A thought-provoking and entertaining read about family dynamics and second chances!

I really liked this author’s previous novel We Are the Brennans so I was looking forward to listening to the audio of The Connellys of County Down.

I wasn’t disappointed. I listened to this compelling story over the course of two nights.
Thirty-year-old, Tara Connelly is being released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge. It’s the last time she’ll hear cell doors opening and closing. 525 days of being told what to do and when to do it. She’s terrified that something will go wrong before they let her out.

Of course she’s excited to be leaving prison but she knows that rebuilding her life after all that time won’t be easy. Being on parole and finding a job as a convicted felon also won’t be easy .

Tara is really looking forward to seeing her brother and sister. She’s especially looking forward to seeing her nephew, Conner. She’d been very disappointed that her siblings didn’t visit more often while she was in prison. But she tries to see things from their perspectives.

Tara’s sister, Geraldine Connelly is the eldest. She loves her job at the payroll company but lately she has been overwhelmed. Geraldine thrives on routine, rules and order.

Brother, Eddie Connelly is a single father to eight year old, Conner. Eddie is dealing with the lasting effects of a traumatic brain injury from years ago. He works as a carpenter but still struggles with bad days.

Most families are complicated and The Connelly siblings are DEFINITELY complicated. They are all holding on to long-held secrets that must be revealed or they just may lose each other forever.

An intimate and engaging family drama!!

With its interesting characters and well developed plot, The Connellys of County Down held my attention from start to finish. An entertaining story of love and loyalty. The narration of the audio by Barrie Kreinik was also excellent.

I am definitely adding Tracey Lange to my favorite authors list. I look forward to her next novel.


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book and the narrator. This was my first Tracey Lange book, and I will be listening to her other book in the near future! I loved this story about family and the things they do for each other. The narrator was great too!

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange (Goodreads Author), Barrie Kreinik (Narrator)
Colleen Chi-Girl's review
Bookshelves: 2023, audio, contemporary, crime-mysteries, ireland-irish, netgalley, women-centered, us-no-amer, new-york, illness-suicide-addiction

Big thanks to: NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Tracey Lange for the ARC audiobook that I really enjoyed listening to in return for my unbiased review. Narrator, Barrie Kreinik, did a fabulous job keeping the characters separate and distinct.

This is the 2nd Tracey Lange book that I've read. I will continue to follow her because of her talent for fully developed, complicated, dysfunctional, yet loving family members. And frankly, the Irish factor is huge for me. I grew up in Chicago where Ireland and being Irish are celebrated on St. Paddy's Day and throughout the year. Also, it's in my blood.....some of my Irish and Scotts-Irish people immigrated from County Down. But....here's a Down-er: Sadly, there's not a lot about Ireland or Country Down, which maybe could be a prequel down the line.. However, there's an County Down, Irish, feature told throughout of some beautiful Irish storytelling with memories evoking their deceased mother, her County Down, and thereby the beautiful title. You had me at....County Down :)

This is an intimate story about a small, Irish-American family of 2 adult sisters and an adult brother, who need each other to survive, for varying reasons, but mostly because they care about each other and are loyal. First, the eldest sister, Geraldine, who never married, is a rule-oriented, uptight, hoarder, who has been the accountant for decades of a local, family company. More importantly, as eldest, she was the caretaker since a young age of her brother and younger sister, in absence of her parents. Next, the sweet brother, who suffered a brain injury years ago, is a single parent of a wonderful adolescent son. Finally, the youngest sibling, Tara Connelly, was just released from a local prison after an 18 month sentence.....whattt!.....for a drug charge. Tara returns to the family home because she has no job, no money or car, and no obvious prospects. Here is the background, drama, and amazing creation and build-up of sympathetic familial characters just trying to survive in our often, very difficult world.

As the story continues, we learn the personalities and secrets of these 3 siblings and believe me, they all have some big ones. We also learn of their shared and individual difficulties of carrying the brunt of their own and other's burdens. Into this mix, enters the likeable, if not adorable, cop who helped put Tara away on the drug charge. Intrigued???

JUST please read this original, unique and likeable story, which will embrace you until the very end.

If Tara Connelly had been arrested for auto theft, I might have had some sympathy for her. Saying that drug trafficking is not a violent crime is a cop out. When I look around my hometown and see people tweaking in the street, shooting up in the library, dying of overdose – lives destroyed because of the opioid crisis – I have zero sympathy for drug traffickers and anyone involved in the distribution of opioids.

I disliked all of the characters in this book, and I’m sorry I finished it.

Tracey Lange captures family drama perfectly in her books, and this one is no exception. It was filled with love, loyalty, heartbreak and redemption. The characters were relatable, and I enjoyed the plot.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio & Celadon Books for the advanced listening copy of The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange!

This is another book full of secrets and shame piling up on the current generation. The parents make bad decisions that cause issues for the children, and they in turn are trying to shield themselves and their kids from these problems.

The issue is that eventually crap hits the fan, and everyone has to come clean. While similar to The Brennans in many ways, The Connellys are their own family. The book focuses on three siblings, one who just got out of jail. There’s also the oldest sister who grew up protecting everyone, and the brother who has a TBI but does his best with everything.

I still think Lange absolutely shines in the character department. She’s got a way of connecting her characters and fleshing them out in a short number of pages. The mystery and secrets kept the pages turning for sure but getting to know the siblings and watching things unravel was the best part.

Lange even packs a punch with her side characters. I loved the nephew, the employers, even the lawyer at the end – everyone has a role and contributes to the story.

I wasn’t such a fan of the romance part, I just wasn’t buying the connection originally. I also thought the book ended abruptly – it is short anyway, it needed another chapter to wrap things up or maybe an epilogue. I didn’t hate the ending but wanted to know that everyone was ok!

I also should talk about the audiobook since it’s an ALC – Barry Kreinik is really a phenomenal narrator. Many female voice actors can’t do male voices that well but I really think she nailed every single voice and brought a lot of emotion & nuance to the text. I highly recommend the audiobook and give her 5/5 for the performance!

Overall: if you like rich characterization, secrets and shame, mental health and help, sibling reconciliation, and people making the most of hard situations: definitely check out Lange’s books!

http://onereadingnurse.com/2023/07/10/the-connellys-of-county-down-by-tracey-lange-alc-review/

I really really liked this story. It's more of family fiction with a hint of romance but that's okay because I was so hooked on this plot and finding out what the real story is with these people. There were secrets for days and I felt really uncomfortable waiting for it all to blow up.
The characters are so compelling. Tara is not what you think based on the blurb. I didn't expect to love her as much as I did, even though I wanted to strangle her sometimes.
I had a soft spot for Eddie, her brother. He suffers from a brain injury and it broke my heart when he called himself stupid. He is such a good guy.
Her sister Geraldine is a pill and I didn't like her at all at first, but I some compassion for her by the end of the story.
I generally don't like 3rd person stories, but this was a combination of 3rd and 1st which flowed seamlessly.
This was an audiobook listen for me and the narrator was super!

The Connellys of County Down was an amazing family drama! The story of the three siblings and their various struggles was so well done. I felt like I really knew the characters. The audio was great too.

What I liked most:
- Character development
- Dual POV's
- Family drama
- Hints of fairy tales
- Family loyalty
- Unique problems like hoarding and brain injuries

Lange does it again! If you're curious about this one go pick it up!

Reading this book was very enjoyable. I both read the digital version and listened to parts on audiobook. The narration was well done and lent itself well to the style of writing and characters.

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)

Tracey Lang has done it again! I loved this familial suspense novel and the audio was so well done. I loved how everything came together in the end but not too perfectly. The cute little mention of the Brennan’s was so fun! I cannot wait for more from her. She perfectly writes about complex families and the lengths they’ll go to help each other regardless of circumstances. She is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "We are the Brennans" comes "The Connellys of County Down," a moving story about family, forgiveness, and loyalty. When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving 18 months for drug trafficking, she knows that rebuilding her life at 30 years old will not be easy. A former art teacher, she now has no job prospects and no money, so she returns home to Port Chester, New York, to live with her two siblings. Meanwhile, Tara's brother, Eddie, and her sister, Geraldine, are busy with their own problems. Eddie, a single dad, is still struggling from a traumatic brain injury he sustained years ago, and Geraldine is cracking under the pressure of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated for Tara when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced. While Tara works to build a new career and keep her family together, she finds love in a very unexpected place. As the siblings' secrets begin to unravel, they must face their fears and come clean or risk losing each other.

This book was such a delight! I sometimes struggle with contemporary fiction, but this story had a little bit of everything to hold my interest: lots of family drama, some romance, and a hint of mystery. The book is told from multiple viewpoints, so we really get to know each of the siblings and understand their individual perspectives. While each character had his or her own complexities, they were so lovable, and I enjoyed their personal growth throughout the novel. Overall, an emotional and inspiring novel that I highly recommend.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik. She did a wonderful job voicing the different characters, and I could really feel the emotion as I listened. I will definitely be listening to more of her audiobooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be accepted for this book! I read her last book and loved it. Thankfully I loved this one too. I enjoyed the family drama and the multiple twists. She captured a close yet troubled family well. Pick this book up now!!

The narrator was fabulous!! Well done!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this audio ARC! This family saga intrigued me from the start. A story about siblings, family disfunction, and a whole lot of miscommunication! I enjoyed the mystery to figure out who Tara was protecting. I did feel like I wanted a little more in the ending, there was a lot of buildup for things to be wrapped up pretty quickly. I haven’t read Meet the Brennans yet, but I definitely will now!

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley for an honest review.

When I saw Tracey Lange had a new book out, I was so excited! We Are The Brennans was such a hit.

The Connellys of County Down is another excellent book! Tracey Lange sticks true to her style with honest, real characters and compelling storytelling. I finished this audiobook in less than 24 hours. I didn’t want it to end, though I was also pleased that it didn’t drag at any point.

At less than 300 pages, it makes for a quick read.

If you liked We Are The Brennans, you’ll also enjoy the Connelly crew!

Short synopsis: Tara has spent the last 18 months in prison for a drug trafficking charge, upon her return home she shakes the family dynamic as a whole and the strict schedules her sister Geraldine lives by.

My thoughts: After reading and loving We are the Brennans I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her next novel. Tracey Lange can write a character driven, family drama unlike any other author I’ve read before.

I adored everyone in this book. They were all so broken, and had gone through so many difficult things. I loved watching them band together especially for Connor to create a “normal” home and childhood for him.

I think Tara was my favorite, the lengths she went to to protect those she loves was unbelievable. Everyone needs someone like her in their corner, to push them out of their comfort zone and cheer them on!

Read if you love:
- Family drama
- Character driven stories
- Multiple POV
- Family relationships
- Messiness and growth

I did a mix of audio and physical reading on this. Both were very well done, and told the story beautifully.

Tracey Lange’s debut Meet The Brennan’s I thoroughly enjoyed and was excited to see her latest title and get an ALC… I’ve seen this beautiful cover floating around the booksta universe and knew now is the time!

Do I dare say I love this one just a smidgen more than her last… it was absolutely unpausable! I never wanted it to end. Quick paced. Short chapter. Perfection on the narration.

The Connelly’s of County Down title origin warmed my heart. The characters you could hug. Flaws, secrets and all. The Connelly’s will be on my mind for quit some time and Im so excited for the world to meet them!

The easiest five star!

I enjoyed this book so much. Most books are about nuclear families or the lack thereof. It was great to read a story where it was adult siblings working together to build their lives back after so much drama. It was easy to cheer for the main characters, and to get invested in their success.

I read this book via audio. I enjoyed the characters and felt that it was easy to keep up with each character’s story and personality (which is sometimes challenging via audio). I thought the book was more character-development-focused than a solid plot-focus. This book didn’t keep me tremendously engaged- it lacked much of a rising action. I would’ve liked to see more of a solidified plot. However, the characters were very likeable and I enjoyed their personalities. It was also fun to see them grow and evolve throughout their interactions with each other!

This book sucks you right into a story about a dysfunctional yet supportive family. The author writes with vivid detail making the reader feel like they are a member of the fiercely loving Connelly family. I enjoyed the little mysteries in this novel, but *SPOILER ALERT* was disappointed that the murder was never solved. Themes such as family, mental illness, disability, and addiction are all woven in as well.

The Connellys of County Down is a heartfelt story of three siblings as one of the siblings is released from prison. I have read from Tracey Lange before and greatly enjoy the way she develops messy character dynamics in believable, flawed families. After loving We are the Brennans, I was eager to see what she would do in her sophomore book.

In this second book, Lange tells us the story of Tara who is leaving prison after 18 months on a drug trafficking charge. But there is information that Tara isn't sharing, and as the reader we are eager from the get-go to find out what she was hiding and who she was protecting. Then there are the other siblings, a brother and sister who both have their own problems and secrets.

I enjoyed the balance of plot and character development in this book and I'm pleased that I went into it without much knowledge. I don't think I even fully read the synopsis, and I think that's the way to go. Trust Lange to take you on a journey with messy but loveable characters who don't make pristine decisions. There's no sophomore slump here and I'll just be here be eagerly awaiting Tracey Lange's third book.