Liza, Maggie, and Tricia grew up in a seaside home in Connecticut. Their mother died of cancer when they were teens and their dad, Bill Sweeney, is a world famous author and professor who is well-loved and highly acclaimed. Their world crashes in when they get the call that their father has died. They come together to throw him a wake in the family home worthy of his Irish heritage. When the will is presented to them, they have another surprise… a half-sister. Serena isn’t just a stranger to them. She was literally the girl next door. Apparently, their father had a fling with the snooty cool blonde next door while married to their sainted mother. Thanks to a DNA test that she won at a party, Serena discovered that her real father is none other than the prolific author, Bill Sweeney. Serena is a DC journalist and the sisters immediately worry that this means an expose is in the works.

What does all this mean for the legacy of Bill Sweeney? They come together to search for his final work, a memoir, that could tear this and them apart. And how does blonde Serena fit in with the red-headed sisters whom she always watched and envied their camaraderie?

I alternated between laughter, rage, and high emotion while reading this. The character development of Lian Dolan was superb. The dynamics between the sisters and how their personalities differed and meshed were so well done. I love a book that is light enough to be an easy read but still has such depth in both the story and the characters. Four and one-half out of five stars for me and I highly recommend for anyone that enjoys women’s fiction.

Thanks to William Morrow Publishing and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As posted in Goodreads...

Thank you to William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

I really enjoyed The Sweeney Sisters! I loved the family dynamics and thought the author did a fantastic job creating characters that complimented and challenged one another so well. I was drawn into their story from the very beginning and felt very invested in the outcome.

This is definitely a great summer read! I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good beach or lake read that has a little more depth and heart than a typical summer romance novel.

The Sweeny Sisters is a captivating story about family dynamic’s and the complexities that can arise as a result. This book plunges right into the problematic lives of three sisters: Maggie, Liz, and Trisha Sweeny. We get to see their story unfold at the cusp of tragedy and loss. It was interesting examining their strengths, and idiosyncrasies. When their father passes, and they find out a scandalous secret, will they fly or fold? How will they move on with the flood of emotions ebbing at their joy, prior the hurtful detail?

Final thoughts…
This book was charming, delightful, and tissue box worthy. It made me cry and laugh at times. Definitely a book I suggest reading!

*Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

When I read the synopsis for Lian Dolan’s new novel, The Sweeney Sisters, I knew I had to read it. I’m a sucker for a good story about sisters, and this story has that, as well as a healthy dose of family drama and scandalous secrets. As if those elements weren’t enticing enough on their own, The Sweeney Sisters is also a book about books! Sounds like a must-read, right?

The Sweeney Sisters follows three sisters, Liza, Maggie, and Tricia, who have returned to their childhood home after their father, literary giant William Sweeney, has passed away unexpectedly. Their mother passed away years ago so it falls on the sisters to settle their father’s affairs. The sisters knew their father wasn’t perfect, but what they learn upon reading his will and meeting with his long-time attorney, shocks them to the core.

Because of some financial missteps their dad made, the sisters learn they will inherit much less than they were anticipating. They also learn that he made some personal missteps as well, the result of which is Serena, an older half-sister whom they’ve never met and who now stands to inherit a piece of the Sweeney estate. On top of that, their father also left behind, and apparently hid, the manuscript of a tell-all memoir he had promised his publisher. The sisters need to either find the manuscript or be prepared to pay back the very large advance their father had received for committing to write it. The sisters are navigating a potential mine field while trying to protect their father’s legacy, which is not easy to do when he lived in a tiny, seaside town in Connecticut where everyone knows everyone else.

The sisters and the way they come together are what really made this a special read for me. I adored all three of them so much. There’s “Mad” Maggie (as her dad called her), who is an artist and free spirit. Then there’s Tricia, the attorney in the family, who is both reserved and responsible. And finally, there’s Liza, married with two children, who owns an art gallery in town. The story unfolds from all of their perspectives and I found it fascinating to get a close up look at each sister’s thoughts and feelings as they try to make sense of the unexpected turns their lives have suddenly taken. I also found it interesting to watch how each sister chose to approach their new half-sister. The author rounds out the story well by also giving us Serena’s perspective so we can see how she processes this information and the drama it causes since she’s now faced with the news that the man she has called Dad all her life really isn’t her father. I really enjoyed Serena’s character. Imagine the shock of taking one of those DNA tests as a lark and then finding out you’re related to someone famous? The author does a wonderful job of crafting these potentially dramatic and awkward moments without making the story feel like a soap opera. It all felt very authentic.

The Sweeney Sisters is a heartwarming story about what it means to be a family. It’s a reminder that life is often messy and that it’s important to come together as a family to overcome any and all obstacles. If books about sisters and secrets are your thing, The Sweeney Sisters is the book for you!

Bill Sweeney a renowned and internationally acclaim writer and college professor died on a cool June night. His death shocked everyone in the literary business. But the person affected the most were his three daughters Liza, Maggie and Tricia. Though they grew up with a happy childhood they have drifted apart after their mothers death fifteen years ago. Their only rock was their father Bill Sweeney. Now all the sisters are back to Southport, Connecticut in their childhood home to gave the wake their father deserves.

Sara Tucker is a journalist in Washington DC. When she receives an online DNA testing card as a gift Sara decides to use it on a whim. There is 99% match with her childhood neighbor Bill Sweeney. Turns out her WASP mother Birdie Tucker had an affair with Bill Sweeney.

But was it just one night stand? Will Sweeney sisters accept Sara as their own? What does Sara want? And the most important question where is the memoir Bill Sweeney wrote?

Review-

This book has some of the most real characters I have ever read. They are imperfect, they make mistakes, they are greedy, emotionally aloof, bold, genuine, unapologetic in their actions, mature, irresponsible but most important they are family.

This book is hilarious and witty. The writing is very entertaining, you would want to finish this book in one sitting but at the same time savor it as much as you can.

The plot is definitely not predictable. Author keeps playing with your emotions throughout the book. Whom you love in the starting just keep irritating you at the end. And whom you think will be negative turns out the most lovable character.

My favorite character is Tricia and Sara. They both seems emotionally distant but they don't shy away from what they feel right. They are persistent in their work but they would go to any lengths for their family.

Each character has an amazing character arc except Maggie. I was slightly irritated by her actions throughout the book. I understand that was how her character is supposed to be but still I couldn't understand the change at the end.

Just because they are your family do you know them completely? Will they stand by you when everything goes wrong OR when you are wrong? Will they support you in your time of need? Author answers all of this in a beautifully manner with a dysfunctional family in the background.

The ending was perfect. It is not your happy and complete ending but more of a happy and new complicated beginnings. I love how Liza turned out in the end.

This book is funny, witty, unexpected, shocking, hard hitting and makes you love your sisters a little bit more. I would highly recommend this book. And I would love to have a sequel of Sweeney Sisters.

[3,5/5 stars]

THE SWEENEY SISTERS is about 3 sisters - Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney - who return to their childhood home once they receive the news of their father's unexpected death. During the process of the funeral, their next door neighbor appears claiming to be a Sweeney sister after doing a DNA test.

I enjoyed this book - it was a fun and engaging story. The writing was easy to follow and made for a fast read. I found it very interesting the fact that William Sweeney is an internationally famous writer and I was wondering how amazing would it be to have a writer parent. Having said that, underneath all the glamour there are secrets and a flawed person that Dolan developed realistically. Also, Dolan does a great job exploring the sisterhood in this book - each sister is unique in their personalities and we see them dealing with grief in their own way. Despite their differences and the circumstances, it was heartwarming to see how they supported each other through an undeniable bond. I didn't have a favorite sister since I liked pieces of the sisters' individual traits. Although the characters were captivating, I feel like they needed more depth in the development to make a better emotional connection.

While there were parts of the plot that dragged a bit and a few predictable moments, it was an enjoyable read with entertaining dialogue. The ending felt satisfying.
This book is a good family drama that captures themes of forgiveness, sisterhood, family and fame. It is an intimate look into the family dynamics that many readers will enjoy.

This colorful story follows three very different sisters Liza, Maggie and Tricia as they cope with the death of their well known father William Sweeney and their journey to come to terms with the unexpected legacy he left behind. William Sweeney was a famous writer who was known for his writing, womanizing, drinking and gambling. He left a finished memoir hidden that they must find and a secret sibling who had lived right next door most of their lives. The girls must come to terms with the idea of a fourth Sweeney sister and whether they want to open themselves up to forming a relationship with her. Serena, the newly discovered family member must also digest all of this having thought all her life that she was an only child until she did a DNA test for fun. This book magnificently highlights sibling relationships and the beauty of how family and friends bond together through the best and worst of times. Sometimes unpleasant situations can bring about the best changes. I enjoyed this book so much and found myself laughing and crying throughout it.

This book was just okay for me. A nice enough story, a good narrative and storyline, but the voices of all of the characters really seemed to blend into one.

I just finished reading this smart, fun book & thoroughly enjoyed it. The story revolves around the relationships of sisters and the question of ‘what if a DNA test revealed that you had a sister or sisters you didn’t know about?’
I love stories like this: sibling relationships, a ‘what if’ quandary, & a change that brings you closer to your true self. Dolan has written a wonderful book with a great storyline that kept me reading page after page. Each sister is so well developed that I felt like I understood them & would like to spend a big, raucous meal with them. The Sweeney Sisters examines sibling identity, self-identity, & family relationships in a thoughtful way. This book focuses on how being in a family shapes part of who you become. It’s a smart & fun book, I highly recommend that you read The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan.
Happy publication day to The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan! Available today through your local bookstore (order online through them!) or major booksellers online.

This was an enjoyable read with enough unexpected revelations to keep me wondering what was coming next.

I adored Lian Dolan's first two books. They were smart, funny, light, and warm and so I was looking forward to this one. I'm pleased that The Sweeney Sisters did not disappoint.

Compared to her other stories, I felt this story dug deeper and was more complex when it came to relationships and emotions, likely because the four sisters were very different in temperament and behavior, and what flowed from that.

Told from the perspective of a trio of sisters - and the fourth they discover only after their famous author father dies, leaving a mess - of secrets, finances, and a mysterious missing manuscript.

Dolan crafts such vivid distinct characters each face their own personal struggle. The sisters struggle with secrets and disappointments of their father, a spouse, careers, and each other. This is a story of relationships, what makes a family, finding oneself, and it all comes together nicely in the end.

A very enjoyable read.

I was provided an advanced digital copy of this book; all opinions are my own.

The Sweeney sisters could not be more different. Liza, is a planner and the host for every holiday. She has spent years taking care of not only her family but her father as well. Maggie is an artist, yet rarely finishes a painting. She has spent years being bailed out of trouble and jumping from one thing to the next not sure of her future. Tricia is level headed, a lawyer and the most cautious of the three.

The sisters may all be different but they grew up under the shadow of their literary genius father, William Sweeney and with an extreme love for their poet mother, Mauve who passed away from cancer, when they were young. Now the sisters find themselves back in their childhood home after the unexpected death of their father. They learn that along with his final work, a memoir which William Sweeney has decided to hide; that they also have a sister, Serena Tucker, literally the girl next door. The sisters now have more questions, and the only one who can answer them is gone, so they must figure them out together.

I stayed up entirely too late to see how this novel would end. The Sweeney Sisters is the first book I have read by Lian Dolan, and I really enjoyed it. I loved the sibling/sister relationship throughout and I definitely got Little Woman vibes while reading. Each sister was so different. Even though they didn’t always see eye to eye in the end they cared and support each other through a hard time. If you enjoy a good family drama, and a story that could have come right from the news then you will love The Sweeney Sisters.

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow for an eGalley copy to read and provide an honest review.

I love a good sister story and Lian Dolan's The Sweeney Sisters is a great sister story. When Bill Sweeney, a giant of the literary world, passes away, his three daughters- Eliza, Maggie and Tricia- reunite in their postcard perfect hometown of Southport, Connecticut to plan his funeral.



Liza lives in Southport and owns a successful art gallery. "She had been raised well and married better", wife to the successful Whit and mom to two teenagers. She is efficient and organized, and her home is a showplace where everyone gathers for a Thanksgiving, with each course timed to perfection.



Maggie is the second born, known as 'Mad Maggie' in her younger days. A freespirit, she is an accomplished artist whose paintings sell well in Liza's gallery. She has dated and lived with many men, including a Hollywood director who treated her badly. Maggie "excelled at emotional intelligence, " she was "the glue that held the whole family together".



Tricia "emerged from the womb ready to conquer the world, setting and achieving goals with astonishing success." Her resume includes Yale Law School, marathon runner and hardcharging corporate lawyer in NYC.



The girls lost their beloved mother Maeve to breast cancer when they were teens, and now they were orphans. When their father's best friend and trusted lawyer Cap tells the sisters that there is not much left in the estate and that they need to sell the family home and find their father's last work, a memoir that he had already received an large advance for, they band together.



At the sendoff party for their party, they see an unfamiliar woman in the crowd. Serena is a Washington journalist who grew up in their neighborhood, although she is a few years older than the Sweeney Sisters. She is there because she ran a DNA ancestor test and discovered that she is also a daughter of Bill Sweeney.



What does Serena want? Is she after any family money, a good news story, or both? Did Bill know he had another daughter?



The Sweeney Sisters is a gem of a novel. It's got humor and warmth, and I laughed out loud several times, something that is sorely needed these days. The sisterly dynamics feel very real, and if you have sisters or wish you had sisters, this is a book that will touch your heart and bring you joy. I absolutely adore The Sweeney Sisters and give it my highest recommendation.

This was a very interesting and entertaining read. It's always fun to see how the rich live even though at times it can be disheartening. I am one of four sisters so this was very interesting to me. We also discovered family secrets after the death of our father (though not another sibling!) This book does a great job of illustrating the complexities of family relationships and the bonds between siblings. The sisters are very much alike while also being very different and it's fun to see how they play out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be adding this author to my list of ones to read.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

The Sweeney Sisters is a heartwarming story about three sisters who, while mourning the death of their father, learn of an unexpected fourth sister who wants to be a part of their lives. Through this tragedy, the four sisters come together to navigate this newfound relationship. This book was a great twist on the normal family stories - how do you navigate a new familial relationship when the person who made you family (their father) has passed?

I really enjoyed the way the author captured the family dynamics at play. Having sisters, I could completely relate to the way the sisters would often snipe at each other in one breath and be incredibly protective of one another in the next. I also loved that the sisters, while each fulfilling their role in the family, did not become caricatures. I would definitely recommend this book.

Apparently April is the month of new sister discovered through DNA results books. This is the 2nd one that I've read this month and while this one had a completely different feel I think I enjoyed it just as much!



The Sweeney sisters were expecting it to be a tough summer with dealing with the fallout from the unexpected death of their father. They weren't expecting extensive financial issues, a missing manuscript, and even worse a sister they never knew existed. Dolan kept a good balance of making the sisters' reactions and relationships seem authentic without too much wallowing or grudge holding which may be realistic but gets a bit tedious to read.



I really felt connected to Liza, Tricia, and Serena and while I didn't care for Maggie as much I still felt like I understood her even if she annoyed me. While this wasn't the most shocking unpredictible book it was one that I really enjoyed. I connected with the characters and genuinely wanted good things for them. If you enjoy family stories that are a bit messy without being to angsty, where things aren't perfect but not dreary this is a fantastic read. For me, it was a fantastic bit of escape and this is an author whose books I'll be picking up in the future.

The Sweeney Sisters deals with the contemporary topic of DNA testing and the unexpected results that can come from it. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of the Sweeney sisters and how they related to each other. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that the author is one of the Satellite Sisters. She certainly offers an authentic voice to a novel about sisters. Thanks to Book Club Girl, NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Have you ever thought about taking one of those DNA tests that reveal your family heritage? What if you took it and the test reveals a thirty-plus-year family secret that your family never intended to tell you? When Serena Tucker takes a DNA test on a whim and it matches with someone that she grew up with, she uses her journalist skills to find out more details.

The novel opens with the sudden death of well-known author William Sweeney. Liza, Maggie, and Tricia, his three daughters, come together to celebrate his life and close out the overwhelming estate. But, they are on a deadline. They have to find William Sweeney’s memoir manuscript before the publisher’s deadline.

Serena Tucker grew up next door to the Sweeney’s. As an only child, she envied the Sweeney sisters, the laughter that she could hear from their playing in the backyard, and how they were each other’s best friends. Serena is a well-known DC journalist and podcaster but when she comes home for William Sweeney’s funeral, she watches the sisters from afar and wonders how she will ever fit in with them.

Liza, Maggie, and Tricia were close through their childhood, but their lives sent them separate ways. Each of them is struggling with something personal and when they come back home for the funeral, their lives may never be the same.

There is a lot of family drama to be found with the Sweeney family. This sudden death of their father has brought back the grief they all felt after losing their mother to cancer. Plus, each one of the sisters is trying to hide their own personal struggle while putting on a brave face for each other. I liked the personal backstories of each of the sisters as well as Serena’s. I felt like their struggles were relatable and not overly dramatized for the situation.

Even though this seems like it would be a heavy storyline or depressing at times, it wasn’t. Dolan brought a lightness to the novel through the sharing of memories and just the sisters hanging out together. There were fun moments among the grief-filled ones and that made the story even more realistic. One minute the characters would be laughing and then next there would be tears. Much like how many of us have dealt with a parent’s death.

Each of the sisters (including Serena) grew and changed through the death of William Sweeney. Their strengths, individuality, and values emerged while working together. They each handled their grief while also taking a serious look at their personal lives. At the end of the summer, the sisters come out very different people, but, for the better.

Fans of family dramas and sister stories will find much to love about this East Coast family and their challenge to live without their charismatic and much-loved father.

I’m slowly coming to understand that my quarentine reading habits have leaned towards light, but well-written atmospheric reads and The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan is exactly this.

It’s in a category that I deem as “smart rom com”- strong character development, a focus on the main female characters’ relationships with each other first and *then* their romantic pursuits, all set against an idyllic Nancy Myers esque, WASPY, literary, New England summerland.

Sure there’s some male gaze moments (despite the author’s best efforts to do otherwise) and the plot points are far from shocking, but at least in this book’s case, my take is-who really cares? It was a good, solid, escapist read that made me feel like I had a glass of rose in hand while sitting with my favorite people outside on a summer night and that’s all that matters, at least until I’m able to do such things myself again.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the e-ARC!

When the news of William Sweeney’s fatal heart attack reaches his eldest daughter, Liza, she immediately calls her sisters – Maggie, the free-spirited artist and middle child, and Tricia, the disciplined lawyer who works for a big firm in New York and baby sister. The sisters convene in Southport, Connecticut to handle their father’s estate and soon realize that while they knew he was a famous writer who embraced ‘male writer bravado,’ they didn’t expect to learn that they had a sister. Furthermore, they certainly didn’t expect that sister to be Serena Tucker, who they’ve known their whole lives as the neighbor girl who was born two years before Liza.

Serena, who discovered the truth about her biological father through a mail-in DNA test she won at her company holiday party, is conflicted about how to engage the sisters, who she used to envy for their closeness, their laughter that would flutter down the streets of their childhood neighborhood, and the relationship they had with Bill Sweeney. Grappling with the discovery of a new sister, the Sweeney Sisters try to locate the memoir manuscript their father finished before his death, hoping it will contain the answers they seek.

The Sweeney Sisters has a little bit of everything – family drama, sisterly love, self-discovery, tensions over an inheritance, romance, and wit. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Each sister was well-developed and I appreciated the way they could read each other in any situation, providing cover for each other where needed. I loved how their interactions with Serena transformed individually and believably for each sister.

The writing is engaging and keeps the reader invested. The first half of the novel moves slower, but as more and more secrets reveal themselves, the novel’s pace increases. Considering how many characters there are, the novel is well-paced and the characters are authentic. Specifically, Bill Sweeney’s presence is felt despite the fact that he is only present through his writing and stories that the women tell about him. More generally, their childhood home becomes its own character and represents something unique to each sister. I loved that this story is layered with unresolved questions, questions about what we know about family, and forgiveness. Highly recommend for reads who enjoy novels about women and family.