This book was one of the best I've read in AGES.

It was hilarious, it was deep, it was celebratory of varying situations but looked at the way others view those situations negatively. It was a constant unlayering onion.

India Allwood is the actress of a generation. She knew she would be from high school and she worked to get there. But when she's in a movie that talks about the worst scenarios and feelings of adoption and adopted families, her press situation gets out of control. Told between a present-day timeline and a timeline that starts with high school-India up to present day, the story slowly reveals all the ways that India's life has integrated with adoption and the attitudes that are expressed about women who choose to place their babies into adoptions, those who choose to adopt, the feelings of the adopted children due to these attitudes, and those who are placed up for adoption due to disturbing circumstances and stigmas around adoptive families. The conversation itself is enlightening and valuable, including simple conversations of representation. It's a beautifully written piece.
The audio for the audiobook edition is so well done, even with all the voices that happen in the book.

#arc
#netgalley
#familyfamily

What a refreshing take on Adoption!
What a remarkable book!
What a phenomenal story!!

The book revolves around the main character, India Allwood, and somewhat remarkably, bounces back and forth between the present, and her past...going all the way back to HS and her first love, college and her next love, and the present with her twins!
As many teenagers are, she was awkward...We meet her at 16, when she is a budding young woman...with a friend or two, but many problems...as all teenagers have.
But the one thing she knew in her heart was that she was going to make a name for herself... She was going to be an actress. And what better way to start than in her HS musical? And so her story begins...but it is not what you may expect... (at least, not at all what I expected!)

Fast forward to college...and she meets her boyfriend. She's acting. She's in love. What more could you ask for??

Fast forward again, and she's in the present. She has twins. Her career is taking off...
But, there are things she has been hiding. Things in her past...

This was a delightful story! One that I honestly never expected, and so loved!
I felt like I got to know (and feel for) each and every one of the characters in the book. And there were a lot. And that is not an easy task....
I found myself laughing out loud at many of the predicaments... and then shedding a tear in the next moment for a lost memory or thought.

Such thought provoking scenes. Such dedication to both her job and her family. Such Love. And yet, such Loss too!

And the kids! Just hysterical!! What ends will they go to to get what they want?? Well, you'll just have to read to find out!!

So being as it brought out so many emotions in me, 4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 5 !

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which released this week!

#FamilyFamily by #LaurieFrankel. Narrated phenomenally by #PattiMurin.

Follow me on Goodreads,
IG @ #BookReviews_with_emsr, or on
Facebook @ #BookReviewsWithElaine, my new online book club, for all my upcoming reviews and previews!

As Always, Thanks for Reading Along With Me... 📚📖

Incredible book but be prepared to cry 😭 😭😭

Or maybe it’s just me since two of my children are adopted. This book does a great job at explaining there are many paths to becoming a parent/family and ALL options are good.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.


#FamilyFamily
#LaurieFrankel
#PattiMurin
#audiobook

I really enjoyed listening to Frankel's book One Two Three, about triplet sisters living in a town struggling with environmental contamination. So, I was really excited to read this new book also focused on family and siblings but in a very different way - mainly revolving around adoption, how we choose to define family and how we overcome or deal with the negative and positive impacts of family.

Frankel's character development is still strong in this book - each character is very well-defined, which was helpful since there were a lot of characters and also a lot of traveling back between the past and present day. I did struggle with the plot - it felt like the book could have been a little shorter and half-way through I couldn't figure out what else needed to happen in the book or what resolution we were aiming for.

Regardless of that, the issue of adoption and how and when we choose to build our families was really interesting and I enjoyed the story that unfolded.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this title in exchange for a honest review.

FAMILY FAMILY by Laurie Frankel tackles the pressures of a public persona and a private life in conflict. India, a famous actress, is being judged for her offhand comments about her recent movie, and much is at stake.

The storyline jumps between the past and the present, slowly allowing readers to learn what informed India's opinions on adoption, family, and belonging. What feels like a simplistic storyline grows in depth and asks readers to consider their assumptions and judgements, as the cast of characters grow and people from her past gather together in support.

The audiobook was an easy listen, and the narrator Patti Murin is skilled at a range of voices. Those who encounter this as an audiobook will get the added treat of a recorded conversation between Laurie Frankel and Patti Murin. They have strong mutual admiration, and they dialogue about the accuracy of the subject matter, the development of craft, be it acting or writing, and the commonalities they share. It was a lovely close to a thoughtful book.

(I received a digital ALC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

A beautiful story about family, adoption, and love in its many forms. Laurie Frankel does such an amazing job writing about families, and feelings, and all the ups and downs and ins and outs life takes us on. In her author's note she mentions how much representation matters to her. And she does such a beautiful job with that in all her books. I also thought she tackled some really hard subjects beautifully. Everyone should read this beautiful book. Love loved!! Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced copy of the audio.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher. I listened to the audio while reading along to the book. The audio was well done.

Family Family was such a beautiful story about adoption and family dynamics that I absolutely loved. I love books with a lot of character development and it was done so well in this novel. It was very layered with each chapter revealing more about the characters. I really loved all the thoughts on parenting and so many times I found myself feeling the words deeply. I came to care for all the characters in this book and just loved everything about this book so much!

I really enjoyed the dual timelines and how everything came together. The end was absolute perfection!

I really enjoyed the narrator and would definitely listen to more that she has done.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy

“But yeah. There are infinity different kinds of families. And every member of every one has a different story to tell about it. So the fact that a few stories about adoption are the only ones that ever get told seems like a problem to me.”
4.5 stars rounded up!
So back in the summer of 2019, I was on a camping trip, and I happened to the be in the middle of a book called This is How it Always Is by Laurie Frankel. Only, the book was a library copy on my phone. It was such a page turner that I drained my battery (and there was no power at our site), because I HAD to finish it. Also, I felt like a schmuck sitting in a lawn chair with a phone in my hand, which doesn’t go with the camping vibe- a physical book would have been so much better. I think it’s fair to say that I’ve swung in the opposite direction because I’d now probably overpack way too many books, and could be found walking around taking book photos like a true #booknerd

Anyway, this experience was much the same. Once I started, I had to keep reading. Then @netgalley surprised me in my inbox with an audio version, and I switched to going between (and the audio is very good, so in this case, I don’t think you can go wrong with physical or audio). This book is about adoption, and I don’t really want to say a lot more about it, so you can go in blind like I did. But I certainly am curious what people with firsthand experience with adoption will think of it. I think the thing to remember about representation is that still can never fully encompass someone else’s experience. And while the book calls out the boxes we put people in, I still think there will be the “hmmm, yes, but this isn’t exactly how it is for me”.
But I think that’s the point. We all have our own stories. And Laurie Frankel really knows how to tell a story. Her author’s note at the end is also worth the read.

So many great characters. Such a good story, Please read it! I want to hear what other people think of it.

🤍Many thanks to @raincoastbooks @henryholtbooks for sending a copy my way. This book is out today!

Such a good book! I especially love how original this story is. The originality isn’t just seen in the plot, but with the characters as well. This drama unfolds and unfolds. I laughed, I cried, I rolled my eyes (for the sake of India). Following your dreams, maintaining honesty and composure, and having a determined understanding are all part of this story. There were a few parts that I felt dragged on a tad. The narrator to the audiobook did a wonderful job.

In interviews, and through her main character, Frankel sets out to give an alternate, and ultimately more positive, story about adoption than the tragic ones we usually see in literature and movies. Throughout history, adoption stories start in tragedy - orphans, drug-addicts, CPS, war-torn countries. All of that is true and does happen. But through Frankel's characters (and based in part on her own adoption journey), she makes it clear that adoption can be uplifting and a positive choice and come from a place of love - both from the parents placing their children and the adoptive parents receiving the gift of parenthood.

While this wasn't a perfect book - some of the childrens' perspectives were a bit over the top and honestly annoying and I could have done without the play by play of COVID (although I guess as this book ages it will become necessary) - it was a compelling, solid 4-star read for me. I cared about the characters. I appreciated all the different perspectives of the people involved in adoption stories. I loved the hopeful, happy ending (at which I cried a few times). I wish all adoption stories and the children and parents involved in adoption stories could experience such well-adjusted and happy endings.

This book is told in dual timelines - the current one where super-star actress and adoptive mom India Allwood's life is imploding because of some comments she made regarding her new movie (about adoption) and her own adoption experience. But she's keeping a secret. Not only is she an adoptive mom to twins Fig and Jack, but she also experienced giving up a baby for adoption when she got pregnant her senior year of college. When the media discovers this (because her bio-daughter posts on social media outing her and India), it devolves into the exact storm you would expect from social media trolls and those who like to judge others without the entire story.

The other timeline starts when India was in high school and explains how her family was created from the first time she met her baby-daddy and first love Robby, through college and how she came to be the mega star she is now, to her decision to adopt, and up to the present where everyone from her past is thrust upon her in the best and most messy way.

There were a few eye-roll moments, and I thought the message was VERY heavy-handed at times. Frankel wants to make her message about adoption and the definition of family VERY clear to the point of repeating it often and explicitly and often. Did I mention often? But, since she is an adoptive mother herself, I can give a little leeway in her passion for the topic.

Overall, if you like character-driven novels that delve into the complicated family relationships and you don't mind many of the chapters being told from 10 and 12 year olds - very precocious and very astute 10 year olds to the point of disbelief at times - then this would be a good book for you. Don't let the length scare you - it was a fast read. Or for me - a fast listen. I enjoyed the narrator (her voice actually reminds me of Erin from The Office TV show). She switched her voice just enough to distinguish the characters but not enough to make me annoyed or to seem like she was trying too hard. And I really enjoyed hearing the author's note at the end in Frankel's own voice.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Laurie Frankel, and the publisher for allowing me to listen to and review an ARC of this very engaging, heart-warming, and lovely read.

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.

The narrator of this audiobook, Patti Murin, did a wonderful job. I will be on the lookout for other audiobooks that she narrates.

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

My first book by the author and I would definitely read more. I love the interview at the end where she explained what inspired her to write the book. I love that she wanted to show a positive side to adoption.

The major themes in this book are definitely adoption and what makes a family. But another huge topic is abortion and being pro choice. That means even if we don’t agree or understand the choices someone else makes in their life that doesn’t mean they are the wrong choice to make. You can be 100% pro choice and still never get an abortion. At first, I questioned some of India’s choices and then I reminded myself that she helped others and herself. She made a huge difference in so many lives.

I was not familiar with the narrator’s previous work but I think she did a great job of voicing the adults and the kids in this book! The length of the audiobook is around 15 hours and that does seem long. I think the story could’ve been tightened a bit but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Laurie Frankel and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to read Family Family. I have written this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved FAMILY FAMILY by Laurie Frankel!! I was really excited to read this novel since I loved her other two novels This Is How It Always Is and One Two Three. Frankel writes about interesting family dynamics perfectly with light ease and wit. This novel is about India, an actress and adoptive mom of ten year old twins, Fig and Jack and her family. I loved how this story is told in dual timelines and features a diverse cast of characters. The central theme of adoption and family is emotional but showcases immense joy and happiness which is pleasant to read. India had to make some tough decisions and ultimately at the end I was tearing up. I listened to the audiobook and it was expertly narrated by Patti Murin. She was great at doing all the voices including the kids. I also loved the interview included at the end of the audiobook which was great to hear how Frankel drew from her own family life as an adoptive mom for this book. This is one of my fave books of 2024!

This is an amazing book. It explores the nuances of adoption, of what being pro-choice means, of what makes up a family. A Family Family. In all of its shades and iterations and wonder.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by the stellar Patti Murin, and the conversation between Patti and Laurie at the end of the book is fantastic. It shows why the narration of this novel is so superb. It's because Patti is a voracious reader, and she knows what a reader wants in narration. She gives each character their own personality just by changing her inflection, and it was a joy to listen to.

Laurie Frankel doesn't shy away from complicated and often controversial topics, but reading a book by her is like looking through a kaleidoscope. What one person thinks they see is not the same as another person, and shifting the perspective slightly can change the whole outlook. I love to be challenged to examine something in a different way, and Frankel's books do exactly that.

You won't be disappointed by this book. Even though there are many timelines and many points of view, it's fairly easy to keep them straight and they will make you laugh, cry, and think.

Laurie Frankel is an amazing author. This Is How It Always Is is one of my favorite books. I was SO EXCITED when I got the approval email for this one! Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan!

This book: 
Is character driven 
Explores adoption from different viewpoints and the stigma associated with it 
Is kind of long 😅
Has humor sprinkled throughout (the strawberry ice cream part had me really laughing)
Is a good read if you love the found family trope 

I really enjoyed the narration for this book. There are a lot of characters and she did a great job switching between them all. I'll definitely be looking into other audiobooks read by her!

The author's note at the end explains why she chose to write about adoption. "Representation matters not only because you see yourself in the world, but you see yourself positively in the world." 

There's also a conversation with the author and narrator at the end! What a fun bonus.

This book changes the very definition of ‘family’.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio & NetGalley for the ALC. It was a fantastic audiobook experience!

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 humor she imbues into all the conversations – particularly with the kids.

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 and bonus interview with the narrator Patti Murin was enlightening and I appreciated how Murin managed to bring out a different energy and emotion with every character, mindful of the past and present timelines. Murin’s extraordinary talent truly enhanced the audio to play out almost like a movie!

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 the audiobook!

Family Family by Laurie Frankel is one of my favorite books that I've listened to this month! I thought the way the author addressed the issue of family and what makes a family a family was so well done. She wrote about characters that became like real people. India is the matriarch of the unusual family that the book centers around. Through her actions throughout her life, a rag-tag crew of people come together for one another to offer love and support. This character-driven novel won over my plot-driven heart. The narrator did a great job of providing distinct voices for each character. Read and enjoy!

India is a famous actress currently in the spotlight for comments she made about adoption related to an upcoming movie that she is starring in. As the press implies that she is not qualified to comment on what it’s like to “give up” a child, India’s past comes to the surface and her own adopted children are quickly drawn into the fray. The story is told in two timelines, one covering India’s high school and college years when she set her sights on her primary goal of acting and the other set in her current life which involves her career and her family. As her past meets her present, everyone realizes that “family” is subjective and may not look traditional but the people who are “family family” are the most important.
Laurie Frankel has written another must read novel! Her writing is superb and she is so talented at telling a story that covers real but unconventional family situations. I loved how this story developed as India’s past was revealed and then how her children played their roles in bringing everything together. The characters seemed so real and were well developed AND likable. I listened to the audio book and the narrator did an excellent job! I hadn’t realized that she is a Broadway star until the discussion at the end of the audiobook between the narrator and the author - also fascinating listening! I highly recommend this book in any format but the audio version is “icing on the cake”.

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.