As an English Literature major, I admired Bill Sweeney’s character including all his self absorbed traits which never tarnished his literary status among fellow professors, critics or publishers. If anything his male chauvinist ideals brought him even more fame at a time when feminism was on the rise. ( I believe I knew a few aspiring Bill Sweeney’s in college.) His behavior did however affect his wife and children, which led to the sisters drifting apart over the years. Now after his death they must all come together to celebrate and mourn their father. While sorting through his life they learn they have a half sister that had lived next door for most of their lives. As the details unfold through their father’s unfinished memoir, and the sisters begin to reunite, a heartfelt, insightful and touching story of their own emerges.

Fifteen years after losing their mother to cancer, the Sweeney sisters learn that their father has passed away. In preparing to mourn his loss and wrap up his estate, they learn that they have another sister. One that their father had out of wedlock. As if that wasn’t shocking enough, they discover that she lives next door and they grew up with her. These four women must learn how to adapt and figure out where to go from here. The three must accept the blow that their father wasn’t faithful to their mother. And Serena must learn how to cope with knowing the girls she grew up wishing she was closer to are her sisters. In the midst of it all, they learn that he has written a memoir. He got a hefty advance for it and the money has been spent. They must find it or face a lot of issues with the publishing company.
When I first started this book, I was very underwhelmed. I thought it was going to be a highly predictable book that really didn’t go anywhere. I was completely wrong. All the characters were really amazing. I felt like I could relate to Maggie most of all. She just tried so hard but it seemed like everybody just focused on all the blunders she went through in life. Rather than having faith in her, they counted on her to just run off. The amazing thing to me is that all four of the sisters are relatable in some way. They all have their own things going on, but they manage to make time for each other. They are able to fully get everything sorted out with very little incidents.
I didn’t really have any problems with this book that I can fully think about. I have a few nit picky opinions. I think some of the major conflicts that were in the book were a bit watered down. I think they could have been amplified a little bit. I also wish that the communications with the publishers and agent were actually included instead of referenced. There was an incident later that I also wish had been included instead of referenced. I won’t go into the details because I don’t really want to provide any spoilers with the review. I can’t think of anything else. I was so impressed with this book in more ways than I thought I would be. It was a book I thought would be decent that wound up so beautiful.
This book was narrated by Brittany Pressley. While I have an actual copy of this book, I saw that it was in audiobook and I just couldn’t resist. I mean I love owning multiple versions of books anyways. Anyway, I really did enjoy her narration of the book. She was very easy to follow along with and enjoy. There were a few times that I didn’t feel she gave the sisters a unique voice, but I think that’s more a personal opinion than actual fact. I haven’t really listened to other books narrated by her. I am definitely willing to. I’d love to see what types of books she narrates.
I really didn’t think I’d fall in love with this book the way I did. I thought I would like it. I thought I would find it very predictable, but very adorable. I was pleasantly surprised. I can honestly say it wasn’t as predictable as I thought it would be. I also craved to know more. I just couldn’t put the book down. I really do think this will be a beautiful and wholesome movie one day. I will gladly watch it if/when it does. I fully recommend this beautiful story.

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan is a delightful read! I must admit that I am a listener and fan of Lian Dolan's podcast The Satellite Sisters, where I originally heard of this book. Another reason I wanted to read it is that she came to my hometown last year to work on it (there is a mention in the credits of Sonoma County, but I know she was in Sebastopol), so I knew I had to get my hands on this book. The Sweeney Sisters is a story about sisters and it is so obvious that Ms. Dolan is really a sister because she nails, with precision, the silly, complex, and fierce loyalty of sister relationships. I have two sisters and so many of the interactions with Liza, Maggie, and Tricia rang true and made me feel such a kinship to these ladies. I felt like I was there with them quite often because I could picture myself having the same sort of conversations, rolling my eyes, glancing with one of them while the other is talking crazy, knowing what we are all thinking without saying it, and so much more. If you have sisters, you will love feeling a part of this dysfunctional family's situations and if you do not have sisters, you can get a true glimpse of what it would be like. The story begins with Bill Sweeney, a true literary giant, passing unexpectedly and the sisters coming back to their Connecticut hometown to mourn, wrap things up with his estate, and find out there is a fourth Sweeney sister they knew nothing about, although they knew her (hello widespread, inexpensive DNA testing!). The girls went from thinking it was just the three of them (their mother, a published poet, passed of cancer years prior) to now having what would essentially be a 'party crasher' added to their tightknit clique of three. How would it feel to grow up truly knowing your sisterly dynamics, having no doubt of where everyone stands, to wondering how you will add in this outsider that 'suddenly', through no fault of her own, shares half your DNA.

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan is intimate look at the bonds of Sisterhood.

Returning to Southport, Connecticut to plan their recently deceased literary famous father’s funeral. Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney lost their poet mother Maeve, who passed away from cancer fifteen years earlier. Within the past fifteen years the sister have drifted apart from each other, dealing with relationships work and families.

There larger than life father is the very famous author, Bill Sweeney, a college professor, who was adored by critics, publisher, and book lovers.

After everyone has come to pay respects to their father they are approached by their father lawyer and friend, Cap. He is concerned about the whereabouts of the father’s unfinished memoir… and the a most stunning surprise of all… There is a fourth Sweeney Sister. Both of these of these concerns have legal ramifications. That even saying how this will effect everyone emotionally, as they come grips with the girls revelations about their now deceased father.

When Washington, DC based journalist Serena Tucker, whiskey intoxicated crashes Bill Sweeney’s wake. Nothing will ever be the same. It seems Serena Tucker had her DNA tested on a whim a few weeks earlier

Serena learned that she had a 50% genetic match with her childhood neighbor, Maggie Sweeney of Southport, Connecticut.

It would seem Bill Sweeney and Serena’s mother, Birdie had a love child. When the secret is revealed, the red headed Sweeney sisters come to realize they have a blonde edition to their sisterhood.

An enjoyable evenly paced book that takes a wonderful look at the bonds of sisterhood and what it means to be a family.

A light and creative breezy read, with descriptive prose, that will keep you entertained from start to finish.

i enjoyed this complicated sister relationship a lot as well as the commentary on found family.

My only big criticism that made this a 3 star is that it kind of dragged.

A delightful read. An in-depth look into the world of sister-hood--both from the inside and the outside--The Sweeney Sisters weaves a delightful plot with family dynamics in a way that gives its characters real dimension. I highly recommend getting to know them all!

It's an absolute masterpiece. Dealing with taboo(at least in society) subjects and a no-holds-barred approach to family, Sweeny Sisters hits it all.

Their father's sudden death reunites the three sisters from their respective corners of the world. Liza, Tricia and Maggie had their own personalities and their own methodology for dealing with feelings but in this situation, where a DNA test upends everything they've ever known, the sisters had to band together to figure out how to deal with extended, surprising family. That part of the book read like an episode of a soap opera. But the good ones. The Sweeney Sisters, all their lives, had had each other's back but with this new addition to the family, their places in the family get redone.

They have to adjust to all of these new revelations and all along the way they discover new things and aspects about themselves. It's honestly such a good book. I do think that there is mild trigger warnings for depression, substance abuse, and miscarriages but they are talked about tastefully, I guess. It's such a perfect introspective book. I love it.

This book was a delightful surprise and was exactly what I needed. The book follows The Sweeney Sisters, daughters of the literary genius William Sweeney and his wife Maeve, who was once a promising poet but gave up her career to become Sweeney's wife and mother to three daughters. I don't want to give away the twists in this book, so it's hard to say what made this story so enticing without giving too much away. I can say that it is an impressive and that you will end up interested and caring about all of the Sweeney sisters. They are all multi dimensional characters, despite their given role in the family (caretaker, free spirit, analytical...). The book also raises very interesting questions about what it means to be part of a family, character, sacrifice, and how we may whitewash our history in order to handle difficult incidents. I look forward to seeing more from Lian Dolan and will definitely check out her podcast Satellite Sisters.

Three redheads....and a blonde?

When the Sweeney sisters' father unexpectly passes away, they are left to sort out the pieces of his life they had no idea existed. Will they let his secrets tear them apart or bring them closer together?

Highly recommended read!

I enjoyed the relationship between the sisters and how is evolved throughout the book. I also liked the commentary on upper/upper middle class small towns and the people that live in them. The tone was critical, but also a little bit superior for being a part of the club it was mocking.

I was a little disappointed that the book ended in kind of a hokey way. But overall, I liked the characters and reading about the world that was created by the author. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

I loved the writing and the voice of this book.

Each sister had a complex, relatable story and journey that brought them to life. Even the characters not present much on page, Bill, Maeve, and Birdie felt real and alive.

This was the exact book I needed to pull me away from the insanity of 2020.

William Sweeney was a famous author and when he died he not only left his three daughters a memoir to find but also a surprise sister. We follow the three Sweeney sisters as they come to turns on who their famous father was, changes in their personal lives and a new addition to the family. This book started off pretty slow and I had a hard time getting into the story. It was probably at least halfway thru that I started to actually like any of the main characters and want to know how their story ends. The oldest sister Liza was a typical mom for their neighborhood. Her kids were in all the right clubs and programs, she was a dutiful wife to her successful husband and she even owned her own art gallery. She is the sister who holds it all together and makes sure everyone is doing what they are supposed too. The middle sister Maggie is the artist and she is very selfish. I never liked her throughout the book and even though she has some growth in the end she was not redeemed in my eyes. She was cruel to her sisters and was only looking out for her self. The youngest sister Tricia at first appeared to be a very cold and distant sister but as the story goes on she became my favorite. She is a lawyer in Manhattan and very good at her job. I loved her story arc and Raj!! The fourth sister who is actually the oldest is Serena Tucker, she is a journalist and grew up next door to the sisters. I enjoyed how the four ended up rallying around each other and supporting one another. Sister's are not always easy to get along with and this book showed that but in the end they all loved and supported each other. Overall I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job of bringing you into the family and getting you to feel the emotions of all the characters. This would be a fun summer read, its not too hard hitting and the setting of being in Connecticut in the summer was perfect! Thank you Netgalley, William Marrow, Goodreads and the Fantastic Flying Bookclub for my copies!

When famous author William Sweeney dies, his three daughters are pulled back together from their different walks of life. Through the process of sorting through an estate and sifting through memories, the three sisters discover that they are in fact four.
Liza has lived her entire life in Southport, Connecticut. She married well, has two teenage children, lives an organised orderly life and despite her husband’s initial doubts, runs a successful art gallery. Maggie, the middle sister, has lived a life on the edge. She has dated and lived with countless men and contributes her artwork to her sister’s gallery successfully. Tricia is the youngest, she is ambitious and hardworking, a successful Yale grad and now corporate lawyer. One phone call to Liza from their father’s housekeeper, informing her that their father had passed on forces the three sisters to come together.
During the wake for their famous father, one guest stands out, their old neighbour, Serena. We learn that Serena, through her work, has discovered she is in fact a daughter of the late Bill Sweeney, and there for a half sibling to Eliza, Maggie and Tricia. While the sisters search for Bills memoir, each daughter has to work through the emotions and revelations, realising their father may not quite have been the person they all thought he was, and Serena tries to find her place among her newfound sisters.
This book starts off slowly, but the second half was much better paced, and I found it a more pleasant read. The Sweeney daughters all scream of privilege. Having grown up with money and access to all the best things in life, this book feels very much like ‘first world problems’ and often lacked real depth. Each sister was unique, Eliza and Tricia were both equally likable, however, Maggie was frequently childish and her treatment of Eliza appalling. She redeemed herself with a bit of personal growth at the end of the book but for me, she was still unlikable. Overall, this book was a fine read, particularly if you enjoy women’s contemporary fiction and a ‘beach read’ though is not one that I would read again.

*I WAS PROVIDED A PHYSICAL ARC FOR THE PURPOSES OF A BLOG TOUR. THIS DOESN'T AFFECT MY OPINION*

Woooo boy, y'all. Let me start off by saying that I was actually really excited for this book. I'm always looking to expand my reading horizons, but this one just didn't do it for me at all and I DNFed it at about 10%.

While reading, I found myself extremely bored. The beginning of this book is all about the Sweeney sisters dealing with the aftermath of their father's unexpected death. As a public figure, they have a lot of cards they have to place right in order for everything to go smoothly. And while reading this section, I didn't feel any of the emotions you're supposed to feel for a character when faced with a traumatic experience.

It was like the emotion switch was flicked off because the writing was just so dull.

Another thing that really irked me were the unnecessary details scattered throughout each chapter. It was like I was getting an information overload to make up for lost time, but like, a LOT of it wasn't needed.

For that, I rate this book 1 star. Like I said, I was really looking forward to this book and had high hopes for it, but it really let me down.

This was a heartfelt book full of family secrets, dysfunction and a whole lot of heart. I love the whole cast of characters for this and enjoyed the depth that was given to each of the sisters. I thought the back story of the girls father and his illustrious writing career was a great backdrop for the story. I did feel like the book was a bit slow for me though, leaving my attention drifting away in some parts. Overall though it was a good read!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and William Morrow for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Gosh this gives me some Charmed vibes. If Prue was still alive when Paige was revealed kind of vibes, you know? Except for the whole being witches thing and having to save the world every week or so. But the plot centering around sisters and having to learn how to open up your heart to yet another sister that you didn’t even know you had – from another mother – just brings up all kinds of thoughts when you read this.

I could feel the betrayal that Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia felt when they found out that there was a fourth Sweeney sister. One that they didn’t even know existed until after their father died. They already had to deal with their mother passing away, and have all been together learning how to care for one another before their entire dynamic is shifted. Do we honestly expect them to be welcoming immediately upon finding out about Serena? Especially with the circumstances of how they meet? Of course not.

But it’s what happens afterwards that really got to me. Adding in Serena to the sisterly dynamic of the “original” three Sweeney sisters, along with having to deal with other logistics like what this means for the heirs to his… let’s call it a fortune since he’s described as an “internationally famous literary lion.” Not to mention a college professor. While I don’t know what that means financially, there’s still a matter of the will, the legacy he left behind, and something about a memoir that is supposed to tell all. Is he going to tell the world about his affair with Serena’s mother? Is he even going to claim Serena as his own when it seems like he didn’t do so while he was alive?

This book just gets really emotionally intense at times, and I like that this was about sister relationships, not just as a whole but between each sister with one another. It gave me something to look into as I don’t know what it’s like to have my own sisters, and it shows me that there is so much more to the word family than just blood ties. Can these four sisters learn how to be sisters again? As a whole? To one another separately? You’ll have to read it to find out.

I have spent the last three days reading The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan. This story is about three adult sisters who have lost their father. Bill Sweeney was an admired writer and Yale professor. His wife died when the girls were growing up. I have often felt the last gift a parent can give is the time that brings adult children back together after the parent’s death. Each of the three girls have their strengths and weaknesses. I felt like I was an omniscient eye in the room with these sisters as they work on problems they have with each other and certain transgressions of their father including finding out that the girls have a half sister they did not know about. I laughed, cried, and loved this story. I want to find out where they are and what they are doing five years later. This is a great book to snuggle up with on a rainy or snowy day or on the beach, I think it would also make a great bookclub read. Looking forward to reading more books by Lian Dolan. Thank you Book Club Girls, William Morrow, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun read. The three Sweeney sisters are so different and have their own quirks. They have a reunion under sad circumstances when their author father passes away and they are all called back to the house that they grew up in. In their time together they bond in a different way and also find out that they have an illegitimate sister, who grew up right next door to them. They have a lot of emotions to work through and also they have to deal with their fathers last book, a manuscript of his memoir, which is hidden in the house somewhere. Once they find it then they have to read what this tell all book says about them, and deal with those circumstances. I liked the sisters, and their stories of their mother who had died from cancer years ago. I liked how they were so different but were able to come together when they needed to!

I’m a cover snob...there, I admitted it! Not a fan of the current rash of cartoon-type covers, I usually run from these books. But, the jacket write-up of this book (I’m also a sucker for sister stories) and a recommendation on Goodreads, made me think twice about this one. And, I’m happy to say, I’m glad I did! Do not judge a book by its cover...I’ll be more open now, or at least I’ll try!

This was a fast paced read, perfect for the isolation and climbing of walls I’ve been going thru this week. A realistic look at the three Sweeney Sisters (Liza, Maggie and Tricia)who are born to a famous literary author and poet. Idyllic life? Not so much. WIlliam Sweeney has numerous demons that he fights. Maeve Sweeney a free spirit poet, her life is cut short. The sisters are dealt blow after blow when their dies suddenly, a random DNA test finds another sister (Serena), a missing manuscript, inheritance issues and each one dealing with their own private issues.

Ms. Dolan delves into real family drama in such a way that we become fully vested in all four sisters as we start to peel back the layers of each and the dynamics of growing up with a not-so-perfect father figure. As the youngest of 3 sisters, I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions of the sisters collectively and each in their own right. Adding a 4th to the mix was well done. Thoroughly enjoyed the story line, cast of characters and writing style! I look forward to reading this author again.

Thanks to Ms Dolan, William Marrow and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

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.