Fun for the Whole Family Review

Title: Fun for the Whole Family

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction

{Thank you @randomhouse + @prhaudio for the #gifted copies of Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith.  The audiobook is narrated by the actress Lauren Graham and was PHENOMENAL!}

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room first!  I need you to know that despite the title and fun bright cover, this is actually a pretty deep story.

Do you have a goal to visit all fifty states?  The Endicott family did.  

Our story begins in the 90s when the Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude—mother would float into their lives and whisk them off on an epic road trip through the US.  The past tense chapters give snippets through the states they traveled to.

Decades later these once close siblings have drifted apart, and have barely spoken in years.

▪️Connor - a writer who won a national book award for his fictional story based on the family, is busy fumbling through a divorce and writer’s block.

▪️Roddy - is planning a wedding with his partner and on the tale end of a professional soccer career.

▪️Gemma - the oldest—was a caregiver for her siblings—and now is unsure if she even wants the IVF treatments she’s been doing to be successful.

▪️Jude - a famous actress, the dream her mother had and the reason she wasn’t a present parent.

“They were his first team, his most important team, and even though it’s been years, and even though they have their issues, he will always—always—show up when they need him.  That’s just how it works.”

Now Jude has asked them all to get together for a weekend away in North Dakota.  North Dakota durning the winter!  Ha!  Why!?  The siblings all think, unlike them Jude has her crap together, but as the weekend unfolds they are going to learn some things about the past and why exactly she has summoned them for the weekend.

I’ll admit I predicted the big secret, but that in no way took away from my enjoyment of this story. I loved the characters. The drama. Secrets. Adventures. The nostalgia. Sibling bond. The power of family. And ultimately I’m a big believer in forgiveness!  Highly recommend 4.5 ⭐️ Out 4/8