Fun for the Whole Family: A Novel
“An engaging, heartwarming tale with larger-than-life characters readers are sure to connect with” (USA Today), from the bestselling author of The Unsinkable Greta James.
“A glorious novel of love in all its forms—familial, romantic, lost, and found. Jennifer E. Smith is a ray of literary sunshine.”—Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street
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.
“A glorious novel of love in all its forms—familial, romantic, lost, and found. Jennifer E. Smith is a ray of literary sunshine.”—Jenny Jackson, author of Pineapple Street
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.
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
What’s it about?
When the Endicott siblings were kids, their mother left to follow her dreams of being an actress. She came back every summer to take her four kids on a summer road trip. There unusaul childhood forged a strong bond. But decades later, the once close siblings have not seen each other in three years. When the youngest reaches out, they all reconvene- but no one knows how this will go.
What did it make me think about?
Siblings
Should I read it?
This book just hit the spot for me this week. It had some likable characters, an interesting storyline, and was easy to read. Yes, it was somewhat predictable, but I even enjoyed that aspect of the book. This would make a great vacation read!
Quote-
“Winston can’t possibly know what it feels like to look into the stands at a soccer game and see your siblings with their homemade banners, to walk home together after matches in the blue-cold Michigan nights because there’s nobody to pick you up. They were his first team, his most important team, and even though it has been years, and even though they have their issues, he will always- always- show up when they need him. That’s just how it works.”
What’s it about?
When the Endicott siblings were kids, their mother left to follow her dreams of being an actress. She came back every summer to take her four kids on a summer road trip. There unusaul childhood forged a strong bond. But decades later, the once close siblings have not seen each other in three years. When the youngest reaches out, they all reconvene- but no one knows how this will go.
What did it make me think about?
Siblings
Should I read it?
This book just hit the spot for me this week. It had some likable characters, an interesting storyline, and was easy to read. Yes, it was somewhat predictable, but I even enjoyed that aspect of the book. This would make a great vacation read!
Quote-
“Winston can’t possibly know what it feels like to look into the stands at a soccer game and see your siblings with their homemade banners, to walk home together after matches in the blue-cold Michigan nights because there’s nobody to pick you up. They were his first team, his most important team, and even though it has been years, and even though they have their issues, he will always- always- show up when they need him. That’s just how it works.”
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