What happens when three sisters discover after their father's death that there is actually a fourth sister. This is the premise of The Sweeney Sisters. Maggie, Eliza and Tricia are as different as sisters can be. They grew up the daughters of a well-know writer and professor but gradually drifted apart after the death of their mother. When their father passes away they learn that as a result of an affair with the next door neighbor, they have a sister that they never knew about. The discovery leads to each of the sisters have their own journey of discovery as they try to figure out what the addition a new sisters means to them, their past and what they believed it to be, as well as to the writing legacy that their father left behind.

I give this book 4.5 stars. Liza, Maggie, and Tricia are the Sweeney Sisters, very different adult sisters dealing with the unexpected death of their father, a famous author, William Sweeney. While dealing with the memorial and estate, they are shocked to discover they have a fourth sister, Serena, daughter of the family next door while they were growing up, and now an accomplished reporter. Their father not only left a surprise daughter but an unpublished tell all autobiographical manuscript, which the sisters must find and work to control.

This book tells the story of sibling support and rivalry; surviving a parent's shortcomings, especially when you're also overshadowed by their success; and rebuilding and transforming yourself when life isn't going how you hoped (or how others hoped it would go for you.) Set in the idealic town of Southport, Connecticut, where image is everything and gossip runs rampant, this book questions this pristine outer appearance and shows the fallout when deeply hidden secrets start to be revealed.

Even with the author's pointed dig at my alma mater, I still enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

The Sweeney Sisters is a wonderful book! There's something relatable about each sister which makes them very endearing. You'll be hoping for an invite to their Fourth of Just parties and will miss them all when the book is over!

THE SWEENEY SISTERS is an ode to adult sisterhood. The book begins with the three Sweeney sisters finding out that their literary father has died. Their father's books are taught in schools around the country, and he has a very recognizable name. Not long after his death, they learn that they have an older half-sister who was actually a neighbor growing up. As they get to know her and work to settle their father's estate, each sister must confront her own shortcomings and forge her own path forward.

This was overall a really engaging read. I am not sure if I actually liked any of the characters, but by the end of the book, I really respected them. There are a lot of facets of sisterhood that shine through the story. The three sisters are very different, but they manage the situation in their own way. The writing is quite captivating, easily bringing the reader along with their story.

Overall, this was a really interesting and thought-provoking read. I would recommend for people who enjoy literary fiction.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

The Sweeney Sisters has it all: courage, forgiveness, secrets, and family. This would make a terrific selection for bookclub as there would be much to discuss. I definitely recommend!

Unfortunately, I could not connect with the characters of the book. There was a lot of exposition and backstory right from the beginning which slowed the pace of the novel. I’m sorry to say that this book is not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Book Club Girls for this advanced reader’s copy.

The Sweeney Sisters plays on the emerging trope I like to call: "family secrets revealed through DNA testing." Three sisters bright together by their father's death after shocked to learn of the existence of a fourth half-sister. What unfolds from there is an exploration of the role of family. It's a thoughtful, if not entirely original, tale.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins publishing for the ARC!
“Three redheads in a row” is an accurate way to describe the Sweeney sisters. The Sweeney sisters are as much alike as they are different. After their mother dies the pillar of the family switches to the eldest, Liza. A far contrast from “Mad Maggie,” an artist who struggles with her day to day existence. Capping it off with Tricia, a confident and secure lawyer. The girls are not as close as they used to be, but when their father dies they come together to plan the funeral. However, after the funeral something unexpected rocks their entire world. Serena comes into the picture, and instead of their childhood friend, she is now their half sister they didn’t know about. From then on the girls need to figure out how to explore this new world with losing one family member, and gaining another.

This book wasn’t a favorite of mine. I started off the whole beginning being very upset because my own father passed away less than a year ago and reading all the funeral processing’s was very triggering. I also felt like the girls weren’t easily connectable. The writing also seemed very dry and it was very hard for me to get into this novel. Some people might enjoy this, but I wasn’t a fan of this novel.

Rate: 2.5/5
Fiction
Author: Liam Dolan

Anyone who has siblings - heck, anyone who has a family - knows that different people grow up in the same house and turn into, well, different people. The Sweeney Sisters are the product of an egotistical, self-indulgent father and a doting mother who died too young. The sisters work their way through their family crises, each in their own way. New family members come, old family members go, and the sisters find a way to support each other through the death of their father and the surprises that follow. A very good story, with well-developed characters, and just enough surprises to keep it from being predictable. Definitely book club worthy!

Three sisters return to their childhood home, to bid their famous author father a final farewell. Instead of delving into their grief between the three of them, they are left with a secret from their father--a fourth sister, the daughter of their former neighbor who has only recently found out for herself that she is a member of the infamous Sweeney family.

The Sweeney Sisters is a wonderful story, of memories, grief, relationships, and what it truly means to be a family. As each of the sisters, including the newly discovered Serena, work through their goodbyes to their house and their father, they each need to carve out new roles in relation to each other.

The Sweeney Sisters is definitely a 5-star read, and an enjoyable family saga that makes one yearn for the relationships the sisters have with each other

Well I really enjoyed this book! Just the right amount of romance. An interesting family story with such different yet close and loving sisters. It’s not too far-fetched to find out big family secrets after a death! The combination of the art world and book writing world was nice. The way the three sisters eventually accepted their new half sister was very realistic. Really glad I got to read this! A good escape right now!

3.5 stars, rounded. "What I Found Out From My DNA Test" is practically a subgenre of its own these days. In this one, a new sister comes forward after the death of literary hero William Sweeney, and his known daughters must come to terms with a new version of their father. I do so love a sister story, and this one struck some chords in their sensitivity to each other and the different life situations they navigate through in this story.

This was a fast read about 3 very different sisters coming together for their famous author father's death. They learn they have a half sister they didn't know about. They start to question a lot about themselves and each other and learn that they only have each other. Is there room to let a new person in? That is the fluff gist of the book, but this is not a fluffy book. There are secrets, twists and turns galore. Great for a rainy couple of days.

I loved the characterization of each sister and the plot. It was not predictable, which is so important. I think I may actually purchase a hardcover of this when it becomes available. at publication date. A must read.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Available: 4/26/20

"That's the luxury that men have. They can be awful and beloved. Women don't get that kind of leeway."

I really enjoyed this story of three sisters who lose their father who also happens to be a very famous author. The story begins as each sister hears the news and they come together to figure out next steps and expands out when they find out about the fourth sister.

I liked the way the story brought together so many dynamics: each sister's individual story of how their own life and path is unfolding, their way of dealing with the loss of their dad and their way of dealing with the news/interactions with the new sister. The way they can be seen both as individuals and also as a unit of 3+1 is well done in the story.

"Liza, who felt like she'd been hiding in her own life for a decade, was not having trouble staying quiet."

While the story didn't have any shocking twists and turns, I loved that some of the ways in which the story unfolded were more unexpected and thus opened the mind of the reader to the fact that there's possibly more that's going on here than meets the eye (as there often is in the real world.) I loved that there weren't stereotypically good or evil characters. Each character was layered and textured and complex.

"Over the course of Serena's lifetime, it seemed like families were allowed to be more complicated, less cookie-cutter versions of one mom, one dad, loving siblings version of previous generations."

This story of family, sisterhood, life and mistakes is sweetly told and as a reader, I got more and more attached to the characters as the story unfolded and I found myself rooting for each of them.

With gratitude to netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thought that this book was enjoyable but it was a little slow. I liked most of the characters and the plot was engaging but I wanted it to move along a little more quickly.

First of all, thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and William Morrow for the ARC. I was very excited to get this and the book did not disappoint.

This is the story of 3 sisters--Liza, the oldest and owner of Sweeney Jones Art Gallery and lifelong resident of Southport, CT; Maggie, the free-spirit artist who can't seem to settle down; and Tricia, the level-headed Manhattan lawyer who liked everything in her life to be organized. It begins when Liza gets a call from her father's housekeeper telling her that their father, William Sweeney, the famous writer, has died. This brings the sisters back to Southport to the family home where they grew up. At the repast they notice a tall blond woman that looks familiar, but they're not sure from where. Turns out this woman, Serena Tucker, is their half sister, the result of an affair their dad had with the neighbor, Birdie Tucker.

Meanwhile, Bill Sweeney had written his memoir before he died and the publisher wants it. The girls have no idea where it is, but want to get their hands on it before someone else does. What information is in there? Does he talk about their half sister? What about their mom? Did he really love her? Was he really the man they thought he was? A good story of family, self-discovery, and hidden truths.

Contemporary women's /family fiction is how I would categorize The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan. This is the first I have read of this author, so I didn't quite know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised how easy to read, but intriguing I found her writing. We are introduced to the sisters as they gather in mourning at their seaside family home in Connecticut after the death of their father, who was a very famous writer. They must deal with not only the mess of his estate and a missing memoir, but the realization that their father wasn't quite the man they thought him to be. As with every family, each sister also had their own turmoil that they were dealing with. Having each other proved to be what they needed all along. Filled with secrets, love, redemption and joy, The Sweeney Sisters was a delight to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy in return for an honest review

The right reader for The Sweeney Sisters is someone who'd enjoy an escape into the drama of a well-heeled family in small-town Connecticut. The story centers on time in the aftermath of the Sweeney sisters' father's death.

A character-driven novel, the sisters learn more about their father as they strengthen their relationship with one another.

The blurb had me thinking this would be a "hilarious" book, and I thought it would be a lighter, fluffier palate cleanser of a read. Nothing struck me as particularly funny, so I'm confused by that descriptor. It felt heavier than fluff, more substantive. That's fine by me.

I would have liked a more dramatic build-up to some of the plot -- the author really could have built some suspense. It was a bit rushed and anti-climatic at times. The publisher's blurb reveals too much. Some of it was extremely predictable. Without getting into spoilers, some science was presented incorrectly.

At about 20 percent into the book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. I didn't particularly care about the characters by that point, and wasn't sure that I cared what happened. Still, I was entertained enough by the writing that I continued, and in this case, I'm glad I did. It felt a little like a cozy movie by the end.

Something about the book felt very familiar and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the setting and some of the characters? Though the writing style is different, I think fans of Elin Hilderbrand would like this book for the setting, drama, and characters.

3.5/5 or 7/10 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the digital review copy. Pub date April 28, 2020.

I couldn't wait to read The Sweeney Sisters. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. It definitely lived up to it's description. It is a great read with lovely character development. I have recommended it to all of my friends.

It’s always been the three redheaded Sweeney Sisters, Liza, Maggie and Tricia, but when their father, the William Sweeney, noted author, passes away suddenly yet peacefully in his sleep at the age of 75, it is revealed there is a fourth Sweeney sister, Serena. Serena is two years older than Liza and also the daughter of former neighbor, Birdie, who described the affair as “it wasn’t my finest moment”. Will Serena become one of the Sweeney sisters in all the ways that matter?

While I found the first half a little on the slow side, the second half flew by and I didn’t want to put it down as all the secrets William Sweeney had been keeping are revealed.

Thank you to Book Club Girl for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.