Jennifer E Smith’s Fun for the Whole Family Book Review

I am so delighted to be sharing today’s post with you. I had the great pleasure of reading a book that completely sucked me in and made me feel like part of the family. With characters that are as lovable as they are flawed, this might be one of my favorite books of 2025. I know it’s early to be saying that (It’s April as I write this post) but it just feels trust. So if you want to learn more about my latest read, keep reading for my full Fun for the Whole Family book review.

What is Fun for the Whole Family about?

The four Endicott siblings—Gemma, Connor, Roddy, and Jude—were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country.

Decades later, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years . . . until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. They’re each at a crossroads: Gemma, who put her own ambitions aside to raise the others, now isn’t sure if she wants to be a mother herself; Connor, a celebrated novelist, is floundering after his recent divorce and suffering from an epic case of writer’s block; and Roddy, at the tail end of a professional soccer career, is dangerously close to losing his future husband for the chance at one last season.

Jude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together—but appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets . . . each of which could change everything.

A captivating journey and an ode to forgiveness that takes readers across all fifty states, Fun for the Whole Family brims with heart and resonates long after the final page. (from Amazon.com)

Who is the Author?

Jennifer E. Smith is the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James as well as nine books for young adults. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between have both been adapted for film.

My Initial Thoughts

I wasn’t so sure about this book at first. I don’t really like books where the kooky and unstable parent just abandons their kids and the kids have to raise themselves. Partly because I think it’s overdone and also because it rarely feels realistic. But I went into it with an open mind and was immediately captivated by how the story unfolds.

There’s something about Four Siblings

The March sisters from Little Women. The Blue sisters from Blue Sisters. The four Endicotts from Fun for the Whole Family.

Is it that larger groups of siblings are more interesting? More drama? More different views and personalities. I don’t know. But I seem to always enjoy stories about groups of four siblings. It was really interesting to me to read about each road trip the Endicott family went on because taking 4 kids on a road trip to different states sounds incredibly difficult and tiring.

I Loved How Close all of the Siblings Were

The birth Order is Gemma, Connor, Roddy and Jude. As the oldest, Gemma took on a lot of responsibility for her younger siblings (even though nobody asked her to). Connor was in the middle. And twins Roddy and Jude were the youngest, so they were more or less just along for the ride. The fact that they stayed so close for so long might be because of how they were raised. No one understood their situation better than them, and they really all seemed to enjoy each others company.

Personally, I have a twin brother and I am not as close with him as Roddy and Jude are. Maybe our personalities are just too different. So I found their relationship especially to be really nice. 

The Audiobook is Fantastic

The audiobook is narrated by Lauren Graham (who played Lorelei on the hit tv show Gilmore Girls) and I just find her voice so comforting. Not only that, but the plot made me think a lot of another show she starred on called Parenthood. Again with the group of four siblings, right?

She did a great job narrating the story. Her voice is very enjoyable to listen to. But one thing I will say is that her accent for Winston wasn’t very good. Lol. Every time Winston had a line and she did her British accent it totally took me out of the story.

This Story is a Character-Driven Drama

The characters are very well developed and the block between them felt very real. Throughout the story, we are left in the dark about what really happened to force the siblings apart. Jennifer E Smith did a great job of writing about the complicated relationship between siblings and about how each of them processes their childhood differently.

For instance, since Gemma is the oldest and took on more of a caretaker roll for her younger siblings, she remembers things differently than them. She remembers the stress and the worrying and the looking out for everyone. While Jude who is five years younger just remembers her older sister always being there for her.

Throughout the entire book, each sibling reassesses the past. As secrets are revealed and the truth comes out, they realize that maybe the conclusions they came to aren’t actually correct.

There are a Lot of Fun Elements to this Story

Not only are the characters well developed, but they are super interesting. Roddy’s twin Jude is an oscar-nominated actress. The second oldest Connor is a famous author. Roddy’s a professional soccer player. It made me sad how in Gemma’s eyes, she was the only normal one in the family. When really, her taking care of her bunch of siblings was the most extraordinary job of all.

In Conclusion

​I hope you enjoyed my Fun for the Whole Family book review. I wasn’t sure what to expect form this story, but it really reminded me about the enduring power of family. In a lot of family drama novels people hide from the truth for as long as possible. But I appreciated how Jude did what she came to do that weekend. Even when Roddy and Winston were having problems, they figured things out by talking (and with Connor intervening! lol).

This book made me happy and I know that it’s one I will want to read over and over again. I also want my Mom to read it because I’ think she’ll like the interesting perspectives of the characters. It’s a story that might seem straightforward but throws in a couple of surprises. It has a solid plot so I think that plenty of readers will enjoy this good family drama.

Thanks for checking out my full review of Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E Smith! 

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