“There’s only people who try and people who don’t. And I promise you the first one is better.”

I sorta loved this book in spite of itself.

For something I'm giving 4 stars, this seems like I'm damning with faint praise, but hear me out. There is absolutely nothing original in this book. If you've ever read a book about a group of estranged siblings coming together and hashing out the old fights, you've read this book. "The Royal Tennenbaums" is funnier. "The Book of Joe" does a better job of the "writer writes about real people and comes home" trope. "This Is Where I Leave You" is a funnier and sweeter take on the family reunion. (Not that I'm comparing, mind...even if I cite two Jonathan Tropper novels - again...I LIKED THIS!) I saw absolutely every plot point coming from miles away - there were no shocks or suprises here. Moreover, the "magnificent" nature of the siblings seriously strained credulity - I have read/watched things where one sibling is famous, but it is ridiculous to think that in a family of 4, one would be an Oscar nominated actress, one a successful pro athlete and one a National Book Award winner. That just doesn't happen in real life. The real "lesson" of the book, exemplared in that statement by Connor towards the end, is that trying is important. And better. And that isn't particularly an original statement either.

And yet.

And yet I found myself propelled along. The characters are all loveable in their own ways, which was enough to propel me through the story all the way to its inevitable (and telegraphed) ending. There's nothing original here...but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Think of it like watching a season of an old comedy or drama that you still love - it makes you feel things, even if you already know what's coming. Do I still get teary when, on "The Office," Pam asks the interviewer "What was the question?" with the look of joy on her face - even though I've seen it a billion times? Absolutely. Same deal here. You want this family to exist in the real world. You root for them. And that's a quality of the prose and the writing of the characters. Even knowing early on how this book would end...I still got teary.

There's a skill in writing a book like that. And it is definitely on display here. So I sorta loved it...in spite of it being what it was. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for a chance to read an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own and are uncompensated. Fun for the Whole Family is out April 8th and you can preorder it in all the usual places!

At first glance the cover and title of this book appears to be a light-hearted family story - but, in reality, it's a deep, emotional, and character driven novel with only a touch of humor.

The Endicott siblings - Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude - were once inseparable, but years of distance and personal struggles have pulled them apart. When Jude, now a famous actress, suddenly invites them to a small town in North Dakota, they're forced to confront their past and the secrets she's been keeping.

Each sibling is at a crossroads - Gemma is unsure about motherhood, Connor is struggling after his divorce, and Roddy risks his relationship for one last soccer season. Over the course of one intense weekend, long buried family tensions surface, and their relationships are tested in ways they never expected.

This novel is beautifully written and full of raw emotion, capturing the messy, complicated bonds of family. While it's heavier than it first appears, it's a powerful and heartfelt read that will bring you to tears.

Story of four siblings who grew up traveling the country and marking off the states they went through on a giant map. Years later as adults they are mostly estranged from each other until a get together reunites them. Each sibling is successful in their own way and with multiple time jumps we learn about each including their successes, losses, secrets and family drama

Despite the premise the book fell flat for me. The multiple time jumps made it confusing at times and I never connected to or got emotionally involved with any of the characters.. I did not find a lot of character growth or overall story development.

Thanks for the ARC -opinions are my own

"Fun For The Whole Family" is a family-focused tale with themes of love, forgiveness, empathy, and how we cope when we find ourselves at a crossroads. The characterization of the siblings and their family dynamic feels real and grounded in reality and is the novel's greatest strength, in my opinion. As an eldest sibling, I quite related to the dynamic between siblings.

This book has a timeline that jumps back and forth. Sometimes, I find this structure frustrating but here, I found it serving the story quite well--propelling us through the weekend trip to North Dakota and ultimately, the reveal of Jude's three "secrets." I think it made the story more engaging than a typical chronological structure.

What holds this book back from five stars for me is two fold.

-Three out of the four siblings being "extraordinary Endicotts" (an Oscar-nominated actress, a professional athlete, and an award-winning author) is both improbable and at odds with the relatability of the characters. I kept thinking "there's no way this family could exist," which disrupted my reading experience.
- Unfortunately, the plot was predictable at points. About 10-20 pages before a plot development, I would have a moment of clarity of "Oh, that's what is coming next."

All in all, I really enjoyed this novel. I think it would make a fantastic television series, where there is ample time to dive into the family dynamic.

I am grateful for the free ARC ebook copy that was provided to me by NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballatine Books. All opinions are my own.

This title releases on April 8, 2025.

Let me start by saying I LOVED this book! It was a true emotional rollercoaster. That being said “Fun for the Whole Family” by Jennifer E. Smith may be a bit of a misleading title. Yes the whole family has fun on their yearly roadtrips across the USA with their mercurial mom, Frankie, but deep down this family has problems like every other. Plus life recently hasn’t been so fun for the 4 grown-up Endicott siblings. After 3 years of not seeing each other and barely keeping tabs on each other, the siblings meet up in North Dakota at the request of youngest sibling, Jude. Jude has some secrets she must share that will either tear her family apart more or bring them back together.

I sobbed last night when I finished this book. The book flashes from the siblings in the present day to past road trips with their mom. We learn each siblings perspective on their childhood and how it affects them today. I really enjoyed this format. I was so invested in each character after their respective first chapters. If you love a family drama, I truly think you will love this book. I can’t wait to recommend it to friends and patrons.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for this eARC!

Family drama tied together with a road trip toward closure. Compelling and hopeful blended with uncertainty, but bounded together with answers. Involves rethinking many previous decisions, which is realistic to all readers. Plus, it makes readers consider their own list of states traveled...

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

this was a really lovely book - i am such a sucker for family reunion stories and this delivered. the twists were admittedly not super twisty and the ending left me sad, but i cared so much about the siblings and their own journeys on top of them figuring out their relationship as a group. each of the siblings was very endearing and i was so invested in what happened to then. teared up multiple times tbh. a great read!

"Can you meet me in North Dakota this weekend?" All three Endicott siblings receive this cryptic text message from the fourth sibling Jude, after not seeing each other for 3 years. If you had told them when they were younger that that they would go years without seeing each other none of them would have believed it, and yet here they are. The siblings were very close growing up, navigating a mother who deserted them, but somehow still showing up every summer to take them on a road trip. Attempting to visit all 50 states the family would mark the states they visited on a map. Until an event on their last road trip caused all future trips to come to a grinding halt.

The siblings still remained close and grew to all be successful in their own way. Jude is an Oscar nominated actress, Connor an award winning author, Roddy a professional soccer star, and Gemma a marketing manager. As adults they are estranged, after a big blowup while getting together for their father's funeral. Now that Jude has summoned them to North Dakota the other siblings are wondering if this might be her last state to see and why, after 3 years, does she all of a sudden seem to eager for them to reunite.

I loved this book! It wasn't a super quick read, but it slowly developed and really took its time getting to introduce the characters fully. I loved every single person in the book and their backstory. I laughed, I cried, and I loved reading about the Amazing Endicotts.

Heartfelt, deep, poignant.....this was all the feels, great character development, true emotions and very deep. The way siblings are effected by their mother and their different perspectives. This was so well written and the emotions feel so real. Must read for anyone who appreciates family drama.

A very family forward novel with heart. There are four siblings each in different stages of life and all the problems and challenges that they are dealing with. Great novel.

I really loved this one. It was incredibly well written and well thought out. I love books about siblings because I can relate! It was interesting to try to figure out what each sibling had gone through together and separately. This book was also very sad and I would look up trigger warnings. I feel like the cover does not really convey the emotional journey you will be going on. But overall quite fantastic.

There’s no such thing as fun for the whole family. —Jerry Seinfeld

The Seinfeld quote and title is absolutely fitting for this family saga about four siblings who have become estranged over the last few years. It is not clear exactly what has caused this estrangement but as the story unfolds the reader learns more about each sibling. The Endicott siblings are all exceptional, talented, and successful in adult life. Jude, the Oscar nominated sister, brings them all together in Colorado ending up snowed in at a cabin.

I love a family drama, especially like this when told from each perspective. The Endicott's each remember the past differently, experiencing the same summer road trips with their mother in entirely different ways. As it turns out, life wasn't always "fun for the whole family".

The writing is heartwarming and engaging. I did not want this to end while still looking forward to the story unfolding. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t loved a literary family this much since the Foxmans in Jonathan Tropper’s “This is Where I Leave You”. Fun For the Whole Family wasn’t exactly what I expected, but honestly, it brought so much more. Funny at times, heartbreaking at others, and lovably dysfunctional throughout, Fun For the Whole Family reminds you of the cost of things left unsaid and the importance of making the most of your time with the ones you love. This was a 5 star read for me. I laughed some, cried a lot, and called my family as soon as I finished.

Fun for the Whole Family is the story of the four Extraordinary Endicott over the span of their lives. A multi POV novel that spans decade and all 50 states, it follows Gemma, Connor, Roddy, Jude and their often absent and eccentric mother, Frankie, throughout a series of summer road trips and family gatherings. Following their father’s death, the previously inseparable Endicotts have not spoken in almost 4 years until the youngest daughter, Jude, sends out a cryptic request to meet in North Dakota. What follows is a heartwarming journey back to each other and a reminder that time is too valuable to waste, you can’t outrun the past, and you can always go home again.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shockingly, this was my first boon by Jennifer Smith. I do own many of her books because they’ve always intrigued me, but this one is the first one I’ve picked up and read!

Oh man, this made me feel so many feels. It also felt like a gut punch at times because I feel like I keep seeing this one particular theme in each book I’m reading, and it’s starting to feel like a bad omen.

All of that aside, I really enjoyed this one. I really loved these characters, and I really enjoyed getting to known each and every one.

I sometimes get nervous with multiple POVs because I worry I’ll mix them up, but I felt like I know all of these characters forward and backward.

I feel like in books like this it’s either character driven or plot driven, and this was a rare treat with the BEST of both worlds.

I WISH I had read more of her books sooner, but I really look forward to going into her backlist.

These deeply flawed and wounded characters, shaped by a tumultuous childhood marked by abandonment, are outwardly successful. I love how the story explores the human experience within families, highlighting dysfunction like the parentification of children, abandonment wounds, and the raw emotions that accompany such experiences.

The humor woven into the dialogue adds a unique touch, and I truly enjoyed the setting. I couldn’t put this book down from start to finish.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I loved this story! The author really got all the dynamics and nuances of sibling relationships. It’s about siblings growing up, growing apart and trying to reconnect. It was emotional and so relatable. Highly recommend!!

4 stars

This is another solid effort from Jennifer E. Smith.

I really enjoyed _The Unsinkable Greta James_ and had high expectations for similarly strong character development and meaningful plotlines. That all comes through here.

The four Endicott siblings survived the traumatic and odd departure of their mother in their youth and the fairly recent death of their father all to find themselves drifting from each other as adults. When the novel begins, they haven't spoken in any meaningful ways (or at all, in some cases) for years, and they've now been summoned to a dubious retreat by one of the sisters, Jude. No one can make sense of why they've been brought together, but readers learn along with the siblings that a number of secrets will be told, reveals will be experienced, and further changes to their relationships are on the way.

For me, this was incredibly readable and engaging. The characters are well drawn but not so nuanced that they slow the quick pacing. Then that ending. I'll stay spoiler free on that front, but I'll share that it did hit me hard.

This author will continue to be one whose works I'm excited to read and recommend.

This is a story of siblings, and the lives that they lived during their younger years, as well as when they grew to be adults, and how their lives were shaped, somewhat, by their mother. Once upon a time, they were very close, but as their lives diverged over the years, they haven’t spent much time together. And so, eventually, they gather together for a weekend where secrets are revealed, some wisdom found, and their bond a bit stronger.

A lovely story of the bonds of family


Pub Date: 08 Apr 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Ballantine Books

4.5 stars.

✨This was such a heartwarming character-driven family drama with authentic characters who are flawed but lovable. It’s packed full of emotion and humor. I laughed, and I cried.

✨At its heart, this book is a love story for anyone who loves – whether it be your family, your pets, your partners, your passions or your pursuits.

✨I loved it and highly recommend.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Character-driven novels
✨Dual timelines
✨Multiple points of view
✨Family drama
✨Sibling narratives
✨Tear-jerkers

My thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Don't let the title and cute, colorful cover of this one mislead you. Was this story fun? No not at all. But it was still wonderful and very much worth the read. In this book we follow four estranged siblings as they reunite several years after the death of their father. The story is told through alternating perspectives and as the book continues you see that we are traveling with the siblings and their mother as they try to visit all 50 states.

While the perspective and timeline shift throughout the book, it's still relatively easy to follow as we begin to learn more about how the close the siblings once were, what happened to them that drove them apart, and how they are going to reconcile on their weekend together in the present. I was expecting a lighthearted family story, but this heart-wrenching book was so much more than that and left me weepy in the hair salon as I finished the story. I would highly recommend!