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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I wanted to like this more than I did.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage
Loved this book. Would love to read more about the Brennans. How did everything turn out? I need to know! Did Mickey get caught? Did Kale and Sunday get together??
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual assault
I’ve never been a fan of the alternating years storyline but the last few years have been great. This was amazingly written, tackling the beautiful mess that is a close-knit family, and the true love/loss between soulmates. I absolutely devoured this book- so much that my husband is reading it now to see what had me so engrossed. To be honest, I was a little iffy on the ending. It closed some major storylines, but the hopeless romantic in me was hoping for some closure on that front. But that’s the beauty of it all- it leaves me wondering.
medium-paced
Sunday Brennan has been in a horrific car accident after getting upset and drinking too much. She is living in Los Angeles alone, after she left her hometown of West Manor, New York. Sunny left five years ago without an explanation to her family or her then fiancé Kale. Now that the hospital needs to contact someone to care for her, she reluctantly calls her older brother Denny in New York. Sunny has a secret and it is consuming her.
Denny drives to LA to get Sunny to bring her home to recuperate. Once she is back she has to face her Kale. Sunny soon learns that since she has been gone Kale has married another women, Vivienne. Denny owns a Irish Pub and his business has some major problems. With her ex-fiancé married, her brothers pub sinking, she knows that secrets are going to start demanding answers.
We learn the family dynamic with their mother, Maura, who has passed and Mickey, their father who is experiencing short-term memory issues and he has secrets of his own. The other brothers Shane, who is just a gentle giant, and so lovable. Things are a little harder for Shane, as he has a learning disability. Shane is someone that everyone protects. Jackie has been in trouble with the law a few times, and is currently on parole. He is not able to help Denny with the Pub, but is able to help out in other ways as the story unfolds.
This book was quite an intense family drama with engaging characters.
I enjoyed spending time with the Brennan’s. I also liked that each chapter is narrated by a different member of the family. This was a 4 star read for me. This is the second book that I have read from Tracey Lange. Both We are the Brennan’s and The Connelly’s of County Down are great books, and I would recommend both.
Denny drives to LA to get Sunny to bring her home to recuperate. Once she is back she has to face her Kale. Sunny soon learns that since she has been gone Kale has married another women, Vivienne. Denny owns a Irish Pub and his business has some major problems. With her ex-fiancé married, her brothers pub sinking, she knows that secrets are going to start demanding answers.
We learn the family dynamic with their mother, Maura, who has passed and Mickey, their father who is experiencing short-term memory issues and he has secrets of his own. The other brothers Shane, who is just a gentle giant, and so lovable. Things are a little harder for Shane, as he has a learning disability. Shane is someone that everyone protects. Jackie has been in trouble with the law a few times, and is currently on parole. He is not able to help Denny with the Pub, but is able to help out in other ways as the story unfolds.
This book was quite an intense family drama with engaging characters.
I enjoyed spending time with the Brennan’s. I also liked that each chapter is narrated by a different member of the family. This was a 4 star read for me. This is the second book that I have read from Tracey Lange. Both We are the Brennan’s and The Connelly’s of County Down are great books, and I would recommend both.
I enjoy a good family drama and this one hit a lot of marks but I felt it would have been better coming from one voice- it was hard to differentiate the characters- most chapters felt like Sunday talking. With that said, I found myself cheering for characters I might not usually.
Two stars is being generous here, and I think it's mainly because I like when everything isn't all tied up perfectly at the end. But this book is made up of dull characters making bad decisions and left me with so many questions.
Why do all these adults still live at home?
Why is adultery acceptable? Because the women being cheated on are imperfect characters?
Why is murder acceptable? Because we find the dead man distasteful? Or did his actions justify the death penalty??
Why did Sunday leave? The whole plot revolves around this, but her reasoning is very weak for that kind of move and just makes it kind of ridiculous.
Check out this lovely relationship advice from a parent: "Go after what you want and don't let anything stand in the way." And we're supposed to cheer for this because the author wants us to prefer Sunday over Kale's WIFE, the mother of his toddler?
The names "Sunday" and "Kale"--two of the main characters--bothered me from beginning to end. And there is a cousin named "Grit." Ughhh.
Why do all these adults still live at home?
Why is adultery acceptable? Because the women being cheated on are imperfect characters?
Why is murder acceptable? Because we find the dead man distasteful? Or did his actions justify the death penalty??
Why did Sunday leave? The whole plot revolves around this, but her reasoning is very weak for that kind of move and just makes it kind of ridiculous.
Check out this lovely relationship advice from a parent: "Go after what you want and don't let anything stand in the way." And we're supposed to cheer for this because the author wants us to prefer Sunday over Kale's WIFE, the mother of his toddler?
The names "Sunday" and "Kale"--two of the main characters--bothered me from beginning to end. And there is a cousin named "Grit." Ughhh.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tracey Lange has a formula and I am very much here for it. I loved this book for all the same reasons I loved The Connelly’s of County Down (drama, great characters, etc). My ONLY issue is that this felt a lot longer than 288 pages. I didn’t mind it too much but it did drag a bit in the middle. Either way, I’m definitely going to be picking up more of Lange’s books in the future!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes