“Family didn’t mean hiding the hard stuff from each other, it meant facing it together. And it meant forgiving each other.”

Twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in an LA hospital after a drunk-driving accident and needs to move back home to New York. Five years ago, one night changed her life and she left the Brennan home, her brothers, father and high-school sweetheart to never look back. On coming back, she is face to face with the secrets she is keeping as she tries hard to fall back into familiarity with her brothers and most of all, the fiance she left heartbroken.

I love family dramas and @traceylange’s debut is engaging, engrossing and evocative in all the right places. It's been a while since I read a book where each of the characters are so well-rounded and relatable. The Brennan family is much like any of ours - flawed, human and trying to do their best with the hand life has dealt them.

The Brennans are forced to come together and confront the decisions they’ve made, the people they’ve loved and all that they’ve left behind. In saving their family business together, they find their way back to what makes them stick, what makes them special and discover how the family you are born into, also comprises the family you choose.
Sunday and her ex-fiance Kale’s story will stay with you long after you’ve finished with the book. It is tender, heartfelt and the deja vu will certainly leave you misty-eyed.


This is a beautifully human book -- about forgiveness and second chances, of finding your way home and realising how sometimes everything needs to change, for it to stay the same. Wholesome, bittersweet and sensitive, We are The Brennans is definitely going to be one of my favourites for the year.

A big thank you to @traceylange and @celadonbooks for the review copy. If you’re listening, this is exactly the kind of book that makes for a great show\screen adaptation and I’m already casting for this, in my head.
We are The Brennans is out on 3rd August 2021. Get your copy, curl up and enjoy !

This was a beautiful family novel. The dysfunctional family was so easy to fall in love with. They are natural and real flawed human beings and I appreciated that in this story. I enjoyed reading from each of their perspectives and I thought the way the author switched between points of view was unique and well done. The plot was a bit slow for me, but I enjoyed savoring this read. If you’re a fan of family drama books, this is definitely a read for you.

I loved this book. It's a story about a family with secrets and estrangements that all come to a head when the daughter/sister comes home after a DUI accident. The story is from multiple viewpoints. I'm looking forward to this author's next book!

We are the Brennans follows the story of the aforementioned family that while embarked on a new journey of opening a second irish pub discover that many of the family members harbor unearthed secrets that threaten to loosen the strings on an otherwise tight-knit family. Sunday; the enigmatic daughter returns to her family in the east coast a little bit worse for wear after attempting a writing stint in the ever competitive Los Angeles landscape; meanwhile her father is succumbing to alzheimer's and her brothers are desperately trying to get the second location open before it threatens to bring down their entire family.
This book had a steady pace with layers revealed in multi-POV storylines; the pros: likable family who's story arc seemed to be that family and love prevails above all else.
the cons; a bit sleepy in some parts and the lead up to the main conflicts were sometimes anticlimactic. This book was incredibly well written however and packed a lot of detail within its pages. If you enjoyed movies like The Family Stone and even Under the Tuscan Sun this would be great for you! quick summer read.

Not my first choice of a book. Book tended to drag on, with the plot seemingly moving at a snails pace. Characters are written okay, but the pacing makes it hard to get through.

We Are the Brennans is a story about an Irish Catholic family torn apart by secrets. It starts with Sunday Brennan getting a DWI and ending up in the hospital, and her going home to her family in New York. The story is broken up into chapters that are each narrated by a different character. I really loved this writing style. It really gives it a smooth flow. The characters are fantastic and I was left wanting to know a lot more about the Brennan family. The plot was interesting and I found myself flying through the book to find out what happened next. I absolutely cannot wait to read more by this author, they are an incredible storyteller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for gifting me ta digital ARC of Tracey Lange's debut novel - 5 stars!

The Brennan's are a large Irish Catholic family in New York. They were shocked when only daughter, Sunday, suddenly left NY for Los Angeles 5 years ago. When she wakes up in a hospital after a drunk driving accident, her oldest brother, Denny, is there encouraging her to come back home. She swallows her pride and heads back. Back at home, she has to deal with her brothers' resentment for not being there to help out and her ex-fiancee is now remarried with a son and still active in the business. All of the family are keeping secrets and when the business is in trouble, they are forced to reveal them and deal with them together.

I really loved this book! I was drawn immediately into the family saga and loved the interaction between all the characters. This family felt real - they were flawed, resentful, secretive, loving - but they were family above all else. The writer was so skilled at making this novel flow. Each chapter ended with a conversation and a snippet of that conversation was carried over into the start of the next chapter, voiced by a different character. I listened to the audiotape, narrated by Barrie Kreinik, who voiced all the characters so well; I had no issue following along. Her voice was smooth and pleasant and enhanced the wonderful writing. Hard to believe this is a debut novel and I can't wait to read more from this author! Highly recommended!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC of We Are the Brennans. I loved this book about the trials and tribulations of a large Irish American family and whether they can ultimately overcome the past and pull together. I enjoyed how the chapters alternated among the characters as the plot developed and also liked the warm, engaging characters. This book was just what I needed!

I loved the preview I read of this book, and it got even better when I had the chance to read the whole thing. This is the story of the Brennan family, with the focus on the four siblings - three brothers & a sister - each of whom is facing significant life crises and feeling like they’re alone and fending for themselves. A car accident brings them back together geographically, after which we get to watch as they find their way back to each other emotionally.

I immediately felt like I knew the characters - who they were, what they wanted, what was at stake. The story unfolds from multiple POVs, and the hand-offs between chapters were handled SO well - this might be the best I’ve read in terms of the transitions feeling seamless, rather than jarring or disjointed. In this way, the writing had patterns that made it clear that the author knew where she was taking us…but at the same time plot twists I did not see coming kept me turning pages to see what happened next.

This was a fabulous, entertaining & enjoyable read, perfect for vacation or when you need an escape right at home. I look forward to more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

Very bing-able family story. Large Irish family, lots of secrets and realistic characters. I especially appreciated how the family dynamics were portrayed, and felt it was accurate for a traditional Irish family (speaking from my own experience with the heritage).

Great to take on vacation and it was a quick read!

We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange is a family drama! I expected lots of drama you'd ordinarily expect from a large Irish family and I was here for it but sadly I felt it fell flat. I wanted more drama. The potential was there! I was so close to being shameless and dramatic but was a bit too tame for me. It is a good story fully of feelings and a minor mystery. You get your heart strings tugged at and definitely take sides rooting from one sibling over the other. The whole story is written well and flows nicely between perspectives.

We Are the Brennans tells the story of the four Brennan siblings, Denny, Jackie, Sunday, and Shane, as well as the honorary fifth Brennan (and Sunday's ex-boyfriend), Kale, and what happened both before and after Sunday left them all without explanation for Los Angeles five years prior. The Brennans are an Irish family living in New York, but hold their Irish heritage very close to their hearts.

The book is told from the viewpoints of Denny, Sunday, and Kale mainly, but adds in the perspective of other characters such as the Brennan patriarch, Mickey, Kale's wife Vivienne, Denny and Sunday's brother Jackie (who is the only other person that knows the real story of why Sunday abruptly left).

I found this book to be absolutely delightful. At the core, it's the story of this family and those that they cross paths with, but the plot is moved along by the slow reveal of the secrets held by the Brennan family and those near them.

I really enjoyed the way that author Tracey Lange switched between points of view in this book. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a character in the book, and each chapter ends and begins with the same bit of dialogue, which I think made the story move along quite well.

I really could not put this one down. I was immediately drawn in by the characters, but as the story went along, I was intrigued to learn more about the secrets everybody held. All in all, this is a wonderful story about love, loss, and ultimately, the strongest bonds between family, both blood and chosen.

I loved the Brennan family and really appreciated how they were all such different people but were siblings who all loved each other and ultimately supported support each other no mater what the circumstances. Although the story itself was not particularly original (with millions of books written, how many truly original story lines can there be), I wanted to keep reading straight through to the end and felt myself engaged and rooting for each of the Brennan right to the last page. I would definitely recommend this book and think it would make a great vacation read.

This is the author's debut novel? No way!!! Yes, it is, which makes this novel even more amazing and lands Tracey Lange onto my authors to watch list.

Lange tells us the story of the flawed but loving Irish Brennan family which consists of four first-generation American siblings (Denny, Sunday, Jackie and Shane), their father Mickey, their deceased mom Maura, and a neighbor, Kale, who became like family over time.

The story is told from multiple points of view with each chapter ending with a bit of conversation that is picked up in the next chapter. Brilliant! The plot is believable, the characters are rich and complex, and the story flows so seamlessly that it is impossible not to be caught up in the lives, secrets, and hidden pain of each member of the family. This is a book I didn't want to end, with characters I'd love to see again!

My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which is scheduled to be published on 8/3/21. All opinions (and any errors) in this review are strictly my own.

It's true what the old Irish blessing says,"There are only two kinds of people in the world: the Irish, and those who wish they were." After reading this family drama about the larger than life Brennans, I'm glad I married Irish; there's never a dull moment but, when armed with a little liquid courage, family can get you through anything. The novel starts following Sunday Brennan as she drives home to her apartment after a few too many. Although she left her ancestral home in Westchester for the sunny skies of Los Angeles, the shadow of her past has been hard to escape. Following an accident that leaves her bruised and ashamed, Sunday follows her brother back to New York, uncovering a lot of family drama, secrets of the past, and lost loves in the process. <br>
I was absorbed by this larger than life family from the start; I think a companion novel following the parents Brennan in Belfast and their ties with the IRA needs to come out next! I'm usually pretty picky about my audio narrations and I couldn't have picked a better one for this novel. I would have enjoyed a little more flashbacks of Sunday prior to her trauma; we keep hearing about how amazing and open she was when she was younger and we never get to click with that engaging part of her personality. But, overall, I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys hearing about complicated families with complicated pasts. Sláinte and enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed We Are the Brennans and feel certain that this sweeping family drama will do very, very well in the literary world. The Brennans are a close-knit Irish Catholic family living and working together in New York. The story covers lots of scandal, heartbreak, shared joy, and secrets, but the underlying message of the book never falters...family supports family, and love is the most important thing of all. The Brennans are reminded of this on a daily basis and therefore are capable of surviving insurmountable difficulties. On a sentimental note, the Brennan family brought to mind the Ryan family of the long-ago soap opera, Ryan's Hope. As with the Ryan family, drama was always right around the corner, but also as with the Ryans, the Brennans could handle it all as long as they were together. Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this advanced eCopy. I loved it and can't wait to share this one with others.

I adored this book and devoured it in 5 hours! From an Irish family myself, I related so strongly to their tight knit clan - you mess with one Brenner, you mess with six - and Sunday's character embodied how I have always felt about my four younger brothers and well-intention parents who still rely on the "strong upper lip" façade.. Overall, this book reminded me a lot of Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had (an all-time favorite), but I actually felt like all characters got their due diligence, backstory, and empathetic POV expressed here (perhaps with the exception of Shane - I would have loved more of his perspective and a chance to shine a light on disabled voices).

I love complicated family dramas and this is a great one. It really shows how the actions one takes (even omitting the truth) can have long lasting ramifications for the entire family. Lange does a great job exploring how strong shame can be.

As an only child, I’m always interested by sibling relationships. The Brennan’s definitely had me wishing I had a handful of siblings. They might not be perfect, but they really are there for each other when it really matters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut from Tracey Lange! A special thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for my gifted copy. It’s coming out August 3rd, 2021.

SYNOPSIS: Five years ago, Sunday Brennan fled her New York home for California, leaving her family reeling and her fiancé heartbroken. When Sunday almost dies while driving drunk, Denny, her older brother and the owner of the family’s pub, insists she come home.

Sunday’s return stirs up old wounds and unsettles her ex, Kale, now a husband, father, and business partner for Denny’s new pub. Despite telling his three siblings and ailing father, Mickey, that everything is fine, Denny’s own life is unraveling: his wife has left and taken their little girl with her, and the pub’s finances are a mess. To start the new pub, Denny’s accepted a high-risk loan from an old acquaintance, ‘Belfast Billy’, whose shady dealings put the pub’s future on rocky ground. Billy’s involvement with their family eventually collides with secrets from Mickey’s past, and the reason Sunday left comes to light.

THOUGHTS: This is a compelling narrative of relational struggle and family ties. I loved the humanity and depth of these characters—tricky to pull off when your book has 4-5 points of view, but Lange does a great job of bringing the entire Brennan family to life. If you love family dramas, 3D characters and lots of secrets, you’ll like this one for sure.

Maybe it’s my own Irish roots, but I really enjoyed this book about a close-knit Irish family who find themselves struggling under the weight of all the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other.
I always appreciate a story where everything doesn’t work out perfectly; I’ll take believability over happily ever after any day.
Thanks to #netgalley and #celadonbooks for this ARC of #wearethebrennans in exchange for an honest review.