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mysterymom40's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, and Gun violence
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"We Are the Brennans" is a heartwarming story about family. When Sunday Brennan is hospitalized following a DUI, she is resistant to leave her California home to move back to New York with her family. She has spent the last several years trying to distance herself from her past, her overbearing brothers, and an ex that she has unresolved issues with. But, at the end of the day, New York is where she needs to go in order to get back to herself.
I was not expecting to be as captivated by this story as I was. The Brennans are complex family that all have their secrets, but at the end of the day, they are always there for each other in the best way they know how. Their family dynamic is riddled with flaws, but in spite of all of the judgment, they are family.
Sunday's story takes an interesting turn that I did not see coming, but it makes the events in the first half of the novel make all the more sense. I really wanted to see her get some justice and credit from her family for her situation, and when she finally did, I was screaming.
The book does take a darker turn, which I do not think was necessary per say, but I think it made sense for the character and his motivation.
I really enjoyed this story, and I am excited to read more from Tracey Lange in the future!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Car accident
Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
juliamb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Infidelity, Dementia, and Toxic relationship
bringmybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this; I had gotten We Are The Brennans from BOTM (Book of the Month) a while ago, and honestly other than the family having connections to (and/or living in) Ireland, I didn't remember much about the synopsis.
It's a book about family. The family you're born into, the family you choose, and the family you sometimes have to leave. It was a somewhat weird read, because while I didn't feel myself overly emotionally attached to any of the characters of the plotlines, I couldn't put the book down?
My favorite part of the book was the multiple POV narration, and especially the way the narrators switched off. Whichever character spoke last at the end of a chapter, their quote would be repeated at the beginning of the next chapter and the POV would switch to them. It had this really neat effect of having you follow the story throughout the book in a seamless and (almost interactive?) way that I really liked.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go start planning yet another fantasy trip to Ireland because I have wanted to go since I was maybe 6 years old? And that was 30 years ago? Sigh.
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexism, Infidelity, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
caribbeangirlreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Dementia
The Brennans are not a close-knit family. They are a toxic family in which the patriarchy is alive and well, women are either whores or madonnas, and victim shaming is practiced on a regular basis. The characters are nothing but clichés and stereotypes and are totally devoid of nuance. The whole thing reads like a daytime soap - superficial, predictable and fast moving. Ironically, sometimes these awful books make for interesting book club discussions.mbedrosian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Cancer, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Abandonment, Violence, and Gun violence
kloft1993's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Car accident, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Acephobia/Arophobia, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, and Terminal illness
alimoo511's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Murder, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Car accident, Alcohol, Ableism, and Abandonment
Victim blaming