The first few pages of We Are the Brennans had me hooked - who was Sunday, why did she escape to California leaving her family and boyfriend stunned? What would it be like if she went home and faced that past? After waking up in a hospital due to a drunk driving accident that was caused by her - she takes her brother up on his offer and returns home after five years.

This was a well written book that weaved together the strings of the Brennan family and how one night in the past changed the course of their lives - leaving many of them to wonder why? I think it was such a quick read for me because I enjoy the type of storyline that makes you face the past, makes you wonder, "what-if" - what-if that one night would have been different?

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ebook copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

What does family mean to you? How loyal would you be to protect a family’s secret? Is it possible to have a second chance?

This is a story of a large Irish family, steep in history and tradition, strong in family bonds to protect and love at all costs. They own an Irish pub in New York, but it is in financial jeopardy. Sunday, after suffering injuries in a DUI accident, returns home to heal among her family but needs to confront her past, including her ex-fiancé, which drove her to flee to California five years ago. Not only is Sunday in need of healing, but also her brothers as well. This story is about the dynamics of a family where each has a secret that affected their future. Each of her siblings must face the consequences of their past and meet the challenges of their present. Sunday discovers that she is needed as a caretaker as the family is in danger of losing their family home and the pub. Can the family come together to confront the secrets to move forward?

I loved reading about the family dynamics and getting to know each of the characters as their stories unfolded. The past is told from many perspectives, which in real life isn’t that always the case? As the reader, you can feel the devotion that they had for each other. As the story unfolded, it kept me reading and surprises unfolded as more bits of the puzzle were added to the story. It is amazing that this is a debut novel, as I look forward to reading more from Tracey Lange.

Many thanks to #netgalley #WeAretheBrennans #celadonbooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you Celadon Books!!! You know those books that you tell yourself you’ll just read a chapter but it captures your attention so much that you end up finishing the whole book in one sitting? This was THAT book for me.
The book opens with 29 year old Sunday Brennan as she gets into a drunk driving accident and is in an LA hospital as her brother Denny rushes from their NY hometown to be by her side. Denny convinces Sunday to return to NY to be with their family to recover. The Brennans are an Irish-catholic family consisting of parents Mickey and Maura (unfortunately deceased) and their four children: Denny, Shane, Jackie and Sunday. Sunday’s high school boyfriend and Denny’s friend turned business partner, Kale, views the Brennans as his adopted family as well. After Sunday suddenly leaves NY, Kale marries Vivenne, believing that Sunday doesn’t wish to be with him. When Sunday returns home, she realizes that as much as she needs her dad and siblings, the family is struggling with their family pub, their aging father and struggling family relationships. Almost every character has a chapter from their POV and the story effortlessly flows through each character’s perspective, divulging their deepest thoughts. Family secrets are uncovered and the events strengthen the bond between each character.
This was even better than my expectations which is hard to imagine but I loved the Brennans and the deep/complex affections they have for eachother. I come from a large Irish family, I always hear stories of my great grandfather’s bar from my grandmother so I could see some of my family members in this story. The themes in this magnificent story such as shame, family secrets, loss and the overarching love of family is written beautifully and the consequences of those themes are evident long term through each character. I cannot believe this is a debut and I hope that the author writes more which I will be eagerly awaiting!

☘️𝗪𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐒☘️ by Tracey Lange features the type of close, loving, large family that we’d all like to be a part of. That family also happens to have some dark hidden secrets that tip them over to the dysfunctional side, just like many of our own families. Sunday Brennan, the only sister in the mix, had left their small New York neighborhood five years earlier for reasons no one seemed to understand. After her life in California crumbles, big brother Denny brings her home, and the many secrets held by this Irish Catholic family slowly come to light.⁣
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Even though they argued and disagreed on many things, what made the Brennans so special was that in the end, the four siblings, plus a fifth friend that was like a brother, ALWAYS had each others’ backs. Wouldn’t we all like to be part of a family like that? ⁣
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𝘞𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘴 was a very well-written family story, but not one that struck me as particularly new or different. I also thought the ending was just a little neat and tidy. Despite those minor flaws, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Brennans, flying quickly through their story. It truly would be a wonderful book to pack in your beach bag or read on vacation this summer.
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Many thanks to @celadonbooks for the lovely ARC of #WeAreTheBrennans.

*** ARC provided by Celadon through NetGalley ***

An enjoyable and quick read, We are the Brennans is contemporary family saga set in New York. This large Irish Catholic family experiences dysfunction, guilt, shame, and regret over aspects of their history. Throughout the book, family members deal individually and in chosen isolation from each other with issues such as loss, miscarriage, divorce, dementia, sexual assault, and infidelity. These secrets shape and suspend this dysfunctional family.

First time novelist Tracey Lange created a story line that kept me intrigued to read on, but it was the characters and their development that kept me reading steadily and quickly from start to finish.

#NetGalley #Celadon #WeAreTheBrennans

An Irish Catholic family saga. Sunday leaves her family in New York, breaking up with her fiancee, as she heads to Los Angeles, to pursue her writing career. After a drunken episode, ending up with her in the hospital with serious injuries, she has no choice but to go back to New York, to the family home. Her father is in early stage dementia, one of her brothers has Downs syndrome, and is employed by a local grocery store. Another brother is a frustrated artist, too busy taking care of everyone else to take care of himself. Most of the family still lives at home or nearby. Denny, the oldest, is the owner of a local pub and he has dreams of expanding his operation. Making some disastrous decisions that could bring down his whole family, the whole family starts to unravel. Sunday realizes it's not just her who has kept secrets but the entire family is burdened by secrets that go back many years.

Tracey Lange has written a good first novel, and if you like family sagas, this is a book you will want to read.

We Are the Brennans has garnered a lot of pre-release buzz, including an impressive 4+ rating on Goodreads and a coveted spot as one of Book of the Month's picks for July—but I'm sorry to say that this book just wasn't for me. I predicted every major plot twist in the novel, which stripped away the effectiveness of the pacing and made the story move at a glacial speed. Moreover, I found the characters disappointingly two-dimensional, likely because of the author's choice to give each major character at least one of their own third-person limited chapters. The constant jumping around from character to character disrupted the flow of the story as well as the characters' respective developments. However, the writing itself was also a little too straightforward—incredibly tell not show. The ending of the novel was disappointing, though I understand that the state of affairs as it stood before the last chapter pointed to only one viable conclusion—no matter how irksome it was.

However, I did enjoy that this story really did feel like a personal story of the author's. There was heart and legitimate potential—it's simply the execution that fell flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review to my blog le livre en rose and to my Goodreads shortly.

I love reading books about family and this story about an Irish Catholic family in New York did not disappoint. I may have had the Wahlbergs in my head as I was picturing the men in the family. 😉
After running away from her family and her high school sweetheart and living in LA for five years, Sunday Brennan comes home. She left because of something terrible that happened to her, but when she gets back to New York, she finds out she’s not the only one with secrets. Sometimes books with things left unsaid can drive me a little crazy (just talk!!), but it seems like everyone has a valid reason for holding back.
I loved how this move was told from the perspectives of the different family members. I wasn’t in love with the ending, but maybe it left room for a sequel? Fingers crossed.
This is a brilliant debut for author @tracey_lange and I look forward to more from her. I listened to the audio for this and the narrator did a fantastic job with all the characters.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The story begins when daughter Sunday, literally hits a wall. She left her family and fiance behind years ago, and has been living what everyone assumed was her best life. When her brother Denny is contacted, he immediately flies to Los Angeles and convinces her to come home.
The author does a wonderful job making each of the characters seem very real. I knew there had to be a major secret coming, or why would Sunday basically abandon all the people who loved her. Actually, that wound up being the only thing that puzzled me. Yes, something traumatic did happen, but I couldn't quite relate to her reaction and decisions. But, I guess what seems unusual to me, might not be to someone else. Besides that one thing, I really enjoyed getting to know these perfect on the outside, flawed on the inside people.
One of the things that caught my attention was that the last sentence in a chapter was the first thing repeated by a new narrator to start the next chapter. This was written from multiple POVs, but because of this, each chapter just flowed seamlessly. Maybe it is because I am an only child, but I loved reading about sibling dynamics and this 288-page debut captured the good and the bad with skill.

Question for you, do you read books by indie authors? What about self-published authors?

I have two YA suspense novels and am thinking of doing some kind of alternate publishing route rather than trying to find an agent and traditional publishing deal. If you have used Smashwords or Draft2Digital, let me know!

My books are perfect for fans of Cruel Summer (did you see it on Hulu?) or Gossip Girl.

In other news, I just added We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange to my TBR list. I loved Ask Again Yes and this book is drawing comparisons to it.

Take a look:

" When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it's not easy. She deserted them all—and her high school sweetheart—five years before with little explanation, and they've got questions.

Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them.

When a dangerous man from her past brings her family's pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets—secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives.

In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes—and ultimately find a way forward, together."

There is a Goodreads giveaway happening now so go enter to win!

💫 𝗪𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐬 💫 ⁣
𝐁𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 ⁣
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“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱, 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳…”⁣
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You know I have a soft spot for a debut author… and one that focuses on families that are all messed up with lies and yet somehow, that invisible string of family keeps them together. ⁣
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The story begins with Sunday Brennan waking up in an LA hospital after a car accident. She was the driver and she was drunk. The next POV is her brother Denny who is going through financial and marriage issues but flies out to get his sister and bring her back within the family fold as she recoups.⁣
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That’s where the book takes off into different family members and their secrets or pain. The story of the Brennan family is one, like most, where protecting one another can come before being honest. ⁣
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Definitely a character book and slowed in the middle for me before we uncovered the secrets.⁣
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I enjoyed it. It was a quick read that got a lot right. Be watching this author to see what she comes out with next! ⁣
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⚠️ miscarriage, infidelity, assault

Seeing this referenced as being similar to Ask Again, Yes should have been a red flag for me. I wasn't a fan of that one (it was just slow). But I wanted to give family dramas another shot. I got about 1/3 of the way through and realized I wasn't in it. I didn't care what was happening or what would happen. I should have known.

I devoured this book. We Are the Brennans is an amazing book. I loved being immersed in the family drama. I want more! The characters were so well defined that I felt I knew them personally.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read in exchange for my honest review.
I will be posting to goodreads, Instagram, and Barnes and Noble.

This is a compelling story that keeps you riveted until the last page. A well of family secrets is beginning to overflow with repercussions affecting every family member.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fairly standard (but still really enjoyable) family drama, following the Brennans, an Irish-American family: 4 grown siblings, their patriarch, and a neighbor who grew up basically as a brother to them. We start with Sunday, who has been estranged from the family for 5 years, getting in a car accident which causes her to need to return back home. This is a pretty charming and endearing story full of family secrets - I personally usually prefer my family dramas a little darker/mysterious but this was a lighter read

I couldn’t wait to get the opportunity to read this book. It was one of my BOTM picks and I was given an ARC by NetGalley.

We Are the Brennans is the story of an Irish-Catholic family fractured by shame and secrets. When eldest daughter Sunday wrecks her car after a night of heavy drinking in LA, she sets her pride aside and moves back east to her family’s New York home. But her once tight-knit family is not as she left it: Her father is losing his memory, her brother is struggling to keep his pub afloat, and her ex-fiancé is now married to another woman. As Sunday tries to keep her head down and find her place in this changed home, tales of past mistakes and long-held secrets unfold, forcing the family to come together, rebuild, and find redemption.

I loved this from the moment I started this book. I was pulled in by the writing and the family interactions. It brings to light secrets we carry to protect others and how family will always come together in times of need.

And I’m so thankful to NetGalley, Celdon Books and the author for this eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital after a drunk driving accident. Her older brother Denny is her emergency contact and he is on his way from New York. He manages to convince her to come back to New York to recover, despite Sunday not having been home since she left 5 years ago. Surrounded by her 3 brothers, her father, and her ex-boyfriend, Sunday tries to figure out how to rebuild her life, while also understanding the problems and dynamics of her family since she's been gone.

This is told in the alternate POVs of the various Brennans and Sunday's ex Kale, most times picking up right where the previous chapter ended, which I really liked. The Brennans face outside forces, but their family bonds are still tight, even when they are at odds with each other. I liked this family - except for the dead mother OMG! - and how they interacted with each other were realistic. I do wish there was more from brother Jackie, since he was the character we heard from the least and he was really interesting to me.

Available August 3, 2021.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After seeing this book all over Book of the Month, I couldn’t wait to get the opportunity to read it myself. And I’m so thankful to NetGalley, Celdon Books and the author for this eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

Right away the author jumps right into the storyline with all the family drama coming into light. But the dialogue pulls you in even more, hearing the siblings banter and sling commentary towards each other, it seems to welcome you into their family as you read on.

As each Brennan family member dealt with their own personal situation throughout the story, you can’t help but notice the endearing camaraderie that they had in the family and it reminds me that sometimes you can grow up in the same family and be completely different adults, but what people do well is show up for their family, celebrate the easy, and to support the hard. I think what I love in this story, is how the parents choices whether they were out in the open, or kept hidden from their children, really set into motion the tragedy and celebrations that the siblings had to navigate. I know that as a parent we say we try our best for our children, and we do the best we can, but there’s a little bit of ownership that we forget to take that our choices as adults will eventually catch up to us whether that’s with privilege or consequence, and sometimes our kids will be left to clean up the mess.

This drama filled story was a perfect reminder of how lies and family secrets are never kept buried for long. Released on August 3rd, it’s a perfect book to put in your TBR list this year.

Surprise, surprise! I have another family drama recommendation for you. Ha! Coming from me, this really shouldn’t be a surprise to you at all. I honestly didn’t know very much about We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange at all. I just knew that it was a debut, and a drama about a large Irish Catholic family. As a major fan of novels focused on family, that was more than enough information for me. I grew up with two older brothers, so it was extremely easy for me to relate to Sunday, the only daughter in the family. The household dynamics, and her point of view seemed so familiar to me. My gosh, this family unpacks a lot of heavy baggage in this relatively short novel. It seems like every single Brennan had a secret they desperately wanted to keep hidden, but were all blown up, and brought to the surface at one point or another. There was an ongoing air of mystery throughout the novel, and each uncovered secret revealed very important details crucial to the Brennan family’s past. What I especially loved about this novel is the format. The author did something extremely unique with the dialogue at the end of each chapter. The chapters would end with one character making a statement, then the following chapter would begin with this same statement, and then flip to the speaker’s perspective. Hopefully that makes sense. I’m terrible at explaining things! Ha! You’ll just have to read it to fully understand. Multiple POVs are my very favorite, so the fun format made it even more enjoyable. I must say that Lange’s writing really captivated me. She successfully delivered a strong character-driven novel, along with a jam-packed plot. You really don’t want to miss this impressive debut. We Are the Brennans releases on August 3rd, and it gets 4/5 solid stars from me!

I was really drawn into this family drama from the intense start. The Brennans were a family who looked perfect from the outside, but each family member was facing personal challenges.
The main character, Sunday, was the only daughter of the family and five years ago she was engaged to the best friend of her oldest brother.
I was disappointed that some of the story lines were not explained well or had no conclusion, which is a bit frustrating as a reader. The was also a really obvious twist toward the end (with the dad) and Sunday's major secret didn't really make sense to me-- it seemed to me like people made a lot of assumptions about what others would think than just being honest. I did enjoy the book overall.