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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I would probably say 4.5 stars because it's not mind blowing or innovative but it was a really well crafted story and good character development and I found it an engrossing and pleasurable read.
4.25⭐️ I really liked this book! I might be a fan of books with family drama/history. Loved the various pov. Loved the theme of loyalty and having your family’s back no matter what. Wasn’t crazy about the ending and Sunday + Kale got on my nerves just a tad bit towards the end.
I enjoyed this book but I wanted better things for Sunday. I actually felt bad for Vivienne and Luke. Kale was kind of a piece of shit for leaving them in the end. I was hoping to see an ending where both he and Sunday could move forward with their lives but I just didn’t get it. I’m sure I’m in the minority here regarding their story line but I did not want to see them get back together.
Maybe it just hit too close to home for me with some of the toxic family dynamic. Also no one except for Theresa makes it clear that what happened to Sunday in the bar with Billy was not all her fault. And Theresa only says it to Denny.
I wanted to give Sunday a hug and tell her to just restart her life even in the next town over. This entire family is actually awful to everyone and then some how goes along their merry way?
Let’s not forget Mickey had sex with Billy’s mother and then, ends up killing her son to protect his family from the problem he created for them years ago. And what does the family do? Immediately try to figure out how to protect their murdering father.
I guess life is like that for some people though. They can never let go of the only way of life they’ve always know. They can’t grow beyond that and it’s enough for them. And this book does an excellent job of showing who those type of people are.
Maybe it just hit too close to home for me with some of the toxic family dynamic. Also no one except for Theresa makes it clear that what happened to Sunday in the bar with Billy was not all her fault. And Theresa only says it to Denny.
I wanted to give Sunday a hug and tell her to just restart her life even in the next town over. This entire family is actually awful to everyone and then some how goes along their merry way?
Let’s not forget Mickey had sex with Billy’s mother and then, ends up killing her son to protect his family from the problem he created for them years ago. And what does the family do? Immediately try to figure out how to protect their murdering father.
I guess life is like that for some people though. They can never let go of the only way of life they’ve always know. They can’t grow beyond that and it’s enough for them. And this book does an excellent job of showing who those type of people are.
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a generic family saga. It made me think about something I learned during a pop culture class in college. The reason people like to read about celebrities' problems is that it makes them feel better about their own lives. This seems to be the case with this story but with the added benefit of the characters being fictional so no real people are harmed.
The story follows the trials of a middle-class Irish immigrant family. Three of the four children (the 4th had special needs and is more of a prop to the story rather than a well-developed character) and a childhood friend who is somewhat of an "adopted" member are now in their late twenties/early thirties and forced to reckon with the bad choices and misunderstandings of the past 10 or so years. The story switched viewpoint often and has lots of flashbacks. It's a good thing the story is pretty basic or the story would be hard to follow. Each chapter is told from a different point of view, but often a chapter ends with the character from that chapter interacting with the character from the next, and in the middle of the action it switches to the next character's point of view and a new chapter starts. This resulted in often not realizing that the point of view had switched.
None of the characters are particularly likely and they all seem to have an "out" or a forgivable excuse for their problems. No one really experiences much growth or struggles with their conscience and the reader is not led to make much of a moral judgment, as long as it works out in the end everything is OK. Also, the story is fairly timeless. Although it takes place in the present day, with a few minor changes it could be taking place in the 80s, the 50s, or the 1920s.
The story follows the trials of a middle-class Irish immigrant family. Three of the four children (the 4th had special needs and is more of a prop to the story rather than a well-developed character) and a childhood friend who is somewhat of an "adopted" member are now in their late twenties/early thirties and forced to reckon with the bad choices and misunderstandings of the past 10 or so years. The story switched viewpoint often and has lots of flashbacks. It's a good thing the story is pretty basic or the story would be hard to follow. Each chapter is told from a different point of view, but often a chapter ends with the character from that chapter interacting with the character from the next, and in the middle of the action it switches to the next character's point of view and a new chapter starts. This resulted in often not realizing that the point of view had switched.
None of the characters are particularly likely and they all seem to have an "out" or a forgivable excuse for their problems. No one really experiences much growth or struggles with their conscience and the reader is not led to make much of a moral judgment, as long as it works out in the end everything is OK. Also, the story is fairly timeless. Although it takes place in the present day, with a few minor changes it could be taking place in the 80s, the 50s, or the 1920s.
I enjoyed this narration. I really like Tracey Lange’s writing. I also now enjoy her narrators! The mystery plot was great. The secrets of the family was relatable. I felt like the way the family members tried to cover them were relatable as well. One thing that was unique (which I liked) was the repetition of dialogue at the beginning of each chapter from the end of the chapter before. Sunday had a very hard hand dealt to her. The emotions she felt came to me as if they were my own. They all felt very real. Tracey is very talented with creating a world where you can submerge yourself within and make it all your own; relate to it in your own way & even in someways open up processes to rethink differently. Sometimes recognizing the truth is the hardest part. Thank you again Tracey.
What I wanted: a multigenerational story like “Ask again yes” or the novels of J. Courtney Sullivan. What I got. A completely boring book about people I didn’t care about where nothing happened and I had to force myself to finish. I can’t decide if I am mad at me for finishing or BOTM for picking. It is a toss up.
3.5? It’s written well, but the story didn’t feel unique.
Great book! Loved the drama. Not a huge fan of Kale as he dragged his wife along out of his own selfishness.