Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel.

I really enjoyed this! Well written, entertaining and very engrossing, Fun For the Whole Family is about the Endicotts - Gemma, Connor and twins Roddy and Jude, grew up without parents, A mom who was aspiring actress left her family to pursue her dreams, and a father who worked all the time, Gemma raised her siblings basically on her own. Their mom swooped in to take them on trips during the summer until it ended one summer with a car fire that almost killed Jude.

3 of the 4 siblings became famous, with Gemma choosing a less public life. The novel goes back and forth through time to describe the kids upbringing, a fracture/fight 3 years ago, and the present, where they get together in North Dakota. I don't want to give anything else away but this book was great and I would recommend it to anyone.

Overall, I enjoyed reading it. The time jumps were distracting and confusing at first, but they made sense for this novel and I adjusted.

The foreshadowing was pretty heavy; it was apparent early on that Jude was facing an illness. I was a little confused by her squeamishness at chopping vegetables … I assume a metaphor for surgery?

Characters were decently well drawn. I thought a lot about the Philip Larkin line (your parents, they F you up) when reading this. I read on a family vacation with my 4 kids — how serendipitous. It raised some interesting ideas about pursuing passions at what cost, what does it mean to be extraordinary (and at what cost).

At times, it felt a little cheesy or pat.

Books with a good family or sibling dynamic are auto buys for me! I love family drama dynamics, I can't help it. It was a very well written character driven novel that felt like I was watching a family show (i.e. Parenthood). Felt nostalgic in the best way. I loved how it felt like I knew each sibling by the end, and even from the beginning it felt like I had a good sense of "who" they were. Only reason this was not 5 stars for me (but it was close!) was because I felt like some of the reveals were underwhelming.

This book was so sentimental and sweet. The Extrodinary Endicott siblings and their amazing USA roadtrips will have you laughing, have your jaw dropping, and will 100% have you in tears. This book feels like the epitome of “I wonder if they think of me”. At least that’s what I connected with the most of this book. The parts where the siblings were not in constant communication but would continue to silently support each other was such a sweet addition. This book really wowed me and was a great read. If you love books about family and traveling, you have to pick this book up.

Both serious and light-hearted at the same time, this was an entertaining and often humorous story of a dysfunctional family trying to get through life and find the grace to forgive various transgressions (some big, some small) that they've committed against each other over the years. Despite their pasts, its clear they love each other deeply and have each other's backs no matter what. The story centers around a surprise reunion for the four siblings, where they get to know each other again and hash out their childhood. The characters are all likeable and extremely relatable, and I found myself rooting for all of them! Highly recommend for a great, family-themed read.

3.5 rounded up. This was a family drama about four siblings who come together after having not spoken for a few years. There were some siblings lives/stories that I felt more drawn to than others. Overall, I enjoyed this one but felt that the middle really dragged on and I wasn’t overly attached to any of the characters. I recommend if you’re looking for an emotional, slow burn drama. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

The four Endicott children spent summers on cross-country road trips with their absent mom, whose goal was to visit all fifty states. Now after some years estranged, Jude summons her siblings to North Dakota in February where they will have to face some hard truths, share some secrets, and forgive each other.

This book was funny and heartfelt and heart-wrenching and hopeful and endearing. I adored how this book was told from the four siblings' POV in present day and flashbacks through their childhoods and the fifty states that they visited or lived in.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. #FunfortheWholeFamily #NetGalley

I'm a sucker for a good family drama and Fun for the Whole Family delivered on all counts - dysfunction abound!

Thank you to Ballantine books and to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Fun for the Whole Family tells the touching story of 4 formerly close knit siblings now in their late 30s/early 40s who reunite for a surprise weekend in North Dakota after several years of not speaking to one another. Smith does such an amazing job of explaining the drama and the family dynamics through each of the siblings eyes and the ways in which this original family (including their deceased parents) have shaped their entire lives.

I loved, loved, loved this book! I was captivated by each of the 4 siblings stories and trials and the author does an amazing job of switching between perspectives and switching between current day and flashbacks. The story is touching and heartbreaking but also heartwarming at the same time while never feeling too bogged down in grief or tragedy. This is such a tender portrayal of the ways in which your parents and family shape your life well beyond your entrance into adulthood. I can’t wait to read anything and everything else this author writes.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Then I suppose," she says, "we'll need a new map."


Fun for the Whole Family was emotional! In this, you will meet Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude. They are siblings and haven't seen each other in a while. Throughout the book, you get to see parts of the past and then the present. When they were younger, they used to have these fun summer vacations with their mother. They would travel to somewhere new and create new experiences along the way. Until they stopped because of an accident.

Now they are grown up and haven't seen or really spoken to each other in years. So, that means it's obviously time for a family vacation to a state they've never been to before. Things are a bit awkward between them and words definitely need to be spoken. It's just... things don't always go as planned.

Slowly but surely, truths start to come out. They all four start bonding again and begin to heal in a way. That doesn't stop the drama or chaos coming towards them but it does bring them closer together. I honestly liked them all - the ups and downs made them feel genuine.

The ending, though. Oof. So many emotions were felt and I am glad that I had some tissues near me. I can't wait for their family adventures to continue even if we don't get another book with the world tour.

I love a good road trip story, but what I love even more is a good story about family, drama, and second chances, and this book really delivers. I adored each of the siblings and loved how fleshed out each character was. I also loved how this had a nice balance between the humor and the more emotional moments.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith is the story of the Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude. Each member of the family has their story and their challenges and of course it all starts to unfold as they gather for the first time in years. I enjoyed the journey with this dysfunctional family.
4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Fun for the Whole Family is available now.

I LOVED The Unsinkable Greta James, so I had really high expectations for Fun for the Whole Family. It didn't quite live up to Greta, but it was a heartfelt (and sometimes heart-wrenching) novel about family and, most importantly, the bond between siblings!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an absolute delight - the author writes families so well. She wrote such incredible complexity and makes each family member feel like one of my own!

I really loved this whole story and find it to be a hard one to really promote. It's for sure one to read!

Fun for the Whole Family is a great read about family drama. The book follows 4 siblings, Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude. Their bond was brought on by their absent mother, who would only pop up to take them in vacation during the summer months.

Decades later, a text out of the blue from now movie star Jude brings them to North Dakota, one of the states they didn't visit on their roadtrips as kids. Each sibling is battling something internally. Gemma, who was a pseudo mother to the others, isn't sure she wants to be one. Connor is fresh off his divorce and is suffering writers block. Roddy is debating one more season of soccer or spending time with his fiancé. Jude is holding onto a secret that could change their lives forever.

I really enjoyed this novel and was able to finish it within a few days. This is a must read for anyone that likes family dramas.

This book completely exceeded my expectations! I looove a good family story, and this delivered in every possible way. I finished this book around 2am and sat in bed silently crying as my fiancé slept next to me. A MILLION TIMES YES to this one. I’m definitely checking out more of this author’s books!

My absolute favorite kind of book. Truly an emotional journey that also had me laughing out loud.
Jennifer writes families in a way that leaves me wanting a sequel. I felt the same with Field Notes on Love. I also love how much she incorporates Geography into her stories. I genuine mix of all my favorites. This is a tear-jerker though, you have been warned.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 [sniffle].75 Stars

This is a perfect example of not judging a book by the cover. This could be an excellent, star-studded cast movie! I did NOT expect this plot and the way it unfolded. I went in blind. This is the 2nd or 3rd book this year with almost a comical cartoon cover that lends itself to a less-serious feel for a novel.

This story is about complications, missed moments, dynamics and above all, FAMILY… the good, the bad and the glue.

Once again, I’m so thankful that NetGalley allowed me to read something that I otherwise would NOT have picked up on my own.

Were scenes corny at times? Yes. But it made this book feel genuine. I think my age helped here, bc I’ve seen these varied “characters” throughout my lifetime. Each of them have had to be either nurtured
or let go. This book felt like that. Loved it.

I enjoyed reading this and thinking about my own family--the love, surprises, dysfunction, healing, unmet expectations, misunderstandings, inside jokes, and peace in each other's company. Well done.

2.5 stars

The Endicott siblings, once inseparable, reunite after years of estrangement when Jude, a famous actress, calls them to come to North Dakota. Each sibling faces some personal challenges and there are secrets held that could alter their lives forever.

I thought this would be a lighthearted road-trip book, but the road-trip sections are small, organized by state, and try too hard to provide relevant details to the characters in the present day, but very quickly began to feel like filler. The present day timeline(s) felt like a collision course for a set of characters coming together, only to be underdeveloped and flattened out. And, once again in my reading, the present tense here drove me a little nuts. It's hard to feel connected to characters written in present tense because the golf commentary bend lends itself to an automatic step back from the narrative...more space between the reader and the story, which I think is the opposite intention in this book about a family returning to each other.