I loved We Are The Brennans and was so excited to be approved for this new family drama by the same author! This book did not disappoint. Once I got all the characters straight and really jumped in, I couldn't stop reading. The Connelly family was well written and relatable, displaying the many intricacies of family relationships, though there was one character I absolutely could not stand (and I truly don't think they were redeemed!). Tara's nephew was my favorite! There were a couple of predictable twists, but they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book overall. Definitely recommend, and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

After serving 18 months in prison on a drug conviction, Tara Connelly tries to rebuild her life. She moves back in with her siblings - a brother who's a single dad trying to overcome a brain injury and a sister struggling with an intense need for a sense of control. Just as Tara feels like she might find love again, the cop who arrested her begins to hassle her and the family's secrets threaten to unravel everything she has worked for.

Once I began The Connellys of County Down I could not put it down, staying up way too late to finish it. Lange builds a rich story about complicated sibling dynamics, each sibling damaged in their own way by their dysfunctional upbringing. Yet the unconditional love between them shines strong, bringing you to tears as they struggle to balance their desires with what is best for the family. With its emotional presence and deep themes, The Connellys of County Down would make an excellent book club book selection.

Released from prison after serving 18 months on drug charges, Tara Connelly is going home to live with her siblings, and she must rebuild the life she had left in shambles before being sent away.

Working on a new career and her relationships with her family, Tara finds herself the love interest of someone she was least expecting. As she continues to search for new meaning in her life, her family’s secrets threaten to unravel everything she has worked so hard to keep buried.

This novel is a slow burn. It doesn’t pick up speed until the second half of the book. But unfortunately for me, it was still challenging to get through.

I wasn’t a fan of the characters or the dialogue in this one. It was lacking in emotion and read like a bad Hallmark movie at times. I tried to give the characters numerous chances to redeem themselves, but I ended the book a tad disappointed.

Overall, a quick read. It was short enough to keep me reading through to the end, but not one I would read again.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Connellys of County Down is a family drama that centers around the three Connely siblings, who lost their parents when they were still children.
The author weaves a deep web of tangled character flaws, disappointments and betrayals, yet a fierce sense of loyalty and love. Like most families, The Connellys have their issues, which only come to light in the last quarter of the book.
The book is heavy on character development, with an ending that was very hopeful. The author left us with a positive outcome, which I enjoyed. The storyline had me rooting for them while I was getting transported into the siblings' lives.
Although it was a feel-good, well developed family drama, I thought it was a bit slow to start. It did make up for it towards the end, and I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend it.
Thank you Celadon Books, NetGalley, and Tracey Lange for my chance to read and review it.

Tara has spent the last 18 months in prison for a drug charge. Upon her release she goes to live with her brother, sister and nephew. One of the cops who put her away keeps coming around and as she tries to get her life back on track, secrets are revealed and a chance at love emerges.

The writing of this book was really good - I could picture what was going on in each scene and understood clearly how the characters were feeling. Tara was a great main character, flawed but relatable. At times I felt there was almost too much going on though, as the author delved into each character’s background and issues. But the nephew was so cute and every scene with him was awesome.

The way everyone’s story was intertwined was interesting and each chapter left me guessing what would come next. If you’re a fan of family dramas and dysfunction, this book is for you!

Geraldine, Eddie and Tara lost their parents when they were teenagers. Geraldine was the oldest and took on the responsibility of raising and protecting her siblings into adulthood. She was a rule maker and was obsessive about following her rules. Eddie was in an accident that affected his health and Tara was a risk taker and problem solver. They had a strong bond and tried to help and protect each other when situations arose, but they had difficulty seeking help from each other to solve problems and this caused additional problems.
This novel is about family and the results of trying to survive when trying to, individually, protect others.

I loved We Are The Brennans and was so excited to be approved for this new family drama by the same author! Tara Connelly is being released from prison after serving her eighteen month sentence for a drug charge. She moves back home with her siblings and nephew as she begins the rebuilding of her life. Finding a job with a prison sentence, satisfying an untrusting parole officer and staying clear of her arresting officers prove more difficult than she expected. And hers seem to be the least of the family's problems.
This was more of a character driven book with a slow burn romance while the dialogue and plot moved the story along quickly. The Connelly’s are a family that love each other unconditionally, although you might not believe it at first. The characters are unique, and sometimes infuriating -yes I mean you Geraldine - it still makes for a quick and enjoyable listen.

First I have to say that I don’t normally read family dramas and the reason I don’t is pretty much what I think about this book after reading it. It is a (very) light book, even with the heavy drama that this family has to endure. So, I regret to say that the lightness lies on the writing. I find two of the three main characters in the novel utterly flat. Tara seems to be perfect in every possible way: she’s generous and sensitive and empathetic, all the time. Nothing seems to change her, not even spending time in jail to cover someone else’s mistakes. Geraldine, her oldest sister, is full of defects: she’s selfish and resentful. These two characters have no shades, they are what you see from beginning to end. Eddie is a more interesting character, he has some lights and shadows, which I really liked. But again, the writing stays in a superficial level, and I couldn’t feel anything for the characters throughout the novel. I’ll just keep away from contemporary fiction in the future. Tracey Lange knows how to write, but her one dimensional style is not my cup of tea.

The connection of family and what we try to do to protect them is powerful and covered through these pages. The author created nuanced characters that I found myself wanting to spend more and more time. Cheering for their noble efforts, being hopeful that their decisions wouldn’t hurt each other more than they had potential to do. I found myself rooting for them all and feeling a connection and sympathy for each character. I find when I’m sad to leave characters when the book is done, when I actually hope for a follow up novel - that the author has done a good job of weaving character and story. This book was that great combination.

(I received an advanced copy of this book in return for my review from NetGalley)

I loved this book so much. Tracey Lange penned a perfect family drama, second only to her first book, We Are the Brennans. Tara Connelly is the black sheep of her family, as she is getting out of prison in the beginning. She has to re-build her life with her brother and sister, trying to figure out how thrive on the outside. As we get to know more about the Connellys and their lives, we realize that people cannot just be judged by what they do, but why they do it. The love, loyalty, pain, and hope in this book stabbed me right in the heart and I feel honored to have spent time with the Connellys of County Down, a truly magnificent gem of a book. Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. What a wonderful experience!

I did not read We Are The Brennans, so this was my introduction to Tracey Lange. The Connellys of County Down hits the mark as a story about family and the things we do for the people we love. The novel is completely readable and enjoyable, but I kept waiting for something to happen. I didn’t buy into the chemistry between Tara and Brian’s.

Tara was just released from serving 18 months in prison on drug charges. Now she's out and has to re-acclimate herself to the real world. But how does she do that with no job, no money, no phone, and a record so no one wants to hire her? Her family is strained - her brother is shy about having her back, and her sister is largely verbal about her distaste of the situation. But family stress puts them against each other when things unravel, and we have to read to find out if they can put their family back together. Mix into the family drama an unlikely love interested, and Tara has her hands full trying to figure out her life.

I felt this book. No, I couldn't relate to anything, but the writing, the stress/strain of the story and situations that kept popping up made me feel it in my chest. I didn't want to put this book down. I love TL's style of writing and how she brings out the family drama and emotions, but she doesn't toy with us too much - she wraps things up in a sloppy bow at the end. This was a great read and I'd definitely recommend it.

🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝒞𝑜𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝒶𝓇𝓎𝒻𝒾𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟙, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛

"𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓵, 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼, 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓵𝓵𝔂𝓼. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓪 𝓷𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓵, 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓱𝔂, 𝓼𝓬𝓻𝓮𝔀𝓮𝓭-𝓾𝓹 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂."

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Tara Connelly is released from
jail after serving 18 months for a drug trafficking charge. She is ready to rebuild her life from scratch and be reunited with her siblings and nephew. Upon her return, she notices that her brother and sister have been struggling with their own problems and have all been keeping secrets of their own. Life becomes more complicated for Tara when the cop that put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced. Once all their secrets start to unravel, it’s time to tell the truth or risk losing one another once again. Can the cop be the one to help put her family back together? A story about love and loyalty and the importance of always asking for help when you need it.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I really enjoyed this book. I was connected to the characters immediately and felt like the Connelly Family was so relatable. We can all find some part of our family dynamics in the Connelly Family. They were imperfectly perfect and made for an entertaining read. I loved Connor )”(the nephew) character so much. One of my favorite parts about the book was the jokes that he told. Let me give you one: “ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕒 𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖?” “ℙ𝕦𝕥 𝕒 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕠𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕪 𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕥” 🤣

I wish some of the storylines would have been wrapped up with a little more detail but overall it was a great read.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫Binge worthy Family drama
💫Character driven books
💫Orange is the New Black tv show vibes
💫Imperfect real and raw characters
💫Exploration of complicated family dynamics

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: death of parent⚠️

🍀𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🍀
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

💕Q U O T E: "𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒶𝓇𝑔𝓊𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓇𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑔𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈. 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝒷𝑜𝓉𝒽 𝒸𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝓅 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓅𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒'𝓈 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹𝓈𝒽𝒾𝓅𝓈. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓈 𝒻𝒶𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂, 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓉𝑜 𝒷𝑒 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒.“

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Tracey Lange for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💕

Having to hitch a ride home from prison with the detective who put her behind bars is an inauspicious start to Tara Connelly's new life, after serving 18 months on a drug charge. But it gets worse. Neither her sister nor brother is home when she gets there, but a padlock on the door of her room is. As Tara negotiates freedom--with its newfound constraints, such as a parole officer--she is more aware of the deep fissures in her family life. Her brother still struggles with his brain injury and her sister is getting odder. And Brian Nolan, the detective, seems awfully nice for a cop.

Tracey Lange crafts compelling novels with families who love each other but are deeply flawed. I cared deeply about everyone in this book, even (and especially) Brian Nolan. As interesting as the primary and secondary story lines are, this is above all a story about family relationships. #TheConnellysofCountyDown #NetGalley

Well-written, engaging family drama with a bit too tidy of an ending for my cynical taste. This would make a great bookclub selection.

3.5 rounded down

**Thanks to Celadon books for a copy to review. All opinions expressed are my own**

I loved this book from the first chapter. I thought the characters were so flawed. so real, and you felt like they were your own family or friends -- watching them struggle, feeling frustrated with them, yet wanting them to succeed, rooting for them at the same time. I saw a couple of the "twists" coming, but I didn't even care, I wanted to see how the characters reacted to them, how they interacted with each other through them. Especially moving was the scene with Tara's father. Most people in the world are neither wholly "good" nor wholly "bad" and the writing does a good job of portraying that.

That being said...I didn't like the ending. It just ENDED. I wanted so much more, 40 pages more. I did not want to imagine the relationship between the siblings and with their father in a few months time, nor Tara's romantic relationship, or Eddie's. What about Geraldine?? I wanted redemption for Andrea and I wanted to know that they took down Roland, who was a huge focus for most of the book (albeit mostly off camera). I wanted sooo much more and after being so invested in these characters, I felt really flat after the book ended, like I was missing several chapters at the end. It could have been a truly amazing, knock it out of the park story but it just ended at a really strange time and gave us absolutely no resolution to all the threads it had pulled. I had so many questions and really disliked that I got basically no answers and had to make up the endings for myself.

Perhaps that wouldn't bother some people, but it always seems lazy to me for authors to invest so much in their characters, to make readers care about them too, and then to leave it up to your imagination how it ends. Did they not care enough to give anyone their redemption (or not) arc? To finish off vital elements of a very character driven and emotional journey? It would certainly put me off the author in the future.

I really hope my e-ARC was just missing two chapters at the end.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the first novel that Tracey Lange wrote. So when I saw this book available on Netgalley I asked for it right away and really really hoped I got picked to read it in advance. I am so glad I did. I loved the book, the characters were great, They weren't perfect which I always appreciate. The romance in this was cute. The family relationship was realistic. Her older sister drove me a bit batty but I understand why that happened. Overall I will continue to read all of her books.

I went into this not quite knowing what I was getting myself into, but knew a few others who had read either this book, or others by this author and it came highly recommended.
As the grandchild of Irish immigrants, I was immediately drawn to the family, knowing their struggles. It was a little strange for one of the villains in the book to share the same last name as me, but I got past it.

This book was... strange for sure. I tend to go with books that have a clear plot to follow rather than a book that follows character growth as a plot, but I did enjoy the writing style and the characters in the book. I enjoyed the book a lot more than I originally thought, and would love to read more works by this author.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy of The Connelly's of County Down. The characters of this book are all human and flawed, and yet Lange makes them lovable and you root for all of them to find happiness. While the story about their ancestry of County Down is a small part of the story, it brings everything together at the end. The power of a story, the roles we play in our family unit, and the challenge to break out and grow are central themes to this book. Highly recommend it!

Thank you Celadon books for giving me an opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Connellys of County Down. I had not heard of this book until you emailed me the widget. This was a very good family drama surrounding 3 siblings Eddie, Tara and Geraldine. The story opens with Tara being released from prison for drug trafficking after serving 18 months. As you get into the story we learn a lot about Tara. She loves her family and will do anything to protect them. This book has a little bit of everything in it - family secrets, romance, and just plain family drama. Although I could pretty much predict what was going to happen, I still enjoyed getting immersed into the lives of the Connelly's. This is the first book I have read by this author and look forward to reading more.