This book deserves every superlative I can think of. From the first to the last page, I never put it down. This is the story of a tightly knit Irish family, set in a New York suburb. They are a family that has many secrets which are revealed when the adored daughter of the family, SUNDAY, is forced to return home following an auto accident. Her return serves as a catalyst for the story.

Soon, all the siblings and close friends and family must confront all the lies that have been buried. They are complicated, emotional and financial, and their revelation leads leads to a rather shocking ending.
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This should be a choice for book clubs and readers who will compare it to the writing of J. Courtney Sullivan and Mary Beth Keane. No doubt, this will be on all the BEST OF 2021 lists, just a wonderful novel.

Thank you Netgalley for such an extraordinary reading experience.

The author, Tracey Lange, does a very good job with characterization in We Are The Brennans. I feel like I really got to know the people in the book and their many struggles.

However, I can’t see the events that unfolded would have been enough for the main character, Sunday, to pick and move, barely staying in touch with her family and dropping her boyfriend without even trying to sit down and talk to him about what happened. Part of the problem is, Tracey Lange did such a good job describing their relationship and love for each other that it seemed completely unreasonable that Sunday would have run away over something that honestly, didn’t seem to be the major deal that Sunday thought it was. . She also did a great job describing how much Sunday loved her family and how she looked after her brother who has learning challenges. Would this person run off and stay away for 5 years? I don’t think so. Kale’s wife is over-the-top jealous, and I thought her behavior was a bit much.

The blurb I read promised a good many family secrets, and that was certainly a part of the book. Many of the people in the story were deeply flawed humans who kept things they did, or things that happened to themselves; the lack of communication was a major problem.

Overall, the story was good--not great—but good. The ending neatly tied up some loose pieces, and I’m sure romance lovers will appreciate it, but I felt a bit at odds over how quickly one of the characters decided to end a relationship.

Twenty-nine year old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital after having an accident n which she was DUI. She has been living in Los Angeles for five years and has no family in LA; her nearest relative is her brother Denny who flies in from New York. She is feeling ashamed, and Denny decides that Sunday needs to come back home.

There is no doubt there is a lot of drama going on with this dysfunctional family. True one doesn’t have to be Irish to relate.
Not my typical read but I was looking forward to something a little different.
I have no doubt many readers will totally enjoy this!

Want to thank NetGalley and Celedon Books for this early release granted to me for a honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 3, 2021.

We Are the Brennans
by Tracey Lange
Celadon Books
You Are Auto-Approved
General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 03 Aug 2021 | Archive Date Not set

This novel by the debut author, Tracey Lange is a solid read. I enjoyed the Irish Catholic family saga and the lies and secrets contained within. The story told from different POVs was interesting and well done.
This is not my typical genre so it wasn't a great fit for me but I am sure it will go over in the general public.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book!
4star

Absolutely wonderful!!!!!!!

It’s a novel to savor…. ha, if possible, as I found it hard to put down. LOVE LOVED LOVED it!!!!!

I’ll return to a review when I can.
Surprise guests just showed up - will stay the night -
Until I do …. I’ll leave a little excerpt to think about:
“It wasn’t her grief he couldn’t take, it was the fact that he couldn’t grieve with her”.

Terrific family novel!!!! I’ll be back when I can.

RETURNING….to share a little more…..BUT….NO SPOILERS…..
Meet the family….(a few tidbits about each of them)
*Sunday Brennan*….
……twenty nine years old, had always been the voice of reason. There was a maturity and selflessness about her character.
The only female sibling. She had good grades in school, ran cross country, worked on the high school newspaper, wrote stories….and generally things came easy for her.

*Denny Brennan*….
…..oldest son, (who usually could do no wrong), was Sunday’s protector. At times, he could be quite controlling, yet there was no denying that everyone seemed to rely on him. Presently, Denny was in a Financial jam.
Denny was married to Theresa. They had a six year old daughter, Molly.

*Jackie Brennan*…
……[Sunday’s twin], was the executor of Sunday’s secret. …they had a special twin-bond. He was an artist (painted)…Sunday wrote stories. When the two were together talking about books and art…nobody could get in their way.

*Shaun Brennan*….
……was the youngest brother. He has always been the family barometer…..kind, helpful, wanted to please, and very lovable. He had learning developmental challenges and was intellectually slower than normal.

*Kale Collins*….
……was Denny’s business partner. He and Denny were in the middle of opening up their 2nd pub in Mamaroneck. Their first location was a local pub in West Manor (which won best local pub in Westchester for the past two year). Kale grew up with the Brennan family …. Denny was his best friend ….. Sunday was the love of life.

*Maura Brennen* was Mom. Sunday was her prime caretaker when she was sick.

*Micky Brennan* was Dad. For thirty years he worked in construction.
He was a successful businessman—hehad his hands in everything related to construction in his area….contract biding, Union negotiations, inspection approvals, etc. His earnings provided their family a beautiful home, nice clothes, extra cars in the driveway. Micky’s health was fragile. He had recovered from a heart attack and was showing early signs of dementia.

*Vivienne*…..
……she was married to Kale. Physically she was model beautiful. They had a three year old son, Luke.
When Kale married Vivienne, Sunday wasn’t sure if it was because he got sucked in by the superficial, or because he sought out someone so different from her.

Other characters…
…..Auntie Angie, Auntie Clare, Cousin Grail, Paul the bartender, Billy Wash > son of Frank and Lynn Wash (a local nearby family), Sharon Martin, (town gossip), Michael Eaton (a lawyer)……

So….what about “The Brennan’s”?….
They lived in New York. Micky and Maura came from Ireland. They were a tightknit Irish family.
However, family bonds were tested as the fractious characters were fleshed out one by one.
We get a vivid exploration of psychological family warfare…..
It’s intimate….and DAMN GOOD!!!!

There were a couple of times I wanted to cry….
Shame, and secrets were shattering love-relationships……
I found it incredibly sad that when a tragedy happened…asking a loved one for help, at a crucial time…..then getting turned away —
well…..
it has got to be one of the most heartbreaking devastations a person experiences.
And…
not asking for help when needed is also sad as can be.

Tracey Lange, who comes from a large Irish family, wrote a standout - inimitable and prolific contemporary family novel. She captures the essence of love, loss, shame, …both past, present, and everlasting.
Thank you Tracey….I enjoyed this book so very much. I can’t wait to read your next novel.

Thank you Netgalley for the pleasure it was to read this novel…..
…publish date will be in August. A novel not to miss.

Thank you Tracey Lange!!!

A special thanks to Celadon Books (especially after being such a turd expressing how overwhelmed I felt just being ‘asked’ to receive a gifted book), I had said no. It was a day I wanted to toss in the towel and bolt from everything….dealing with my own physical chronic pain..
But, my goodness…I’d sure take a physical copy of this book now. I have already told several of my local friends - they must read it.
Some novels we just want to put in the hands of people we love.
This is that book…..WONDERFUL!!!

We Are the Brennans is a strong debut novel by Tracey Lange that explores family drama and relationships. It follows main character, Sunday Brennan, as she moves back home after abruptly leaving her family, her life, and her fiance five years earlier. What follows is dramatic, heartbreaking, and heartwarming as the family breaks down secrets, lies, and misconceptions and strives to rebuild those relationships that were severed 5 years prior.

I loved this novel! The characters and their relationships were beautifully written. They were flawed and they made flawed choices, but I think that just made them even richer and more endearing. Lange provided great context and backstory for the characters that enables the reader to understand these characters and understand why they have made the decisions they made. The characters are at the heart of this novel and Lange did a great job making them come alive.

The relationships and the emotions behind them were beautiful and well-written. I teared up at points because I could see reflections of my relationship with my family and specifically my brothers in these characters. That presence of unconditional love and support, even during trying times and when one may not be acting as their best self, is a treasure, and Lange did a profoundly emotional job of portraying that. It resonated well and is a big part of what attached me to this book.

Lastly, I loved the author's choice to start a new chapter with the sentence spoken last in the previous chapter. It was a clever choice and made the novel flow seamlessly through multiple character's points-of-views. Speaking of multiple POVs, I think that was also well-crafted, as it took characters who weren't really likeable, and helped give the reader some sympathy and understanding. Overall, really well done. An easy 5 stars for me and likely to be a top read of 2021 for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books and Author for this advance ebook copy!
Believe me when I say.... I did my happy dance when I seen this beauty was added to my shelf!
So thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this beautiful book!
You've made my year!

Where do I start with this fantastic book? It's addictive. I started this book at around 6 PM one night, and stayed up until 3 AM when I finished. I was so heavily invested in everything that was going on, the writing literally pulls you in!

I enjoy family dramas, because the relationships are usually complex and therefore it's fascinating to see the way in which the characters unfold!. We Are the Brennans was a solid read and exceeded my expectations.
I knew this book wad going to be outstanding and in telling ya it's going to be a hit come August.

The story--
Amazing! What can I say I was sucked in from the beginning! The way Lange wrote this novel will have you awestruck!

The characters--
I loved every single Brennan! They had their own issues and it so so much fun diving into their lives!

Overall
This was an amazing, compelling, addictive, exhilarating, refreshing novel!
I couldn't get enough of it!

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this novel! It was very much enjoyable!

Oh my…oh my… one more time: OH MY…

I think I can simply say I loved it! I loved the complex, batshit crazy, deliciously dysfunctional Brennan family so much! They are so natural, so real, they have incredible resemblances with your own family! At least I saw those resemblances I liked how it made me feel: yes, I’m not the only one coming from not so normal family! ( I think nobody has normal family but some of them are better to disguise or pretend! )

Anyways, falling at first chapter kind of story starts with the introduction of train wreck Sunday Brennan, 29 years old, who finds herself in deep trouble by opening her eyes at the hospital side, bruised, aching, to be a felony of DUI charges!

And surprise: who is waiting for her wake up at her bedside? Her brother Denny is always the protector, worried about her well being. And she is not looking so good with her broken arm, bruises on her head! But she mostly suffers from broken pride!

Only way is out is connecting with her family her tails between her legs, spending time with them when she’s in this condition. She has to return back to her family house where she suddenly left 5 years ago without giving any reason.

Her family owns an Irish Pub struggling with deep financial problems.

She hasn’t only left her family, her pissed off Irish brothers, she also left her high school sweetheart Kale( I know I asked myself is he organic and fits great with Parmesan and I stopped myself making the worst kind of jokes! So ignore my words! I already hit my hand so hard for typing this !) who is married with another woman right now! So you may guess: decision of returning back to her native town is one of the toughest decisions for her!

We can observe the events through the eyes of different characters including brothers Denny and Jackie, Shaun, father Mickey, sweetheart Kale ( even Kale’s wife Vivienne has important part in this story!)

Jackie is talented artist, working at the pub, mixed feelings about his life decisions as Shaun deals with his own social awkwardness.

Kale and Denny plans to open a new pub but a burst pipe caused to ruin the entire foundation and that’s not the only financial obstacle they have to deal with. Denny keeps so many secrets from them.

Each chapter ends with a conversation and the very next chapter opens up another narrator’s perspective was a unique way to tell the story!

Overall: I loved this family so much! Each of the characters were portrayed amazingly. I couldn’t decide which one was my favorite! This is one of the best fictions I’ve read this year! I’m giving my well earned highly deserved, Irish, very dysfunctional, surprising, impeccably developed five stars !

Special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sharing this freaking amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

A quick read about a family faced with lies. While I found it pleasant there are many other better written stories of large Irish American families sorting out their troubles.

This was a great family drama, about a large Irish Catholic family full of secrets that all come out in the end, similar to Ask Again, Yes. I really loved the characters and the story- a solid 4 star book for me.

From the blurb: "Tracey Lange's We Are the Brennans explores the staying power of shame—and the redemptive power of love—in an Irish Catholic family torn apart by secrets."

I was thinking about family sagas I've read since joining GR which can be compared to this tale, and just realized how many outstanding ones I've already read. Sadly, too many, which makes it difficult to draw a comparison to this novel.

Apart from that, I went through a reading-fatigue lately. Just did not have any interest in wham-bam-thank-you-ma'm melodramas disguised as literature with emotional-porn as the mainstay. So harsh to say this, I know. But that's how I felt. Some things just tend to overstay their welcome, sort of. In print too. I had enough of world politics too, thank you. It's a bad combination to be constantly bombarded by drek in so many different forms. I wanted to ignore the whole lot and just talk to the bees in my garden. I know it's dangerous when they start talking back! I've been talking to my plants for many years, and really, I'm cautiously sensing their sweet reactions, especially when I sing to them. For crying out loud, don't tell anyone!

So, with that said, I decided to read this novel after all. Family sagas are my favorites by far.

Apprehensive, comes to mind. I opened the book...and a day later I closed it with a smile. It was terrific. Truly excellent. For so many reasons.

Yes, the secrets were bad. No wonder it was kept secret. It should have stayed that way. But alas, Sunday Brennan kicked off an avalanche of events when she hit a road construction barrier in California in an intoxicated state. Big brother Denny flew out from New York as the next of kin, and brought her home. One after the other, the secrets dropped unceremoniously into the bucket of untold mysteries when the family was confronted with the truth, and splashed all over their comfortable home and hearts. Some things shattered and others shined. Despite everything. The reader escaped intact as well. However, some of us did not want to escape. We wanted to stay with this second-generation Irish family with their strong but vulnerable patriarch at the helm. Their Long Island home and business invited us all in.

Engaging. Compelling. Despite the darkness of each family member's secret, there was a warmth, a camaraderie and a strong bond between all of them. Unlike some previous family sagas which inspired me to take a bath after reading it, this novel had a leniency on the soul. Each hard-working character invited me to become best friends. They were worth it. Warts and all. The Brennans: Mickey - the patriarch, Maura - the deceased mother, Denny - oldest son, Sunday - only daughter, Jackie - second son, Shane - youngest son. On the peripheries: Denny's wife Theresa, his little daughter Mollie, Kale Collins, his wife Vivienne, and four-year-old son, Luke.

Now, go meet them! Recommended.

Thanks to Tracey Lange, and congratulations with this excellent literary debut novel. Thanks to Celadon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to experience the Brennans. Expected publication date: August 3rd, 2021.

It has been a long time since I have read a pleasant family saga, and I enjoyed this one very much. The characters have depth, the writing has a nice flow and the plot is decent. There's a love story intertwined with other family relationships. I'm not a fan of the romance genre, but this was nice. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a relaxing family saga.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this early.

Five years ago, Sunday Brennan left her family and fiancee in New York and headed to LA, with no explanation.

Now, after a horrific accident, with the coaxing of her brother, Denny, Sunday has returned...with her secret still consuming her. A secret that cost her her family and the love of her life, Kale. Despite having moved on, married and a father, Kale' s reaction to Sunday's return is apparent.

When Denny asks Sunday to help with the family business, it seems that Denny has his own secrets and that somehow, his secrets intersect with Sunday's and their father's pasts...

Lange weaves a fantastic narrative about how long buried secrets have a way of coming around full circle....the only way forward is through

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Publishing to allowing me to preview this novel.

Sometimes there are books that you could comfortably read forever. If the author would just keep writing chapters about these characters, then we could stay with them and keep an eye on them. This was one of those for me.

We Are the Brennans is about a close-knit Irish Catholic family that lives in a fictional Westchester, New York town, West Acres, that I suspect is based on the city where I was born, Peekskill (or very close to it). The patriarch, Mickey, emigrated from Northern Ireland as a young man and has supposed ties to the NRA. The matriarch is no longer with us, but her legacy is dark, tainted, resentful.

There are four Brennan children (now adults) - Denny, Sunday, Jackie, Shane - and one honorary Brennan - Kale, who grew up nearby and has always been a part of the family in one role or another.

Five years ago, something bad happened to Sunday and prompted her to move to California, far away from the family she is close to and to leave her almost-betrothed, Kale. A series of events reveals this and our story focuses on the family as they re-evaluate the past, do damage control, support each other, make new mistakes and correct old ones.

This is a family with a lot of love and care for one another that is clear even though they are not overly demonstrative. I really enjoyed the time I spent with them. My one criticism that the ending was kind of abrupt and could have been more graceful if given another chapter or two.

Tracey Lange’s debut novel centers on an Irish Catholic family in New York with lots of secrets to hide, and that makes for a perfect afternoon of reading!

Sunday Brennan, the only girl in a family of sons, left home five years ago for Los Angeles on the pretext of a job offer to write web content. Leaving involved more than her family. It meant that she walked away without a word to her fiancé. In reality, she was hiding from her deepest secret and trying to overcome it.
Life hasn’t quite worked out for her. She’s basically estranged from her family and drinks too much. After a serious car accident that left her with a broken bone and bumps and really awful bruising, her older brother, Denny, talks her into coming back home to heal. Sunday feels she has no choice and flies back to New York with Denny.

Denny has his own set of problems. He and his best friend, Kale (who is also Sunday’s ex-fiancé) own a pub. They are trying to expand, but things at the new location are not going smoothly. Denny has taken out a mortgage on his family home, unbeknownst to his father, and borrowed money from a very shady character from their past. Denny’s separated from his wife and child, while Kale is also facing difficulties at home.
Navigating the past, each other and the present are at the heart of this family drama, along with the secrets they share.

Told in multiple points of view (there are at least six) I felt this gave the story a completeness that could not have come from a single narrator---readers get multiple sides of the story. Author Lange does a wonderful job in keeping the voices varied and it’s easy to know who is narrating each section.

“We are the Brennans” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I'm not going to lie. I'm a little wrecked by this book. Why? So many reasons...

First I was pulled in immediately. And I do mean immediately. So pulled in that I read this book very quickly. I wanted to know more...and then more...and yet again, more.

The strength of family loyalty come what may always strikes a chord, especially when there are people that are chosen to become family also. And that's what Kale was - chosen to be family. The Brennans are an example of those strong Irish clans that came to the US amidst "the troubles" in Ireland. They worked hard, stuck together, and were there for one another.

And of course, with large families you have the occasional secret. That's what this book was about - love, family, loyalty, and secrets and how those very things can both help and hinder - each of them in turn.

The author does a wonderful job keeping the reader interested because the characters are relatable, excellent examples of the best and worst of us all and there were so many unknowns that I found myself wanting to know and thus began the one more chapter, no, now I need another one...and on and on. If you're sensing a trend here, you're correct. I kept one more chaptering until the end, late at night, with eyes held open by sheer force of will.

And then - after the great descriptions, wonderful dialogue, and characters I'd grown to care about - BAM comes the end. Not an end I was expecting nor one that I can get behind 100%, but it's not my story to tell and while I realize there were very good reasons for ending the story as she did, I can also see that maybe, possibly, this might be a setup for a sequel.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC at my request. All thoughts in this review are my own.

#WeAreTheBrennans
#TraceyLange
#CeladonBooks
#CeladonReads
#BookClubReads
#jackiesbooksandcocktailsvipbookclub

Secrets almost always do more harm than good, especially when compounded by time--the trouble just magnifies exponentially. This is a big life lesson this close knit Irish-American family learns the hard way. Well fleshed out characters, interesting settings and plot. Families can be a pain but they can also save you.

I found this family drama, the story of an Irish Catholic family hard to put down.
I was completely drawn in to the relationships of the family members and the secrets they kept.

Sister disappeared from family 5 years ago
Now, recovering from accident she comes home
Her Irish Catholic Family surrounds her

I immediately became a part of this family
I did not want to stop reading, fell in with family