“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.”
Fun for the Whole Family, Jennifer E. Smith
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!
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