A review by lucybbookstuff
Family Family by Laurie Frankel

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I was quite frustrated for the first part of this because, based on the subject matter, I went in assuming it was going to be pretty deep, heavy lit fic. So I was confused when the tone was so light and fluffy. Not that that's a bad thing, but I also didn't love the writing style. Soooo many purposefully confusing sentences, and there's a lot of VERY unrealistic dialogue. Not a single human being talks like these people.

Once I was able to think of it from a different lens, I started enjoying it more. It definitely made me laugh out loud multiple times. The characters were loveable and the situation was outrageous in a fun way. By the end, I liked it. After the last page with the news clipping, I realized that this whole story makes a lot more sense when you think of it as a comedic play rather than a real-life story.

That said, the writing style still wasn't my favorite. And it also felt incredibly reductive about the topic of adoption. Like, yes, they're not all tragic, but it did seem to downplay that adoption is traumatic no matter what.

A fine book, though. Recommend to anyone who enjoys reads on the sillier, cozier side.