Review: We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
Thank you Celadon Books for my copy of We Are the Brennans. All thoughts are my own.
When We Are the Brennans showed up on my doorstep, I was immediately intrigued. One of my favorite books of 2019 was Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. We Are the Brennans was billed to be written in the same vain and I’d have to agree, but in a bit more digestible way. Ask Again, Yes felt like a family drama wrapped up in literary fiction, while We Are the Brennans was a little be more readable. I really liked it! It was quick, heartfelt, and full of drama.
Since I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family, it also felt relatable which was a big reason why I loved Ask Again, Yes. This is why representation in book is so important, because we should all get to have those feelings.
Synopsis: “"When twenty-nine-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it’s not easy. She deserted them all—and her high school sweetheart—five years before with little explanation, and they've got questions.
Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets—secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives. In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes—and ultimately find a way forward, together.” —Celadon Books
What I Liked:
Setting: This book is set near where I grew up so I could totally picture everything so clearly and relate!
The Characters: I love stories with big, dynamic families. I really enjoyed spending time with the Brennans. I do wish we got to spend more time with Jackie and Shane though!
The Story: I thought the story flowed really nicely, from understanding why Sunday left to her finding her way back home. I wish everything had been extended a bit more but I still found it enjoyable.
What Didn’t Work:
The Pacing: It was too fast and too slow. Too slow in the beginning and too quickly wrapped up for my liking.
TW/CW: drunk driving, miscarriage, murder, gun violence, infidelity, strained parent/child relationship, cancer
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 4/5