It has been a few years since I have read one of Laurie’s books, and I had forgotten how much I adore her writing! I was so captivated by India’s story, and I felt like I got a new perspective on adoption and what makes a family. It was truly so well done. I also really enjoyed the dual timelines. The dialogue was excellent, and the characters were all so well developed. I can easily see this being one of my favorite books of the year! Further review to come with link updated closer to pub date!

This is best when it focuses on the family- on all the tentacles moving outward from India Allwood- and not on her discussions with the press and various advocates about adoption. It's India's daughter Fig (and to a much lesser extent Fig's twin Jack) who is the catalyst for everything that happens in the present but this moves around in time to tell more stories. India, an actress, first became pregnant as a teen; she chose Camille to adopt her daughter, named Rebecca by Camille. She's determined to become an actress and goes too far in getting into character- and become pregnant again, with a son who is adopted by the Silvermans. And now, Fig and Jack. It's their story which is the last to come out and which is the most poignant. Fig is one determined child- wise (and to be honest too much) beyond her years. I suspect you could go either way about India who is both selfish and selfless but the children are marvelous. As, btw, is Camille. It's an unsettling read in spots and emotional in others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A thought provoking read.

Acting and adoption....two topics thoroughly covered in this book! The author gives us a different type of read in regard to adoption. This book has some interesting characters making some bad choices and hard decisions. It was nice to see a book featuring an adopted child that isn't full of anguish and the need for recovery. The book follows the title in many ways bringing different people together in an unlikely way. It sometimes feels like a lesson to not judge other's decisions or circumstances. This book covers many emotions and has humorous aspects. The story kept my interest and I liked the ending. The children in the book were some favorite characters. I loved the confetti!!! Thank you netgalley for the chance to review the book.

I was nervous that my hopes were too high for this one - Frankel’s This is How It Always Is is one of my all time favorites - but I needn’t have worried!

Family Family has Frankel’s trademark compulsive readability + characters you can root for + exploration of a topic you probably haven’t read enough about. In this case the topic is adoption, and she’s once again writing from her own experience (don’t miss the author’s note at the end!). I for one have not read many adoption stories, and certainly not enough with any nuance like this has.

It’s been a while since I’ve had this experience of not being able to put a book down and wanting to be reading it even when I was doing other things. Frankel’s writing style reminds me a lot of TJ Klune - it’s full of heart but bordering on overly saccharine, which will make you feel all the feels if it hits you right, but will also feel cheesy to some readers. There are also some romantic storylines in Family Family and it was fun for me to read the witty banter that I don’t usually see outside of the romance genre! It felt a little longer than it needed to be and was a bit sentimental for me personally (reader, know thyself in that regard), but I definitely recommend picking this up when it comes out on January 23!

Thank you Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5⭐. This was a really enjoyable read! It dealt with some very important topics such as adoption, but handled it in a positive light, even if showing that family can be messy, it's also so beautiful. This book gave me all the feels. It's filled with fun characters, witty banter, and also made me laugh, which is always a plus. I loved getting different characters POVs, and seeing how they all come together. I was pulled in right away and invested. What a brilliant, beautiful read!

Out January 23

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

I could not be more grateful this book is about to be out in the world. It turns adoption storylines on their heads and will have the reader desperately turning pages while rooting for the characters. Everything I thought was going to be true about this book was untrue and I mean that in the best way.

Fun, interesting, a good discussion of adoption in book form with some really cool characters. Thanks for the arc

Frankel is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors with another slam-dunk here. This was such a fun and touching tale, and I loved both of the two alternating timelines greatly. There's some interesting commentary on social media and the way that being a public persona--or anyone, really--forces you to have an opinion and a position that I felt particularly timely. Strong characters and clever writing.

Family Family by Laurie Frankel is an entirely unique story and a study in all types of families. As always, Frankel brings perspective to unique and complex family dynamics. This book follows India, a famous actress and her adopted children in the wake of a media scandal. I loved everything about this quirky, complicated family and India’s ever expanding history. I loved every page and couldn’t wait to see how it all came together.

The tone of this one was not for me immediately. It felt like it had an agenda, or maybe the character’s agenda were not one I was interested in. I like this author but am not sure this one was for me.

Rating: 3.5

Aspects of Family Family that I enjoyed:
--made me think more about adoption stories, and how varied they can be
--there were some really funny moments throughout
--the exploration of unique family dynamics and how the definition of family can expand in unique ways

Things I didn't love:
--I found some of the younger characters to be a bit too precocious and cutesy (especially Fig). I enjoyed her for awhile, but then she started to be just too much.
--the story could've been shortened a bit. About 3/4 of the way in, I started skimming a little through some of the dialogue.
--The ending worked overall, but it seemed a little too wrapped up in a bow. In reality, would all of these kids really gotten along so well, and with all of the adults?

Overall, a quick, fun read. A well-written family story with some humor throughout. I expect this book to do very well. I liked it, just didn't love it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is the first of Frankel's novels I have read and will definitely be reading her backlist this year. As someone who has a family partially formed through adoption, I so appreciate the representation in this book. It isn't always some devastating last resort as it is usually portrayed to be. I also absolutely adored Fig and Jack. What a duo. Someone hurry up and option this for TV, so I can see them on screen!

As someone with a very weird family of many half siblings, some secret, I totally identified with this story. There are a lot of complicated families out there, and FAMILY FAMILY shows there are many ways to be a family, find family, and relate to others. I liked the humor in this, and the reoccurring joke about “two buts.” There’s a lot going on for sure.

Born out of Ms. Frankel's own family story, Family Family resonates with authenticity and love.
It's the story of family and particularly that of India, who's now a famous actress trying to live a private life in LA with her adopted kids, Fig and Jack. India's story is told in alternating chapters portraying her as a teenager and then as a mother in her early 30's.
She's always been focused and not afraid to speak her mind. Her latest film project is about adoption and she finds herself in hot water after making remarks about what she views as misconceptions and generalizations with how adoption is portrayed. As you might expect, a whole different storyline then erupts.
Ms. Frankel, as always, has such a talent for immersing the reader into a family and enabling the reader to feel like they're really people we know. She presents a balanced view of family and birth stories in the book, as well as the adoption experience.
I liked the glimpse she provided into the life of a stage and screen actress, and the paparazzi. I also liked the character of India's mother and missed her perspective and presence once India went to college and began to live her adult life. Don't skip the author's note at the end!
Thanks to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the opportunity to read Family Family in exchange for an honest review.

I know this might sound heavy but this book brought me so much joy! I loved every single one of the characters in this "family family" — but especially India. This book is also very of its time — pandemic, fake media, pro-choice, etc. I kind of loved it all, and even more so after reading the Author's Note at the end. Pick this one up for sure!

I wanted to read this book because Laurie Frankel's This is How it Always Is is one of my favorite books of all time.
I was excited to see she had a new book coming out and to be approved for an early copy of it.

"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."

I really enjoyed this novel about family. India Allwood has always wanted to be an actress, so when she gets pregnant as a teenager, she chooses to place her baby for adoption. Again pregnant at the end of college, she places a second child for adoption. Then later in life, adopts two children from foster care. We are able to see many sides of adoption through this novel.

Overall this book is about family and what makes family. Family isn't just blood relationships and it isn't just love either. Families can be organized in so many different ways. Every family is different. I felt that this book was able to give me a new perspective of adoption, minus the shame that is typically associated with an unwanted pregnancy.

India Allwood is pregnant at 16. She decides to place the baby for adoption. In an alternate timeline, its 2020 and India Allwood is a successful TV star living in LA with her two adopted twins. A film starring her in the role of a mother who becomes a drug addict after giving up her child for adoption has just been released. Controversy erupts on social media when she inadvertently tells a journalist that it is a bad movie. The story then unfolds with unexpected twists and turns, with lots of surprises, revelations, laughter and tears.

Laurie Frankel has written a very poignant, thought-provoking narrative about what it means to be a family. She drives home the message that family is not just people you have blood ties with. It can be constituted in so many myriad ways. She also highlights the unfortunate reality of how adoption is perceived as a desperate last resort for both the birth mother as well as the adoptive parents. This need not be the case and is not necessarily true. There is need to change perception and outlook when it comes to adoptive situations.

Read this book for the brilliant ideas, the well-developed characters and the nuanced exploration of relationships. This is not a family drama. It is a treatise on family straight from the heart!!

Thank you Netgalley, Henry Holt & Co and Laurie Frankel for the ARC.

This book represented a variety a families/family dynamics. This is so important to me as a former foster parent and an adoptive parent. I want my daughter to be exposed to books/movies/media that represent her type of family, and not just the “traditional”/biological nuclear family. I love that this book exists! This was truly a pleasure to read. I love how the author explained adoption and how it was specified that stories of adoption aren’t necessarily tragedies. This book was well written--organized beautifully with multiple POVs and timelines.

BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL
This is the third novel I’ve read by this wonderful, creative, funny woman and I’ve loved them all!
Taking another subject from her own life, this one is about adoption from the perspective of both, a birth mother and adoptive mother, single mothers and adoptive dads. . It’s funny and real and made me want to move into the pages so I could know these people.
It tells the story of the young girl India and the India who has lived a few decades along with the interesting, entertaining people in her life as she becomes a stage and screen star. Starting in Seattle and moving through New York, Los Angeles and Oregon, the story goes back and forth through her life, both the private and professional parts.
Laurie Frankel is a quirky, engaging author. Her stories really draw you in. The characters are all well fleshed out, unique and interesting. I fell in love right along with India— Twice! And I adored all the children in her world. I’ll admit to crying a few times. This book is wonderful! I highly recommend reading this if you are at all interested in people and families and love and famous people! So basically everyone! Just read this clever, well thought out book. You’ll be so glad you did!

A crazy, messy, complicated FAMILY story about identity, belonging and love featuring India, a young, want to be actress who gets pregnant several times and gives the babies up for adoption and then later adopts twins.

This story was such a great love letter to the fact that there are all kinds of families and ways to be mothers/parents and none are better or worse than any other.

Another excellent book club option, sure to invoke tons of polarizing discussions from the abortion debate to teen pregnancy and slut shaming. India is one of the most complex characters I’ve read in a while and I feel like people might hate her or love her but I was definitely a fan!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Highly recommended if you enjoy dramatic family stories or books featuring adoption/adopted families.