A review by emmclaay
We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange

emotional hopeful reflective medium-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
Sunday Brennan has moved out to California, leaving her family and fiance behind in New York with little explanation. After five years away, a drunk driving accident prompts her to return home and try to rebuild her life. There, she is forced to confront and unravel the secrets of her family’s livelihood, relationships, and most importantly, the reason for her mysterious departure.

The audiobook narration is excellent, well-paced and with distinct voices for each character that evoke their personalities and make the story easy to follow. It’s a deep dive into the Brennan family, sometimes veering into very mundane territory; however, I didn’t mind this. Because each of the characters felt so real, even the seemingly unimportant events of daily life were, at the very least, comforting and pleasant to read.

I appreciated the way that Sunday’s big secret was tied into the financial challenges that her family faced with the pub. This prevented the book from feeling discombobulated and raised the stakes. Additionally, I was genuinely surprised by her secret when it came out about halfway through the book, as it was not (exactly) what I predicted. At first, I felt like it was revealed too soon, but the pacing ended up being appropriate so that the characters could sort out how to approach the main problem.

I also loved how there was still one final reveal in the last few minutes of the book. I wasn’t expecting to get an answer to the question of who killed Billy, but that made for a satisfying conclusion that I truly did not see coming.

The themes of this book are clear and compelling - the staying power of family connections, confronting secrets and mistakes as their consequences become inevitable, and moving forward in the aftermath of life-altering events. Ultimately, I loved this realistic portrait of a tight-knit, loving, but simultaneously messy and highly imperfect family. 

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