Family, Family is a fantastic, unique story about the different ways you can be a family. Laurie Frankel does a great job of telling the story both through India’s “adult” voice and the eyes of the many children.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the advanced copy of Family Family.
I rated this book 2.5/5 stars.

The premise of this book was intriguing and had me reflecting on both society and my own biases when it comes to adoption. However, I think the plot and the writing could have been done more effectively. I don't think the second pregnancy and adoption was at all necessary to the story. It felt more like a disingenuous "aha, gotcha!" from author to reader than an essential addition for depth of story.

The writing was too repetitive and really bothered me as the story progressed. I could have excused this as intentionally cringe because the story was focusing on the perspective of children and adolescents most of the time, but the next sentence would have some sophisticated vocabulary which resulted in the whole prose sounding pretentious yet immature and too try-hard. Additionally, the time jumps worked better in the beginning, but towards the end of the book I think they messed up the pacing a bit.

As far as characters, the kids were cute. India did read as more mature in her older years and more angsty and naïve in her younger years, so that was done well. I think Robbie's internal conflict was written well. I struggled with Davis and his complete lack of support and empathy for India. He was so self absorbed in his own misery that he couldn't just suck it up and support her through the most physically and emotionally painful experience a woman could go through? He made her go through it on her own while landing his dream job? Disgusting. I can understand being pissed off at her and her utter lack of responsibility that put them in that situation. That being said, men who don't want to get pregnant can take half the responsibility and insist on using a secondary form of birth control rather than putting the entire responsibility on their partner. And they can certainly reflect on that and support their partners through the trauma of birth rather than letting them do it on their own. I think it would have been powerful for India to tell Davis that and to tell him how utterly cruel and selfish it was for him to be absent and let her do it all on her own, not to mention placing the blame entirely on her shoulders and judging her moral character for "letting" it happen.

I am so grateful to NetGalley for the ARC of Laurie Frankel's newest masterpiece, Family Family. This book is filled with unforgettable characters, hilarious one-liners, and touching moments that will make you laugh through your tears.

India Allwood finds out that she's pregnant during her senior year of high school, and she and her first love agree that placing the baby with Camille is the best option for them all. Years later, when India is a well-known actress with two adopted children of her own, she stars in a movie that has critics doing what they do best - criticizing the message of the film. In an attempt to respond to the haters in a helpful way, she creates an avalanche of chaos. Soon all of her "family family" is brought together to diffuse the situation that India continues to escalate with her comically, inadvertently inflammatory comments.

Family Family is at times heartbreaking, always heartwarming, and undoubtedly one of the best reads of the year.

This is my first Laurie Frankle book and I will be immediately diving into her blacklist. I loved this book!

I loved the plot. I LOVED the characters. I loved the overall theme of family. This was such a heartfelt, thoughtful read. I am hoping this gets adapted into a movie because everyone that reads this will be impacted in the best way.

I work with at-risk teenagers and so many of them are struggling with their family. Some are raised by family members, others have legal agencies involved, but all of them are just looking to be accepted and loved. They want to know where they come from and how they got here. This book really explored the process of knowing yourself through your family and I devoured it.

I think this is going to be a favorite next year

As typical with my favorite books, here are some quotes that I loved!

“Regardless of how they get made, family is a force to be reckoned with.”

“Does this baby deserve love and care and the fucking moon is not the question. Of course she does. How is always the question. The idea that there’s a simple answer or that that answer is the same for every baby, every person who gives birth to one, every family? That's what’s absurd.”

“It was possible to lose but not be lost, to be sad, without wishing thrings were other than they were. It seemed to her that women did this all the time, weathered things that were hard and heartbreaking but also chosen and even strived for. It seemed to her they often made tough decisions to let go, to lay down, in order to pick up something else because they knew-maybe in their bones, maybe having learned it again and again-that having all the things you wanted all at the same time was rarely on the table.”

5 stars

Thank you@netgalley and @henryholtbooks for the early copy

A story about family and choices told from the perspective of an actress that chooses adoption. So well written. Characters are a bit quirk and memorable. The dialogue is filled with sentiment but not sappy. Told through alternating chapters of current and flashbacks . thought provoking. A wonderful read!

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

As someone who grew up in a family that adoption was such a part of, I thought this book was beautifully done. You cannot not love these characters. Great read!

Laurie Frankel has tackled the very personal issue of adoption in Family Family. It seems everyone has a different way of looking at this topic and Laurie Frankel has delivered a novel which looks at it from many sides. With a cast of diverse characters with unique backgrounds and dreams of what each wants for their own family, there is opportunity for much discovery and discussion.

This had the quirky family/quirky characters that are a hallmark of a Laurie Frankel novel. It is a very sweet story about adoption. For whatever reason, it was hard for me to get through, though. It started strong and then I lost interest somewhere around the middle and it just didn’t keep me engaged. It ended up being just okay for me. I wish I had loved it. I think some readers will love this book; it just didn’t resonate with me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Laurie Frankel has done it again. This book is excellent. She is one of the best of telling a complicated family story. She handles issues so delicately but thoroughly. I love the way she weaves all the characters together and explores what it means to be a family. This is going to be on a lot of best books of the year lists.

ARC received from NetGalley. Opinions my own.

I enjoyed “This is how it always is.” Laurie Frankel’s follow up after that? Not quite as much. So I didn’t know what to expect going into “Family Family” but I was sucked in immediately, invested in the characters, their stories, and how their lives were woven together. A captivating read.

A delightful story about the joys and complexities of family. India has been on Broadway and a hit TV show. While facing criticism for her latest movie and how it handles adoption, India impulsively tells a journalist she agrees that the movie could be better. This comment sets off a media frenzy which forever alters the lives of India and her twins.

I so enjoyed this! The story unfolds in a lovely and well-paced way and there are many surprises. India was compelling and lovable and the other characters are just as memorable and add to the plot.

Thank you very much to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I was not a fan of this book. It did not keep my interest and took me many time to complete. I think the characters were a bit flat and didn't enjoy the story line.

India Allwood dreamed of being an actress, but she suddenly becomes the media’s focus when she criticizes her latest film as providing only one version of adoption emphasizing the negative. “Family Family” by Laurie Frankl is a heart warming and life affirming story of adoption and that not all stories of adoption are about trauma and regret.

Frankl does a great job at diving into each one of her characters and creating a fast pace engaging novel that was hard to put down. It is a complicated family drama where family is truly more than blood. Overall a great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HenryHoltandCompany for this #gifted ebook.

This insightful, engaging, heartfelt novel explores the meaning of family through multiple perspectives of adoption. This fresh take on what makes a family is both subtle and nuanced, inspiring introspection and excellent conversation with fellow readers. Featuring dual timelines, with steady pacing and very quotable passages, this book also mixes in just enough witty banter to be completely delightful. Family Family will be in my top ten of the year. 5 stars!

Once again, Laurie Frankel does it. This is a beautiful story with the perfect title of "Family Family". It's about a woman and her life and dream to be an actor that gave me such a boost of love and peace and acceptance and insight into things I didn't know much about. Throughout the book, I found myself, at times, holding my breath because the moment was so beautiful and complex and beautiful. Book discussion groups take note: Add this one to your list - so much to share and discuss and learn for a group. Together. Lots of takeaways in this book but one I may start immediately is always having a pocketful of ripped up paper because you never know when you need confetti to celebrate something wonderful.

So the fact that a few stories about adoption are the only ones that ever get told seems like a problem to me.

from Family Family by Laurie Frankel
For a hilarious, joyful read, this novel’s intent is serious: to rewrite the adoption narrative. These wonderful, complicated, messy characters have made complicated and wonderful choices.

India Allwood was seven when she saw her first Broadway show. She dedicated her life to forging an acting career. Nothing was going to get in her way. Not the fact that she couldn’t sing, or wasn’t the most beautiful person around. Not love. Not a teenage pregnancy. Putting a career first meant giving up her baby and losing her true love. But she knew the adoptive parent was perfect, that she had given joy to someone who wanted to be a parent, and had given her baby a good life, and given herself the freedom to follow her dreams.

Years later, India has adopted twins and has a cult following for her television show. But there is blowback for her portrayal of a pregnant teenager in a movie made during the Covid pandemic. It threatens to end her career.

Her children, though, have set into motion a series of events that are revelatory and healing for all involved.

It’s all about family and ‘family family’, how love is not always enough, and how adoption can be joyful and positive. It’s about the challenges of parenting and growing up as an adopted child, and how a decision that can be right for a child affects the parents. It’s about love, and the limits of love, and how love sustains and never ends.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

I loved this novel. The exposition of a modern day family! I didn’t agree with a lot of the main character’s choices but it was such a compelling story. It took me a bit to realize the connection between the two timelines. Frankel has a matter of fact writing style that allows you to understand her characters through all of their actions. I really appreciated the depth to India’s character and all of the contrasts between her younger life and her older life. The choice of Fig as a narrator for a chunk of the story was interesting. I would have also appreciated Bex’s perspective.

How am I so lucky to have a 2024 favorite already!

Family Family… where do I even start?! My reading experience was superb… I haven’t read this author before but have heard great things! Also a PNW local… the cover immediately grab my attention as well as a short blurb about adoption and it being a family drama.

With short chapters alternating time periods and constant jaw dropping bombs throughout. I highly recommend going in with very little info. I think not reading the synopsis made the surprises sprinkled throughout more… OMG WOW… I MUST KEEP READING.

Adoption is a theme I gravitate towards. My mom was adopted and it’s been a journey finding out info and much like what happens in the book everyone has a different journey and it’s just so refreshing to read stories like these.

Also make sure to read the authors powerful note at the end. 🧡

This book was an amazing story about what it actually means to be a family. Yes, it's a book about adoption but not your typical "bullshit representation" of adoption to steal a line from one of the characters. And it's not JUST a book about adoption. It's a book about choices, about how wonderful it is that we have choices when it comes to starting a family or not starting a family and sometimes the way we start a family isn't necessarily how we thought we would. The story of India Allwood and Jack and Fig and all of the other quirky characters that make up their family will stick with me for a long time.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publication date is January 23, 2024,

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this fantastic book! I adore Laurie Frankel's story telling and characters and find myself needing to know what happens next. This is another wonderful and enjoyable story!
A solid read, and will be a great addition for book clubs. Thank you again!