I truly enjoyed this book! I loved the character development and the characters themselves. I thought the concept was interesting and refreshing - especially knowing that Laurie herself has an adopted child. I loved that there was romance but it wasn't the entire focus of the book. Fig was such a cutie, I enjoyed her commentary - it felt real. The different POVs and timelines threw me a bit, but I eventually eased in.

This tells the story of what makes a family a family and what does that mean. The story is a contemporary drama that shares the story of an adopted woman and how she deals with that trauma and the life and family she wants to create. Great story, great pacing and great overall execution.

I really loved this book and feel as though all should have a read. The representation is has for adoptive families is amazing and I think there needs to be more stories showing this side of adoption. I also enjoyed the characters and the kids in this story.

I have found all of Laurie Frankel's novels to be thought-provoking looks at interesting topics, and Family Family is no different. This one is about an actress who has both given kids up for adoption and adopted kids herself, so she has a very unique perspective on the subject. When she shoots a movie about adoption, she finds herself in the middle of controversy after sharing some of her opinions.

This book is about how adoption and family are perceived and the opinions surrounding the issue. And I have read many reviews of this book that have strong opinions aobut how adoption was portrayed in this book, which is a little ironic given that it is exactly what the book is about. Personally I don't have experience with adoption firsthand, so I don't know that I have a right to an opinion. But I think it's interesting to be able to look at an issue from a variety of perspectives; this is one perspective! I didn't think this book was trying to (nor is it required to) give an all-encompassing picture of adoption.

This story wants to help people see the positive side of adoption, when adoption has led to positivie experiences for everyone-- the birth mom, the adoptive parents and the adopted kids. I didn't think it diminished the hardships of adoption nor did it ignore the fact that adoption can lead to a lot of difficulty and struggle. But it did show a positive picture of what family and adoption can look like, and I enjoyed reading it and pondering it.

Thank you, NetGalley for this review copy. As a fan of family dramas and character studies, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is my first and only 5-star read so far this year. For those who wish for fame, this provides a glimpse into the downsides of always being in the spotlight. Issues of adoption, single parenting, and complex family structures are explored.

Laurie Frankel's latest book is a family drama centered around an adoption theme. The positive representation of adoption is nice to see. I loved the main character, India, who was an interesting person who loved deeply, had her own ambitions and was independent. Although This Is How It Always Is remains my favorite book of Frankel's, I completely enjoyed this one!

Frankel is an absolute master and writing precocious children (she’s also a fabulous author to have Zoom into your book club meeting!!). I adored This Is How It Always Is, and One Two Three even more, so I was thrilled to score the ARC of Family Family. Of the 3 books this was my least favorite as it was a bit twisted and far fetched in plot. but I understand the point Frankel was underscoring - there’s no one way to be a family, to make a family. We can come together as family in the most unorthodox and messy ways. Frankel is an excellent writer with snappy, funny dialogue and extremely thoughtful musings, so I truly enjoyed this read and marveled at her abilities to tell a story so beautifully. Thank you @NetGalley and @henryholt for this advanced readers copy! #bibliophile#stephsalwaysreading#bookstagram#bookstagrammer#tbrlist#whatshouldireadnext#bookreviews#bookreviewer#netgalley

An intimate look at what makes a family and how generic makeups aren’t necessarily how to define family. I found this novel’s premise interesting though the back and forth took me a few chapters to get the hang of.

“This is how it is” by Frankel was one of my all time favorite books and i enjoyed this family drama as well.

This book does not nail all of the complexities of adoption, but wow was it entertaining and thought provoking.

I'm such a fan of Laurie Frankel's writing - her style can be so direct and dry, but it works for me really well. I went into this book with some hesitation; would a book about adoption end up taking a pro-life route? Would this all end up being too trite? Sure, it did end up being a little trite, but I really appreciated the care Frankel put into this story and also how clear she made it that just because India chose adoption, this was very much not a story about pro-life characters.

The author's note at the end goes into how personal this story was for Frankel, but I think even if I hadn't known that, I would feel the amount of love she put into this. There was so much warmth and heart in this, and the characters were all so loveable.

Like so many books I fall in love with and give 5 stars to, I still wouldn't call this completely perfect. The ending got a little repetitive and wasn't as strong as I hoped. I also felt there was a disconnect between how people in their early 30's live today. That's of course not to say that there aren't many, many 32-year-olds with multiple children and who have lived exciting lives, but I felt like these 32 years olds acted much older. Robbie alone being 32 with 5 kids, a house, and divorced just feels very disconnected from everyone I know in their early 30s. Maybe I'm just projecting from my own lived experience, but the characters just felt much older to me in the present day storyline.

Those are really tiny gripes in the grand scheme of things. Overall, I loved this so much, and even though I wait until it was released to read it, I'm grateful for the ARC!

A contemporary drama about a special family. India Allwood always aspired to be an actress . when a surprise pregnancy throws a wrench into her plans how she deals with it is the story . This is a story about Family about what makes a Family. This is a very positive uplifting books with very likeable Characters

“This is what parenting is, India. Solving impossible-to-solve problems while also experiencing deep crises of faith while also being kind of annoyed while also never getting enough rest. These problems only ever go away by changing into different equally impossible problems. This is how it always is for all parents, no matter how you came by your children.”

I really loved this book! India Allwood is one of my favorite kinds of characters. She’s whip smart, a little quirky, ambitious, and introspective. She longs to perform on the stage and is determined to get there. Enter her first boyfriend and India finds herself pregnant at 16. She continues the pregnancy and gives her baby girl up for adoption to a single woman who desperately wants a child. Later, in college, India gets pregnant again and gives this baby up for adoption as well, this time to a gay couple who also long to be parents. India eventually makes her name on the stage and adopts two children of her own. When COVID closes the theater business, India agrees to star in a movie about adoption that she later criticizes (much to her agent’s chagrin) for repeating worn stereotypes about adoption trauma. In the meantime, her children (adopted and biological) go on a quest to find each other and their birth fathers and all the chaos ensues! `

As the title suggests, Family, family is about all the beautiful ways families are made and what it means to be a family. The book alternates among the various characters’ perspectives (a structure I love) and Frankl is a master of writing children and capturing everything from the way they think to the rhythms of their speech. Are some of the things that happen in the book unbelievable? Probably so. But the book is so good, I let those things go!

Have you read Family, family? What did you think?

The essence of this is that not everything that makes a family is related to blood. India Allwood faces a media storm when she makes negative comments about her recent movie and it's take on adoption. India had given up two children for adoption while a high school and college student then adopts later when she wishes to become a mother. She could be viewed as selfish for her choices but she sees them as selfless. This novel is full of wonderful characters, especially the children. I find all the children in her books to be wonderful in so many ways and always entertaining - all four in this book make me smile just thinking about them. The children and her writing style and wit will draw me back to her books again and again.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel! Laurie Frankel won me over with This is How it Always Is so I was very excited to read her latest. She has such a way with making you feel like you’re part of the families about which she writes. The character development is always there, there are always lines that just stick with you, and there is always laughter and tears.

An absolutely riveting story told at the height of the quarantine about a successful actress and single mother of two adored children who opens a can of worms when she gives her honest opinions on family planning, abotrion, and teen pregnancy. As the layers are unpeeled and her own stories are exposed we meet more and more characters, mainly loveable, and find how they are all connected to this powerful but fallible woman.

It took awhile for me to get into this story and I struggled some chugging along, but I enjoyed the ending. Several other reviews discussed how this white washed adoption or didn’t address the hardships/what the child goes through - but Frankel explains her why in the “author’s notes” section (better than I could, so go back and read that). 3.5 stars (honestly, the half star is from the authors notes. Go read them).

Family, Family by Laurie Frankel is a complicated, delightful and difficult family story. Told from the past and the present, India Allwood’s life as an exceptional and inspiring mother as her life enfolds in joyous and heartbreaking ways. Adoption is revealed from a wide variety of prospectives with honesty, respect and compassion. This was a 5 plus star book for me and not an easy read but one of the best so far this year. I was excited to read another of her books and was ecstatic over how great it was for me.
5 stars – Pub. Date: 3-23-24
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review Family, Family by Luarie Frankel.

3.5*
Frankel set out to tell the story of adoption from a positive viewpoint. She felt most stories centered on adopted children who are victims of emotional or even physical trauma. In this book her main character India Allwood is an aspiring actress. She finds herself pregnant as a teen and decides to carry the baby to full term and then give the infant up. In doing so, her dream of becoming an accomplished actress can remain on course.

Years later, India is a major celebrity. She takes an acting role in a movie that portrays adoption in a negative light. When interviewed about the film, she creates a firestorm when she admits she didn’t like the movie’s portrayal of adoption and this results in the media learning how she herself had willingly given up a child.

Adoption and also foster care are often fodder for fictional stories showing the horrors that sometimes occur. My parents were foster parents to many children and it was a loving environment. So I understand the desire to show a favorable portrayal of a situation that is often cast in a negative light. However, I’m not sure this story focused so much on the effect on the children as it did on how India dealt with unwanted pregnancies.

The media frenzy that ensued with India’s revelation brings the children and her role as birth mother into sharp focus. The children in the story bring their own stories to light. Two of them who are not her biological children, are especially endearing. They bring another aspect to this story of adoption. Frankel is skilled with creating strong, interesting characters and they are the strength of the book.

Frankel’s point about what constitutes a family is valid and is appreciated. Furthermore, her effort to shine a positive light on adoption is commendable. Readers are encouraged to read her note at the end where she addresses her own adoption connection and validates her motivation for the novel.

If you liked This is How It Always Is, this is a different but equally touching and thought-provoking meditation on what it means to be family and the many different ways to love people. Frankel's writing is beautiful and lyrical, but accessible and never distracts from the story. The characters are messy and frustrating but also lovable and feel real. A couple of plot elements felt slightly unrealistic, but this is fiction and the message felt true and important.

Laurie Frankel showcases her remarkable talent in crafting poignant narratives. "Family Family" follows the story of a woman on her journey through life as she struggles to become an actor. It's filled my heart with love and peace. The book is filled with complexities and new experiences. From the intricacies of human relationships to the nuances of pursuing one's passions, "Family Family" presents a plethora of themes to explore and observe. This novel is a masterclass in storytelling, as it filled me with emotions and gratitude. Laurie Frankel depicts strong and determined females in the novel.
I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a rich, emotional narrative.