Laurie Frankel does it again! This Is How Ot Always Is was ranks among my favorite books, and she has solidified herself as an “always-read” author. Family Family wrestles with, as the title suggests, the glorious, messy, beautiful ways we make and dynamics within families. In addition to these characters feeling fully realized and nuanced, I greatly enjoyed how Frankel introduced us to them and gave us a sense of each before layering a new character in—by the end we had a full house but the individuality of each shone through.

In this vein, the audiobook is an impressive feat, with the facile voice actor, Patti Murin, doing a marvelous job injecting life and personality into each character. An additional joy of the audiobook is that it ends with Frankel reading her personal author’s note as well as an interview between her and Murin which was a delightful listen.

All in all, a clever, sweet, wise, thoughtful literary fiction novel that I really enjoyed and definitely recommend!

Disclaimer: I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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.

(I also did the audiobook along with the ebook and the narrator was excellent).

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

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐥
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐢 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Henry Holt and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copies of Family Family!

Family Family captured my heart with the very first sentence and I did everything I could to savor this book for as long as I could. This one will without a doubt be one of my top books of the year. This is the first book I’ve read by Frankel and I’m fully committed to working on her backlist after reading this beautiful novel!

India Allwood has always wanted to be an actor, and worked hard to make her dreams come true. Now, living in California, she is a mother to two adopted children and staring in a film about adoption. When promoting the movie, India voices her concern that she think it’s a bad movie and not representing adoption well. Soon, there is a media storm with paparazzi camped outside her house, along with both protestors and advocates. Her children, Fig and Jack, know they need help and who better to call than Family? Soon, it’s revealed that India is not just an adoptive mother.

Providing more details will give too much away, but this book is all about love and I just adored it. I do not have a single criticism or thing I would change about this one. It is just perfect. I loved every single character and found the humor and dialogue to be exceptional. This is one you will not want to skip. I knew when I started this book that I was going to love it, and I did everything I could to read this book as slowly as possible to truly savor it.

🎧I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook, narrated by Patti Murin. I love anything Murin narrates and this one was no exception. She nailed it and I could not think of a better narrator for this book. I guarantee if you pick this one up on audio, you will have an amazing listening experience!

“We are family family. We must be. Who else would follow along with a plan that’s going to get us in as much trouble as this one?”

Posted on Goodreads on January 21, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 23, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 23, 2024
**-will post on designated date

I'm feeling like I won the lottery because I got this book as an ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy is exchange for my honest review. Most of all: THANKS LAURIE FRANKEL FOR WRITING THIS BOOK.

At first, I found the title of the book a bit weird: why do they need family twice? But everything makes sense after reading it, in fact the title would also work if it was *love love*.

"We are family family"

This is a story about how families can come to be a family in different ways and that makes life complicate, but all families are complicated. This is a book about the choices we make in life and the different versions of our life that might be possible had we made different choices. Adoption, abortion, single parenting, divorcing are all different options in the same card game and this book does a marvelous job of weaving different family narratives together.

I chuckled and I cried reading this. Laurie Frankel creates magic with this book.

My personal experience with the process of adoption is limited to movies and other media and some novels that focus on the trauma of abandoned or abused children, their struggle for love and the struggle of adoptive parents who are good hearted enough to take on the difficult task of loving and raising a hurt child. What a breath of fresh air it was to listen to the well narrated ( by Patti Marin) audio of version of Laurie Frankel’s Family Family. The author proposes an entirely new perspective on adoption- from birth family, to adoptive parenting to what exactly defines a family. Is it blood? Nurturing? Obligation? Love? Gender role specific? There’s a lot to think about, but all through lighthearted and often humorous and loving eyes.

They story opens with a 16 year old India Allwood, being raised by a single mom. She is determined to be an “ actor” and everything she decides to do is toward achieving that goal. The chapters alternate between the young India and the mature successful India. The focus is always on decisions that involve choice, family and career. Being ready for that choice is her prime mover.

What I loved about this book is a meaningful, enjoyable, ever changing extremely original plot with an upbeat positive outlook. The characters are likable, lovable even. especially the myriad of children who pop up and then stay around- family all,

Ms Frankel tackles difficult and controversial societal issues. Abortion. Adoption. Choice. Mother’s rights. Father’s rights. Abusive homes. Career choices. Working mothers. Privacy and the intrusiveness of media. Honesty. The importance of honesty vs the keeping of secrets. So much is addressed in such a small space and it’s done thoroughly, kindly and always with humor. I loved the post ending when the author relates her story line to her own family as well as her beliefs about adoption. This was a five star “ listen” for me. My utmost thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audios for and advance copy of the audio version of Family Family in exchange for an honest review. Publication date is January 23, 2024. Look for it!

If there's an overarching theme of this book, it's that families come in so many different forms and can be created in so many different ways, and no one form or one way is inherently the right way. There are so many assumptions about adoption, many of them involving implied trauma, and this book sets out to show that that's not always the case.

The story is told in alternating timelines, one in near-present day and one in the main character's past, slowly working toward the present. India Allwood is a teenager aspiring to life as a professional actress when she finds herself pregnant, ultimately deciding that placing her child for adoption will allow someone else's dreams of being a parent come true. In the present, she has just found herself in the middle of a controversy over comments she has made about her most recent role, in which she's a mother who was so traumatized by giving up a child for adoption that she's become addicted to drugs. As we learn more about India's past, we learn more about why she signed on for the role in the first place, why she was dissatisfied with the message it sent, and how complicated families can be -- whether they're biological or adoptive.

👩‍👧‍👦 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!

This was a really great book! I loved the writing and was very engaged in Family Family, but my beliefs about adoption were somewhat challenged. As an adoptee who didn’t come out fully unscathed from the experience, the idea that closed adoption may not leave some scars is not very relatable to me. Obviously, this could very well be due to the lens I’m viewing it from and my personal experience, but it made me upset with India at various points. While adoption may have been a great option for her, I felt as though some of her decisions were selfish, particularly regarding the father’s feelings and the child’s future experience. There were also a few events that weren’t very believable to me and, based on my own experience, I feel could easily have turned out to be dangerous or psychologically harmful for the adoptee.

Overall, though, I highly recommend this book, as it illustrates the reality of how families vary in composition and how adoption can be a wonderful thing for many families. Frankel’s writing is truly great. I loved most of her characters and enjoyed the quirkiness and humor that were sprinkled in. I only wish it was made clearer that adoptees often do struggle with identity and feelings of rejection, no matter how great their adoptive family is.

Patti Murin does an amazing job narrating the audiobook. I recommend choosing the audiobook over the print version if you're able to do so.

Thank you to Net Galley, Henry Holt and Co., and Macmillan Audio for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I love when a book is unexpectedly funny and this one, with its very dry humor, had me chuckling more times than I could count. I also absolutely loved India! Her work ethic was amazing as was her outlook on life and determination to succeed! I didn’t just love India though. The entire cast of characters was amazing, I couldn’t pick a favorite if you paid me to.

It was a truly special listening experience, well done Patti Murin, and a beautifully enlightened look at everything related to adoption. I loved it more than I can properly put into words and now I must go back and read everything Frankel has ever written!

*There is some language, for those who don’t like that particular feature in books but it wasn’t over-the-top and most of the time it just added to the comedy.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc via Netgalley!

I Love Love Family Family! The author, Laurie Frankel, is a genius, and this book is a rare gem.
The narration is lively and engaging. Patti Murin, who was princess Anna in Frozen on Broadway, is authentic and expressive and she is a reason to opt for the audiobook over the printed version.

The plot is fun, humorous, unique, unusual, modern, and emotional. India’s mother gave her some advice on how to bond with her adopted twins: “Tell them everything. They are your family. They have a right to know.” This “everything” gave them the information to reach out to people that had been in their mother’s life before they came along and chaos ensues.

Some grammatical cleverness that made me smile repeatedly throughout this book:
- Pap-arazzi = Pap-smears
- 10-year-old Jack's, limited use of FCC allowed cuss words Ass and Damn, in the most inappropriate ways

The characterization is superb and well-rounded. With dual timelines we get to know India as a quirky, driven teenager who doesn’t care about what her peers think and then the responsible, successful, woman she becomes. India’s obsession with index cards and tearing them into confetti for spontaneous celebrations is classic.

The Author's Note and Bonus interviews at the end are ice cream on the pie.

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 (and of course) the most complicated.
The best part of this audio version is that it's read by Patti Murin (Broadway star) and there's a really cool interview between Ms. Murin and the author at the end of the book.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio version.*

“Family ties are more complicated than mere genes.”

How do you define a family? That is the overall theme of this wonderful book by Laurie Frankel. Family Family is the story of India Allwood, an actress who finds herself at the center of a media storm after she says some not-complimentary things about a movie she’s starring in, a movie which focuses on adoption. India is an adoptive mother herself and feels the message of the movie isn’t the best one. The publisher includes the following quote in the book’s blurb: “Not all stories of adoption are stories of pain and regret. Not even most of them. Why don’t we ever get that movie?”

Frankel is a master at writing nuanced stories. (I’ve loved the other two books of hers that I’ve read: This Is How It Always Is, and One, Two, Three.) Life is not black and white; it’s shades of gray. And families are complicated.

This character-driven story bounces between present-day (2021, I believe, based on various references to COVID, etc.) and the past, letting us get to know India and how she got to where she is now: an actress who has adopted a brother and sister and is a single parent.

Without revealing any spoilers, I can only say that India’s life is nothing but unusual, and there are quite a few quirky characters and funny moments along the way. The theme of “found family” is one of my favorites, and this certainly has a lot of found family in its pages. You also get a behind-the-scenes look at how being a celebrity/public figure affects the lives of the family members of the celebrity, not just the celebrity, as well as some great behind-the-scenes information on how plays are put together (rehearsals, tech week, and so forth). For someone who loves live theater, this was a bonus.

Don’t miss the Author’s Note at the end of the story!

I bounced between the audiobook and the ebook for this title, which was very convenient, although I mostly listened to the audiobook. Patti Murin did a fabulous job with all the voices. There’s a bonus track, which is a conversation between the narrator and the author, which I also really enjoyed.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

The short summary of this book is that it is a story that is pro-adoption. Of course with 400 pages there is a lot more to the story. It begins with India Allwood at 16 wanting to be an actor. The young India is driven and focused. The past story alternates with her present life where she is a star of a popular TV series. She has completed a new movie and isn’t thrilled with how it stereotypes adoption. Her comments turn into a social media frenzy because the press are demanding her stance adoption and other options. India’s main concern is protecting her twin adopted ten year olds. But as the press exposes her past, her career and livelihood are being threatened. Her kids try coming to her rescue which only causes more mayhem.

This is a very likable story. India is very funny, smart, gifted and a unique character. She is probably on the spectrum (as is another character) but it isn’t addressed. I love her quirkiness of having confetti in her pocket always in case there is a need to celebrate. And she is very articulate in her viewpoint that adoption is a choice and creating families can come in many, many forms. My spouse has three adoptive siblings so this was a book I took to heart. Each sibling came from differing situations and how they individually react to being adopted is unique to them. I’ve had cousins who are adopted too and have recently reunited with their different birth parents. There is no, one story fits all in adoption just like there is no one way to be a family.

This book has funny moments and the author has a subtle way of throwing in very funny lines. And while serious topics are covered she isn’t demanding that everyone think like her. Religion and morality don’t come into the discussion. I very recently read and really enjoyed a previous book from Frankel, This Is How It Always Is (Jan 2017). Her main characters in both books are almost too positive and accepting. That isn’t a bad thing. India has trials, her adoptive kids have issues, but she deals with things in the most positive ways imaginable. And of course her character has resources and security that may not apply in the real world.

I enjoyed the book. I didn’t think that everything could realistically happen, but it wasn’t totally implausible. I love that so many viewpoints are presented. The kids' differing feelings are represented as well. I will add that covid is brought into the storyline in a realistic way.
It isn’t a big factor but it interrupts her work and of course kids schooling. Most books I read ignore the pandemic.

I received both a copy of the audiobook and an ARC via NetGalley. I alternated listening and reading the story. I enjoyed the narration by Patti Murin and the author’s notes from Laurie Frankel. Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Macmillan Audio for the copies I enjoyed. I’d recommend either depending on your preference.
(4.5 Stars)

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest novel by Laurie Frankel, the audio perfectly narrated by a favorite, Patti Murin - 5 stars!

India Allwood is now a famous actress, having achieved her dream from childhood. Her latest movie involves adoption, and having personal experience, she makes the mistake of telling a journalist her true feelings - that the way the movie portrays adoption isn't really accurate in so many cases. That ignites a media frenzy, with both sides weighing in, and India's job may be in jeopardy, which is something her twins won't stand for.

Laurie Frankel has done it again - through a funny, engaging, heartwarming story, she's shown that family can look and feel very different than our traditional thoughts. I have loved all of her books and each one makes you really think once you close the pages. This book was told in such a unique way - we are introduced to all the characters at many different points in the past, to learn the backstories as well as the connections. I also liked the distinction between "family" and "family family." This book shows that adoption shouldn't always be portrayed as a poor me situation for the children, that love isn't always enough to make relationships work, and that there can never be too many people that love us. I was so fortunate to listen to this on audiobook as well, and the conversation between the author and narrator was fabulous and enlightening. Highly recommended!

I absolutely loved how this book delved into the concept of "family" and what makes one. Family Family is a story about adoption, parenthood and choices.

India is a single mom, after having adopted her two children. But these two aren't her only children. This book is about the choices she made, the families that her choices have formed and the impact of all of it on everyone involved.

I very much enjoyed this book. It was entertaining, and eye-opening. It really made me think about the choices that we make and how they trickle down and affect our family members - even when we aren't connected physically. This book at times made me angry, made me laugh and just made me think. It was a quick read with an easy to follow story. If you're looking for something a little different to mix things up - this is a great reading choice!!

📕What defines a family as the “family”? Should it be mom, dad, and their biological kids? Or could it be moms, dads, buncha kids who are not of same mom and dad but accepted each other as siblings? Is biological more valuable than chosen?
-
📗India had to make few difficult choices on her way to stardom. Situations that wouldn’t harm a man could easily be end of her career before it started. Situation being becoming a mom… Like many women before and after her, she had to choose her battles: baby now, career never or career now, baby later(?). She chose the latter, several times. But now she was a superhero and a mom of twins. She was in good place but had a bad movie
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📘India’s comments on her latest movie was the reason Pandora’s box was opened. People called her pro-life, anti-abortion, pro-adoption, etc like she had to be one or none. She was pro-choice but eh.. media and her stardom wouldn’t allow her to be whatever she wanted. Her adoptive twins thought they could “rescue” mom. Maybe they did or maybe they made it harder for her. But eventually, India found her family and did it her way

Need a 5 star read to start off the new year?? I gotchu!

Audiobook narration - was fantastic, the narrator deftly moved from character to character with subtle yet clear distinction, and with just the right warmth to her tone to convey the feeling of family in all the forms that it takes shape

India knows she's going to be a star one day. From her childhood she'd always known, but when she tries out for the school play she doesn't get chosen because she can't sing. Looking back, she doesn't begrudge that moment because that's the moment she met her first love Robbie, and her whole life changed.

We meet India now, a successful famous actress living as a single mom with her two adopted children. As a media storm hits after India makes choice comments about a movie she starred in(with adoption as it's theme), her children take action to help, unbeknownst to her, while she tries to do her own damage control. The author goes back and forth in time linking the India of the past to the fierce protective intelligent and loving mom she is now. We get to see India take shape through the years into the person she becomes, just as her world is imploding in the present.

This was such a refreshing read, a celebration of family and love in spite of hardships. The host of characters were incredibly charming, from India's love interests to her mom, her agent to her children. Each one enriched the story even more than the other, each character nuanced in their own ways. The author created a role model in India who I admired immensely, for her reluctance to bend her truth, for her positive outlook on life and all it's given her, for her unfailing willingness to give back for everything she'd received, for her ability to love so fully.

I feel like words are failing me right now in doing justice to what a gem of a read this was so I hope you'll pick it up and see for yourself

I didn't know what to expect when I started reading and it was interesting but the plot was far too complicated for the subject matter. Those with adoption in their lives may have found it more appealing but it fell flat with me and even though I just read it I honestly cannot even tell you what the conclusion was...so that is not a great sign!

Thanks to @macmillian.audio and #NetGalley for the digital ARC of #FamilyFamily. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I loved this book and it was great on audio. The narrator moves seamlessly from children and teens to adults, both female and male, giving each character their own signature.

No surprise that family is the main theme of this book, but it is in no way a traditional family and this is where Frankel's writing shines. She develops each character so you understand their feelings and motivations and overlays that with all the emotion and complications that relationships (platonic, romantic and familial) bring to the party. As an adoptee, I appreciate how she presented adoption positively from all sides as well as articulating why pro-adoption and pro-choice are not mutually exclusive beliefs.

First 5 star read of the year for me. Laurie Frankel is officially a "must-read" author for me.

This was a great family story, with a lot of different heartwarming dynamics and lessons about family life. I lived the witty characters and the many story lines. Great narration. Bravo!