Tara Connelly is being released from prison, and is returning to her home where she lives with her brother and sister, and nephew. Now her life is turned upside down, and she has to work through how to get back on her feet and contribute to the household she has shared with her siblings since she was young. Her sister has been the matriarch of the family for years, following the death and disappearance of their parents. Despite being a close family there are a lot of issues they need to work through upon Tara's return. For starter's why did neither her brother nor sister come to visit while she was imprisoned?

This is truly a story about family and overcoming obstacles and making sacrifices to help one another. If you are looking for your next "deep" literary fiction, this is not it, but the story was interesting, and unique enough to keep my interest throughout. The audiobook was easy to listen to and the narrator was clear and entertaining. There were multiple times I would stay in my car after arriving at my destination "just to hear what happens". I really enjoyed this audiobook and the story.

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy a book about a women being released from prison. It's so easy for such a character to make excuses for herself and just stay in the same rut as she's been in for years. But in this case Tara Connelly doesn't make excuses. She did what she had to do, she has no regrets on that front, but she is going to be sure to stay far away from trouble from here on out. I can't help liking Tara a lot. She's smart, she's compassionate, she's hurt by slights from her family, but she's going to make it, she has what it takes.

Then she is home again with her older brother and sister and life is hard. She has a roof over her head and food on the table but she needs to contribute to the finances and who wants to hire a someone right out of prison? Her sister is still a watch wound way too tight and her brother ignores the big thing that should be said. But there is no changing Geraldine, she is so mired in her routine that trying to muck with it will bring a mountain of nagging on one's head. Eddie deals with a traumatic brain injury from his teen years and may never get past the grief and pain it causes him. Still, this is family and they will stick together despite the nagging, the prison stint, and the many things that go unsaid.

These are flawed people but I could not help having sympathy for each of them. Geraldine was the hardest to like but the author does a great job of helping me to understand her. She isn't just a screeching, nagging cliché. She has reasons for being the way she is today. It seems each sibling has fallen into their roles and can't deviate from them no matter how much change would do them good. Eddie is going to try to get the feuding sisters to get along and Tara is going to try to fix things no matter the cost to herself.

This is the second big winner for me from Tracey Lange and I can't wait for her next book. The audiobook is narrated by Barrie Kreinik and she does a great job with all the characters. I was afraid how she'd handle a nag like Geraldine but she didn't go overboard with a character that was already too abrasive. Oh, I have to give shout out to the two gaming nerds that give Tara a chance. I love those characters and their mother. They are especially funny while listening to the audiobook. I was able to enjoy both the ebook version of this book and the audiobook version.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for this ARC.

For readers who liked We Are the Brennans, this one is even better! Irish family with ties to drug dealers, one sibling has gone to jail, one sibling is healing from an injury, and the last sibling has lost control tired of being the glue that holds the family together. It was a fast-paced listen that got me through a long drive. Highly recommended to those who like gritty lit fic where some characters aren't as likeable. Tight family that stick together through all the struggles, great drama that has a satisfying ending.

I LOVED IT. Lange has a knack of writing a family. Not just characters that feel like you know them, but the idiosyncracies of how they come together as a family. The truly flawed nature of each character made it feel like I knew them on a personal level. Besides the incredible character development, the layers of mystery and romance made it addicting read.

The Connelly siblings have secrets that are unraveling.

The dysfunctional family drama unfolds and I was drawn to how this family loves hard and ultimately are loyal to each other. It’s a character-driven novel that full of dramatics and turmoil. If that’s your cup of tea, 🙋🏽‍♀️ you’ll enjoy this story! The audiobook narration is great, too.

Unfortunately fate has not been kind to the Connelly’s- left on their own after the death of their mother, they survived the only way each of them knew how, with Tara’s release from prison, theirs lives are yet again turned upside down but maybe this time they will all land right side up. Releasing August 2023 The Connelly’s of County Down belong on the top of your summer reading list! Loved this book! Thanks to Celadon Books I was able to download both the audio and the ebook. It was a great listen and a fast-paced read. I loved the characters, the story flowed beautifully and was so heartwarming!

A thought-provoking and entertaining read about family dynamics and second chances!

I really liked this author’s previous novel We Are the Brennans so I was looking forward to listening to the audio of The Connellys of County Down.

I wasn’t disappointed. I listened to this compelling story over the course of two nights.
Thirty-year-old, Tara Connelly is being released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge. It’s the last time she’ll hear cell doors opening and closing. 525 days of being told what to do and when to do it. She’s terrified that something will go wrong before they let her out.

Of course she’s excited to be leaving prison but she knows that rebuilding her life after all that time won’t be easy. Being on parole and finding a job as a convicted felon also won’t be easy .

Tara is really looking forward to seeing her brother and sister. She’s especially looking forward to seeing her nephew, Conner. She’d been very disappointed that her siblings didn’t visit more often while she was in prison. But she tries to see things from their perspectives.

Tara’s sister, Geraldine Connelly is the eldest. She loves her job at the payroll company but lately she has been overwhelmed. Geraldine thrives on routine, rules and order.

Brother, Eddie Connelly is a single father to eight year old, Conner. Eddie is dealing with the lasting effects of a traumatic brain injury from years ago. He works as a carpenter but still struggles with bad days.

Most families are complicated and The Connelly siblings are DEFINITELY complicated. They are all holding on to long-held secrets that must be revealed or they just may lose each other forever.

An intimate and engaging family drama!!

With its interesting characters and well developed plot, The Connellys of County Down held my attention from start to finish. An entertaining story of love and loyalty. The narration of the audio by Barrie Kreinik was also excellent.

I am definitely adding Tracey Lange to my favorite authors list. I look forward to her next novel.


I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book and the narrator. This was my first Tracey Lange book, and I will be listening to her other book in the near future! I loved this story about family and the things they do for each other. The narrator was great too!

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange (Goodreads Author), Barrie Kreinik (Narrator)
Colleen Chi-Girl's review
Bookshelves: 2023, audio, contemporary, crime-mysteries, ireland-irish, netgalley, women-centered, us-no-amer, new-york, illness-suicide-addiction

Big thanks to: NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and author Tracey Lange for the ARC audiobook that I really enjoyed listening to in return for my unbiased review. Narrator, Barrie Kreinik, did a fabulous job keeping the characters separate and distinct.

This is the 2nd Tracey Lange book that I've read. I will continue to follow her because of her talent for fully developed, complicated, dysfunctional, yet loving family members. And frankly, the Irish factor is huge for me. I grew up in Chicago where Ireland and being Irish are celebrated on St. Paddy's Day and throughout the year. Also, it's in my blood.....some of my Irish and Scotts-Irish people immigrated from County Down. But....here's a Down-er: Sadly, there's not a lot about Ireland or Country Down, which maybe could be a prequel down the line.. However, there's an County Down, Irish, feature told throughout of some beautiful Irish storytelling with memories evoking their deceased mother, her County Down, and thereby the beautiful title. You had me at....County Down :)

This is an intimate story about a small, Irish-American family of 2 adult sisters and an adult brother, who need each other to survive, for varying reasons, but mostly because they care about each other and are loyal. First, the eldest sister, Geraldine, who never married, is a rule-oriented, uptight, hoarder, who has been the accountant for decades of a local, family company. More importantly, as eldest, she was the caretaker since a young age of her brother and younger sister, in absence of her parents. Next, the sweet brother, who suffered a brain injury years ago, is a single parent of a wonderful adolescent son. Finally, the youngest sibling, Tara Connelly, was just released from a local prison after an 18 month sentence.....whattt!.....for a drug charge. Tara returns to the family home because she has no job, no money or car, and no obvious prospects. Here is the background, drama, and amazing creation and build-up of sympathetic familial characters just trying to survive in our often, very difficult world.

As the story continues, we learn the personalities and secrets of these 3 siblings and believe me, they all have some big ones. We also learn of their shared and individual difficulties of carrying the brunt of their own and other's burdens. Into this mix, enters the likeable, if not adorable, cop who helped put Tara away on the drug charge. Intrigued???

JUST please read this original, unique and likeable story, which will embrace you until the very end.

If Tara Connelly had been arrested for auto theft, I might have had some sympathy for her. Saying that drug trafficking is not a violent crime is a cop out. When I look around my hometown and see people tweaking in the street, shooting up in the library, dying of overdose – lives destroyed because of the opioid crisis – I have zero sympathy for drug traffickers and anyone involved in the distribution of opioids.

I disliked all of the characters in this book, and I’m sorry I finished it.

Tracey Lange captures family drama perfectly in her books, and this one is no exception. It was filled with love, loyalty, heartbreak and redemption. The characters were relatable, and I enjoyed the plot.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio & Celadon Books for the advanced listening copy of The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange!

This is another book full of secrets and shame piling up on the current generation. The parents make bad decisions that cause issues for the children, and they in turn are trying to shield themselves and their kids from these problems.

The issue is that eventually crap hits the fan, and everyone has to come clean. While similar to The Brennans in many ways, The Connellys are their own family. The book focuses on three siblings, one who just got out of jail. There’s also the oldest sister who grew up protecting everyone, and the brother who has a TBI but does his best with everything.

I still think Lange absolutely shines in the character department. She’s got a way of connecting her characters and fleshing them out in a short number of pages. The mystery and secrets kept the pages turning for sure but getting to know the siblings and watching things unravel was the best part.

Lange even packs a punch with her side characters. I loved the nephew, the employers, even the lawyer at the end – everyone has a role and contributes to the story.

I wasn’t such a fan of the romance part, I just wasn’t buying the connection originally. I also thought the book ended abruptly – it is short anyway, it needed another chapter to wrap things up or maybe an epilogue. I didn’t hate the ending but wanted to know that everyone was ok!

I also should talk about the audiobook since it’s an ALC – Barry Kreinik is really a phenomenal narrator. Many female voice actors can’t do male voices that well but I really think she nailed every single voice and brought a lot of emotion & nuance to the text. I highly recommend the audiobook and give her 5/5 for the performance!

Overall: if you like rich characterization, secrets and shame, mental health and help, sibling reconciliation, and people making the most of hard situations: definitely check out Lange’s books!

http://onereadingnurse.com/2023/07/10/the-connellys-of-county-down-by-tracey-lange-alc-review/

I really really liked this story. It's more of family fiction with a hint of romance but that's okay because I was so hooked on this plot and finding out what the real story is with these people. There were secrets for days and I felt really uncomfortable waiting for it all to blow up.
The characters are so compelling. Tara is not what you think based on the blurb. I didn't expect to love her as much as I did, even though I wanted to strangle her sometimes.
I had a soft spot for Eddie, her brother. He suffers from a brain injury and it broke my heart when he called himself stupid. He is such a good guy.
Her sister Geraldine is a pill and I didn't like her at all at first, but I some compassion for her by the end of the story.
I generally don't like 3rd person stories, but this was a combination of 3rd and 1st which flowed seamlessly.
This was an audiobook listen for me and the narrator was super!

The Connellys of County Down was an amazing family drama! The story of the three siblings and their various struggles was so well done. I felt like I really knew the characters. The audio was great too.

What I liked most:
- Character development
- Dual POV's
- Family drama
- Hints of fairy tales
- Family loyalty
- Unique problems like hoarding and brain injuries

Lange does it again! If you're curious about this one go pick it up!

Reading this book was very enjoyable. I both read the digital version and listened to parts on audiobook. The narration was well done and lent itself well to the style of writing and characters.

The connection of family and what we try to do to protect them is powerful and covered through these pages. The author created nuanced characters that I found myself wanting to spend more and more time. Cheering for their noble efforts, being hopeful that their decisions wouldn’t hurt each other more than they had potential to do. I found myself rooting for them all and feeling a connection and sympathy for each character. I find when I’m sad to leave characters when the book is done, when I actually hope for a follow up novel - that the author has done a good job of weaving character and story. This book was that great combination.

(I received an advanced copy of this book in return for my review from NetGalley)

Tracey Lang has done it again! I loved this familial suspense novel and the audio was so well done. I loved how everything came together in the end but not too perfectly. The cute little mention of the Brennan’s was so fun! I cannot wait for more from her. She perfectly writes about complex families and the lengths they’ll go to help each other regardless of circumstances. She is quickly becoming an auto-buy author for me!

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "We are the Brennans" comes "The Connellys of County Down," a moving story about family, forgiveness, and loyalty. When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving 18 months for drug trafficking, she knows that rebuilding her life at 30 years old will not be easy. A former art teacher, she now has no job prospects and no money, so she returns home to Port Chester, New York, to live with her two siblings. Meanwhile, Tara's brother, Eddie, and her sister, Geraldine, are busy with their own problems. Eddie, a single dad, is still struggling from a traumatic brain injury he sustained years ago, and Geraldine is cracking under the pressure of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated for Tara when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced. While Tara works to build a new career and keep her family together, she finds love in a very unexpected place. As the siblings' secrets begin to unravel, they must face their fears and come clean or risk losing each other.

This book was such a delight! I sometimes struggle with contemporary fiction, but this story had a little bit of everything to hold my interest: lots of family drama, some romance, and a hint of mystery. The book is told from multiple viewpoints, so we really get to know each of the siblings and understand their individual perspectives. While each character had his or her own complexities, they were so lovable, and I enjoyed their personal growth throughout the novel. Overall, an emotional and inspiring novel that I highly recommend.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik. She did a wonderful job voicing the different characters, and I could really feel the emotion as I listened. I will definitely be listening to more of her audiobooks.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be accepted for this book! I read her last book and loved it. Thankfully I loved this one too. I enjoyed the family drama and the multiple twists. She captured a close yet troubled family well. Pick this book up now!!

The narrator was fabulous!! Well done!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this audio ARC! This family saga intrigued me from the start. A story about siblings, family disfunction, and a whole lot of miscommunication! I enjoyed the mystery to figure out who Tara was protecting. I did feel like I wanted a little more in the ending, there was a lot of buildup for things to be wrapped up pretty quickly. I haven’t read Meet the Brennans yet, but I definitely will now!

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley for an honest review.

When I saw Tracey Lange had a new book out, I was so excited! We Are The Brennans was such a hit.

The Connellys of County Down is another excellent book! Tracey Lange sticks true to her style with honest, real characters and compelling storytelling. I finished this audiobook in less than 24 hours. I didn’t want it to end, though I was also pleased that it didn’t drag at any point.

At less than 300 pages, it makes for a quick read.

If you liked We Are The Brennans, you’ll also enjoy the Connelly crew!