Fun for the Whole Family, a review by Shelley (original) (raw)

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Fun for the Whole Family
Jennifer E. Smith

Random House Publishing Group
Publication Date: April 15th, 2025
368 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org

Genres: Women’s Fiction

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

I loved this book, it was so realistic regarding family dynamics and even though the siblings are extraordinary I think everyone will see a bit of their family in this one. There’s lots of strife and we get to see every side of every family member. I loved the format of the book each character has a chapter in the past while travelling the different states they went to with their mother on their summer trips and then we get that character’s chapter in the present.

After not seeing each other for three years the four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude, plus Conner’s two kids and Roddy’s future spouse all go to Colorado for a weekend reunion. While they’re at a cabin they get stuck inside because of a snowstorm and they have no power. There are a couple of surprises sprung on the siblings while they are there and as much as I loved this book I figured out the surprises rather quickly and I found it rather anticlimatic and predictable. This was a five-star read for me until that happened. In my head, I kept thinking I bet Jude did this or Jude says that.

I love a good family drama and this was a wonderfully written story of family dynamics, following your dreams and forgiving the past. The way the characters related to each other and their issues really got to my emotions. Who can’t relate to being the eldest, the middle child or the baby of the family? Throughout the entire book, I kept changing who was my favourite and who I didn’t like. What didn’t change for me while reading was the fact that I thought both parents (for lack of a better word) were assholes. The parents were both absent. The mother was so stuck on following her dream of being an actress that she left her children and the father was a workaholic who left the rearing of the other three to the oldest daughter and I know what that’s like. Overall this was an enjoyable, entertaining read about a bunch of siblings who really love each other, flaws and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.