Told in multiple timelines and viewpoints, this novel explores the various families (or perhaps, one family) created through adoptions. The plot was propelling, with more twists than I expected. However, it did get a bit preachy and repetitive towards the end, and some of the narrators were a bit twee, especially when young.

India Allwell is a famous actress, an adoptive mother and a single parent. Her story is told in the present as well as her years growing up. In the present, India is totally caught off guard when she finds herself in the middle of a media storm. Her new movie, which she is supposed to be promoting, is a story about adoption. While India has kept her personal life very private, she publicly criticizes her own movie noting that she doesn't believe the film's depiction that adoption is a last resort choice where pain and regret is always involved. But it seems that no matter what she says, social media makes India look worse and worse. The story shifts to the past showing India's determination to become an actress followed by her ultimate break. Along the way, the definition of family becomes very different for India. And while she's totally comfortable with all her life choices, she now has to deal with the things that she has kept well hidden, becoming very public.

I became a fan of author Laurie Frankel after reading her 2017 book This Is How It Always Is, which is about a family with a transgender child. With Family Family, Frankel addresses adoption and other societal issues. While this compelling book deals with the messy complexities of family and love, it has an upbeat spirit with humor and witty dialogue. Some of the plot twists seemed a bit unbelievable and several characters were quirky, yet the warmth of the story and its positive messaging made this a very appealing book. Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end.

4.25 stars.

No one does family growth amidst turbulence the way Laurie Frankel does... she pulled me in from the first chapter. When India's new movie touches on adoption, her response triggers reactions from everyone - and they start digging. Meanwhile, her curious children have made some connections of their own. She feels her words are being twisted to make a political statement or extreme stance, when she just means it's a choice.

Through the book you see ups and down, a dual timeline, and different connections along the way - I loved the flow and different perspectives.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Henry Holt and Company for the ARC.

I loved this book! After reading the first chapter, I said to myself “this book is going to be so good” and it just got better. It is about families and how, no matter the family arrangement, they are all complicated.

I loved the characters- they were well developed and I loved their interactions with each other. The plot was unique and well laid out between past and present. It had a great mix of humor while also discussing important issues. I would love a sequel so I could to follow these characters and see what happens next in their lives.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Laurie Frankel, and Henry Holt & Co for the ARC of this book. It comes out this week and I can’t recommend it enough!

India Allwood has always wanted to be an actor from the moment she saw Guys and Dolls on stage. Raised by her single mother (an unflappable lawyer) India has been taught how to look at problems and to spot any pitfalls.

So when she talks openly and honestly about a movie she's made, that it doesn't really portray adoptive parents and children accurately, that it's not always the pain and regret everyone assumes, that it's kind of a bad movie, she falls into a pitfall of her own making. As an adoptive mother in real life she's pressured into speaking about her experience by the paparazzi, and the press, by protestors and advocates of choice. But her experience goes deeper than India is ready to reveal because she's got twin ten-year-old adopted children to protect. And when they decide to help their mom solve the problem they call in family, and that gets... complicated.

Laurie Frankel is a beautiful storyteller. Her novels have depth, wisdom, humor, heart and honesty. I savoured every word. I reread parts just to absorb the moment she was creating. She writes from experience, from hope, from tragedy, and creates multi-faceted characters. Family Family explores what makes a family. It's not just matching DNA, or love, or who lives under your roof. It's the sum total of who made you, who raises you, who watches over you, who inspires you, who protects you, and who celebrates you.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! Family Family is a kind story about adoption, relationships, and a woman's coming-of-age while all throughout being a mother. Unfortunately, the heart of this book ends up completely buried beneath a mass of unconvincing characters and ineffectual dialogue, to the extent that the narrative came off more like an affectation of sincerity with everything else as accessory.

Family Family's sentiments drown in a surplus of characters and backstories — most of them unnecessary and vacuous in depth — and incessant dialogue that feels equally purposeless. As a result, Frankel suffocates its reader in a claustrophobic attempt to convey its message, which all in all delivers nothing truly profound or introspective to gain. I think that's the central issue with the story; the narrative is so unsubtle and in-your-face that it leaves zero room for actual contemplation for the reader.

It might have been mistake on my part having never read Frankel's work before, but this feels more like an airport book to fill the time rather than a novel that truly speaks. And while Frankel's intentions and passions in illustrating an unconventional yet nonetheless wonderful family is evident, so much of its body is lost in execution. Reading Frankel's writing felt almost like eating a bowl of cornflakes: all content yet no substance. That's not to say that there's no conviction in this book, because there is. So much love sits in this plot, and yet the amount of pages dedicated to it feels unequal to a story that only seems to be lacking.

Family Family is a heartwarming story about what constitutes a family. I adored the way adoption is portrayed and love that this books exists in the world. I really enjoyed the past storyline and fell in love with many of the characters. The present storyline did not work as well for me, and it included one plot point/trope that I really dislike in novels. Definitely read the author's note at the end. Overall this is a great pick for book clubs, or anyone in the mood for a cute family story. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy. 3.25 stars.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I haven't read any other books by this author, but the description intrigued me so I decided to give it a go. I am left with mixed feelings.

Stars - The author writes in a very witty, breezy way. The concept (a story about adoptions that isn't tragic) was great, and as an adoptive parent she obviously has a wonderful perspective on the topic.

Wishes - I felt like this book tried to be everything. Every minority, every opinion, every possibility...it just didn't ring true for me. It felt like a LOT. Maybe it should have been a TV series!

Definitely thought provoking and would make for a good discussion. I just didn't love it.

👩‍👧‍👦 Family, Family - Laurie Frankel

4.5 ⭐️ - I loved this book. What a unique, different, and fun way of discovering the meaning of family. I don’t know much about adoption but I love the way it’s told and discussed in this book. PLUS I easily fell in love with allllll of the characters.

India Allwood grew up wanting to be an actor. She goes from awkward 16 year old broadway ingenue to TV superhero. Her new movie is about adoption, but unfortunately it’s the same old tragic story. India is an adoptive mom though so she tells a journalist the truth - this is a bad movie. When she ends up in the middle of a media frenzy, her twins decide there’s no one better to call than family…

This is a lovable, huggable, relatable story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It reminded me of Modern Family, not in a comedy skit show way, but in a non-traditional looking family way. What is the definition of family anyway? I think we all have our own and that’s what makes this story relatable and unique. It has fun characters, tough conversation topics, and relevant storylines. It has surprises at every corner and certainly keeps your attention. I definitely recommend this one for all family fun fans and contemporary fiction readers!

This family moves into your home on 1/23 so keep your eyes out for them! Thank you to Netgalley, Henry Holt, and Macmillan Audio for the early access to this beauty!

India has always wanted to be an actor. She's is currently a successful one and tells as reporter the truth about her feelings of her new movie. The truth is always complicated and this is the story of the fallout and, told in a separate timeline, India's story of her life.

Another winner from Laurie Frankel. I felt all the feels reading this book. Not only does it tell a different and important perspective about family and adoption but it also is just a really good story. Frankel writes with obvious passion and it makes her books even more impactful. Highly recommend this book!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel was lovely. I adore her snarky sense of humor and quick wit. I also like that she brings her life experiences to the page with each book that she writes. I highly recommend reading her author’s note after the book. She argues that adoption can be traumatic but in many cases it can also be joyful. This is a joyful adoption story and it is based on her own experience with adopting a child. No, not everything in the story is rose-colored, but she brings to life the concept that all families are complicated and that there are a trillion different iterations of family in this world. The only thing I’d dock the book a little bit for is dragging a bit around the 60% mark. It probably could have been a tad shorter. Still, I really enjoyed it.

FAMILY FAMILY was such an interesting read - every time I had to put it down, I found myself saying “…yeah okay one more chapter”

I absolutely LOVED Frankels One, Two, Three, so I was incredibly excited about Family Family. Following India, an actress who strongly believes that not all stories of adoption are about pain and sadness. She knows - because she’s adopted children .. and given children for adoption.

Family Family was an incredibly moving story about family - what makes a family, what you would do for family, and what family really means. I cried multiple times! Frankels stream of consciousness writing and the multiple small stories told within one large story made this like nothing I have read before. Frankel is a masterful storyteller - I really truly deeply enjoyed this!! Thanks to @netgalley & @henryholtbooks for this eARC! Publishes 1/23!!!

When I was reading the final pages of this book, my husband saw tears falling off my cheeks. "Another sad book?" he said, to which I responded, "no, another beautiful book." That's what this is. Another beautiful book by Laurie Frankel. I hope she never stops writing the stories she writes, never stops sharing the parts of herself she's willing to share. Sometimes, the hopefulness and optimism can seem like it's almost too good to be true. No one's stories are as good in real life as the ones she tells on the page. But maybe, just maybe, there is goodness and optimism and happiness and joy out there, and maybe those stories deserve to be told as well.

This was fantastic! Laurie Frankel knows how to write characters so well. You absolutely can picture them-quirks, flaws, and all. India Allwood is a famous actress, raising two adopted children on her own. She stars in a new movie about the trauma of adoption, and it doesn't sit right with her. After all, the public doesn't know yet--but she twice chose adoption when she got pregnant at age 16, and then again at age 20. Suddenly, she is caught in a "war" with her fans, the paps (or smears as her kids call them), and her producers. Will her career survive? Her children, adopted and birthed, come together to try to help her and learn more about themselves. The cast of characters is fun! I adored this read!

First, I just want to say that Laurie Frankel has become a go-to author for me. I will read anything she writes because her meticulous research and her unique perspective gives voice to the greatest stories. This is probably going to be a favorite for me of the year.
India Allwood is a famous actress who has a hit tv show on a big network. She had recently made a movie regarding adoption. It wasn't the greatest. India is aware of how not-great it is because as a 16 year old, she had a baby and gave it up for adoption. And again at 20. And as an adult, she adopted twins, Jack and Fig. So she knows how truly monumental adoption can be. Unfortunately, India gives an interview regarding how not-great the movie was, which blows up and threatens to obliterate her life.
Enter all the "family". There's Bex, the 16 year-old biological daughter of India and her adoptive mother, Camille. There's Louis, the 12 year-old and his dads, the Andrews. There is Louis's biological dad, Davis, and finally, we meet Bex's father, Robbie again. And of course there's Jack and Fig. Ultimately, this is the story of how family doesn't really have anything to do with blood and sometimes, the families we make ourselves are the greatest.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for this e-arc.

This is a book of about family and adoption, especially about how wonderful adoption can be as a choice for some families. This would be a great book club book, as there is much to discuss in the ways a family can come to be. I liked the story in general but it felt really long and repetitive at points, probably could have been 75 pages less.

3.5 stars but rounding down.

Thank you Netgalley & Henry Holt and Co. for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Laurie Frankel for allowing me to review this work.
I’ve often marveled at the guts Ms Frankel has to tackle such difficult topics and this is no different.
In Family Family we follow main character India from impressionable high school student, to being a mom and actress. We see how she uses her life experiences to aid in her acting career, but how they could be her downfall as well. These experiences include teenage pregnancy, abortion, adoption, single parenthood, gender roles, and most definitely daily life. Told in in the span of a week, and in flashbacks, we see how many of her monumental choices affect her and those around her and beyond, at one point making her the hero and villain at the same time.
I can totally see how the authors character development endears them to us and we can see that they all just want someone to love them. But then again, don’t we all?

This was really good! Anything dealing with family drama is always a favorite for me. The writing is exquisite.

My eyes are tired from not putting this book down, and my heart is heavy.
I loved this story so much!! It reeled me in right away and kept me turning the pages.
So much of this is so true and at times, we need to be reminded of how precious family is.
This was an eye opener as far as the whole adoption process can effect each person differently.
Just one of my favorite quotes from this story was, “There are infinity different kinds of families and every member of one has a different story, to tell about it.”
Thank you for the opportunity to receive the ARC of this book, I will be telling everyone in my 4 book clubs to read it!