A story about four estranged siblings coming together after three years apart on a snowy trip to North Dakota. I loved it. It was both sweet and sad.

The four Endicott siblings have drifted apart since their parents have passed away. When out of the blue, their sister that is a famous actress has messaged them and asked them to meet in an out of way town in North Dakota. Each of them decide to go to find out what is going on. There have been rifts between them for various reasons, and they hope getting together will help.

This is a great book that has different layers to the story. Each sibling has their own story to tell and the result is worth it. It is especially fun because I am from North Dakota.

Thank you to NetGally for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Fun for the Whole Family

A family drama about four grown siblings who didn't have the easiest childhood, coming together after leading very separate lives as adults. All have their own issues they are working through and hang ups about their family.

Great story for fans of family drama and sibling relationships!

I always gravitate to stories about families of 4 children. This story follows such a family, and how choices can drive wedges into sibling dynamics and how it's work the effort to resolve openly to become part of each other's lives again. All families are dysfunctional and only siblings know exactly how theirs is. Emotional, raw in places, and inspiring. Highly recommend!

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

This book started out really slow but the end made me cry and it was just a really wholesome book about siblings, family, love, and life. Highly recommend.

This story rang true on so many levels. The voices, the thoughts, the interactions of the siblings reminded me of so many families I have known. The realism of all that happened and what is transpiring is completely embraceable. And then I laughed and sighed and cried and wanted just a little more. A wonderful book that I plan to savor again taking more time to dig in a little deeper.

So many thanks to Ballantine Books / Random House and NetGalley for a copy.

So this book is not what I expected it to be. I thought it would be a family road trip traveling across the states. And in some ways it was. Just partly as adult siblings who have a lot of baggage and secrets. The reunion in North Dakota in the winter was both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
This book should've been titled something like Traveling with the Whole family. There were so many locations mentioned through out the whole book. All the characters were developed. The family was definitely filled with drama but I did think the secret was put off too long. I really enjoy books with multiple POV's . This being said I couldn't get into the story over all. I feel like my opinion is unpopular because this is a much loved book but it lacked positive energy and the ending was a little off.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballatine Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. We meet the four Endicott siblings - Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude - who are estranged and haven't talked to each other in years. We learn through and back and forth storytelling that when they were young, they were inseparable. Their mother disappeared and would show up from time to time so it was Gemma, the oldest, who put her dreams aside to take care of the siblings and keep the family together. Connor is a successful novelist, Roddy is a celebrated soccer player nearing the end of his career and Judy is a famous actress. Jude has summoned her siblings to meet in a small town in North Dakota. As their truths come out, it seems that Jude is the only one with her life together but has a secret that will change everything for the siblings. This was an enjoyable story of family and the hurts that go unsaid but always coming back together when the stakes are high.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

Gah! This book!! Don't let the title fool you because while there are some "fun" moments...this is more of an emotional, deeply complicated, yet beautiful ride.

This is a family drama surrounding four estranged siblings who after a phone call have reunited after a three-year separation. The characters are well drawn with side stories beyond the family dynamics. The history of the Endicott family is told in backstory flashes as well as the current turmoil and unresolved feelings during their reunion.

So many feels reading this book! I would love to see this as a movie/TV show.

5 stars

I received this e-book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for the copy!

The four Endicott siblings traveled to several states with their mother, who returned for a few weeks each summer to take them on road trips. These siblings were extremely close as kids, but as adults time passed by and it had been years since the siblings had talked to one another. Until they all get a text from Jude to meet her in North Dakota. They each have their own troubles going on, but decide to go and see what the true motive is for getting them together. As the siblings spend the weekend together with their families, secrets are revealed and bonds are created again, but Jude has three big secrets that she is afraid to share, knowing that it could change everything.

Although it took me awhile to get through this one, it's not because it wasn't entertaining. THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD BOOK! If you have siblings, then you will be able to relate to this, especially if you have multiple. This was a great story, that allowed us to see inside each of their heads between the past and the present, and how we can grow and evolve our relationships with our siblings as adults and forgive each other. And yes, I cried!

I really enjoyed this book, especially the chapter format. Going back and forth between the past and present gave interesting insight into why the characters act in certain ways. I also really enjoyed that each chapter switched between the characters, it definitely made the book fly by. I did feel that the ultimate surprise reveal at the end came pretty late and there wasn't a lot of time dedicated to the fall out, which I think would have been interesting to explore.

I loved this book!
Didn’t realize this was the same author as Greta James.
I grew up in a large family so I related right away with the complex relationships between siblings and siblings vs parents.
This story was in a way relatable. It was tender and emotional and I definitely got choked up a couple times.
I started the book writing down the characters so I could keep them straight. After I did that I didn’t struggle to keep them separate.

A heartfelt, character-driven story that captures the beautiful messiness of sibling bonds, long-buried resentment, and the struggle to move forward when the past still clings to you. I loved how the novel peeled back each character’s layers and revealed just how much they were still shaped by their childhood—and their elusive, chaotic mother.

The cross-country memories were especially vivid and nostalgic, and Jude’s secrets added a great layer of suspense. It wasn’t overly plot-heavy, but the emotional payoff was strong. A great read for fans of family dramas with big feelings and bigger personalities.

Wow this book took me by surprise! I love a sibling dynamic focused book. I thought the pacing was perfect and found myself crying at the end. This would make for a wonderful adaptation! I feel like fans of the show Parenthood or Gilmore Girls would love this book.

I highly recommend Fun for the Whole Family. Once I started it, I could not put it down. This is a family saga, that alternates between the perspectives of 4 siblings, who grew up in a chaotic way after their mother left and then took them on road trips every summer. The siblings have grown up to be extraordinary in different ways, but are also all struggling, and the novel alternates between their childhood and the current day, when they reunite in North Dakota after not speaking for 3 years, which we eventually learn why. I really liked all the siblings and the other characters, especially Winston, and was rooting for them all, and I cried some real tears but also laughed a lot. I will look out for anything else this author writes, at least in the adult categories!

This was a great fun ride that also was a heartbreaking, bittersweet journey for the Endicott siblings. I deeply enjoyed how the author took us into the relationships of the whole sibling group while also exploring the bonds individual siblings had with one other sibling. It was a super heartfelt book for when you are in that mood without having the total breakdown associated sometimes with books like this. It reminds me of another book I absolutely loved earlier this year - Blue Sisters. I definitely think this book is a great read for when you are in the mood for this type of experience.

This book moved along very slowly. I found it long and slow because not much was happening. It was all about the characters and relationships. It was rather sad and depressing and I guessed early on what was going to happen. This book has a lot of great reviews, but unfortunately it wasn't a favorite of mine.

Fun For The Whole Family stole my heart. It is the story of 4 siblings, called together by one of them to meet in North Dakota after not seeing each other for years. The book flip flops between prior trips to various states and present day. It’s heartbreaking so have Kleenex on standby. But also so heartwarming. It’s about the strength of family, forgiveness, love and resilience. So much emotion mixed with witty one line zingers. I laughed and cried and hugged my kindle. All the stars. I loved it so much.

If you enjoyed The Unsinkable Greta James then you will love this new book by Jennifer E. Smith. This book will fill you with joy as you get to know the family and all their secrets. You will find yourself thinking about these characters long after you put this one down. Highly recommend!