Fun for the Whole Family

Don’t be fooled by the carefree cover art or the fact that the title has the word ‘fun’ in it. Although it has plenty of humor and lighter moments, this book is a thoughtful and sober examination of dysfunctional adult siblings Gemma, Connor, and twins Roddy and Jude Endicott and the trials and triumphs of being family.

Raised by a dad that was all but checked out and having only annual road trips to different states with narcissistic mom Frankie, who put her elusive dreams for acting stardom above raising her children, these four bonded as their own little family unit with oldest sibling Gemma being the de facto mom to her siblings.

When author Connor wrote an award-winning book that was a thinly veiled exploration of he and his siblings experiences growing up, including a traumatic event involving their mother, their little unit fell apart with each sibling drifting off to their separate lives. 

Now Oscar-nominated actress Jude has reached out to her siblings out of the blue after three years of mutual avoidance asking them all to meet for a new state adventure in the most obscure and unlikely of places: Portree, North Dakota! 

What’s this trip really about? That’s the emotional journey of this book, and it IS emotional. All of them are dealing with different major life events: Gemma struggling with whether she wants to be a mom after raising her siblings, Connor navigating his kids’ lives post-divorce and trying to write another book after the fallout of his last one, aging soccer star Roddy putting his hopes for one last season above his fiance Winston, Jude on the cusp of potential Oscar stardom, yet carrying so many secrets, and all of them afraid they’ll be just like mom Frankie with those they love. It’s messy in the way that only family can be, but it’s also rewarding for the same reason.

Everyone has a chip on their shoulder and at times that makes this an uncomfortable read, yet it’s so human and relatable that it resonates whether you’ve experienced those exact things or not. I deeply connected with the sibling struggles! I did feel that the drama got drawn out just a little too long, with the “I’ve got a secret (or three or four)” getting a little tiresome, as well as the number of things that went wrong, but ultimately the siblings’ dedication and support of one another won me over. Be prepared for all the big feels!

★★★ ½  (rounded to 4)

Thanks to Random House Publishing - Ballantine, NetGalley and author Jennifer E. Smith for this digital ARC to honestly review. It’s out now.