When I picked up Fun for the Whole Family, I expected a breezy, heartwarming story about quirky siblings reuniting for some chaotic-but-lovable family drama. I blame the cover—it practically screams “rom-com road trip.” What I got instead was a slow-burning, emotionally tangled reunion where nearly everyone is famous, everyone is frustrated, and North Dakota is the punchline a few too many times (especially annoying if, like me, you have family ties there).
The Endicotts are a wildly improbable bunch: a novelist, a pro soccer player, and a movie star, all from the same family. Jude, the actress, calls her siblings together in a remote North Dakota town for a mysterious weekend. It’s the first time they’ve all been in one place in years, and the result is more group therapy than heartwarming reunion.
Smith is clearly leaning into character-driven storytelling here. The emotional layers are there, and the writing is thoughtful. But a few things missed the mark for me: the audiobook narrator felt mismatched, and the drama dragged at times. The subplot involving a same-sex relationship also took up more space than I personally cared for. Add in a few too many secrets and some eye-roll-worthy fame levels, and it felt more scripted than sincere.
Still, if you’re in the mood for a story about messy families, complicated histories, and emotional reckonings, this one may be worth the trip. Just don’t expect it to be… fun.
** Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a comp of this title. All opinions are my own.