A sweet novel, and I love this author's writing and work. Lots of family drama and conflict that kept me engaged the whole book

This was my first book to read by this author but it won't be my last! This was a beautifully written novel that evokes so many emotions and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss out on this one!

Dynamic and well written story of the relationships between adult siblings, when their bonds were forged due to trauma as children.  The constant questions of their responsibility to each other weighed against their desire to be their own person.  Loved it, and it was enjoyable in audiobook format.


Audiobook ARC from publisher via NetGalley, but the opinions are my own.

This is officially a @tracey_lange fan account now. Sorry not sorry. Almost exactly two years ago her debut, We are the Brennans, released and I’ve been fangirling ever since. As I’ve shared extensively on this page, I love reading family dramas. The more dysfunctional the better.
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The Connellys are so broken. Their mother died far too young and their dad was a deadbeat. They raised each other the best they could but of course there was trouble. This story is about their resilience, loyalty and love for one another. They are such good people, I rooted for them the entire time. Second chances mean everything sometimes.

I enjoyed We Are The Brennans by Tracey Lange and was beyond excited to read The Connellys of County Down but this one took me awhile to get into. After several attempts to read and listen to Lange's latest on audiobook, I couldn't get into it. I put it down and came back to it only a week ago and boy am I glad I did. This is family fiction, women's fiction, and a splash of thriller. 

The narration for this is well done, but be warned, it's a slow burn, so if that's not your style, this book may be a bit of a challenge. I found it easier to enjoy on audiobook for that very reason, especially since I listen to my audiobooks on 2x speed.

After not loving the Brennans like the rest of the world seemed to I was hesitant to request The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange.  Man am I glad I did because this one gets 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for me.  The complexitites of the characters and the family drama that isn't over done but is ever present was great.
I loved the loyalty and perseverance shown by Tara.  I loved the lightness that her nephew, Connor, added into the mix.  I just felt like this was a true representation of a family that has been through it but still sticks together despite all of the hurdles in their path.

I will definitely not hesitate to pick up the next thing Tracey Lange puts out.  Also the narration on this one was so well done I definitely recommend listening if you enjoy audiobooks.

Thank you MacMillan audio for an advanced copy of this one to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC! Another family drama brilliantly executed by Tracey Lange! I absolutely loved the book and the audio was great! A must read.

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange is a fabulous read.  It is part Family Fiction and part Women’s Fiction with a touch of Thriller.  I couldn’t put it down! 
I really liked the FMC, Tara, but was also so frustrated by her.  Tara and her siblings were all struggling with their childhood trauma.  They are a flawed family with a lot of love between them but also a lot of baggage. 
I loved the way the story unfolded. I enjoyed the love story.  I liked the way the past was slowly revealed.  I appreciated the major emotional reactions I had to certain characters or situations.  I related to the sibling interactions and I adored the love between Tara and her nephew. 

The narrator was great and the audiobook version was a pleasure to listen to. 


I have posted this review on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5733293057

Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvh6fw_LwtG/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

And Amazon

I love a family saga, and after enjoying the author’s previous book, I was so excited to read THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN.

🎧I paired the audio with the print copy, and loved this unique way to read. The narration was great, and it made it even better to fully immerse myself into this character driven  story with multiple POVs.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-family saga/family drama
-a great cast of characters 
-slow burn
-themes of family, friendship
-themes of forgiveness and second chances

*many thanks to Celadon, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This is my first from Lange and I was pleasantly surprised. I had heard a lot about this book going into it and I did end up enjoying it. There’s something so relatable about family drama, bonds and secrets. It’s definitely a slow listen but it succeeded in keeping my interest. It reminded me of a movie. 

The narration was done well. I would listen to more from this narrator.

Tracey Lange does it again with a beautifully woven story. Perfectly paced, intriguing characters, and excellent plot line, The Connellys of County Down is for all readers

This was a really great family drama that truly broke your heart but also pieced it back together.  Seeing the love this family has for one another made me tear up multiple times while reading. I enjoyed the mystery element with the law enforcement and the Tara's prison sentence.  I highly recommend this story to anyone who loves stories of family endurance, with a smidge of romance.

I won't lie, I'm glad I had the audio for this one. I started reading it a while back and it wasn't hooking me for some reason, I tried it with the audio and actually enjoyed it, was it the best for me no, but it was a good and entertaining story about family dynamics.

It is definitely a slow burn story, which is where for me it gets harder to keep interest. The characters definitely had their flaws but it was nice to see the different POV's and get to know each of them separately. I loved how deep their relationship and love for eachother was, how they would do anything to help each other out, even go to jail! 

Lange's writing was definitely on point, she really brought the story and characters to life. They felt real and that's one thing I love. 

Overall, it was a fun book to listen to, if I would've read I most probably wouldn't have finished it. The narrator did an excellent job with the different characters, she really made it come to life.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @macmillanaudio & @celadonbooks for my free ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener's copy.

This was a light and somewhat fluffy story about the Connelly family and the trouble that each of the family members experienced due to their family history and circumstances that arose from trying to protect each other. We get to hear the inner dialogue of each of the adult siblings, along with the detective who is involved with the family due to the previous crime committed by Tara, one of the Connelly sisters.  

I didn't read a lot about the synopsis of this novel before I started it, but had seen it all over the place.  I had expected it to be set in Ireland, just from the title, but when I started was surprised to find it set in New York.  I had this expectation of an Irish narrator, although Barrie Kreinik is phenomenal in her narration.  It just wasn't what I had expected, but that's my fault for not learning more before I started.

Overall, this story relied on tropes that drove me a little nuts.  Everyone was keeping a secret from the other one, and if these people had just talked to each other, none of these misunderstandings would have occurred.  So, after that happened several times, it got a bit tiresome for me.  The story was very predictable and ended just how I figured it would.  For anyone who likes a dysfunctional family story with a happy ending where everything wraps up nicely, this might be a good palate cleanser with nothing too serious happening.

THE CONNELLYS OF COUNTY DOWN
Tracey Lange, Author
Barrie Kreinik, Narrator 
Women’s Fiction

While Tara is rebuilding her life after a stint in prison, she must also cope with her family. The only place she has to live is in the family home and there are a lot of problems in that household, including several doors that are mysteriously locked. 

I loved the family dynamic in this book. I also felt it was a good portrayal of what happens after prison and how hard it is to rebuild a normal life. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

This book starts by looking like an innocuous ball that quickly shows itself to be a tight knot of secrets and goes about unraveling the secrets in delicious ways.

Three siblings have been on their own as a tight unit for much of their lives: the tight controller, one with a traumatic brain injury that makes him feel like a screw up, and the wild child. When one gets out of jail and comes home, she breaks the control of the oldest, creating imbalances that cause a ripple effect across the siblings in good and bad ways. Add in the police that had originally put her in jail still trying to solve the case that put her in. 

#arc
#netgalley
#theconnellysofcountydown

Unable to read due to exhale content but I did like like the storyline up to that long and liked the narration. Her family doesn’t seem all that caring and it irked me

I love a family drama and Tracey Lange delivers! They are messy and flawed, but you couldn't help but root for them. An inspirational family drama, with a whole lot of heart!

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio for the digital copy of this book.

From the author of We Are the Brendan's which I truly enjoyed, comes another family drama. It opens with Tara one of 3 siblings getting out of jail.  Tara goes back home fresh from jail and this family seems to have such bad luck. Just when something ends, another crisis begins.

This book has a lot of heavy topics which I appreciated, and even though I liked all 3 siblings, I found myself rooting for Tara.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves family drama. Also the narrator, Barry Kreinik did a wonderful job.

The Connellys of County Down was the second book I had the pleasure of reading by Tracey Lange. Just like her first book, We are the Brennans, The Connellys of County Down was about family. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Barrie Kreinik. Her narration was well done. I always enjoy listening to Barrie Kreinik. She has become one of my favorite narrators. The characters were well developed and quite believable. I was drawn into the story immediately and it held my attention until the very end. 

The Connelly family was not your typical family. Geraldine, Eddie and Tara lost their mother when they were young. Their father was involved in criminal activity and abandoned his children shortly after their mother died. Geraldine, the oldest, assumed responsibility for caring and bringing up her two younger siblings. Shortly before their father left them, Eddie was in an automobile accident. The accident greatly impacted Eddie’s life. It left him with a brain injury. 

Present day, Tara, the youngest Connelly at thirty years old, was being released from prison where she served an eighteen month sentence for a drug charge. As Tara walked out of the prison, she expected that either Geraldine or Eddie would be there to take her home but neither one was there. Instead, Tara discovered Brian Nolan, the police detective who helped put her in prison, was waiting outside the prison. He offered to drive Tara home. Why was he there and at the exact time of her release? With no other options, Tara allowed Brian to drive her home.

When Tara arrived home, she found that the house was empty. When her siblings finally arrived home, Tara was taken aback by how domineering Geraldine still appeared to be even though Eddie and she were adults now. As Tara settled back into her family home and began to involve herself with the logistics of restarting her life, she quickly discovered that that all was not as it appeared to be. Her sister and brother were both harboring secrets. Those secrets threatened the balance and well being of her family. Tara took it upon herself to learn what secrets her family members were trying to hide and to try and fix whatever problems they were facing. Could Tara get her brother and sister to open up to her? Would she be able to discover what was going on before it was too late? 

Tracey Lange wove together a family drama with a romance that was destined to be. She sprinkled in elements of surprise, crimes, action, drugs, secrets, sibling relationships, loyalty and obsessions. The Connellys of County Down was a character based novel. Each character was well developed and believable. I really enjoyed the relationship Tara had with Eddie’s son Connor. I found it touching that Tara, although the youngest, tried to take her sibling’s problems and make them her own. She was determined to make sure their lives were secure even if it meant upsetting her own. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Connellys of County Down and recommend it highly.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen the audiobook of The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.