After their famous father dies, three sisters discover a possible fourth. I really enjoyed this story--I thought the dialogue was realistic and funny. A great book that I would highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Lian Dolan's The Sweeney Sisters is a nice summer read with a pretty cover and a nice hook. After their famous literary father dies, three Connecticut sisters navigate the world without his larger-than-life persona. But another shock comes when a well-known journalist shows up with DNA evidence linking her as the fourth Sweeney sister. And after finding their father's final memoir, plenty of other scandalous secrets will be let out of the bag.

I liked this book enough, but I'm on the fence whether I'll seek out other titles by the author. I've read other books featuring wealthy people, but for some reason (maybe it's the reliance on backstory? Telling? Character monologues?), this cast felt overly self absorbed (I hated Maggie) and I struggled to find any emotional connection to them. Likewise, it seems as though the book is trying to paint Bill Sweeney as some sort of Hemingway second coming literary genius, but all I got was that he was a horrible human being and I can't imagine anyone in this book world wanting to read him at all.

There were moments that I loved--parts of Liza's narrative were heart wrenching and I really felt for her and I liked how Tricia's story evolved. But mostly it fell flat. I'm disappointed I felt that way because I was really looking forward to this one. But if you're in the mood for a family drama that looks at sisters dealing with their grief and navigating new family, this could be for you.

A special thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

The Sweeney Sisters by Liam Dolan is an engaging and fun read about three sisters who are mourning the loss of their father. Their mom had died years earlier. Their father was a famous author who had written one last novel that was to be published after his death. The daughters, Liza, Maggie, and Tricia are shocked to discover that their father had an affair and there was a fourth daughter. This daughter lived near them when growing up! What a shock! As the story progresses the family learns how to live with this shocking fact. The story of love, loss , romance and betrayal all occur and cause the characters to experience sadness and joy. This novel’s descriptions were excellent. It is as if the reader could actually see the characters and the house and town in which the characters reside. This is a light read and is very enjoyable . While reading it I thought about my own family and the dynamics within all families. I was able to read this novel for free from the publisher, Harper Collins, and netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review .

The Sweeney Sisters was a delight to read. It is the story of three sisters who, upon the death of their father, discover another half-sister. While that is the main source of conflict in this story, it is really a story about what constitutes family. The sisters, Liza, Maggie and Tricia have grown apart following the death of their mother years before. They come together for their father's funeral and to settle his estate. William Sweeney was a famous author with his own demons, including alcohol abuse and womanizing. The newly discovered daughter, Serena Tucker, grew up in the neighborhood with the girls and only recently found out the identity of her real father through DNA.

This was a great story with some twists and revelations. I really enjoy the ride.


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Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With Summer around the corner this would be a great read. Lian Dolan's The Sweeney Sisters is a story about family relationships, a death of a family member, and secrets, Each sister has to come to terms with the passing of their literary giant father and the secrets he kept from them.

Lian Dolan has created a fantastic character study in The Sweeney Sisters. The three daughters of William and Maeve Sweeney all have their strengths and their flaws, as does their father William. Things begin to get messy and unravel in unexpected ways when William Sweeney dies, and a previously unknown sister, Serena is revealed. Liza, Maggie and Tricia are all dramatically different people, coping with the life adjustments in their own ways, and at some points that can make them downright unlikable to the reader. I especially struggled with Maggie, since she's about as far removed personality wise from me as someone could get. I wish there'd been more about Serena - who copes with everything with more grace than her half sisters. I wish the ending hadn't felt as rushed to wrap everything in a box and call it wonderful. I wish that the story hadn't switched points of view occasionally from sentence to sentence. But all in all I thought it was a wonderful story that makes you question how well you know the people you think you know.

What I Didn’t Like:
-Out of touch. I don’t say this about a lot of books, but this one felt markedly out of touch with what I consider to be the real world. The things these girls worry about felt so privileged, if that makes sense. Part of that comes from the fact that these are upper-class white women from Connecticut, I suppose. I don’t know. As I said, I don’t normally say that about a book. But in this one I felt like it was just slapping me in the face.
-Multiple viewpoints. Normally I like this in a book. In this one, I think my problem was that the shifts happen mid-chapter without a lot of visual warning. The four sisters all take over the telling (although it remains in third person for all of them) and there’s no real pattern to who is telling the story and when. It was a bit jarring more than once.
-Pacing issues. The book definitely has its slow points where you feel like you’re waiting for something to happen.

What I Did Like:
-The sisters themselves. The individual sisters are well written and have concrete personalities. The beauty of this book is in the way the 3 (ahem-4) of them come together to make sort of a realistic picture of sisters. There were times when I could picture how my sister and I interact, which was cool. The relationship part of this book was well done.
-This is, I think, the first time I’ve done this. I do it a lot with things I didn’t like, but it’s a first for like. I’m going to mention something I actually didn’t enjoy that a lot of you might. I didn’t like the ending. I’m not one for the endings that tie everything up and make everything seem rosy. Basically, if you like happily-ever-after style endings, you’ll love this one.
-Language. This author has a beautiful language, actually. I found myself enjoying the sentences she crafted on more than one occasion. There were, full disclosure, a few grammatical errors. But remember I’m working from an Advanced Reader Copy so we can hope those will get worked out before it’s available in April. I really think you’ll appreciate this one if you like well-crafted sentences and descriptions.

Who Should Read This One:
-If you are the kind of reader who likes emotional stories about women connecting with their families, you’ll love this one.
-If you like a romance style feel to a contemporary story, you’ll like this one.
-I consider this to be similar in style to Beachcombers by Nancy Thayer. If you liked that one you’ll like this one.

My Rating: 3 Stars. This is a good book that explores the relationship between these sisters.

Imaginative storyteller, Lian Dolan, thrills with her latest and most intriguing novel yet. The Sweeney Sisters is a heartfelt, fun story of sisters going through ups and downs of life in every way one can imagine. Each sister has an interesting, well developed background and personality. The tale is woven expertly to keep the reader wanting more and loving each of the characters for her individual traits. The Sweeney Sisters and the cast of characters draw the reader in to the story, keeps the reader wanting to know more, and the end is more than satisfying. This is a must read. Put it on your list.

The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan was a good story. The story starts with the death of William Sweeney, the great American writer. Left behind are his three daughters, Liza, Maggie and Tricia, who discover there is a fourth daughter: their neighbor Serena, the oldest Sweeney sister. That should have provided a basis for a really good, character-driven, relationship novel. But, for me, this story just lacked something. The characters were never really developed enough, remaining very two dimensional to me. The conflicts weren’t there. There wasn’t enough past history as a basis for present emotional response. I feel like this is a good draft, a skeleton of a story that’s not fleshed out fully. And what’s there, I feel like I’ve read before.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #thesweeneysisters

Hmmm. So this book is very slow. Hard to connect to any part of it. Three sisters find out they have a long lost sister. Who just happens to be the neighbor they have lived to their whole life. But why didn’t dad tell them before he passed away? This book seriously just felt like a mean girl situation of the sisters against the outsider which was really hard to read. Some interesting twists and turns came to surface in the end. But wasn’t enough to save the book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Family life is messy and girl-families are messier. This is a charming and winning novel about the special relationship between sisters and the complications of family life. When the Sweeney sisters suddenly lose their famous writer father, they learn he has kept what could be a tragic secret, a fourth Sweeney sisters. The Sweeney sister, however, are strong and resilient and will make it all work. The sisters work though their grief and confront their past, as they face the memories of their famous, well-loved but complicated father, their loving free spirited mother who they lost too early their own complicated lives, while incorporating their new-found sister. The sisters are all very different personalities, but these differences form a beautiful unit as they move their extended family forward. There is no bond like the bond of sisterhood. Lian Dolan is a gifted writer. This book will make you laugh, cry, and cheer each sister. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the privilege of reading.

The Sweeney Sisters was a story of sisterhood and the strength of the women in the wake of tragedy. I really enjoyed the imperfect characters and the relationships between them. This was a very real read.

I loved this book. It reminded me of books I read in the late 60's/early 70's, full of vivid imagery, descriptions that made me feel I was there and didn't want to leave. I can't remember the last time I read a book with such well developed characters and a storyline that I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm a huge thriller reader but I do like to take out time and read other genres. After reading the blurb of 'The Sweeney Sisters' I was sold. After all who doesn't love a book about sisterhood, emotional bonds, family, love, laughter, and emotions? I sure do.

This was a lovely book about the Sweeney sisters who come together when their father dies. Dealing with his death and all that is happening in their lives is how the story starts but when they find out that their beloved father also had another child who is their oldest sister their lives take on a whole new level of complexity.
How they band together figuring things out, their relationships and their father who they realise also was not as amazing as they thought.

I finished this book in one sitting as it was a well-paced book with engaging characters. I loved the sisters. All of them so different from each other and so unique.

All in all an enjoyable story! A 3.5 rating which I'm bumping up to a 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Sweeney Sisters written by Lian Dolan is a five star book about family dynamics . Liza, Maggie, and Tricia have just lost their famous writer father, only to find out that he has left a multitude of unfinished business behind.....lack of money for the upkeep of his estate and a fourth sister. The book details how the sisters are affected by these revelations. It also explores the dynamics between the sisters and their relationship with their father. I highly recommend this book and I intend to read more books written by Lian Dolan. Thank you NetGalley and The Book Club Girls of Facebook for the ARC!

An interesting take on the DNA tests that are all the rage right now! This tale of sisters as they find out about the half sister they didn’t know existed was well written and heartfelt. Their father was a famous author and the sisters spend the summer after his death getting to know their half sister and attempting to find his tell-all memoir, hidden somewhere in his house. I loved the author aspect of the book and watching the sisters figure out their roles in this new family dynamic. This was a heartwarming, lovely read that arrives on shelves just in time for beach read season! 3.5 ⭐️ My thanks to @williammorrowbooks for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
After the 3 Sweeney sisters famous father passes away they are faced with a huge secret from his past. They all work together through challenges with the estate and dealing with a huge personal disruption in their individual lives. Great story of family and inclusion. Families can be very messy, this one is a very heartfelt enjoyable, easy read.

I received an advance copy of this book from Harper Collins by way of the The Book Club Girls. All opinions are my own.

A sudden, unexpected death always has the ability to upend a family but what happens when the deceased is a complicated but beloved public figure who leaves behind a few secrets? The Sweeney sisters are going to find out soon enough. Three sisters must return home & confront not only their father's demons but also their own as they wade through the life of their author father, William. As they make their way through the grief they are confronted not only with family secrets but also, more importantly, with the reality of who their father was to them & to the world.

Sisterhood is a unique relationship and the relationship between these three women is what sold me on the book right from the start. Sisters share so much during their upbringing but quite often end up being very different & each of these women is delightfully unique. Strong in different ways they compliment each other in a realistic way. They are supportive yet critical, loving yet antagonistic ... they are truly sisters.

This isn't a book full of twists & turns, the big "family secret" is obvious from the first page but the beauty of the story isn't in the secret it's in how the women come together to address, confront, & accept this change in their reality while their lives continue to swirl around them. Each woman is enough without benefit of romance & each handles the curve balls of life with strength & grace.

Beautifully written this book puts the chaos, love & pain of the situation on the page in perfect prose. I truly enjoyed every page of this book & I am grateful for the opportunity to have enjoyed it as an ARC.

This book was not thrilling. There was no surprise. The shock value was minimal. The bombshells were expected. A person may think that those short descriptors would mean that this book was boring or not worth it, but they would be wrong! This book was about sisters and loss and acceptance and love and family and it was just a great read.

This was such a different read than what I am used to. It took me a bit to finish it (mostly because of life) and I enjoyed it. I love how each sister is unique and they manage to work well. I did wish we saw a bit more of Serena and I do feel satisfied with her ending. I love how they work on being a unit and "the more the merrier" feeling they had. They finally came home.