This was so good! I loved the dynamics between the siblings. I do wish the ending was different but I get why the decision was made to end it that way.

I knew going into this book that Jennifer E. Smith was going to provide a story about family that would pull on my heartstrings. This one did not disappoint! I loved the many different points of view from the siblings, both in the past and present timelines. It takes a talented author to write four siblings and make them all so dynamic, so clearly each their own character. This books highlights the power of love and forgiveness in even the most dysfunctional families. It made me laugh, cry, and want to hug my loved ones a little tighter. Highly recommend!

This book unleashed a torrent of emotions from laughing about their childhood trips to tearing up with Gemma naming her son Jude and the one year later. What is important is family and how losing time with each other can never be brought back. Gemma, Jude, Roddy and Connor lost three years due to a book and fire. They missed opportunities to be part of each others lives and create memories. They all were remarkably talented in their own way but it was only their partners and children to celebrate them. They are the Endicotts and this trip to North Dakota made them realize that without each other, the family dissolves. Like Harold the penguin, they were hanging on by a thread. I was so glad that they realized how much they missed and loved each other. This book made me want to celebrate love and true happiness. I will certainly read it again.

I've enjoyed Jennifer E. Smith's young adult books and The Unsinkable Greta James was really good. While I enjoyed this one, I don't think it was my favorite. There's lots of family drama (as can probably be gleaned from the title) and some heavy topics. The ending was bittersweet (which I was kind of expecting, but was still a bit of a downer).

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was beautiful. It really tugged at my heart strings and showed how complicated family can be. The multiple point of views and the flashbacks just added wonderfully to the story. I was able to better understand the characters and their family dynamic. This is a must read for sure!! Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

I loved this book. I loved how the author uses each of the four siblings unique points of views and goes cheaper by chapter going back and forth from their childhood road trips to their current meetup in North Dakota. I loved how the author uses each of the different POV’s from each distinct adult child to mold the story because coming from a childhood marred by chaos and trauma each person had such a different perspective from the same event and how it shaped them into the adults they are today and how they go through the world navigating their trauma. I loved how they reacted to discovering long held secrets and lies. I found it to be honest and realistic. I thought the author did a great job building character development and story at an engaging pace and the ending was beautiful. Loved the book from start to finish-didn’t find any character annoying or under developed. Well done. Thank you to Jennifer Smith and to Ballantine Books for the advanced copy.

This one really got me. I loved The Unsinkable Greta James and Jennifer E. Smith was back to pull on my heartstrings with this new family drama. I laughed and cried. And it reminded me how valuable those childhood memories shared with my siblings are.

Thank you to NetGalley and  Random House  for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fun for the Whole Family" by Jennifer E. Smith is a deeply moving tale about the intricacies of sibling relationships and the secrets that shape them. The story revolves around the Endicott siblingsGemma, Connor, Roddy, and Judewho, despite their once inseparable bond, have drifted apart over the years. Their distant mother, who would whisk them away on grand road trips, left a mark on their lives that they’re still grappling with. When Jude, now a successful actress, invites them to a remote cabin in North Dakota, they are forced to confront their unresolved issues and the paths their lives have taken.

Smith masterfully weaves together past and present, offering insights into how childhood experiences have left lasting impacts on each sibling. Through alternating perspectives, we get to understand their personal struggles and the reasons behind their estrangement. The depth of each character and their individual journeys make the story both relatable and heartfelt, painting a vivid picture of how family dynamics evolve over time.

While the title might hint at light-heartedness, the novel delves into emotional terrain, exploring forgiveness and the bonds that tie us together. The story’s conclusion is both touching and satisfying, leaving readers with a sense of hope and a renewed appreciation for the complexities of family relationships.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book through its emotional roller-coaster ride where four siblings are brought back together after spending three years apart. The title adds to the location and adventure within the boon while also reminding readers of road trips and vacations spent with their own families as well as the quarrels that come along with these trips. The interspersed chapters focused on the past and present were a nice added touch that helped keep the plot moving while also keeping the reader in the know. While I did not expect the text to be this emotional, I loved every second of this book and was sad to see it end.

Jennifer E. Smith has not disappointed me with her books, and while this is not a YA - her normal genre - it has kept the trend alive. I enjoyed it from the very first page, and I had no trouble keeping characters separate and following the flow from past to present and POV to POV. I also delayed reading it, because I really, really didn't want it to end. I've had so few books that have been a really solid and enjoyable read - a 5 star rating if you will - that when I find one, I tend to delay reaching the finish line to drag it out. Which is really funny, because I also want to find out the ending. Jude's surprises were not unexpected, but that didn't matter to me because I liked the story that got us to her big reveal.

Each character is well developed. The four siblings come across as distinct people and their celebrity status isn't really the focus of who they are. Sure, it's part of them and got them to this place, as is their abandonment as children, but it's not their entire being. Even though Annie, the various partners, and the two kids have less page time, they also emerge as characters and are highly likeable.

For me, this was a definite hit. If you have read Smith, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. But it's not really focused on young adults or romance, so if you are picking it up for that, you'll probably be disappointed. Oh, and I bawled for the epilogue. My kids were worried about me because I don't normally cry over anything.

A multiple POV family drama surrounding 4 siblings by @jenniferesmith
Gemma, the oldest, who took care of her younger siblings,
Roddy, the professional soccer player, his twin
Jude, an Oscar nominated actress, and
Connor, an author and divorced father of two.

Chapters are time jumps from the past to current time. In our current timeline, the siblings no longer speak after the death of their father three years ago. Each gets a text out of the blue from Jude, who asks them to meet for the weekend in North Dakota, of all places.

Jude has just been nominated for an academy award and is dating a hot new actor, Spencer. Roddy is engaged to his boyfriend Winston, and their Valentines Day wedding is upset by him getting the call from a team that wants him to join their roster at the end of his career. Gemma and her husband Mateo contemplate starting a family. And Connor only gets to see his kids, Rosie and Hugh, once a month.

As the story unfolds we learn how extraordinary the family is, what secrets they have buried and how they have come to terms with their childhoods. Their mother, Frankie, while a very seemingly minor character in the book, overall made a huge impact on them. Frankie is a non character with all the influence.

I found the story to be engaging and thoughtful. Good character development. If you like family drama and the relationship between large groups of may be the book for you.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse Ballantine for the ARC. Book to be published April 15, 2025.

#netgalley #bookreviews #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #booktok #funforthewholefamily

I love a good family drama, and this one did not disappoint! I liked the flashback chapters and how the author told the current chapters from different characters’ points of view. I would’ve liked a little more of Gemma’s story, but overall I felt like I got to know the siblings and I was rooting for them the whole time!

Such a deceiving title. This book is good, but I wouldn’t describe it as fun in any sense of the word. This book was heavy. The story is following 4 previously close adult siblings who had a falling out years prior over some unresolved childhood trauma. Fun, right? In an effort to reconnect and confess some secrets, Jude convinces her two brothers and sister to join her in BFE North Dakota. The family used to take road trips with their mom when they were kids and Jude is trying to recapture some of that. A major snowstorm and stress of their own secrets causes blow ups and break downs. This story was interesting in that you are trying to guess the secrets. Once everything comes to light though, it’s a little meh. The epilogue was fantastic and really brought emotion that was needed throughout the story. I shouldn’t have read on my lunch break because I was crying during the epilogue. This is a 3.5 stars rounded to 4 for me.

Thank you Random House Publishing - Ballantine for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Every family is complicated. This book tells the riveting story of the Endicott family.

Each of the 4 children bring so much heart and brazen honesty to their characters. I could feel their happiness. I could feel their pain. I could feel their conflictedness. The author, clearly, wrote from a place of great depth.

It's always humbling to read a story and to be able to relate so deeply to parts of it. I haven't felt that from a book in a while. This one will stick with me.

I highly recommend this book!!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an adult novel of four siblings and their unbreakable bond. Told in lots of flashbacks, we learn of the things that have forged them and tried to pull them apart. A distant father, a mother who came back once a year to take them on road trips, and the pressures of their own careers and life choices. They meet up in North Dakota, each carrying their own roller coaster of emotions – wanting to be close again but still angry over things that have happened in the past. As secrets are revealed, will it bring them closer, or push them farther apart?
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this DRC.
#FunfortheWholeFamily #NetGalley

Fun must be used ironic here because this family had plenty of heartbreaking moments. Perfect book for those who want to feel something! There was really great character development and if you're family is even the least bit dysfunctional, you might find yourself relating to certain situations in this book.

Thank You netgalley for this arc, all opinion s are my own and mine only.
Gun for the whole family is about a disfuncinal family of siblings that follow tradition of see all the states. I don't know that it is FUN but at times heartbreaking. I lived the characters and their development and the I really story. I would recommend.

Heartbreaking and sweet novel about family, forgiveness, and love.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216522634

I loved this book about the Endicott family. A great ensemble cast, compelling storylines, and a tearjerking ending.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Extraordinary Endicott Family has a motto: No Endicott Left Behind--even though that is what their mother, Frankie, did most of the year when the children were young, except for a yearly road trip. After the death of their parents, Jude Endicott pulls her adult siblings together for a reconciliation weekend stay at a cabin in North Dakota. Jude is a successful actor who has received her first Oscar nomination; Roddy, Jude's twin, is a professional soccer player at the end of his career; Connor has won a National Book Award for a personal novel he has written about his family; Gemma is the caretaker of the group who is awaiting IVF results to see if she will have her own child. The novel is composed of then and now chapters outlining the events of their youth and their current disagreements about what really happened. Fun for the Whole Family is a funny, yet sad novel about families and adult children. Highly recommended for discussion groups.