The Connellys of County Down is a new book coming from Tracey Lange, who also wrote We Are the Brennans.

“Tara is struggling to restart her life after being released from prison. She served 18 months for a drug trafficking charge but there’s more to it than she told the police. She moves back to her family home with her brother, Eddie, and sister, Geraldine. And Eddie’s son, Conor. Eddie still struggles with issues from a brain injury. Geraldine is having a difficult time with the chaos that Tara has brought to the family and she misses the rules and order she had before. They all have secrets holding them back and events will test the bonds of family.”

Do you have siblings? What are your relationships like? What things happened to all of you that wounded you? Or anchors you? This is a wonderful story about family and secrets from Lange. Until Tara, Eddie and Geraldine can trust each other again, they are stuck. It’s great watching them get unstuck. Geraldine comes across as not very nice and controlling. Her big issue reminds me of my Mom because she had the same problem. When you hear why it makes sense.

As usual, Barrie Kreinik does a phenomenal job with the audio performance. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Save a spot on your August TBR for this one.

Thank you Macmillan and Netgalley for this great surprise. The audio was wonderful. I adored the main chatacter the most. I was surprised by family relations and was sad and glad about them.
There were really special bonds that not all people are capable of. There was so much suffer, broken people but also many kind of love and joy. I love the books where there is so much meaning beside the story. Getting together ans separate people was really sad but also heartwarming. Is difficult to explain without giving away anay spoiler. It is a wonderful one

Tracey Lange writes some of the best family drama stories. I instantly fell in love with her work after reading We are the Brennans, and her sophomore novel The Connellys of County Down equally delivered.

Tara Connelly is recently released from prison, after serving an eighteen months for a drug charge. She earnestly wants to rebuild her life and mend fences with her two siblings. Her brother, who is a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a sustained traumatic brain injury, and her sister has her own personal demons that slowly come to light. Having a prison record has shattered all hope of returning to the life she has pre-prison, but she finally lands a job that suits her. To make matters more complicated, her begins to develop a romantic connection with an unexpected man. Connelly family secrets begin to bubble to the surface, and now these three siblings must confront their greatest fears if they ever want to heal their relationship.

Read if you like
-Family drama
-Everyone has a secret
-Redemption stories

The audiobook was fantastically done-- it made for an enjoyable listen

I have been waiting for Tracey Lange’s next book ever since I read and loved We Are the Brennans.

Synopsis: Tara Connelly just got out of prison and is ready to rebuild her life at 30 years old. She moves back into her childhood home with her two siblings and nephew, finds a job doing what she loves and is ready to start dating again. However, moving forward becomes tricky when Tara keeps running into reminders of her past. Along with that, secrets her siblings held in begin to unravel, which can threaten her future.

Thoughts: I love stories about dysfunctional families, especially those that follow siblings. This was filled with wonderfully created characters, who were definitely flawed, but had big hearts and good intentions. I love how the story alternated between four POVs (each sibling and then a local detective) and how easy it was to feel their anguish and worries. While I felt the overall tone of the story to be light, Lange really did incorporate heavy issues such as, life after prison, living with a TBI, and hoarding, which brought so much meaning to the story. Also, this story was set in the same area where I grew up, and Lange did such a great job transporting me to this Westchester town. It was so easy to imagine each scene.

Read if you like:
-Family dramas
-Irish roots
-Fairytales that bring hope
-Westchester setting
-Shameless