. I love how it really made you see things in a different light and how wonderful adoption really is. Lots of laughter woven into the story as well. I was drawn in right away and couldn't put it down until I finished. Highly recommended!

This was a book that I at first, only picked up because of the cover. After reading it, I appreciate a bit more the fact that I picked it up in the first place. This book wasn't legendary, it wasn't anything SPECTACULAR, but I enjoyed it.
The dual timelines were interesting, although I'm a little lost as to the point of them. I'm not too sure why it was vital, although it was fun to read. I felt like I knew what the author was TRYING to say, but it didn't come through, it was as if I had to fill in the blanks FOR her in my mind because the writing was not up to par. The dual timelines felt like two separate people (I know it was with India being a teen and then an adult). India didn't feel her age when she was younger or older, I get who she is. . .kinda but not really.
My library will be carrying a copy of this book, it was good, not great, but okay.

This was my first five star read of the year and I’m not surprised at all. The way that the author writes characters and their worlds is perfection. Every every single book I’ve read from her has made me feel every possible emotion and I love that. This one is no different and I love that it explore the different ways that people become families. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know.

This one wasn't really for me, but I'm still very thankful to Henry Holt Books, Laurie Frankel, and Netgalley for granting me advanced digital access before publication day.

3.5
What constitutes a family? What is the wholeness of the family unit? This book explores that idea regarding adoption, parents, adoptive parents and biological parents and all of their roles in the family. This is handled in a really great way. Laurie Frankel does a great job of getting in deep to the emotional aspect of individual lives, her characters become real on the pages.

Family is number one in my life with God right along the side. There is so much to learn from and grow within our own families. No family is perfect, ever, and that is exactly the point of life and the family unit. There is so much to learn from one another. Being a daughter, sister, parent, etc has allowed me to grow and develop in ways that are hard but also rewarding.

I enjoyed this story of these adopted children, a mother who placed her child for adoption and the daily struggles within.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the e-copy of this book.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I got into the groove, I couldn’t put it down. It was such a great book with so many layers. I really enjoyed it and have already recommended it to friends.

India Allwood is a famous actress with two children. She finds herself in the midst of a scandal when she speaks out against a movie that she stars in. The movie, about adoption, is full of regrets. India knows that all stories of adoption are not full of pain and regret. She speaks out to a publicist and all of a sudden finds herself possibly jobless and confronting a lot of people from her past.

This novel is really good. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Laurie Frankel is such a gifted writer. Her characters are so real and beautiful and I want to highlight the wisdom they say. Family Family is a story of relationships and all the different ways people can be a family.It's also about choices and forgiveness. The first few chapters were a little confusing with the split timeframe, but once I got into it I could not put it down.

This novel was hilarious, heartbreaking, and beautiful and I loved every minute of it! Family sagas, especially ones with strong themes around motherhood, usually don’t resonate with me, but Family Family captivated me from the first pages. It tackles heavy topics (including adoption, abortion, what it means to be a family, and staying true to oneself) but does so in a way that feels fresh and lighthearted. I couldn’t wait to pick this one back up each night and even though it’s only January, I'm pretty sure this will be on my list of favorites for 2024!

Loved this book and author. I chose it based on one of her other books, This Is How it Always Is. The story is about adoption and a complicated mix of families. It is told in a light hearted way that also makes you think about adoption and parenting and what makes a family. I would definitely recommend this book.

The twists and turns in this one…still on the fence as to whether they worked for me.

I did love the concept of “family, family.” Everyone has it: those members of your family that come into your life through irregular ties or situations. They *are* family and they make your unit that much stronger. The family in this novel is tied together through adoption and it is clear that that connection is very dear to the author.

More than anything, I struggled to believe how little friction there was in this book. BUT that exact element is the catalyst for this book: every adoption story and the family it creates is different and deserves respect.

Thanks to Henry Holt Books for the ARC!

It took me a bit to get into this, but once I did I loved it. I especially loved the ending and the overall message of how we define family. It is very rare to read books that focus on adoption and this did on so many levels.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel touched my heart. Being a part of a family in which adoption is a central component, I was interested in the way in which the author would approach the topic. Frankel clearly wanted her audience to see adoption as a way in which families are born-not a last choice, not a painful decision, not regretful- just another way in which a family comes to be.

The characters are well defined and real. India is a force: opinionated, focused, funny, thoughtful, with a kindness and compassion beyond her years. The members of her family are also well articulated and their thoughts about adoption and family stretch and grow as the story unfolds.

I appreciate the way in which Frankel presents her opinions about families created and defined by adoption as well as the ways in which our society tends to present adoption and contrasts the two. This was an engaging and illuminating read.

I have complicated feelings about this book. On the one hand, there was a lot to love… The way the book shines a light and a different perspective on adoption. The characters were quirky, unique and well-developed. The writing was heartfelt and humorous and brought you right into these characters’ lives… and yet… It seemed to drag on and on. Even when I was enjoying it, it felt like it was taking forever. (It actually did take me over a month to make it through.) I felt like it could have been edited down quite a bit. Some of the points the book was trying to make felt over explained to the point where I felt like I was being hit over the head with it, and something that I thought, “wow, that’s beautiful and profound” about the first time just grew old when it continued to go on and on to make the point.

So would I recommend the book? Yeah, probably. There was a lot to love about the story and I do think it’s worth a read. I just felt like it could have packed the same punch and been more concise if it had been edited down quite a bit. Overall though, I did enjoy it.

Another engaging plane read for the win! It’s definitely one of those books that you want to read “just another chapter” to see what happens next. The author truly shines a light on there not being a one-size-fits-all model for family and of the many different structures and dynamics that can exist and still make up a family.

FAMILY FAMILY was a heartwarming story that stitches together the stories and lives of actress India Allwood’s family. When promoting her newest movie, India blurts out in an interview that she thought the movie poorly portrayed adoption - only telling a tragic, sad story. As an adoptive mom herself, she knows first-hand that there’s more beauty than tragedy to be shared. Stuck in the middle of a publicity crisis, India’s daughter decides who better to help than calling on family?

India made such a bold exclamation because she’s not just an adoptive mother to her twins… she also placed a baby for adoption when she was in high school, and nobody knows. As the personal details of her life that were pushed far beneath the surface start to rise up, her daughter, now 16, is eager to support her birth mom when she gets a call from an unexpected source. India is forced to face her past decisions, lovers and reacquaint with her children to help set the record straight.

FAMILY FAMILY hits shelves Jan. 23, 2024! Special thanks to @henryholt and @NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I’m joining the many posts I’ve already seen announcing that Family Family by @laurie.frankel is a book that will almost definitely end up on my favorite books of the year list (as both of her other books have in the years I read them). It’s an amazing story about family and everything that that means, and I’m so grateful to @henryholtbooks for an advanced copy.

The book, told in dual timelines from multiple POVs, is about India Allwood and her family. India has always wanted to be an actress. As a teen, she worked towards this goal with precision and index cards, and as an adult with adopted twins of her own she’s promoting her latest movie about adoption that has caused a media firestorm. In a weak moment, India tells the press the truth—that she doesn’t think it was a very good movie which only adds fuel to the fire.

This is just the very basic premise to tease a book that is about so much more than could ever be explained by a synopsis. Plus, I think avoiding spoilers on this one is a good idea. It’s obviously a book about family and what makes a family. It’s also about falling in love for the first time and the second time. And it’s about making choices that break your heart so that you can follow your dreams.

While I don’t think anyone considers Frankel a romance author, the romances in her books are the kind that make a middle-aged, cynical person like me swoon. She writes such beautiful, thoughtful men and the ones in Family Family are no exception.

I—shockingly—listened to this one, and the audio by Patti Murin was so well done. There’s a bonus interview with Murin (who originated the role of Ana in Frozen on Broadway) and the author where Murin tells Frankel that the world of an actress she created was spot on. As a huge theater lover, I found that aspect of the book so fun. Frankel also says that she deleted 300,000 words in revision. I’m sure that was an exaggeration, but I would love to see some deleted scenes because I loved every character in this book and wanted to spend even more time with them.

Nobody writes quirky, messy, real, human, loving families like Laurie Frankel. She's especially good at crafting the sweetest, most intelligent child characters.

I love what this book had to say about parenting in general and adoptive family relationships more specifically. This novel touches on a variety of themes, including cancel culture, lost loves, ambition, and fame.

But the most powerful theme/message is that adoption is not inherently sad. It can be a clear net positive and non-depressing part of each involved individual's life story. That's where this book gets its title from... an exploration of "family" as compared to "family family" which I think is such a cute way to put it.

I believe readers who loved Frankel's This Is How It Always Is will enjoy this new novel, as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Henry Holt for the gifted eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Laurie Frankel is just a fun author to read. Last year I had read her book, This Is How It Always Is, and sped through it, also.

In Family Family, I especially love the colorful characters that Frankel created to tell the main character's (India) heartfelt feelings on adoption. India's own adopted twins' personalities in the book, Fig and Jack, are so entertaining.

The story revolves around India, who in present day has become a movie star in her own right. India always knew she would become famous, There were two things that stood in her way - an unplanned pregnancy at 16 and another unplanned pregnancy at 20. I do truly believe that the character of India was in love with each of the fathers. I also truly believe that India loved both of her babies. India knew what would be best for her children, for herself, and for the adoptive parents ultimately.

The book examines adoption in such realistic terms. Of course, we must remember we are in the crazy world of Hollywood where strange things happen, especially when the paparazzi (or smears as Fig and Jack refer to them) is involved.

This novel definitely teaches its reader that there is more to family than birth parents and adoptive parents and biological siblings. Family is Family.

Family Family is well worth the read. Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC.

Pick this one up for yourself. It's not a down and out story of adoption. You will definitely experience some smiles.

3.5 stars.

“Adoptive mom and movie star India Allwood knows what makes a family isn't blood. And it isn't love. But when she finds herself beset by scandal (social media, political, and Viking), she learns the hallmark of true family is this: It’s complicated.”

This book is receiving heaps of praise and rightfully so. I loved reading about the topic of adoption from all sides and the various definitions of what makes a family. With a few caveats, I can see myself recommending “Family Family” to many people. To start, the story is told in past and present timelines. I personally loved the past sections—they were wonderful and I could have read a whole book on India’s teenage/collegiate years and her difficult decision to place her babies for adoption. However, the present sections had annoyingly precocious children and a sappy storyline that I felt was a little too unbelievable. The ending worked, but it was also far-fetched.

With those things in mind, I still really enjoyed this heartfelt and uplifting novel. I appreciate the important message it shared and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this advanced copy!