Boy do I love a complicated family story, and this one does not disappoint. Lange does an incredible job of allowing us to peer into the lives of this family. Excellent!

The Connelly siblings have had a rough life but have managed to stick together through it all. Tara, the youngest sibling, is coming home from prison and trying to rebuild her life amongst the chaos that is just regular, everyday happenings with the family. This is a story of survival and overcoming a shitty hand delt in life. Mental health is represented. An enemies to lovers relationship is woven in. Its overall a really good story, that unfortunately is very true to life. Lange writes the characters so well, its easy to empathize with their situation. I was rooting for Tara the whole way.

I don't even know what to say about The Connellys of County Dawn other than I absolutely loved this book. Lange is a master at putting together multi-layered family dramas that completely draw you in. The characters are so well-developed and the plot here is gripping, powerful, and moving all at the same time.

We meet the main character Tara as she is being released from prison after an 18-month sentence for trafficking drugs. Her sister is supposed to pick her up once released however she exits the facility to be faced with the same cop who arrested her and helped to put her in prison.

Once home, the story really takes off as we meet her brother Eddie, nephew Colin, and her sister Geraldine.

I really enjoyed how Lange brought all the various plot points together and loved watching the characters overcome obstacles and grow.

This is another wonderful book by Tracey Lange (if you haven't read, We Were the Brennans yet you need too!) and will definitely go down as one of my favorites of 2023.
Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

I loved this book just like I knew I would. "We are the Brennan's" was one of my favorite books of 2021 so I was sooo excited when I saw Tracey Lange had a new one.

The best thing about Lange's books are the amazing family dynamics. The families in her stories are messy and sometimes a bit crazy but they love deeply and have each other's backs always. She has an amazing way of adding real like problems (like trauma, mental illness, death) and normalize them without being problematic. All. three siblings were so different and struggled with different things, but they made it work and were always there for each other, even if they bumped heads. Tara was such an amazing strong character, a great sister and a great aunt. I really liked her character a lot.

If you love strong family dynamics with some drama mixed in, you will love this book!!

I was (and still am) obsessed with Lange’s first novel but this one doesn’t quite measure up. I liked Tara as a main character, and I enjoyed all the family drama, but it just didn’t have that special something to make it a memorable story.

Tracey Lange follows her debut novel with another solid work. She creates believable characters and engaging plots centered on love and family. I enjoyed reading about the Connellys. The characters are sympathetic and believable.

This story was a slow burn for me - the characters were frustratingly human and you can’t help but to root for them. The loyalty and sacrifices the siblings make for each other was heartwarming amongst the circumstances they faced. With this book and WeAreTheBrennans, Tracey Lange has become a go-to for family dramas.

I have been provided with a review copy of The Connellys of County Down from NetGalley for an impartial review. Oh my gosh this story was just epic. I just couldn’t put this story down and I was just captivated by everything that was taking place. The author truly outdid herself with this story. This story just had my emotions all over the place and I am so sad to see this book end. I just can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

3.5 rounded down

Thank you to Celadon & Netgalley.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I liked the characters and each had their own little storylines. But it felt a tad underdeveloped. It was hard to believe that Tara would come out of prison and all these things would fall into her lap.

I think I could have gotten past the abundance of predictable moments, but at the end we just got left hanging. What happened? Can I get an epilogue or another 50 pages?

If you like family dramas, pick this one up.

I am officially a huge Tracey Lange fan. The way she writes these complex families, full of flaws but you can’t help but be endeared to them. I loved that this was also a bit of a forbidden love story. So so good!

After not loving the Brennans like the rest of the world seemed to I was hesitant to request The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange. Man am I glad I did because this one gets 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for me. The complexitites of the characters and the family drama that isn't over done but is ever present was great.
I loved the loyalty and perseverance shown by Tara. I loved the lightness that her nephew, Connor, added into the mix. I just felt like this was a true representation of a family that has been through it but still sticks together despite all of the hurdles in their path.

I will definitely not hesitate to pick up the next thing Tracey Lange puts out.

Thank you to Celadon for the advanced copy of this book for review.

I’m not sure what I expected from The Connelly’s of County Down, but I went in semi-blind and was drawn in right away! I loved following along with Tara as she adapted to life after leaving prison and getting to know her and what led to her being in prison. Family relationships are fascinating to me, and the author did a great job of building Tara and her siblings as individual characters, but also made their sibling relationships feel very real, with the right balance of showing the reader and telling through dialogue and inner monologues. There was the right amount of mystery/suspense as well to keep the reader engaged, without relying too much on that to drive the story along. It was great to see the characters self-reflect and grow as the story went on. Overall I loved the book and will recommend it to friends! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Tracey Lange writes about families in a way that really makes you care about each character in some way. The Connellys siblings are an Irish family from New York who are trying to coexist together while each working on their individual complicated lives.
I just loved how Tracey ties in a visit to Brennan's bar a nod to her first book.
It's a perfect length for a quick read I breezed threw it during a busy weekend.
Based off of the enjoyment I've had reading both of Tracey's books I must Tracey Lange is now officially an auto but author for me now.

The second book from Tracey and it’s another hit! Contemporary fiction: a family dealing with struggles, going through the motions and eventually finding happiness. The real: a really amazingly easy and enjoyable read!

Tara, recently released from prison on a drug charge goes home to her sister, brother and nephew. Trying to regain her freedom in life while also trying to make new memories. Life is messy and The Connelly’s are no different, hoarding, traumatic brain injuries and Moms not in the picture. It’s life and it’s real.

I really enjoyed this read from Tracey. It was real, it was easy to get into and kept me reading and wanting to see what happened next. It was lifelike, I can completely see this happening in life and it showed struggles. I loved it and look forward to Tracey’s next book, this was definitely a winner! Four stars all the way!

📕Tracy Lange loves her family dramas with siblings on each other’s throats one day and fighting for each other against everyone out there the second. After the Brennans, now we have Connellys
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📗Tara, Geraldine, and Eddie were siblings, but they couldn’t be more different than each other. They always looked after each other with Geraldine being the mother hen. When Tara went to prison for trafficking drugs, family took another hit. But her return was more problematic than her departure
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📘I liked how little details were introduced as the story progressed which lead to the final misunderstanding. None of those were red herrings. Every single detail fell into its rightful place

The Connellys Of County Down is a very character driven and focuses on the family of the Connellys and the secrets they keep from each other and the others that know them. The book alternates between different narrators and this writing style flows smoothly and I didn’t have any issues with knowing which character perspective I was reading.

This book is all about family bonds and forgiveness. The Connellys of County Down is full of family secrets and features complex family relationships.

I did feel like the relationship between Tara and Brian, the detective that was involved in her arrest, was kind of quick to happen and didn't add much to the story more than bring some drama.

I wish there had been more written at the end about what happened with the other characters. The ending felt really quick and I would have liked a bit more at the end. This could have been written better for a more complete ending.

After reading her debut last year, I was so excited to read this one. And it didn’t disappoint! She has such unique writing, and you feel everything her characters feel. The story is addicting and impossible to put down. Love it!!

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sentimental Family Drama

3.75 stars

The Connellys of County Down is a family drama about three siblings dealing with the aftermath of one of three being released from prison after serving 18 months for a drug-related crime.

This is a character-driven novel told through the voices of the Connelly siblings. Tara is the main character; her story and voice are the most compelling. After finishing this book, her character stayed in my head.

Tara’s mother created the myth of The Connellys of County Down, which plays a central role in Tara’s narrative. I really enjoyed the mythical element of the novel--it was unique and tied the three siblings together.

Also shared are the perspectives of Tara’s brother, Conner, and her older sister, Geraldine. Conner has a softer voice than Tara and Geraldine, but his narrative is interesting. Geraldine is annoying, but there is a reason why she is viewed this way. I found her narrative to be the least interesting.

In addition to the three siblings trying to navigate Tara’s return home, there is a romance and some drama. The romance didn’t quite work for me because it wasn’t wholly believable, especially in relation to some of the events towards the end.

This was a fast-paced read, and I was immersed from the start. However, I put this down at the 75% mark because I was anticipating something bad happening, and I was scared to see how things were going to play out. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was wrong. However, the cynic in me had a hard time grappling with the ending, but, in the end, my cold, cynical heart melted.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Celadon Books in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a good book with lots of family drama this is the one you want.
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book follows the story of Tara Connelly and her very close knit family in all its dysfunction. We’ve got the drug trafficking felon, the hoarder, the single dad with a brain disorder. Secrets are kept and guilt is heavy so somewhere things will boil over. Now add the arresting detective who makes things more complicated for them all.
Good stuff! I enjoyed this book very much. I loved the close siblings and their willingness to do whatever it takes to help each other out.
Thank you @celadonbooks for the gifted copy.