Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - We Are the Brennans

This was heavily marketed as a comparison to the Shameless family but minus both of them being big and drama infused - I didn’t think the connection made too much sense. Regardless- there was a lot of tension and secrets that eventually were brought to light. The strong victim blaming, especially done by the mother, felt uncomfortable. I do wish we got to know Shane more as a person. I also wish authors would stop explaining and telling some of the important backstory. It felt a little like I dropped into a historical documentary at times. Minus that - this was a decent book. Some of it was a tad predictable but you can’t win them all.

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erinhanso's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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

4.0

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alimoo511's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Okay so I loved this. Every part of this book was five stars...except the ending...and I will tell you why the ending killed EVERYTHING ELSE

So Kale leaves his stupid wife and is scared about Luke not thinking he loves him and that the Brennans might hate him

Sunday is figuring herself out and is healing WE LOVE A QUEEN

And Mickey killed the bastard Bill.

It ends with Kale and Sunday talking and getting closer, and finding out the Dad used their autistic brother as an accessory for murder and that's it. We don't know how Sunday and Kale are going to recover their relationship IF they are going to recover their relationship.

We don't know HOW the pub is going to stay afloat AND we don't know how they're going to keep their Father and Shane out of jail.

Nothing important got resolved. It feels like I was given half a book and I NEED the other half more than everything.

But seriously everything else was AMAZING the family dynamics? PHENOMENAL the plot? UNMATCHED the characters? I WANNA BE THIS FAMILY

KALE IS A FUCKING SWEETHEART AND BABY I AM ROOTING FOR YOU

This family isn't without its faults but that makes them realistic and lovable. I just wish the ending wasn't the ending.

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abbiesb_read's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

I was ready to rate this a 3.5/4 but the third act got me sucked in! There are a few lose ends that I think needed a follow up or can definitely open the door for a second book. I would love to know what happens to the Brennans after the events of the final chapter!!

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jillterry22's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

One of my new top ten favorite books of all time. I cannot remember the last time I felt so connected with the characters and their relationships. I truly felt apart of the Brennan family while reading the book. One of my favorite aspects of the novel was how the author interwove the alternate POVs. The transitions were seemless and left no confusion on the end of the reader. The ending felt resolved for me and felt so many emotions. A must read.

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bookmarksandcaffeine's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Short: Intimate as in family intimate because the reader gets a good look at this family from all angles 💚 An NYC/Irish family bar, an old secret, a loan shark, a vendetta and a gun… what could go wrong. Basically everything and it all happens in this multiple point of view, contemporary family drama.

The Long: I liked reading about this fiercely Irish catholic family minus one person’s storyline which I can’t tell you because it’s a spoiler. But it’s like a bad take on second chance romance 👎🏻 I loved how each chapter/POV ended with dialogue and the next chapter started with that same dialogue but from a different characters perspective. Descriptive writing similar to TJR. It slowed down a little too much in the middle for me and I *personally* didn’t love how it ended but I also acknowledge that life is messy and it’s the author’s book and not mine. It was just a lil abrupt and… exaggerated? Idk the word but it wasn’t love.

Oversimplified and this is the second book lately where I feel like …. If they had just communicated nOnE oF tHiS wOuLd HaVe HaPpEnEd.

Cover: B
Ending: B

Read next ↔️ Last Summer at the Golden Hotel, any TJR

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rin_dawg's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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sarahholliday's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is not a traditional "page turner," and yet once I started reading I couldn't stop. I stayed up way too late to finish reading because I was so deeply enthralled by the messy yet lovable Brennans.

So much of this story felt familiar and relatable. Having grown up in conservative religious culture, in a upper-middle class suburb close to a big city, and with a relationship that felt like it defined me for much of my young adult life...I could see versions of the events in this story occurring in my own life. Take that statement with a grain of salt, because this story is not lacking in melodrama, but that makes the relatability of the story all the more impressive.

If you love family dramas, long-buried secrets, flawed characters, and stories that end on a note of hope...I really think you'll love We Are the Brennans.

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