I didn't care for any of these characters. I do think the ending was well done, but the journey to get there let little to be desired.

i love books about siblings, and this was a good one. i thought these four and their complex relationships with each other felt so full and real! this book had so much going on, but my favorite parts were when it was just the four of them.

Fun For The Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith is an entertaining story of a family, unusual, but loving. They were adults now, with different lives, but once they had looked forward to summers when their mother, Frankie, would return and take them road trips. Mom had run away early in their lives and these were the only times they saw her. Gemma was the oldest and had become the mother. She also had the most ordinary life. Her husband was a sixth grade science teacher. They were trying to have a baby. It was not as simple as it seems. Then she got the text from Jude, imploring her to come to a small town in North Dakota. She didn’t want to go, but she did. As did her siblings,: Roddy and his almost husband, Winston; Connor a novelist with one book under his belt, and ex-wife, and two kids who came to North Dakota with him; and Jude, up for an Academy Award and the instigator of this meeting. It was in the middle of nowhere, but Jude had a reason. They needed to become a family again.

Interesting saga of a family who had grown apart. All had reasons, but they missed their childhood and their mother. She had died of cancer and no one except Jude had known she was ill. That hurt. The rest all had problems within their own families, but somehow coming together clarified them and helped them heal. Different personalities, well delineated, came together as on when it became necessary. It was an interesting journey, for them and for the reader. Well done slice-of-life with a purpose. An odd but entertaining place for it all to happen and these very ordinary but interesting people. Not exactly entertaining, but consuming.

I was invited to read Fun For The Whole Family by Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupBallantine #JenniferESmith #FunForTheWholeFamily

I love books about family dynamics and Fun for the Whole Family really did this genre right.

The book had alternating POV between the 4 siblings as well as little flashbacks into their past. This combined with short chapters made the book fly by. I honestly was so absorbed in it that I wasn’t even tempted to scroll while reading. I became incredibly attached to all 4 of the siblings and enjoyed all of their POV.

This book is just really heartwarming. Im not a big crier but this one made me cry 😭. I adored it and can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for arc.

After loving The Unsinkable Great James a few years ago, I was excited to dive into Jennifer E. Smith's latest. This one is a family drama about the relationship between four siblings. Set in the present with short flashbacks between chapters, this is primarily a character driven story with each chapter from a different sibling's POV - though there's plot to keep it moving along, too. There's secrets and a bit of mystery that get revealed as the story unfolds, but mostly it's an emotional story about the messiness of family and how no one knows you better than your siblings. I could have used a bit more character development for each beyond their sibling relationship, but I did really enjoy this and definitely recommend.

I listened to the first half on audio and Lauren Graham did a great job narrating with the one exception that she really cannot do a British accent, but I'm sure it won't generally bother people as much as it bothered this former theatre major who took many a dialect class. I switched to physical because I was traveling, not because of her accent, to be clear. ;)

Thank you @ballantinebooks for the physical copy and @prhaudio for the ALC.

I adore Jennifer E. Smith & her writing style. This. was an interesting look into the complex relationships of these siblings. While I struggled diving in at the start, I’m glad I stuck with it and continued reading.

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Family stories, especially about sibling relationships, are often a favorite of mine. This moved a little slowly for me, but I ultimately enjoyed it.

What I liked:
•the focus was on four adult siblings who were brought together by one, after years of estrangement.
•the individual stories of each sibling, their successes and challenges and the new dynamic as adults trying to find out if they can renew their relationships.
•it ended in a satisfying way
•my first grandchild was born while I read this book!

What I didn’t like:
•Generally I liked this book, but there were enough issues that it distracted me:
•it took two starts to get into this book ~ all the characters were introduced so quickly I needed to take notes to keep them all straight. After a few chapters it was fine.
•the flashbacks and forwards were often so choppy and disconnected it took me away from the depth of the story.
•I’m not sure I actually liked any of the characters?

Book 16 of 2025
Read April 1-10

A multiple POV family drama that explores the complicated relationships between siblings. A solid read.

This is the kind of book that breaks your heart and then gently stitches it back together. It leaves you with the feeling that comes from remembering something wonderful. You’ll close the book feeling reflective and just a little more open to love in all its messy forms! I loved the sibling dynamic so much.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House | Ballantine Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Jennifer E. Smith, author of another book I loved, The Unsinkable Greta James. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their mother and their always working father. Their mom would return to them every summer, taking them on mad road trips around the country. Decades later, there's been an unimaginable break and the siblings haven't spoken in years, each now dealing with their own personal crises. Jude summons them all together for a weekend in North Dakota, and they can't refuse.

I was always anxious to return to reading this book and to get back to these siblings. Anyone who has siblings or raised siblings will understand these bonds and fractures, but they apply to all relationships with those we love and sometimes don't like. The book is told from the POV of each of the siblings, both in the present and looking back on the events of the past, from all over the country. It's about reconciling with the past and forgiving others and ourselves. It made me laugh and cry and want to call my brothers. Highly recommended!

A heartfelt story about sibling bonds, messy dynamics and the ups and downs of being a family. Beautiful writing, tender moments. Growing up is part of life, and even if you grow apart, you can always grow back together.

Multiple POV
Family drama
Second chances

Thank you Random House, Ballantine and Netgalley for this arc!

I was not expecting this book to hit me as hard as it did, but what a nice surprise! I found myself loving all four siblings and really enjoying seeing their different POVs in the present and past timelines. I related to all of them in different ways, but I think Connor was my favorite. The sibling banter was done so well and I loved every second of it. I cried several times and the few twists it had, I did not see coming. This was such a love letter to family trips and sibling relationships, especially dealing with childhood trauma. I would LOVE to see this as a limited series and also I definitely want to read this author’s other books!
CW: cancer, fire, miscarriage, death, animal death, homophobia

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the digital reader’s copy!

This is an absolutely wonderful story!
The secrets of the four Endicott kids are revealed slowly and shockingly throughout the past and present days.
They were once inseparable as children and then things changed as tragedy unfolded. Thus creating anger, chaos and sadness within these sibs.
Life was definitely not all love and light.

Now--- with the chance to see each other again and perhaps right the wrongs,
the question becomes, Will They meet? Will things be shared? Will love and family come back together?
It is emotional, happy, sad and definitely brought me back to my own young days.
I know anyone who opens this story will truly enjoy the Endicotts and their journey.

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Random house Ballantine for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.

a wonderful family drama. I loved the siblings and how they interacted. This was a great drama with well written characters

When I started this book, I thought, cool, these characters seems real and relatable in different ways, and I'm looking forward to the reunion of the siblings and the secrets that are being kept.

And then when I ended the book I went, how did I end up caring about these characters so much? How did so much happen emotionally in such a short amount of time? And finally, dangit, I'm crying.

Four siblings haven't spoken in 3 years, and are all harboring some resentment toward each other. Jude, the movie-star sibling, has just been nominated for an Oscar, and texts her siblings out of the blue to get together for a weekend. Turns out, all the other siblings are at a crux in their lives too, and despite lingering harsh feelings, they all decide to go on Jude's last-minute trip to North Dakota. The story alternates between siblings perspectives as well as present-day and flashbacks. I thought that might get overwhelming, but the flashbacks were always very short, which kept it flowing well.

It's a very character-driven novel, and I was impressed at how real everyone felt. These people were selfish and somewhat poor communicators, but not in a contrived way. And not in such a way that you can't also root for them. I really enjoyed this story, and its emotional impact.

In conclusion, loved. It made me get teary, so, it had my heart!

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the e-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Jennifer E. Smith for allowing me to read Fun for the Whole Family in exchange for an honest review.

There are four very interesting Endicott children: Jude, a famous actress, Gemma, deciding if motherhood is all that fulfilling, Connor, an author with writer’s block, and Roddy, a professional soccer player. Then, there’s the mother, somehow causing these siblings to not see each other in over ten years. Well, Jude is about to surprise everyone with her recollections of living with mom and the secrets she has kept, but decides now is the time to share. Why share now? Will they all show up? How will they feel when the reunion is over?
This is a good book that opens our hearts to searching for and giving forgiveness.

I am making it a mission to set out and read all the books about contrasting, conflicting, strained sibling relationships.

Give me 4 dramatically differing siblings with their vibrant personalities and put them in the middle of nowhere for a long weekend together. What could possibly go wrong? Or what could go right with the strained Endicott crew?

Relishing their youth and the sporadic road trips across America with their estranged mother Frankie, siblings Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy and Jude each grapple (separately and together) with their falling out and secrets. Oh the SECRETS!

I dove in and was so invested in this motley crew of brothers and sisters.
And the ending sort of wrecked me in a way that feels so deserving of 5 stars.

Grab this book ahead of your next roadtrip or getaway.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for allowing me to read Fun for the Whole Family.

Smith writes families - especially complicated ones - so well, and with nuance. The family isn’t complicated just for the sake of complication, rather is rendered so thoughtfully that each family member feels fleshed out and positioned intentionally to form this curious collective. The flow and pace was expertly crafted and I couldn’t put it down. It was heartfelt and pretty emo - but never too overly sappy (which I could never stand for). Loved it.

Fun For the While Family is the story of the Endicott siblings that as children were inseparable and whose unpredictable mother would show up and whisk the children off on a road trip to make wonderful memories .. until something terrible happened.

Now as adults it has been three years since Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude have communicated with each other. Jude needs her sibling back together, she needs them to know the truth and have ask them all to meet her in the small town of Portree, North Dakota to spend a few days together. While reluctant to go, they all show up .. Gemma, Connor with his two children, and Roddy with his fiancé Winston.

Jennifer E. Smith brilliantly weaves this story through each of the siblings as they struggle with the past, pass to present in a random timeline and from state to state. As the Endicott family’s story unravels over the weekend, they will discover that Jude has been harboring three secrets.

Fun For the While Family is a heartwarming story about family, the bond of siblings and forgiveness

Thank you, Jennifer E. Smith, Ballentine Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a poignant but fun book about adult siblings reconnecting after years of not speaking. The Extraordinary Endicott siblings, as their mom called them, consists of Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude. Jude is a famous actress who’s carved out a weekend right before her first Oscars weekend to see her siblings. Roddy is a professional soccer player about to marry his longtime fiancee Winston. Connor is a divorced dad of two rambunctious children and a published author. And Gemma is happily married and going through her first round of IVF.
Each sibling has their own chapters from their POV, some in the present day and some in the past, when the four siblings would go on roadtrips every summer with their mom, trying to travel to each of the 50 states. Each Endicott has been affected by their mom’s alternative lifestyle choices in different ways, and this present-day weekend getaway forces them to confront that.
For having such a full cast, each character is developed, realistic, and memorable. I loved the sibling dynamic both in the past as children, and in the present with their new family members added in. Their bickering banter and goofy reminiscing was so sweet, and their fights were heartbreaking.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who avoids heavy literary fiction, and is looking for a bright and fresh story about an American family. I will add a warning that this story is not all sunshine and rainbows, and did tear my heart into pieces by the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!