I preferred this book to We are The Brennans. Tara was a great character, I loved finding out more about her background and how she got into her predicament. The more I found out the more I loved her. I wasn’t sure about Brian and his storyline, I wouldn’t have minded if it didn’t pan out the way it did. The family dynamic between Tara and her siblings was depicted in such a realistic way, and I thought that personal issues were dealt with in a sensitive way.

Tara moves back home with her family after serving time on a drug charge and tries to rebuild her life. But she finds that her brother and sister are both struggling in their own ways. She finds hope with an unexpected new job that she loves and then begins an ill-advised romance. This is a novel about resilience and what it means to be a family, especially when times are really hard.

I enjoyed this read so much more than I thought I would. I loved the characters - they are imperfect and touch a chord in the reader. I loved Tara's loyalty and her fierce love for her siblings. This is a book you will find hard to put down! An excellent read!

A hard to put down novel, The Connellys of County Down tells the story of three adult siblings who have tragedy in their past and how they hold each other dear and sacrifice for each other.

I read this book as part of the #readtogether initiative by Celadon Books. In a group, the book was sectioned off to read in parts and discuss at certain points.

The first 2/3’s of the book were my favourite as there was so much anticipation and mystery behind the relationships among the siblings and between Tara, the main character, and one of the detectives involved in the case that sent her to prison for 18 months. Her brother Eddie was a favourite character. He suffered from a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car accident with their father years ago. As a person with a similar disability, I appreciated the representation and respect given to the character. The third sibling, older sister Geraldine, was not my favourite and it is clear that the author intended her for her to come across a certain way at the beginning of the book. Despite learning more about her struggles and seeing her character develop throughout the story, I didn’t quite believe in her.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and could not put it down. It was the right book at the right time for me. Maybe I just wanted a bit more at the end or to continue with the characters as I felt like I was just starting to really know them.

Thank you to @celadonbooks for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. The Connellys of County Down publishes August 1, 2023. I’ll post again on publishing day and we’ll see if my thoughts have changed at all. Until then, pick this book up if you like family stories with a little mystery, secrets and a hint of romance.

The Connellys of County Down

Oh my goodness. What can I say! Tracey Lange has written another phenomenal book. I was first introduced to @tracey_lange when I read her debut book, We are the Brennans, in 2021. It was so well written and heartfelt that it moved me to tears. So when I had the opportunity to participate in a read along for Tracey Lange’s second book, I was all in.

Like her first book, The Connellys of County Down is about an Irish Catholic Family living in Westchester, New York that have come upon hard times. They suffered a terrible childhood tragedy that left three siblings parentless and growing up having to fend for themselves. Tara, Eddie and Geraldine pulled together and made it to adulthood but with many bumps and obstacles along the way. Including an 18 month prison stay for the youngest sibling, Tara. The Connelly siblings are flawed and troubled but so relatable and loveable too. I fell in love with them but at times they also irritated and annoyed me. Especially Geraldine, the eldest sibling.

The Connellys of County Down is a beautiful story about family loyalty, redemption and love. It’s full of flawed but relatable characters. There’s romance, there’s humour and lots of love too. But what pleasantly surprised me was a little twist near the end of the book. I thought I’d figured out Tara’s secret but I was shocked to discover how wrong I was.

I honestly can’t say enough about this book. It was that good. I whizzed through the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen but at the same time trying to slow down my pace as I didn’t want the story to end.

Thank you so much Celadon Books and Tracey Lange for my physical advanced readers copy and NetGalley for my electronic arc of The Connellys of County Down. Hands down a 5 ⭐️ read for me and my favourite fiction book of 2023. I sure hope there will be a book 2 of The Connellys 🙏🏻.

Publish Date: Aug

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it! I went into it blind and didn’t know what to expect, so I was surprised when the story starts with the main character just coming out of prison. I definitely judged a book by its cover, and I was wrong this time.

This book is very focused on family drama, and the author did a great job with it. I was drawn in from the first sentence and stayed captivated until the very end. There were many moments where I honestly didn’t know how they were going to fix the ridiculous messes that they created for themselves.

I loved Tara (the MC) and thought she was such a great character to focus on. I also loved Brian and the connection that they shared. Geraldine was definitely my least favourite. That woman drove me nuts, and even after hearing more about her perspective and backstory, I just couldn’t get onboard with her.

Overall, this was a fun read about a dysfunctional family that I pretty much binged in two sittings.

Thank you to Celadon Books for my gifted copy!

Thank you Celadon Books for the advance copy as part of the Celadon Reads Together initiative.

The Connellys of County Down is the first book I have read by Tracey Lange and it will not be my last. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked this book.

My loves:
• The characters were so well written and most experienced some type of growth.
• The family drama was exactly that: DRAMA. I often thought…Wow, with family members like these, who needs enemies? Lol.
• The forbidden, definitely shady romance aspect
• Tara’s loyalty

My dislikes:
• I would love to been in on the conversation between Brian and Hank towards the end.
• There was no WOW factor except for the drama.

Recommendation: it’s a solid read especially for those who love character driven books.

I don’t read a ton of contemporary fiction, but contemporary romance and romcoms? Absolutely. I don’t think there’s a lot separating contemporary fiction from contemporary romance except for a guaranteed HEA and maybe more kissing - and man, it stressed me out not knowing that it was all going to be ok in the end!

Some things I loved about The Connellys of County Down:
💖 all of the characters, in all of their messy glory
💖 the therapist - I love a helpful therapist. I love characters that go to therapy. I love seeing therapy shown as a journey not a quick fix

I read this WITH MY EYES in 5 days - that’s like a new record for me. It is fairly short and moves pretty quickly, so this could be a one sit read for some of you!

The full book description is in the comments. Tara starts out this book getting out of prison, and we are introduced to an area struggling with an opioid crisis…except we’re not, really. We hear from a detective, Brian Nolan, about how his uncle is devastated by at least one overdose in the community, but overall this is really a background issue that isn’t at all resolved, and I wish it had featured a little more strongly. Obviously an opioid crisis is not a quick fix situation, but nothing was resolved, and it left me wanting a bit more.

Overall, loved it, loved the Connellys, and I’d love to hear from people who have read the author’s other book “We Are the Brennens” so I know if I need to prioritize that one!

Thank you Celadon Books for inviting me on this Read Together! All opinions are my own.

I was gifted a copy of this for a Caledon Books read-along but was in no way obligated to post a positive review....that said, this is indeed a positive one. I loved it. I completely fell for Tara, Eddie and Geraldine. Even if Ger (see me even feeling like I'm friends with them that I can shorten her name ;) ) drove me bonkers with her incessant worrying or thumb over her family...i KNEW we would get to the reason of the fear dominate reasons of why she was the way she was.

I loved Brian. Loved Tara. Wanted to be their neighbour so I could pop over and help Geraldine as she was raising her siblings...but that's my own issues because I would say that their struggles are what made both Eddie and Tara who they are, resilient and strong.

this book is a work of fiction but as with the author's previous book, you feel like you know them well. You root for each member of the Connellys and come away with the same thing I felt with "We are the Brennans"....families and relationships are messy and complicated.

Also, side note, love that this work of fiction wasn't 500 pages. The author got all the emotions and themes out without adding any "extra" fluff.
4.5 stars

THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN by Tracey Lange is a riveting and heartwarming story of redemption, family, and love. Lange's skillful writing transports readers into the lives of the Connelly siblings as they navigate their own struggles while trying to hold their family together. Tara Connelly, the main character, is a complex and compelling protagonist whose journey of self-discovery and second chances is both realistic and inspiring. The themes of forgiveness, acceptance, and growth are woven seamlessly into the narrative, making the reader root for Tara and the Connelly family until the very end. Ms. Lange's attention to detail and her ability to create fully fleshed-out characters make this novel a truly enjoyable read. I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and heartwarming story about the power of family and love.

Thanks to Celadon for a copy and having me be part of their read along this month. This starts out strong, we learn where our protagonist Tara has been for 18 months and where she is headed. Tara is getting her life in order, checking in with her parole officer, landing a job, and maybe a little romance. It’s a bit predictable, I would have liked more depth from the characters and learning about their life leading up to Tara’s return home. I enjoyed my group discussions and giving me a different perspective!

I loved the cover, it’s gorgeous!

I went into this one blind. I kind of think it’s best to go into it blind. It has so many layers packed into <300 including great character development. I love authors who aren’t wasteful with words.

The story was so well written, it sort of reminded me of a Colleen Hoover (with less spice) and Taylor Jenkins Reid fusion. This was my 1st Tracey Lange book but I have her other one in my bookshelf and it’ll promptly be moving up higher on my TBR.

The characters were so incredibly well developed with such substance…they had a rawness to them and were so very relatable. I don’t typically get emotional reading but this book just really resonated with me and I think a lot of people will feel the same way when they read this (for so many different reasons).

It’s about love, loss, growth, family, relationships, hope, suffering, surviving and forgiveness.

I really enjoyed how everything played out and seeing each character grow and blossom. I connected with each of the MCs for different reasons.

The Connellys of County Down is a new book coming from Tracey Lange, who also wrote We Are the Brennans.

“Tara is struggling to restart her life after being released from prison. She served 18 months for a drug trafficking charge but there’s more to it than she told the police. She moves back to her family home with her brother, Eddie, and sister, Geraldine. And Eddie’s son, Conor. Eddie still struggles with issues from a brain injury. Geraldine is having a difficult time with the chaos that Tara has brought to the family and she misses the rules and order she had before. They all have secrets holding them back and events will test the bonds of family.”

Do you have siblings? What are your relationships like? What things happened to all of you that wounded you? Or anchors you? This is a wonderful story about family and secrets from Lange. Until Tara, Eddie and Geraldine can trust each other again, they are stuck. It’s great watching them get unstuck. Geraldine comes across as not very nice and controlling. Her big issue reminds me of my Mom because she had the same problem. When you hear why it makes sense.
Celadon Books put groups of readers together to buddy-read this in April. I apologize to my group because I wanted to finish. I think I liked this even better than WATB. Save a spot on your August TBR for this one. Thanks to @celadonbooks for coordinating this with the advanced copies.

I loved Tracey Lange's debut, We Are The Brennans, so I was super excited to read an advance copy of her next release, The Connellys of County Down and I am happy to say that I loved it too! I definitely recommend for anyone who enjoys family sagas. Lange is sure to become one of my auto-read authors!

Synopsis (It's a fiction book, so it helps…from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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From Tracey Lange, the New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans comes The Connellys of County Down: a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.
When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.
While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.
The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.
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So, when the synopsis of the book gives a better review than you can write...what to do? What to do? I have no loyalty or love for my siblings (yes, I said it), nor for me (yes, I also said it) so at times I wondered why the heck they did what they did for each other. But that's me. This is a dysfunctional yet loving family that I truly enjoyed spending time with them as I read through the book.
Highly recommended along with her previous book - I will chat up this book far and wide.
#shortbutsweetreviews

I loved Tracey Lange’s book We Are the Brennan’s, so I was very excited to get my hands on this one. I was raised with four brothers and no sisters, so stories involving family/siblings are high on my to-read list. Although I didn’t feel as strong of a connection as I did with the Brennan’s, this was still a very enjoyable read. Tracey has a wonderful way of creating characters anyone can relate to, and it was fun diving into the unique individual Connelly personalities. Can’t wait for her next book!

I went into this with pretty high expectations- We Are The Brennans was a real sleeper hit for me, I picked it up on a whim and devoured it in a day. But The Connellys just didn't hit as hard. Still a good family drama, but the characters didn't feel as real to me as the Brennans so I found myself less invested. 3.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reading Tracey's 2nd book. I absolutely love contemporary fiction....especially when it involves siblings. I was a huge fan of the Brennan's and I feel just the same about the Connelly's. Anything Tracey writes, I will read it. This will be a top book for me this year.

I have 5 siblings myself and we're all alike in ways but so different and sometimes complicated lol. I think thats why I have loved the Brennan's and Connelly's so much. Tracey has an amazing way of creating family characters that have quite a lot going on but they are so relatable and at the end of the day...they come together.

Don't miss this one. I am so sad its over.