Not my typical read, but I enjoyed this family drama story more than I expected.

The three Connelly siblings, Tara, Eddie, and Geraldine, are dealing with a lot. Tara just got out of prison. Eddie is still struggling from the effects of a traumatic brain injury. Geraldine, who was the glue that held their family together after their mom died and dad left, is grappling with some mental health issues.

At times I felt there was a LOT of drama and woe for one family, but I was rooting for them all to get their happy endings. Tara took family loyalty to a place of martyrdom but I did enjoy her forbidden romance. Some of the characters' issues could have been an entire book.

I loved all the attention and care that Lange puts into each and every character. The more minor characters were some of my favorites, from the YouTubers to Tara's cellmate to Tara's parole officer. And I loved the fun callback to the Brennans and their bar.

absolutely loved We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange so I was thrilled when I got an early eARC of her newest, The Connellys of County Down. And it’s official: I am a Tracey Lange fan. Her writing is perfectly descriptive and has me turning the pages so quickly.

In her newest, readers meet Tara Connelly–a young woman recently released from an 18 month prison sentence for drug trafficking. The police think she was covering for a local drug dealer and were frustrated that she wouldn’t cave. She returns home to try to restart her life–she lives with her brother, her nephew and her older sister. Tara is trying so hard but each family member (including Tara) carries a secret that threatens to unravel their lives.

This is an excellent work of family drama–I was so invested in the characters, even when they were making terrible choices. Lange’s writing lets readers see the whole person and love them, flaws and all. There’s a bit of mystery and romance as well. I just loved this. Sign me up for Lange’s next book. I’m in. This publishes 8/1 and I highly recommend reading. Thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the copy.

Tracey Lange does a nice job with another family drama in her sophomore novel.

The book is chock full of themes such as resilience, family loyalty and trust, and consequences of actions. It is told in multiple POVs, which I love. There are 4 main characters and you get their full back story as well as their unique perspective.

I went through the first half of the book very quickly then at about 50% it got heavy into a romantic relationship which I didn't find believable. It felt a bit Hallmark movie which isn't my cup of tea.

Overall, it is a good, fast summer read.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for advancing a Kindle copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was rooting for all the characters in this book the whole way through! A powerful book about a family's love for each other, even in the most difficult and trying of times. I felt like we really got to know each character and their flaws, as well as strengths.

Thank you Netgalley, Celadon Books, and author Tracey Lange for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This book releases on Aug 1st!

Here we meet Tara Connelly, being released from prison after eighteen months for drug charges and goes back to living her life with her siblings, Geraldine and Eddie, who are dealing with their own personal issues. Geraldine -- the oldest of three who gets by on a structured life of routine; and Eddie -- suffers from traumatic brain injury who is just trying to move on from his past and has a son named Connor. As Tara rebuilds her life by having a job and perhaps meeting someone special, she is faced with a dilemma that will put her in a tricky situation yet again that might put her back in prison in order to help out her family.

I love the heart of each of these characters! The author shows that in the midst of the ugliness of a person’s circumstance, the beauty of who they are outshines all its complexities. I like that even the supporting characters were given light as well without derailing the entire story. These characters just wanted to have some sense of normalcy in their lives; and as for the siblings — their love for each other is the one that saves them from completely falling apart. I love the warm hug that this book has given me!

Tracey Lange's "The Connellys of County Down" tells the story of Tara Connelly's return to her family home after serving a two and a half year sentence for drug trafficking. She reunites with her nervous sister, Geraldine, her brain damaged brother Eddie, and Eddie's son, Connor. Tara finds herself with a new career, an unexpected love interest, and resuming unresolved issues with her family. Tara's new life is interrupted by past problems which can send her back to square one if they're not resolved.

"The Connellys" had me laughing one minute and moved the next. The characters are genuine people. They are people that can be our friends, neighbors, or members of our own family. The percise plotting makes Tara's mission to put her past behind her believable.

The problem I have with the recent family stories I've read is that they threw in one crisis after another. The authors want to make sure I know I'm reading about a dysfunctional family. Ms.Lange stays focused on what keeps Tara and her family from moving on to next stages in their lives. I didn't feel emotionally exhausted once I was finished, instead, I smiled and felt good.

"The Connellys of County Down" is the kind of book that needs to be published. It counteracts the cynical tone that is found in a good amount of today's fiction. Tracy Lange offers readers hope that anyone can turn their lives around even after the worst circumstances.

I’ve been looking forward to Tracey Lange’s sophomore novel ever since I read her debut, and while it didn’t disappoint, it felt almost too similar to We Are the Brennans. I still loved the themes of how to navigate difficult family relationships in less than ideal circumstances. She does a good job of questioning what we see as the “ideal” family and what it truly mean to love and sacrifice for your family. The characters showed a lot of growth throughout the story, and their honesty about their flaws made them all the more lovable. I’ll definitely keep reading books from this author but would love to see some different plot lines!

I loved Lange’s debut title We Are the Brennans!
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange was just as phenomenal as her first novel.
I've just finished reading this masterpiece; And this book was everything!
The way she writes contemporary fiction is spectacular.
The family, the emotions, the complex relationships was something I think most readers will relate with.
The characters are easy to connect with and relate to. Strong, flawed and likable.
The storyline was great, sucked you right in from the beginning and kept you hooked the whole time.
To me this had everything it needed to be the perfect summer read. I enjoyed every minute of the book and it now has a spot on my favorites shelf.
Tracey Lange is an incredible story teller and I am so glad it was a part of my summer reading.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing
eARC!

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of The Connellys of County Down

It started with fairy tales that their mother shared with them. In her stories, Geraldine, Edward and Tara live in County Down in Ireland and face challenges which their magic powers can overcome. When their mother dies and their father disappears, it is up to Geraldine to take over the role of parent. Deprived of a normal teenage life, she develops anxieties which keep her from normal interactions with others.

Eddie and Tara have issues as well. When Eddie suffers traumatic brain injury from a car accident and cannot hold down a job, he becomes involved in illegal activities. In Tara's attempt to come to her brother's aid, her life will be forever changed.

A police officer from Tara's past will return at a most unexpected moment, and all three siblings will ultimately need to speak the truth in order to bring closure and new outlooks on life.

Author Tracey Lange has created a family dynamic that is both strong and vulnerable, honest and prevaricating and ultimately committed to one another.

This book completely absorbed me, and I read most of it in one day (it’s fairly short). Tara Connelly was recently released from prison, and she deals with conflict in her family and uncertainty about her future. I was pulled in from the first chapter, fascinated by her family’s struggle for growth and peace. There’s a romance that wasn’t terribly realistic but gave the book an element of fantasy and symbolized hope. I quite enjoyed the entire reading experience and found myself rooting for all the characters. Except Roland Shea, of course.

I read part of the book on the kindle app and most of it on audio—thanks to Celadon and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies!

Excellent read. I enjoyed it as much as the Brennans book. Interesting there was a Brennans reference in the book too!

Tracey Lange, author of the amazing book We Are the Brennan’s, did what not many authors can do by writing a second book that surpasses her first in excellence. Tara, Eddie, and Geraldine are siblings that from a young age had nothing but each other to rely on. The book starts with Tara getting released from prison and returning home to live with her siblings and nephew. Lange did such a masterful job of making the characters so realistically flawed but so likable that I felt connected to each one and rooted for all of them, even when they were wildly imperfect. Not only did the sibling relationship ring so true but the relationship between Brian and Tara was perfect despite their relationship being far from being usual.
I loved this book and was honestly sad to see it end. I think the publishers, Celadon books, and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

A wonderful story of the love three siblings have for each other and the trials and tribulations they go through to keep themselves together.
Tara is the main focus of the story, she is strong, resilient and flawed. Her older sister Geraldine has been responsible for Tara and Eddie since their mother died and their dad left at an early age. Eddie suffers from a traumatic brain injury and has always been closest to Tara. When Tara is released from prison after serving time for a drug charge she moves back home with her siblings to try to fit back in. There's tension with Geraldine and Eddie tries to be the go between but it's her love for Eddie's son Connor that keeps Tara grounded. All three make questionable choices along the way but the decisions they make always have each other in mind.

I loved the author's debut and she followed it up with another stunner. I was totally invested in the family's dynamics and all the characters in the story are so well drawn and real that I felt like I knew them personally. Coming from a very dysfunctional family myself it was great to see how these three really cared for each other when all is said and done. It's amazing what love can do if you just open yourself up to it. If you're a fan of character driven stories with family at the center then I highly recommend you pick this one up when it is released. I'm confident you'll be thinking about it long after you've finished.

Thank you to Celadon Books for the invitation to read a NetGalley copy.
#celedonreads

Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ /5

I went into this book pretty blind and I am so happy I did. I couldn't put it down and was run through the full range of emotions with the Connelly siblings.

Tara's selflessness was as beautiful as it was destructive for her. Her absolute commitment to her family and ensuring their safety was written so well. The way you slowly understood her reasoning for her choices and how the siblings shared childhood traumas had such a lasting impact on each of them was handled with such care. Eddie was such an absolutely beautiful character. He was so layered and I loved learning more and more about him as the story went on. Geraldine was so complex and I really felt for her and her struggles.

This really was a story of a family that loved beyond reason, despite their shared imperfections. I was overwhelmed with the emotions pouring off the page through each of their POVs as they added so much more richness to the story and allowed me to understand the motivations of their actions.

I still feel the impact of this story and find that the longer I sit with it the more I love it. I am so beyond thankful I was able to read this book and will definitely be looking into other works by this author.

If you’re looking for your next great read, filled with family drama + secrets + the struggle to start over & to move beyond your past, then THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN by TRACEY LANGE is for you.

I feel in fast love with TRACEY LANGE’s debut, WE ARE THE BRENNANS, and was beyond excited to read her latest.

Set in the same suburbs as BRENNANS (with a much appreciated wink) we meet 30-year-old Tara Connelly as she’s leaving prison after serving 18 months for a drug charge. With no money and no job Tara makes the somewhat reluctant return home to live with her her sister Geraldine, her brother Eddie and her nephew Conor.

But coming home again and rebuilding her life is far from easy. Tara’s returns sparks immediate tension - upending the well-crafted routines Geraldine has put into place and placing Eddie in the middle of his sisters fights. When Brian Nolan, the cop who helped put Tara in prison, starts coming around, looking for answers to questions Tara refuses to provide, her life gets increasingly more complicated.

This is a slow burn story exploring the complex relationships between siblings. They each have secrets to protect and are shouldering their own traumas. They are messy and struggling and in many ways still grappling with the death of their mother and their father’s subsequent abandonment. There is no lack of challenges facing the Connellys and the question is can they get beyond the past and carve out futures for themselves?

I really enjoyed having the POVs of the siblings and of Brian. And as someone who grew up around the area where the book is set I appreciated the familiarity.

I also received an audiobook ARC of this book so huge thanks to Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the ARC. And shoutout to Barrie Kreinik for an outstanding audiobook narration.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I really enjoyed her first book We Are The Brennans. Unfortunately, this was not as good. The story seemed to drag. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to its publication.

A family saga centering on three siblings - each dealing with their messy, shameful childhood in their own way. As questionable decisions, secrets and misguided deceptions mount, its pretty clear there are no easy answers to the age old question - just how far are we willing to go to protect those we love? And when does our ‘help’ become just the opposite?

Tara Connelly - a thirty-year-old convicted drug-trafficking felon, former art teacher and sibling to Eddie and Geraldine, is on the cusp of release from her eighteen-month prison sentence, the uncertainty of her future looming.

Eddie, her brother, a single dad, battles the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, as he struggles with migraines, seizures, memory issues and the rocky road they leave him on, in his attempts to provide emotional and financial stability for his young son.

Geraldine, the oldest of the three, who has raised her brother and sister from the age of nineteen, has deeply entrenched her family role as the sensible caretaker- a role as suffocating now at thirty-seven years old as it is untenable.

Without giving the plot away, (no spoilers here), this is a story of love, and learning, and letting go, - and a family’s ultimate journey to healing, with plenty of stops, and starts, and misfires along the way.

A good read, this book will appeal to lovers of family-driven character-rich fiction.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

Tracey Lange’s previous book was an immediate hit for me. When I saw a new book by her coming out, I was immediately drawn to it and very excited to dive in. I will admit that I struggled through the first 25% or so, not really connecting or investing myself with any characters or the story lines, but once it took off, it REALLY took off.

It’s hard to decide if you like these characters, feel sorry for them, or see a lot of yourself in them. I think that’s the beauty of Lange’s writing though - the words really make you sit back and think and reflect. This book was quite short, but it packed a lot of punch through the storylines that all intertwined. It was beautiful, raw, emotional and relatable. If you’re looking for a character driven family drama, this book is for you!

The Connellys of County Down is a character driven family drama about three siblings that had a difficult childhood who stay living together into adulthood. Youngest sister Tara is fresh off a stint in jail trying to get her life back on track. Her sister Geraldine has been taking care of everything for their brother Eddie and his son Conor in Tara’s absence. Now that she’s home and trying to adhere to the stipulations of her parole, the stress of the last two years come to a head.

I really enjoyed this story. It immediately grabbed my attention, and I was fully invested early in the Connelly’s tale. I loved that it was written in 4 POVs. Seeing how each sibling and the detective was coping with Tara’s case gave the story so much emotional depth. My only note is that I wish there were a few more chapters at the end! I wanted a little more closure for the family, I loved spending time with these characters. Lange’s writing style is so beautiful. I can’t wait to pick up We Are the Brennans.

Thank you, Celadon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

My Ratings:
Plot ★★★★
Reading Experience ★★★★★
Characters ★★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★★

Overall ★★★★.75

Tara Connelly has just been released from prison and her sister, Geraldine, never showed to pick her up. Detective Nolan just happens to be at the prison and offers her a ride home. The problem: he is the one who put her behind bars. Out of choices, Tara accepts the ride and returns to the home she shared with her sister Geraldine and her brother Eddie and his son, Conor. As the family acclimates to Tara's return, Tara finds a job, returns to caring for her siblings, but also is determined to find answers to her lingering questions about her family. But Tara is not the only one digging into her family's secrets. So is Nolan's partner, Hank. To add to complications, Tara can't seem to follow the rules set by her Parole officer and finds herself in trouble... again.

I really enjoyed this novel about family, loyalty, the secrets we keep to protect our loved ones. All 3 siblings are scarred by the loss of their parents and are bonded deeply to each other. The lengths they go to take care of each other are flawed but guided by the truest of intentions. The characters are complicated and messy but ultimately want what is best for everyone.

Thank you to Celadon and Netgalley for an early digital review copy of this novel.