Thank you NetGalley for this ARC opportunity!

This was a slow build for me. It really had a lull in the middle that made it difficult to continue. Once it hit a good grove, the story was really good.

It’s extremely heartbreaking in so many ways. The web we weave within our own family line. Two sisters who really started the web themselves and how it wrapped around everyone in the family. The reveals at the end with Emily and Cora.

It was very well written, and showed such a human side to people and their relationships within a family unit. Specifically the women.

I am really grateful to receive this book but once it started incorporating different points of view I struggled to get into it and keep up with it on audio and did not finish it. That being said, I'm going to pick up a digital or paper copy for myself because I think I may enjoy it more-- just in a different format.

Admittedly, I went in mostly blind -- meaning, I missed the part about this story starting out with the man who jumped, image, from 9/11. I was in Manhattan that day, and typically do not read 9/11 stories. -- but the book quickly departs from there, soon after.

We next find ourselves in Ireland. At nearly 500 pages, this book spans decades! I mostly love generational stories -- but this one jumped around way too much for my taste. I found myself bored and not wanting to get back into the story once I set it down. However, there was a sequence of events that had a climactic build, and I had been happy that I stuck with the story at that point.

But as waves go, everything came back down again and released the intensity, where once again, I struggled with the interest. Towards the end, things started coming full circle, making the connections and the interwoven storylines began to line up.

This is a 3.5 for me, rounded down.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the chance to listen and review!

This book reminds me of Sally Rooney's work. It is a running stream of consciousness of a cast of characters who tend to spend more time in their heads then experiencing life. In addition, the audio was painfully slow, hard to follow because of the jumps, and it was difficult to identify who was speaking because a couple of the characters sounded the same. I will have to try reading the book, feels that it may be easier to follow in non-audio version.

Thank you HarperAudio Adult | HarperAudio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I could never really get into this book fully to enjoy it. Not sure why. But just couldn’t connect well with it.

Catherine Airey's Confessions is a gripping novel that delves into the complexities of guilt, deception, and human nature. It’s follows sister Morin & Rosin and how they see and interact with the world around them. We see how deception & tramua effect generations of women in this family. It very much touches on hot button topics so be warned.
The novel's strength lies in its well-developed characters and the slow-burning tension that builds as the truth emerges. Airey crafts a compelling narrative that forces readers to question morality and the reliability of memory. Overall good novel.

I really like the multiple narrators of this book, but I did struggle with the back-and-forth storyline. For me it was hard to follow what was going on with the characters, but I did enjoy the overall story.

Confessions is a multi-generational saga that takes place in Ireland and the United States. The saga begins with two sisters, Róisín and Máire live in County Donagel and both have a close relationship with Michael, a boy who works on the family farm and their father treats like a son. Máire is artistic and Michael and Róisín conspire to get Máire a position as the Artist in Residence at the Screamers House down the street. (Note: I googled the Screamers to learn they were a therapy commune in Ireland, but I might have missed that explanation in the novel.). Then, Máire gets a scholarship to study art at NYU. The other time periods/characters that the book focuses on is Cora in 2001 after the Twin Towers fall in NYCl and Lycra in 2018 who lives with her great-aunt Ro and her mother Cora.

This book started off extremely strong telling Cora’s story after she lost her father, her only living parent, in 9/11 in NYC. It then focused on Róisín and Máire and Máire‘s coming-of-age in NYC. Parts of that story nearly brought me to tears.

This is a seriously ambitious debut at 480 pages and about 1/2 the way through, the story lost its focus, in my opinion, and tried to do too many things and follow too many storylines. (One of them seemingly out of nowhere that did not fit at all had to do with video games.).

I will certainly keep my eye out for Catherine AIrey’s next book. Also, the audio was fantastic, but it was a little difficult to keep everyone straight in the beginning with the changes in characters and time periods.

3.5 stars

This book pulled me in completely. The writing was so engaging that listening wasn’t enough—I had to read it myself. I was fortunate to have a Kindle copy, which allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story.

The cruelty and suffering the characters endured left me feeling heartbroken. I felt deeply for them and kept wondering how anyone could survive such experiences. There were many characters, each with their own story, and it was a lot to take in. Thankfully, my reading buddy Sharada helped me stay on track, making it easier to follow everything.

The story was unforgettable. The emotions, the depth, and the masterful writing left a lasting impression. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading.

After reading, I found myself wanting to visit New York so much. The way the city was described made it feel alive and full of possibilities. I can’t wait to experience it for myself one day.

Confessions is a generational story about family, love, grief, and creativity. The story begins on 9/11 in New York City; Cora's father worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center and after days of wandering around the city trying to cope with her fear and sadness, she receives an invitation from her aunt Róisín to come stay with her in Ireland. When Cora arrives, she learns that Róisín lives in Scream School, the setting of a retro video game Cora had played as a child. In 1974 in County Donegal, Róisín, Máire, and Michael are inseparable. Róisín and Máire are sisters, but they are mysteries to each other. Michael and Máire are enamored with Róisín and work together to help her get work as an artist, setting off a chain of events that will change all their lives forever. Finally, in Scream School in 2018, Lyca lives with her mother Cora and her great aunt Róisín. Searching through the artifacts of the house, she is able to piece together the complicated relationships of her family members and come to understand what drew them all together and drove them all apart.

Confessions was an interesting and heartbreaking audiobook. I think that all of the narrators did a good job with their parts and it really helped distinguish between the characters for each of their sections. The writing was very good and I think it kept the story moving along. My main complaint is that it often felt like right as I was getting into a character's story, the perspective switched and at times these switches were quite jarring. It would have been nice if we could have spent a little bit more time with each character and to smooth the transitions out. Also, there were a few coincidences that occurred that I wasn't quite able to suspend my disbelief about towards the end of the story. This will be a great one for people who enjoy books about families and multigenerational stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this audiobook but felt as though the story was dragged out at some points. The story reminded me of the "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, which is one of my all time favorite books. Overall, I enjoyed this audiobook and am giving it a 3 out of 5 star review.

this was alright. I liked the idea of the story. I felt like some of the POVs were confusing, or jumbled and i got lost in some spots. i appreciate the familial aspect and how that all ties into the story.

An absolutely gorgeous debut spanning decades. This is the story of family. Sisters, mothers, daughters all keeping secrets but somehow through telling their stories, the secrets aren't as harrowing as we thought. Beautifully told through multiple POVs, taking place in New York and Ireland, I was blown away by this character-driven novel. The audio is amazing as each character is read by a different voice actor. Stunning.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*