After reading the amazing This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, I knew I had to get my hands on her newest book, Family Family, and it did not disappoint! India Allwood is a celebrated actress, but recently she’s come under a lot of scrutiny for a film she’s in about adoption. Critics say the movie doesn’t portray the trauma of adoption well enough, and what would India know about that? Turns out, India has a lot to say on this subject and is more knowledgeable than people think on this matter. Her adoptive twins, Fig and Jack, are thrown into this mess as everyone around them tries to learn what family and adoption truly mean to them.

This book really took a unique and deep twist on what it means to be family and the people who really matter to us in the end. It doesn’t matter if there’s a blood relation or not, and sometimes family is weirder than you expect. And that’s okay because all families are different and no one has the same experience. Told through dual timelines, the past and the present, and through the perspectives of multiple characters, this story unwinds beautifully, slowly giving us glimpses of what is happening and giving you those jaw dropping moments you don’t see coming. The characters are so unique and different and this book is so wholesome. I absolutely loved India’s perspective on adoption and what it means to be pro-choice versus pro-life! It really opened my eyes and made me think, and I know I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time to come!! My love for Laurie Frankel keeps growing, and I’ll keep reading her books for a long time to come! 💕

I really really like the work of Laurie Frankel and this did not disappoint. Our authors books are always so layered with so much to contemplate and think about. This one is no exception. It would be a great bookclub book. There is so much discussion to be had around this book and it has some pretty spectacular characters.

In our book we have an actress who, many years ago, had a child and placed that child into the arms of a mother who would care for and love the child unconditionally. Some would call it adoption. Now in present day we have said actress finishing up a piece of work about adoption. And she doesn’t feel it was appropriately represented, she has had a beautiful experience without trauma, she voices her opinion. It turns into a storm. We have plenty of viewers that haven’t had the same experience and feel their trauma isn’t being acknowledged or portrayed. They aren’t aware it is an own voices movie and our actress has been through the process. Wait until you see who comes out of the woodwork to defend her. Told beautifully and sensitively our author hits it out of the park again reminding us what truly makes a “family, family”. And how choosing a family can make you a relative. That blood isn’t the equivalent of love. There is a lot to learn in this one and the characters are very life like and expertly woven together into a piece I think you will really appreciate. Touching on opinions on pro-life, pro choice, adoption, same sex relationships and ableism. It has open adoption and closed adoption and representation from parents and children. It’s packed with feelings and emotion and so worth the read.

Thank you to our author, Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company publishing for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I do hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book is perfect for book clubs: an insightful, heartfelt and enjoyable story of what makes a family. The "cliffhangers" at the end of most chapters made this compulsively readable, and I enjoyed the relationships. Two less enjoyable parts for me personally were the very dismissive portrayal of pro-lifers (several times characters said things like they were so dumb they couldn't find their way around making a sandwich), which I found disappointing and reductive, also leading to a less compelling discussion potential in something like a book club, and India's character grated on me a bit and I would have liked more perspective from other characters, especially how they were affected by her decisions, which I found to be one of the more interesting parts of the novel. Glad I read and will stick with me.

Do you remember that Parks and Rec episode where Leslie makes a campaign ad and gets so caught up listing all of the things she’s “pro” she forgets to mention she’s running for city council? Family Family feels a little like 400 pages of that.

Late in the story, a character says: “Just so we understand… you’re pro-children, pro-family, pro-choice, pro-abortion, pro-adoption…” and, well, yes. This novel is pro- everything, but at the cost of nuance, character development, and brevity.

I thought I was going to love this one. It made me cry twice in the first 16%. I highlighted passages and anticipated where it was going. And while the plot progressed, the reflections surrounding it just… went in circles. I wish that Frankel had decided to write some essays on this topic and then write a shorter novel, because I think that sharing everything she wanted to say via dialogue and internal character reflections made this muddy and made it feel less authentic and more like an opinion piece than a novel.

Frankel is clear throughout the novel and in her author’s note that this book was written to show a perspective that is under-represented in adoption literature: one in which adoption is not a tragic last resort nor a miracle. And Family Family does portray a different kind of narrative.

In this story, well-supported and well-resourced young people have the agency to make adoption plans for their children that are not motivated by religious objections or lack of access to safe abortions. They have the knowledge and insight at 16 and 20 to know what kinds of adoptive parents they are looking for. They believe adoption to be a gift to adoptive parents. They choose closed adoptions because they think it’s in the best interest of all involved parties. When we see the futures of the characters, everyone is thriving.

I’ll own my own bias here. I have not personally been impacted by adoption: I am not an adoptive parent, an adoptee, nor am I a birth parent. I am a clinical social worker who has specialized in working with adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents. It’s not the same as lived experience. I’ll also own that folks seek out attachment-focused and adoption competent mental health providers for reasons that bias my own perspective. Arguably, I’m also pro-everything on that list. Arguably, I’ve also seen that adoption is a lot more complicated than it’s depicted to be here.

And I’m not arguing for tragic stories about adoption. I’m not. Just nuance. Even if we take India’s experiences at face value, there are other things we almost touch: the ambiguous and disenfranchised grief of biological fathers, and the ambiguous and disenfranchised grief of adoptees who are growing up in safe homes with caring and attentive parents whose motivation adopt was in the best interest of the child. There are glimmers of ambivalence in both of these areas, but even when Frankel raises questions, they’re swallowed by the overwhelming “pro” messaging before they’re fully explored. These questions include what it’s like to parent (or not) after placing a child for adoption (particularly for the birth fathers), or the ways that the adoption story and internal story for adoptees may or may not match when they don’t have access to the people who made the decisions in order to ask questions, but are constantly exposed to them in the media. And because there are so many characters in this book impacted by adoption and whose perspectives are explored otherwise, it felt like a conscious decision to not explore these elements of experience.

I’m pretty sure this book is going to be a hit, and it’s not without justification. Frankel has created a story that’s full of heart, enough plot to drive it forward, and precocious characters you root for.

I’m glad that this perspective exists, but please don’t let it be your only perspective. Please listen to reviews of this one from adoptees and birth parents. Please also read other perspectives centering birth parents who didn’t have the privilege and agency that India, Robbie and Davis had. Not every child comes to be adopted because birth parents make that choice unilaterally, or because something objectively horrific happened to them at the hands of their birth parents. Please consider that there’s a lot of grey between the circumstances that led to the different adoptions depicted here, and there are legacies of racism, classism, and ableism that exist in that grey.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. for providing a DRC to review.

India Allwood has always wanted to be an actor. Her new movie is about adoption and people have thoughts about it. In trying to defend herself, India reveals the truth about herself and her family to the public. As a result, a firestorm of media attention rains down on her.

This is for sure a must read. Exploring what makes someone family, along with the heartache and joy of making a family. I really enjoyed this book, as I have enjoyed the other two Laurie Frankel I have read. There's a lot of story and background in this book, but it's so worth it. Don't miss this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Available January 23, 2024.

Family Family is a hard book to review. On one hand, it might be the most positive book on adoption I've ever read. Frankel doesn't negate the trauma and loss of adoption, but India feels almost too idealistic and saccharine at times. Can anyone be that optimistic at all twists and turns?

The plot consists of an adoptive mom playing an adoptive mom in a film, consequently speaking out in support of adoption and against the movie's traumatic storyline, which ignites a media storm.

It's best to go into this one blind. While I did enjoy it, it felt 100 pages too long and was so heavy-handed with its message toward the end. I forced myself not to skim the last 20% because I was ready to be done.

"The one thing she knows for sure is what makes a family isn't blood. And it isn't love. No matter how they're formed, the truth about family is this: it's complicated."

If I liked the beginning and I loved the ending but thought the middle rambled and needed focus where does that leave this review? Three stars?

I appreciated the discussions around family and adoption, basically the entire ending but how the story got there was almost a DNF for me. And ultimately, the main character felt very inauthentic which is interesting because I think her "uniqueness" was an attempt to make her seem authentic 🤔

Super Brief Summary
A story about adoption and family and the complexities of life.

I absolutely loved Frankel's novel This Is How it Always Is, it was a previous # in fact so this one had some big shoes to fill, but overall Family Family left me underwhelmed.

Family Family is out today! Thank you @net for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

If a book is meh for 80% but has a banging ending does that alter your rating??

India Allwood knew that she wanted to be an actor since she was sixteen, and now she’s a Hollywood star. Her new movie about adoption has the same old tired story of tragedy. India is an adoptive mom in real life though, and wants everyone to know there’s more to her family than pain and regret. So she does something an actor should never do—she tells a journalist that the movie is bad. Soon she’s at the center of a media storm, battling accusations from all fronts. Her twin ten-year-olds know they need help—and who better to call than family? But that’s where it gets really messy because India’s not just an adoptive mother…The one thing she knows for sure is what makes a family isn’t blood. No matter how they’re formed, the truth about family is this: it's complicated.

Thank you @netgalley, @laurie.frankel, and @macmillianusa for the ARC and happy pub day to this wonderful book! This was such heartwarming story about adoption and how complicated family can be and it was the perfect amounts of both heartwarming and hilarious. The story is told in dual timelines, which really helped all of the layers, secrets, and drama unfold throughout the book. The dialogue between all of the characters was great, and I loved getting to know each individual character as they were introduced. The kids Fig and Jack have a lot of little phrases or words that they say incorrectly as kids do, and it was adorable and funny. I really loved the beehive analogy at the end of the book when India and Fig are talking about their family and privacy from the paparazzi. I also loved the author’s note at the end and hearing about her own experience with adoption and where she came from in telling this story’s. Overall that was a great book about what truly makes family and the importance of connection and relationships.

India Allwood grew up knowing that what she wanted most was to be an actor. Armed with a stack of index cards (for research/line memorization/make-shift confetti), she goes from awkward sixteen-year-old to Broadway ingenue to TV superhero. Her newest movie is a tragedy about adoption, but no one knows that India is an adoptive mom in real life. She wants everyone to know there’s more to her family than pain and regret. So she does something you should never do — she tells a journalist the truth: it’s a bad movie. Soon she’s at the center of a media storm, battling accusations from the press and the paparazzi, from protesters on the right and advocates on the left. Her twin ten-year-olds know they need help – and who better to call than family? But that’s where it gets really messy because India’s not just an adoptive mother…
I am of two minds about this book. The premise was interesting, and the characters were fun and quirky. However, the book was exceptionally long , and at times seemed to go really slow. The story is told alternating between past and present, with the past being when India was in high school. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, but I do feel wish the pacing had either been more even, or the story had been a little shorter.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel is a thought-provoking and complex book. It would be a great choice for a patient reader who likes to delve into heavy issues. It would also be an excellent book club read because of its potential for provoking stimulating conversations.

As the title suggests, it discusses families: different types of families that exist, different ways that families form, and issues that families encounter. There are so many different ways that people can become a family. The main theme is adoption: placing a baby for adoption due to unplanned pregnancy (as opposed to choosing abortion, which is also presented as a valid choice. The main character is adamant that abortion is a woman's right, and makes it clear that even though she didn't choose abortion, she believes that others should have the option). There is also adoption of children who aren't newborn babies anymore, when their parents are no longer able to parent. We examine relationships of half siblings, and other family-type connections. All of India's family end up drawn together, curious about each other, wanting to get to know each other, or get reacquainted. She presents adoption as not having to be a last-resort, settled-for option, even though it sometimes is. She also makes the point that even though adoptions can sometimes be traumatic, that isn't always the case. After all, all families are complicated and messy; even traditional, biological, two-parent families. I could tell by the author's passion for adoption that she herself is an adoptive mother (which was confirmed in the author's note).

Another issue that is touched upon is work/life balance. In particular, a single parent needs a job so she can take care of her kids, but how does she take care of her kids when she has to work at her job? The classic conundrum of modern parenting. Also, India has to face the choice of giving up her Broadway dreams and looking for more steady, regular-hours work in Hollywood, if she wants to become a parent.

It was really interesting to get a glimpse into the life of a working actor, to see India's process of preparing for auditions and roles. She was a very hard worker, and at times went a little too far and her life became out of balance.

I love that they call the paparazzi "the smears." Perfect.

There were times it got repetitive and the pacing was a bit slow for me, but overall, it was an interesting and worthwhile read.

Another five star read from one of my favorite authors, with a cast of unique characters and a story that was charming and quirky and heartwarming and eye-opening from beginning to end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel is a lovely book that I flew through in a matter of days. This novel focuses on adoption, parenthood, many types of family, trauma, privacy, and more. Because it’s from the brilliant mind of Laurie Frankel, these topics are explored through the lenses of witty, precocious children who are a bit too cute to believe and the adults in their lives as they all face a Very Big Situation.

I’m a writer in the loosest of terms, and depicting the dynamics between adults and their children is my favorite. I think Frankel is a great source of inspiration for developing those characters and finding their unique voices.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this ARC.

While promoting her latest movie, actress India Allwood sparks a media firestorm when she complains that the project only shows the tragic side of adoption. India knows the blessings adoption can bring as both an adoptive mom and as a teenage mom who placed a child for adoption. Now that child is sixteen, excited to meet her birth mother and willing to help - only to make the media firestorm worse. Family Family takes on adoption in a nuanced way, reminding us that, no matter how it was formed, every family is complicated.

The world likes to make issues black and white when reality is much more shaded. Which is why I quite enjoyed Frankel's nuanced look at adoption. Frankel tackles the stereotypes of adoption head-on, neither glorifying it or vilifying it, reminding us that because something is often the case doesn't mean it's always the case. India Allwood's backstory provided an interesting an unique perspective and the entire story had a heartwarming tone that made it a quick read.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
This story is about complicated families with birth parents and adopted parents and half-siblings. I think it rings true in that all families seem to be complicated in not only family trees, but in our feelings about them. This book has a lot of acting which I wasn't into, but it does add more layers to the story in how we take on roles or pretend to be other than what we really are. I think being open and honest about how we are feeling is very powerful.

“Family, Family,” by Laurie Frankel, Henry Holt and Co., 400 pages, Jan. 23, 2024.

When India Allwood is 10, her mother buys tickets to “Guys and Dolls.” India thinks it is amazing. She decides then that she wants to be a Broadway actress. Her mother warns her that it is a difficult career.

India becomes a Broadway actress and a television star. She is cast as a superhero in the TV show “Val Halla.” India adopts 4-year-old twins, Fig and Jack. Her latest film, “Flower Child,” is about a now adult woman who became pregnant as a teenager and gave the baby up for adoption. People are angry about the movie.

India gives an interview to Evelyn Esponson and tells her that “Flower Child” is a bad movie because it tells only one story, a tragic one. But India is an adoptive mom herself and knows there’s much more to her family than tragedy. The twins are now 10.

That is the present story line. There is also the story line of the past when India was 16 and a senior in high school. She has a baby that she places for adoption. She selects Camille Eaney, who is divorced, to adopt the baby girl. India and her boyfriend, Robbie Brighton, don’t stay together. Then as a college senior, she has a second baby, a son, with another senior, Davis Shaw.

Although neither is an open adoption, by the time “Flower Child” is out, Fig has already found her sister, Rebecca. After the furor over the movie, Rebecca, 16, makes a video announcing that she is India Allwood’s biological daughter without first talking to India or Camille. Despite how various people may feel about her actions, India is steadfast in her beliefs. Now she may be written out of “Val Halla.”

While this is really a well-written, and at times funny, book, it is far-fetched. The kids, especially Fig, are too precocious and too many people are willing to drop everything and run to help the Allwoods. With those caveats, it is enjoyable.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This book changes the very definition of ‘family’.

Thanks Henry Holt and Co & NetGalley for ARC!

Synopsis –

India Allwood has dreamt of becoming an actor all her childhood. Now, she is a celebrated TV superhero in the middle of a media controversy. As an adoptive mother, she wants nothing more than to protect her ten year old twins from it all, but the fun starts when the kids choose to get help from their ‘family’.

Review -

Laurie Frankel's speciality is writing about families and you’ll know that if you’ve read #ThisIsHowItAlwaysIs. She’s taken it to a whole new level in #FamilyFamily.

I loved them all – the quirky 10 year old twins - Fig and Jack, The Andrews, Bex, Robbie, Davis and of course the center of gravity that connects them all – India. What a character!

As we switch between the past and the present, we understand India’s journey as a young adult, a theatre major, then a responsible adult, an accomplished actor and adoptive mother - creating and touching the lives of all these wonderful folks, altering them forever. I adored her passion, zeal and plans to achieve her goal, her index cards and oh the confetti tradition! I was just transfixed and smiled in awe at every stance she took, every choice she made and the way they all ended up shaping her life into something so amazing and precious.

Frankel’s writing is beautiful and I especially enjoyed the dry witty humour she imbues into all the conversations – particularly with the kids. I admired how she creates different energy and emotion with every character, mindful of the past and present timelines.

Dealing with complex matters like adoption, pro-choice and unconventional families, the book sheds light on how families can be of all sizes and types, unbound by blood but bound by togetherness (First, love? - #IYKYK!), how they can be messy, complicated, making you angry, cry, laugh but also standing by you like a rock no matter what. It leaves you nodding your head in acceptance of what it really means by ‘family family’.

The author’s note was enlightening and I appreciated how the author's own experience with adoption has been the inspiration for the book.

The ending was befitting this chaotic dysfunctional family spectacle and is sure put a wide grin on your face, as you applaud with happy tears🥹.

Highly recommend!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel tackles the ideas of family, choice, women's health, pregnancy, and the expectations of society around all of those things. As India says over and over, what family is and what family means is not defined outside of the self. Whether to decide to carry a child and what to do after is not a question with one or two or even three choices. The people in the book tried to balance how those choices affect all of those around them. It was really engaging and touching.

I will pick up anything Frankel writes. She has incredible talent and I have loved everything I've ever read! FAMILY FAMILY is no different! Well thought out, and superbly written.

I was into this book until about halfway through. There was a lot of unnecessary dialogue thrown in there, and I found myself skimming to the end. I really enjoyed the funny moments and the theme about adoption being a first choice and not a last choice. Not a bad read but wasn’t my favorite.

Family Family is the story of India Allwood, a 32 year old actress who is an adoptive mother to ten year old fraternal twins. While promoting her latest film she inadvertently becomes the subject of a tabloid scandal.

Despite this novel's promising premise, loving previous books by Frankel, as well as her easy reading, often comedic, lighthearted writing style, I just could not connect with this book. I get what Frankel is trying to do here - and appreciate it - that adoption isn't always a traumatic or shameful event - it just doesn't work for me.

The book seems to dismiss the fact that tragedy and trauma often do occur with adoption. The novel is told entirely from one positive point of view. The trauma that is shown is largely glossed over in favor of a story filled with rainbows, lollipops, and rays of sunshine positivity.

It's also highly unrealistic. While I'm willing to suspend my disbelief for a lot of things, I just couldn't here, it was too much.

The author's portrayal of the characters, particularly India's is hugely disappointing. It's not true to life. There's no real emotion shown behind her thought process regarding her decisions. While the author is an adoptive mother, she is neither an adoptee or a birth mother. She can't really speak to how either would actually feel. (For context, I talked with a family member of my own who placed a baby for adoption at that age.)

I know a lot of people will enjoy this book and that I'm in the minority on this one.

Thank you to Henry Holt & Company, Laurie Frankel, and Netgalley for an advance digital copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and given voluntarily.

2 Stars

Recommended for readers of:
General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Family Fiction, Book Club Reads