Yes, yes, all the yes!!! This was a big five star for me! I listened to the audiobook and our girl did it SO.MUCH.JUSTICE! I actually listened to the entire thing in one sitting because I absolutely fell in love with this family.

The Endicott siblings grew up taking messy summer road trips with their chaotic, incredible mother, with the goal of seeing all fifty states. All this ended during their teenage years, after an incident that led to none of them seeing their mother again, an incident that also might've started the process of breaking the siblings. Years later, the four are all very successful. Gemma, the oldest, is happy in her career and trying her last try for a baby with her husband. Connor wrote a bestselling novel...that was thinly veiled the story of their childhood, which no one liked very much. Roddy is a soccer player riding a falling star, given the opportunity for one last season, which is causing immense stress in his relationship. And Jude, always their mother's favorite, is an actress taking Hollywood by storm. After the book incident, they don't see much of each other, until Jude makes a surprise invite to bring the whole family to a small town in North Dakota, of all places, in the winter, of all times. Jude has three confessions to make, and a cabin with the group snowed in, which includes the siblings, Connor's two kids, Roddy's fiancee, and local Uber-driver/barista/bookshop worker, secrets, shared history, and lots of drama is going to come out, leaving no one unscathed.
This book did make me ugly sob, so do take this into consideration. It is so full of heart and joy and also sorrow. I hardly have words to describe how much I loved this book. It was a wonder and a joy. It's a fascinating picture of a deeply dysfunctional, loving family. It's laugh out loud funny, and sobbing-levels of heartbreaking.

Fun for the Whole Family punched me in the gut in a totally unexpected way. I finished this book in tears, which tbh is how I also finished The Unsinkable Gretta James. Jennifer E. Smith is such a beautiful storyteller and managed to weave four different perspectives so seamlessly. I will read anything she writes.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith.

Man, I love a good family story, the interweaving of siblings, parents, traumas, stories, and dysfunction. It's so good.

When the Endicott (great name!) siblings gather in North Dakota, it's the first time in years, unusual given how close they once were. But the oldest sister, Jude, has summoned them all, and curiosity has gotten the best of them. Why now, out of the blue would their famous sister want to meet in such a strange spot?

Through multiple lenses we learn about the unstable childhood of the Endicott family, their tragedies and joys, and whether or not they can find forgiveness in their hearts for the pain they experienced.

I loved this book, the characters, the plot, and the hopping timeline. This is absolutely my kind of book!

4.5 stars

The title and cover picture make this book seem like a light-hearted read, but it is definitely much deeper than it appears.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith follows the Endicott family, a close-knit group of four siblings, from childhood when they would take cross-country road trips with their estranged mother, to adulthood when they are reunited on a spur-of-the-moment weekend trip after three years of not speaking to one another. Through the use of shifting POV and alternating timelines, set against the backdrop of various different states, we learn what kind of childhood trauma each sibling carries and how it relates to the secrets they hold in the present day.

This book is captivating. Each sibling's story is fully fleshed out, and they all seem like they could be an acquaintance you'd know in real life. It might seem like the alternating POVs, timelines, and states would be difficult to keep track of, but it actually adds to the pace of the story, especially when you get closer to the climax. Even though the main setting of the story feels a little larger than life (random small town in North Dakota in the middle of a snow storm), the topics that are covered across the wide array of life experiences are so well done and genuine. Grief is a theme that is explored thoroughly, and it is sure to ring true for anyone who has ever had to go through it, especially when it comes to the loss of a parent.

There are a couple things that I don't particularly get. For one thing, the portrayal of the mom feels stereotypically "manic pixie dream girl", and falls a bit flat, especially in comparison to how full each of the children's characters are. This almost makes it a little too easy to blame all of the problems on her. And secondly, I didn't feel as invested in one or two of the main characters' stories compared to the others'. They are all well told, but I personally would've been fine if there had been only three siblings instead of four, and still like the book just as much.

But regardless, don't let the cover fool you; if you want a well-written story that delves into the complexity of family dynamics, this pick is for you.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fun for the Whole Family is available now wherever books are sold.

I really loved this book. A dysfunctional family is always great and makes me feel better about mine. If you like family drama at all, this is the book for you.

I've heard amazing things about this author's previous book so I thought I'd give her latest release a try! Sadly, this one fell flat for me. It was a "just okay" read for me, nothing bad, nothing great, and it didn't really make me feel much of anything either way. Unfortunately forgettable.

Very interesting story about this family. The author told the story in a very interesting way about this for Adults. They had a rough childhood because the mother used to Take them on car trips around the country. Oldest one was GEM M.A she raised her brothers and sisters. Connor most interesting because he was a writer. J u d e was an actress in hollywood. R o d d y was a athlete who was gay. The last trip they Took as a family. Or in the car caught on F I r e. The father would not let them see their mother anymore. Each chapter had a different theme for each child.. They all met up again later on in north dakota. Look back on their childhood.

I loved this book. Let's just start with that. I don't know what I expected when I picked this one up besides that the premise sounded interesting and felt like exactly what I was in the mood for. Almost instantly, I was sucked into these four siblings lives. Here's what we know basically from the beginning of the book: the four siblings used to be very close despite a more unique upbringing (not sure unique is the right word here but it does fit) and haven't really spoken in years although we as the reader don't know why. One of the siblings, Jude, has called them all together for a weekend away, but they don't know why. I'm going to leave it there - that tells you enough without spoiling anything. When I say that I was invested in these four characters - in their lives, their troubles, in what happened both in their childhood and in what had caused them to stop speaking...I mean that I was well and truly hooked. This author brought each of these siblings to life for me. I laughed, I cried...I literally sobbed by the end. This book was everything that I needed it to be without even knowing it. I just loved every minute with these characters and now need more books like this in my reading life. If you have recommendations, please share!

Readers who enjoy character-driven reads that will tug at your heartstrings need to pick this book up. I was trying to think of a book to compare this one to and just couldn't. It's an easy five stars for me and that should tell you everything that you need to know.

A character driven book strong on family dynamics.

I really enjoyed the development of the siblings' relationships--both with each other and in their personal lives. Each carried their own baggage and as the plot unfolded, you come to understand the complexities of their past (and present).

Recommend for any reader looking for a complex family narrative, with a little mystery and hidden backstory. (My only knock: the pacing is a little slow but not in a distracting way.)

Ended up doing this one on audiobook because Lauren Graham was the narrator. Loved the story and the characters so much. The way they tackled real life issues was great!

Disappointing. Based on the title font and colorful cheerful cover and the blurb that it was "joy-filled," I was expecting a happier story. Instead it was a tearjerker with uber drama and overall silly characters, except for Gemma. There was enough foreshadowing that I had a pretty good idea where the plot was going. I know a lot of readers really liked the book and the travel sections were good, but overall I found it depressing, especially the ending.

My heart. This book took a turn that I did NOT see coming. I knew it would be emotional with siblings reuniting, but there was even more to it. Phew. Amazing writing!

Another delightful, heartfelt novel by Smith. I think she has a particular talent for writing fully fleshed out characters who have flaws, but who are still very easy to root for and admire. While I didn't take to it as wholeheartedly as I did to "Unsinkable Greta James," I found so much to love about the Endicott siblings.

A tender sibling reunion that is a heartfelt exploration of sibling bonds, long held secrets, and the beauty of reconnecting. Filled with emotional depth, the story peels back childhood trauma and adult regret.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was so interesting! It’s told through multiple points of view, with each sibling getting a chance to share their story. The timeline shifts between past and present, which made everything feel layered and emotional. I loved how each perspective added something new, it really felt like a full family story.

character-driven read that explores family dynamics, grief, and growing up in such a real way.

I enjoyed it and glad I read it

Thank you NetGalley and Random House

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved this so much. I'm always a fan of stories about 4 siblings (as I am the oldest of 4) and this one was absolutely perfect. I loved all of these characters - Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude - as they were so well drawn and felt completely real to me. They were flawed but in such human, realistic ways, and I felt like I was right there with them as they worked on repairing their relationships with each other and confronting the truths about their childhood that they hadn't ever discussed before. This novel just felt like a hug, it was perfect for me.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith
#generalfiction

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This is a great family drama! Four adult siblings. A few timelines as well as a few secrets that need to come out. They've all been summoned by the one sister to a tiny town in the middle of North Dakota. The a snow storm hits. How will they manage to deal with it?

I just loved this book! Definitely recommend!

#netgalley
#randomhousepublishinggroup
#ballentinebooks

This is for sure going to be one of my favorite stories of the year. I grew up reading JES's YA romances. For me they were very similar to Emily Henry's romances. Some of them were stronger on the romance, but they all had deeper literary fiction-esque sub-plots. This was very different from all of the other things I've read by her. This was a literary fiction about a group of close siblings that stop speaking for 3 years, and are randomly all brought together for a weekend. This book does an amazing job at writing the complexities of familial & sibling relationships. The good, the bad, and all the gray in between.
I loved how well developed each of the siblings were, and how there stories all were so incredibly different from one another, while also being similar because of the strange upbringing they had. While I did have a epub ARC, I also listened to an audio I was able to get a loan on on Libby. While the writing is phenomenal, if I were an individual who only listened to the audio, I would be disappointed. The narrator was terrible!
Of course, I can't blame JEB for that, her book was really a great read. One of my favorites of 2025. Highly recommend!

For my friends who like stories about close-knit siblings.

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Jennifer E. Smith

Thanks, @ballantinebooks, for the digital review copy via #NetGalley. (Available now)

“The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.” Except something happened to their bond and they've been estranged for three years. A weekend in North Dakota helps everything come to light.

I enjoyed spending time with these complicated and fascinating characters, watching them work through their issues with each other and their respective significant others. This wasn't a heavy, over-the-top, dark, deep drama. It was realistic, compelling, and a heartfelt story about a family, about children that basically raised themselves and did a darn good job of it.