I love a good family drama, and Tracey Lange has proven (again) that she knows how to write messy family stories that hook the reader with the first several pages.

I was captivated by the Connelly family. I loved the loyalty of the siblings and felt for all of them (although Tara was definitely my favorite).

The writing was lovely, the characters flawed but likable, and the story propulsive. Yet, it felt oddly similar to the authors debut, We Are the Brennans. I was late to the party with The Brennans and read it this year, so perhaps had it not been so fresh in my mind I would have felt differently. The plot of the story was definitely different but the theme almost felt like she was following a formula from the success of Brennans and the similarities kept distracting me from reading the actual story.

If you’ve had some time since you read Brennans, or if you haven’t read that one yet, this is sure to be an enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for The Connellys of County Down. Thank you to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the digital ARC.

I'm SO glad to have read this novel! Literary fiction with a touch of romance and suspense - what more could a reader ask for?

I must admit, when I first saw the title and cover of this novel I assumed it would be a family saga set in Ireland. Yes, it was a story about the Connelly family, but they lived in Westchester County, New York. And it wasn't a saga as such, but a brilliant depiction of a family who faced adversity throughout their lives and how they coped. How their family loyalty and deep-seated sibling affection got them through some desperate situations.

The characters were engaging and easy to care for.

Tara Connelly - a thirty year old who has just been released from prison. She is the youngest Connelly sibling and is a survivor who is courageous, artistic, and loyal to a fault. Tara finds love in the most unlikely of places, the logistics of which seem insurmountable. Tara adores her nephew, Conor.

Eddie Connelly - the middle Connelly child. He is a single Dad to Conor and the ex-husband of a drug addict. When he was just a teen, Eddie suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident. Now he works in construction and suffers migraines and seizures.

Geraldine Connelly - the eldest Connelly sibling. She brought up her two younger siblings when her Mum died and her father deserted the family. She is governed by self-imposed rules and routine, which has helped her to get through an arduous life. She relinquished her own childhood to keep the family together and her siblings out of foster care.

"When parents die so early they take too much with them - their children's security, their strongest guiding light and biggest cheering section. It was like being left to free-fall through life with no safe place to land."

This well crafted story was told with compassion, empathy, and a sense of justice. I was very invested in the lives of all three Connelly siblings, especially that of Tara. All three siblings were underdogs whom you couldn't help but root for.

If you admire character-driven literary fiction with an engaging plot and characters, then you should definitely read "The Connellys of County Down".

This will likely be on my year's best list. Highly recommended!

I am not one for family saga's, at least not often but this book!!

I couldn't put it down from the first page. I loved the characters, the pacing, the writing style, and well I loved everything!! It felt real and I felt connected to not only the characters but also the plot. It played out as a movie in my head as I read late into the night.

I love the themes of family obligation, second chances, and fresh starts!

This is a must read, even if you're a thriller fan like me.

Thank you so much to Celedon for my eARC of this book.

I'm not normally a contemporary fiction reader, let alone one with family drama. So color me pleasantly surprised when I read this book. I enjoyed the relationship with Conor, Tara, and Eddie and was so excited by the growth in all of them. I felt a lot of sorrow for Tara, Eddie, and Geraldine at all the trauma they experienced in their young lives. I thought the author did an interesting job highlighting the results of that trauma and how sometimes people society sees as "troubled" are just dealing with the cards they have been dealt.

I really did hope that Geraldine went to jail after what she did to Tara. I also felt a little icky with the relationship that developed between Tara and the officer who arrested her.
Despite those hiccups, this was a solid book that highlighted sibling loyalty and love.

What a great book! A lot of family dynamics are explored in this story. I admire the fight of each of the siblings as they have done the best three know how with their lives. It is a great read!

Title: The Connellys of County Down
Author: Tracey Lange
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: August 1, 2023

I received complimentary eARC and ALC copies of this book from Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Mysterious • Relatable • Reflective

📖 S Y N O P S I S

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 façade 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.

💭 T H O U G H T S

After absolutely loving Tracey Lange's debut, We Are the Brennans, I was super excited to see she was releasing a new novel in 2023. One of my most anticipated releases, I picked The Connellys of County Down as my August pick for my personal book of the month project, and when Celadon offered me an advanced copy I wouldn't click 'yes' fast enough.

Centered around three siblings, the pacing keep me wanting more. The story unraveled slowly with each chapter offering new tidbits of information as to how everything would connect. From the very start, there was an underlying mysterious tone. The siblings were each flawed and relatable in their own way, and their relationships with one another were layered and complex. At various points it was hard to figure out whether to feel sorry for them or to empathize with them. It is clear Lange's background in behavioural science and psychology helped shape the narrative surrounding Eddie's traumatic brain injury, and Geraldine's hoarding. Both of these aspects were handled with care and realistically.

The novel is on the shorter side, and I just couldn't put it down. However, it was the ending that left me slightly dissatisfied. Not only did it end abruptly, but after so much conflict everything ended tied up with a pretty little bow, which just felt unrealistic. There were several other possible endings that made more sense in my head.

I tandem read the digital and audio versions, and I must say the audio narration by Barrie Kreinik really brought the family to life. Each character had a distinct voice, which made following along easy. Pacing was very well done and accents were done with excellent intonation.

Overall, I appreciated the themes of family obligation and starting anew, making The Connellys of County Down a satisfying read. I just would have preferred a different ending. After reading her sophomore novel, it really cements Tracey Lange as an auto-buy author for me, and I will eagerly be awaiting whatever she writes next.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• lovers of the family saga
• readers who like character driven stories
• fans of messy sibling relationships

⚠️ CW: death, death of parent, drug trafficking, overdose, incarceration, car accident, injury/injury detail, medical trauma, mental illness, abandonment, cursing, addiction, drug use, drug abuse

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I don’t think you do the rest of us any favors when you don’t let us carry our own burdens."

I went into this book really excited for a family saga book similar to Ann Napolitano's "Hello Beautiful". I was really disappointed. I found it to be slow paced and rambling. The characters were surface level with little development that were dull and flat. The ongoing plotline regarding who subsidized Tara's prison bank account was predictable from the moment we're told that Detective Brian finds Tara attractive. The knowledge is later set it stone when we learn of his guilt as he drives her home from jail. Passages within the book read like a grocery list of information instead of the evolution of a family. Due to my negative feelings about the book I'm refraining from posting a review on GoodReads nor my social media accounts. Thank you very much for a copy of the book. I haven't read We Are the Brennans yet but I'm hoping I'll love that book by Tracey Lange.

Sometimes you need a book that isn’t doing all the things. What I appreciate in Lange’s writing is that she crafts straight-forward family dramas. She isn’t layering in multiple narrators or trying to drown me in exposition. Her books are more ABC vs. HBO.

Meet the Connellys, siblings Tara, Eddie and Geraldine. Let’s be honest, they’ve had a shit go. Their father was a criminal who caused a traumatic brain injury for Eddie. Their mother died while they were young, which forced Geraldine to take on a motherly role too soon, and Tara was busted for drug trafficking.

The book opens the day Tara is released from prison. Geraldine has become a control freak, obsessive hoarder and Eddie is a father to a young son. We follow these three as they try to readjust to their new life together.

This is a “quiet” book. There aren’t any major plot points, suspense or mystery. You would think that it’s a slow moving book, BUT it isn’t. You get sucked into these characters lives and find yourself rooting for them. It’s a nice mental break from thrillerland.

If you enjoyed This Is Us you should pick this up!

The Connellys of County Dwon by Tracey Lange is an enjoyable family drama about the relationship between three adult siblings. I really loved Lange's first book, We Were the Brennans, and her sophomore novel was very good as well!

I think stories about adult siblings are just fascinating! In this story, each character has their own struggle as individual adults. But their struggles and their relationships with each other are also influenced by things that happened in their childhood. The way that all those childhood struggles come into play as adults and affect the interaction between the siblings and their current struggles...it's just so interesting!

Lange writes these characters in a way that feels authentic to real life. Geraldine, Eddie and Tara all have plenty of struggles and insecurities and imperfections. They make mistakes, but they also teach us about the power of the sibling relationships and the love that can be found even in the middle of the mess.

I am looking forward to whatever Tracey Lange writes next!

That reference/Easter Egg about killed me 🥹

Believe me when I say no one writes family sagas like Tracey Lange. We Are the Brennans is one of my favourite books of all time so you can imagine how I excited I was dive into her latest. And guess what? I absolutely loved it.

I flew through this book during a weekend road trip and devoured it in two sittings. It was so readable, so riveting, and I enjoyed every moment. I don't know how the author does it, writing everyday people doing everyday things in everyday situations with so much flair, to the point that you are completely captivated and can't get enough.

The characters are so well-written, perfectly flawed, and had me completely invested. I loved the budding romance, which had a hint of the forbidden (and reminded me of Sunday Brennan x Kale from the author's debut). My only gripe is that the ending felt abrupt, but that's probably just me being greedy and wanting more.

The Connellys didn't hook me quite like the Brennans.
Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
The Connellys Of County Down is the story of Tara, newly released from prison after a drug trafficking charge. She moves back in with her siblings Geraldine and Eddie, lands a new job, and takes on a new relationship with an unexpected mate. There's family history and drama bubbling to the surface.
The writing was solid, but my interest came and went throughout. Ultimately this was quite a good book, just not what I needed right now.
Regardless, recommended!
Released on Aug. 1.

I love a good family drama, and this delivered. I couldn't put down We Are The Brennans so when I heard about Lange's next book, I was thrilled.

The Connellys are kind of a mess, but they're trying. I love a family story of survival and healing, and I especially loved watching each Connelly sibling learn to lean on each other and open up.

I do feel like this ended a bit abruptly - I wish I had gotten more closer for Eddie and Geraldine, not just Tara.

3.5 stars - rounded up because I couldn't put this down or stop thinking about it

Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an ARC and audiobook!
——
This is the author’s sophomore novel but the first one that I read, and I can see now why everyone loves her writing! As far as a summary goes, there isn’t much more I can reveal beyond the official synopsis. What I can say is that it’s a story that tests family and sibling bonds, and the amount of sacrifices that you sometimes have to make for your family, even if it’s to your own detriment. The 3 siblings, Tara, Geraldine and Eddie couldn’t be more different from each other and yet couldn’t be apart. They are all imperfect in every way you can imagine yet they form a complete picture as a whole.

What was even more interesting was the ex-convict and law enforcement themes explored throughout the book. Tara’s post-prison journey was a unique and important theme that I don’t see enough in books and I thought that was a refreshing change. I felt the author did a phenomenal job writing the unprecedented hurdle of rebuilding one’s life after a prison time. I also enjoyed the good cop-not so good cop theme and the boundaries they are allowed or not allowed, which was another unique factor to this book.

I oscillated between 4 and 5 stars throughout the book and ended with 5 because I was extremely invested in the siblings’ challenges and was rooting for all the main characters in the book despite their misgivings. I now need to read The Brennans!

After loving Tracey Lange’s debut, We Are The Brennans, I was thrilled when Celadon Books offered me an advanced reading copy of The Connellys of County Down. Family sagas, centred on love and chaos, are a favourite of mine. And the Connellys bring it in spades.

Take three adult siblings, negotiating the ups and downs of life under one roof, add in some jail-time, a handsome local cop, and secrets that are threatening to boil over, and I’m sucked right in. These characters are flawed and realistic. Lange’s pacing keeps this story moving forward smoothly, and I was more than happy to stay up too late to finish it.

Grateful to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the complimentary advance copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, Celadon Books and Tracey Lange.
I loved this novel, full of family drama and secrets .
Family goes thru ups and downs, this family had real highs and lows.
Loved Tara, Eddie and Connor the best.
Geraldine was a special kind of sister.
Highly recommend if you enjoy family dramas. I will continue to read from this author for sure
Highly recommend
4 stars

Following her debut novel, Tracey Lange shows her strength and growth in writing in The Connellys of County Down. Although both have a similar preface of family/sibling struggles once a family member comes back into the fold, The Connellys of County Down highlights sibling rivalry, connection, and mental health.
Along with the audio narration by Barrie Kreinik, this novel soars to new heights with a character driven story and development with a hint of romance. I think this is going to be the next book club book as there is so much to unpack and discuss. Thoroughly enjoyed listening and reading this novel and will continue to watch out for other releases by Tracey Lange.

Family dramas are my favorite type of book to read. I was hooked from the very start. The character development was spot on. I love her writing style.

Tara Connelly is out of prison and ready to start her life back up. She is welcomed home by her sister and brother. They are determined to put their family back together and move on with their lives...but past secrets won't stay in the past.

It was hard not to be completely lost in this family's story. This is truly about the bonds of siblings and how that relationship is not easily broken. I loved that we were able to really get to know all three of the Connelly siblings. They are all battling something and haven't figured out how to lean on each other instead of pushing each other away.

I really loved this book. There were times in the story that I wanted to scream at the characters for the decisions they were making..but that makes for a good story. I was completely wrapped up in their world.

I alternated between the print copy and the audiobook for this one. The audiobook was fantastic and brought this family to life.

I definitely recommend this one if you love family dramas like me.

Can you go home again? At 30? With your two siblings? What if you don't have any choice?
Tara Connelly has been released from prison after eighteen months of serving a drug charge. She was a teacher of art, which is a no-go, and she's now moving back home with her big sister, Geraldine, and brother Eddie and his son. And now the cop who was responsible for her going away keeps turning up and she is wondering what's next.
I love a good family drama. There's this misnomer that novels have to be fast-paced to be dramatic but really, they just have to have heart. Several character-driven stories have gotten the “but nothing happens” treatment lately (I see you, Hello, Beautiful and Pineapple Street.) But Tracey Lange’s sophomore novel triumphs in matters of the heart. I really pulled for the Connelly Clan. Especially lovely are the stories their mom used to tell them about the Connelleys of County Down and the magical powers they had.

Thank you to Celadon for the digital and audio copies.
4.5 stars

#CeladonReads
#TheConnelleysofCountyDown

Tracy Lange, author of We Are the Brennans, returns with a story about family, loyalty and love
that’s impossible to put down.

Tara Connelly is recently released from jail after serving time for a drug sentence. She moves back home with her siblings to relaunch her life. Geraldine, her anxious older sister, has tried to keep the family together and helped to raise her siblings after their mother died and their father abandoned them. Tara’s return, while welcome, adds a chaotic element to Geraldine’s perfectly planned life. Her brother Eddie, a single dad to Connor, is suffering from long term symptoms of a traumatic brain injury while trying to balance raising his son. All three siblings are holding onto secrets and have issues that begin to break them and affect the entire family. To further complicate matters, the policeman that sent Tara to jail keeps resurfacing in her life.

A tightly woven plot and the character driven narration make this story fast paced and compelling. A generational family drama that’s unforgettable!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy in return for my honest review.