** spoiler alert ** 2.5⭐️
I listened to the audio and had trouble keeping everyone straight. The cousins/aunt were thrown in kinda randomly. I think what bothered me the most was the cheating/divorce. I know we were supposed to dislike the wife, but I needed a little more hate. The little boy🥲. The dad leaving makes me sad.

Sorry, forgot their names. I’ve read like 5 books since this one. 😉

3.5 Rounded Up.

I received a reviewer copy of We are the Brennans by Tracey Lange from Celadon books.

CW: Drunk Driving, Miscarriage, Sexual Assault (not rape explicitly but definitely a bad situation), Infertility, Affairs, Loss of Parent, Murder, Cancer, Strained familial relationships

What It’s About: After a drunk driving accident, Sunday returns home for the first time since leaving years earlier. When she gets back home, her big Irish family welcomes her home but the lingering resentment remains. To make things worse, her ex-fiancé owns a pub with her brother, too bad he’s married and has a kid.

What I Loved: If you liked Ask, Again, Yes, you will eat this book about a big dysfunctional Irish family up. I love a good family saga and this big family has plenty of issues I loved seeing what the characters were up to and what things were going on. Plus, I love a good, where did it all go wrong storyline and really enjoyed this one. If you’re from the tristate area (NY-NJ-CT), you probably can imagine the setting of the story its really transportive in that sense. Also, I love a story with a character with Down Syndrome and I loved Shane.

What I Didn't Like So Much: I didn’t really care about the love story in this book, I was definitely more interested in the other subplot of a struggling marriage finding their way home then the idea of the couple who broke up spontaneously with no real discussion. I didn’t love how many characters there were at times they were hard to keep track of. I also didn’t love the pacing, I felt like the book needed about a 100 more pages.

Who Should Read This: People who love family sagas. People who loved Ask Again Yes. People who love a story with many strings and plot lines.

Quick Summary: A family saga that follows a returning sister and the big boisterous family who loves her.

This book definitely pulls at your heartstrings and you absolutely fall in love with the characters, flaws and all. Quite the family drama but totally relatable. I enjoyed this one and it was a quick read!

We Are the Brennans is a great debut. Tracey Lange creates a large Irish family with lots of family drama and tells the story from various family members' perspectives. While I really enjoyed the premise, I thought the story could've been a little tighter. All in all, though, it was propulsive and I had a hard time putting it down. I'll look for Lange's next book!

I enjoyed this book. The character development was good, and the story was believable and held my attention. There was a bit of a twist at the end, but the ending also felt abrupt.

This is Tracey Lange's first novel?? WHAT?!?!? This book was fantastic! I really love that it so character driven. Not only that, but they are all relatable. Each character has a secret and you can't help though to fall in love with them and really root for them. This is a wonderful, must read debut from Lange and probably one of the best books I've read all year.

This book was getting amazing reviews which surprised me when I finished it. There was an element of mystery and lots of family drama in this book. I did not really like any of the characters so I felt disappointed when I finished this one. Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

This story describes exactly how you would imagine a big Irish family to be. Dysfunctional yet loving is the theme here. It was a miss for me, but I know many people will adore this peek behind the curtains,

This book wasn't a personal favorite of mine but some readers out there will love it. For me, it was difficult to watch the bad decision making but the plot was decent and engaging.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!! I enjoyed this book cover to cover. The characters felt real and I was invested in their story. The chapters moved quickly and kept me invested in the story. Well written, well done, highly recommend.

Definitely a book about family secrets and how lives are impacted. The Brennans are a loving, boisterous Irish Catholic family. The prodigal sister returns after a long absence and her brothers need to make emotional space for her rejoining them. Nicely written. This is an examination of what one loving family will do to protect one another.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

I really enjoyed this book; one of my favorites this year. The author did such a great job building up this family! The characters really came to life for me and the plot was fun to follow along. The author's writing style is exactly what I like. I do feel like it ended all of a sudden with some things unresolved and I would have preferred to have things in this story in particular wrapped up nicely, but I will use my imagination!! A great debut!

I absolutely loved "We are the Brennans!" I'm a sucker for a good story with a complex family dynamic, so I definitely am not surprised. The Brennan daughter, Sunday, returns home after a car crash. Upon her return, family secrets are revealed and melodrama unfolds. It was such a quick, easy read. Definitely worth the read!

We Are the Brennans is a well-written drama about a New York Irish family. The reader is pulled along seamlessly from one person's perspective to the next and the journey through the past and present is easy to follow. The characters and relationships are complicated (as they are in a family) and relatable. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Brennans are one big, messy family weighed down by secrets and guilt. They are also the kind of clan who loves hard and cares about each other even when they aren’t sure how to show it.
When Sunday Brennan is brought back into the family fold after years of absence, her return opens old wounds. But together this family will find a way to heal them. I don’t want to say too much about the plot, but I fell in love with these characters and was sad to turn the final page. The author is so skilled at balancing their flaws and mistakes with what we come to understand are their best intentions.
I would love to read more about them!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a captivating and believable family saga, told from multiple points of view that feels so realistic that it had me invested in the lives of the Brennan family, flaws and all. This tight knit Irish family harbors secrets which are tearing them apart despite their strong family bonds. Ultimately however, they are connected by a bond and love that transcends bad decisions, flaws, lies and deception. The characters are well developed and interesting and despite questionable decisions they’ve made, you can’t help rooting for them. This engaging debut illuminated the complexities of family dynamics surrounding secrets, trust and love. The Brennan family is flawed and imperfect yet their capacity for love and forgiveness is unbroken.

Family secrets that keep members apart and bring them together. An idealistic look from the outside, the Brennan are revered and hated for the same perceived qualities. An interesting look at an Irish make up and a great character study. Easy, flowing dialogue and memorable characters bring this story to life.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

I truly did not want to let go of the Brennan family! Through their ups and downs and wrongs and rights they remained the people each could count on. I wanted to sit at the bar with them and order a pint! I loved how every chapter started too! What a great family drama. I could see this as a movie and would be the first one to buy a ticket. Thanks for letting me be a small part of the Brennan family!

What a terrific storyline in this novel!
Totally holds your attention!
Characters are real and work their way into your heart!

This was a solid 3 star book. It was a little to detailed at times which impacted my star rating and caused me to skim at time but otherwise great plotline. A family is brought together when Sunday has an car accident and her bother goes to LA. This is multigenerational and multi character chapters woven together nicely.

*******************I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.****************