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.

This book was a fine distraction for a few hours and had some fun moments but mainly it just sort of dragged along without any real climax and oozed too many first world problems for my liking.

Between the 3 (then 4) sisters, the only one that I had any appreciation for was Tricia. She was the one with the most relatable backstory. The other 3 sisters all grated at my nerves, which probably made me less invested in their outcomes overall. The author had a tendency to be very materialistic in her description of people instead of delving beneath the surfaces to make more of an emotional connection between the reader and the characters. I knew way more about what their fashion sense was than their true feeling about what they were experiencing. It also just seemed like, at the end of the day, the fact their father died only spurred on questions relating to the finances of the characters and didn't really carry the weight of influencing their other, more mindful choices in life.

Overall, the book was just fine. For being a book of unlikable characters, it at least made me want to find out how everything resolves in the end but even when the ending came around I was just sort of like, oh that makes sense. I realized that how I felt at the beginning about each of these characters ended up being how I felt at the end and that wasn't necessarily a great thing when I didn't enjoy their personalities to begin with.

If you are looking for a quick and pretty unique story, I would suggest MAYBE picking this one up. If you have any issues with having first world problems brought up at almost every page turn, maybe let this one stay on the shelf.

I received The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this book! The Sweeney Sisters tells the story of 3 sisters - Maggie, Eliza and Tricia. The sisters have very distinct personalities. I come from a family of 3 sisters and I enjoy reading stories about the dynamics among sisters The sisters are brought together after the death of their father, Bill Sweeney, who was a celebrated author. Their mother died years ago from cancer and now they have to decide what to do with the family home and their father's writings. At the funeral, they also discover that they have a half sister, Serena. The sisters each have their own struggles but their learn that they can rely on each other to get thru them. This was well written with great characters. I highly recommend it.

The Sweeney Sisters is a family drama that starts with the death of the family Patriarch, famous writer, Bill Sweeney. With the death of their mother years earlier, it is upon the three sisters' shoulders to host the wake for their father. The wake more of a neighborhood BBQ, brings in secrets the sisters were unprepared for - a heretofore unknown sister.
With very different life experiences and personalities, the sisters navigate jealousy, distrust, grief, and news of a secret sister. In addition, family finances are not what they seemed and the women must now find a hidden manuscript of their father's they owe to the publisher. The hunt reveals more secrets that leave the sisters questioning everything in their lives.
I enjoyed how the author brought together women of such different personalities that were able to navigate not only their own imperfect lives but tragedy and become stronger both individually and as a family.




I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put the book down. I fell in love with each character. They felt like people I know. And you captured the complicated nature of family--deep love with the complications of being human. I did love references to my hometown Fairfield CT.

This was an enjoyable read. It was a quick and easy read. I liked seeing the change in dynamics among the sisters. There were a few storylines that progressed a little too quick and some storylines I would have like to see evolve more. I would definitely recommend this book to others so that they could meet the Sweeney sisters!

I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley. The story centers on three sisters mourning their famous writer father and sorting through his messy estate and uncovering his secrets, including a secret daughter from an affair and a missing memoir. They must figure out how to fit a fourth Sweeney sister into the group and also each deal with their own personal dramas. The sisters work through their grief and their own personal struggles while growing closer. Each of the sisters' stories was unique and compelling, even if at times I felt that a little more depth could have been given to side characters and their relationships with the sisters. Overall, I enjoyed this emotional story very much.

I really enjoyed this story, and it will make a favorite of book clubs. The dialogue was wonderful and the personalities believable. There is family drama with a surprising addition, romance and a sense of belonging.

the three Sweeney sisters - Liza, the capable, mothering one; Maggie, the flighty artistic one; and Tricia, the no-nonsense lawyer one - all return to their childhood home after the death of their father, an author whose works are considered new American classics. As they process through their grief, along with some personal issues, they also find out completely unexpectedly that there's actually a fourth Sweeney sister. Their childhood neighbor Serena Tucker recently did a DNA test on a whim, and got some surprising results... The rest of the family follows how each of the four women moves forward with this news, as they re-evaluate what they thought they knew about their father, and what they thought they knew about being part of a family. This is a fairly light, escapist, feel-good type of read - bit of light family drama and great sibling interactions, bit of romance, some humor, lots of emphasis on love of writing and literature. I loved that the sisters genuinely cared for each other and while there was a little family drama, underlying it was a sense that they all love and like each other, and that they have this enviable bond that is apparent to all. Also loved the idyllic East coast setting, with the old family home being kind of a character in itself. The east coast setting reminded me of books like Maine or The High Season or Evvie Drake Starts Over; also in terms of tone and feel, if you enjoyed books like Matchmaking for Beginners, The City Baker's Guide to Country Living Also while the tone was a bit different, the plot with adult siblings returning home for a funeral and falling into their old patterns/family dyamics reminded me of Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You. 3.5/5 stars

I read an advance copy via netgalley. The character development is suburb. I enjoyed the relationships between the sisters and what it means to have that relationship threatened or changed and the difference between the two.

This story about sibling rivalry, family secrets and sisterly love will make a perfect summer read. Just enough romance to keep readers engaged and if you’re from Fairfield or Southport, CT you’ll love it even more for all the recognizable people and places.

The Sweeney Sisters is story about 3 adult sisters and how they come to cope with the death of their famous father. After he passes, they learn of a half sister who they’ve known all their life...their neighbor. While this could have been a story dripping in scandal, with dynamic, thought-provoking characters, it just wasn’t that for me. I found that the sisters lacked character development and were all rather flat. I didn’t find myself caring for any of them and didn’t care what happened to any of them one way or another. I finished this back in February and am just now getting around to posting my review, and I’m sitting here struggling to remember a lot of what happened because it truly was that forgettable. It does have a 4.07 star rating on Goodreads from other early reviewers, so there’s a good chance that this one just falls under the “not for me” category.

I loved this book! As someone that just reconnected with family from an absent father, this gave me hope. It showed the messiness of sisters that grew up together and the only-child half sister that was a product of an affair... hit very close to home. This story was told beautifully and was real. I could identify with their concerns and frustration, but really with Serena’s longing to belong. Loved this and look forward to more book by this author!

I am so grateful to netgalley for this arc. This was a book I was looking forward to for months. I’ve searched my library catalog multiple times a week waiting for it to be there for me to request. Unfortunately, the book fell flat for me. The authors beautiful descriptions of the settings wasn’t enough to make up for the one dimensional characters. The book felt like it dragged at many points and I found myself skimming way too often.

I really enjoyed this book. It offers everything one would find in lots of families divorces, death, romance, sibling rivalry and in today’s society DNA discoveries. It’s a great easy read!

This book was everything that it promised; sisterhood, family drama, romance, mystery and so much more, and doggies too!!!!

It all starts when an internationally famous author dies, he is the father of three redhead daughters, time and some circumstances some life came they drifted apart. When their father passes away, the sisters drop everything they are doing and return to their childhood home to say their last goodbye to their father and also their home.

But what they didn't expect was finding a strange blonde girl crashing their father's funeral and then later finding out that same stranger to be their sister. Now, their whole world is turned upside down again and the three of them must stick together and decide what to do with this fourth Sweeney sister and find out why she is here.

I was reading this book and it brought me back to the days I watched Desperate Housewives, who's with me? So much drama, so much mystery and at the same time I just wanted more, I needed to continue to read to find out how this fourth sister came to be and why she was around. And when don't think the other sisters' lives are dull because the dram continues on their lives too lol.

Loved every minute of it and totally recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars!

I got and advance eARC from Netgalley.

I was pulled into the story immediately. The siblings learn of the iconic father's death. Each of the sisters has their own backstory, now they learn of an addition to the family group. How The Sweeney Sisters react and respond to life changes kept me enthralled.

I loved this family drama with relatable characters and flawed relationships! It pulls you right in! 4.5☆