We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange @tracey_lange @CeladonBooks #fiction #contemporaryfiction #literaryfiction #bookbloggers #bookcommunity

Susanne’s Review:

Guilt, Secrets, Trials & Tribulations. 

Life in an Irish Catholic Family.  

Five years ago, Sunday Brennan fled her family, friends, and her significant other Kale, in New York and moved to Los Angeles.  She has been running ever since.  The morning she wakes up in an LA hospital after crashing her car into a barricade, everything comes to a screeching halt.  Literally.  

Now that Sunday is back in New York, she is trying to mend fences with her three brothers and with Kale, her ex, all of whom have secrets and problems of their own. 

No one and I mean no one, is left unscathed, once everything is laid bare.  

Emotions are high throughout and I admit to feeling much of what the characters did, which is a huge testament to the writing.

This is a character-driven familial drama involving issues such as love, loss, guilt, shame, and abandonment.  A well-written debut by Tracey Lange. I look forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

This was a buddy read with Ms. Kaceey, which we both enjoyed.

Thank you to Celadon Books for the arc.

Published on Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Kaceey’s Review:

Family lives appear quite different when viewed from the outside looking in. 

The Brennan’s. A proud Irish American family who, through the toughest times, would always have each other’s backs. That’s just how it is. 

A horrible car accident leaves Sunday Brennan severely battered in the hospital. From the other side of the country, it’s her brother who rushes to her side to help pick up the pieces and bring her back home to the family. It’s what family does. 

Sunday does return, but the demons that chased her away are back and waiting to welcome her home. 

You must face the past in order to move forward. 

Told from multiple perspectives, each chapter flowed seamlessly into the next. I never had any issues figuring out who was narrating at that moment. 

A wonderfully written account of what family truly means. How you see yourself within that family, versus how those on the outside view you and yours. 

A quick read that kept my attention throughout. I was fond of all the characters and how they were portrayed. And most importantly, the strong, deep love within the family that continually shined through. 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

A buddy read with Susanne 

Thank you to Celadon Books.