Welcome to Litsy!

Typically a dysfunctional family story would be right up my alley. But this one didn‘t quite hit the mark for me. The older I get, the more impatient I am with people who run away from their problems. And with books based on situations that could be solved or prevented if people just opened their mouths and told someone how they are feeling. (Apparently I‘m THIS close to yelling at kids to get off my lawn. 🙄😀)

Tackle the TBR 🤓📚
What are you reading?
#boleybooks #wearethebrennans #traceylang #bookbeast #bookbuds #bookchat #libby

While I enjoyed this quick read, I don't think it's one that will stay with me.

9 of 2021. ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I‘ve had this #botm sitting around for a while. I‘m glad I finally read it, though I don‘t necessarily feel like I need to read Lange‘s latest one. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The cup was a gift😍unpopular opinion here but it was me because I couldn‘t stand the main character. But if you like family drama with dysfunctional characters, this is for you. Usually I like that type of stories but I don‘t know what happened with this one. Sunday left her home, town, away from her family after a traumatic experience, no support to manage it. Then, one day decided to go back.⬇️

.

Hello, lovely #lmpbc group members! Here are 4 #botmbacklog books I‘d love to read. Do any of them strike your fancy?

(I also have Sign Here and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow but I see that at least one of you has recently read each of those.)

🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
I promise..I will try to be better about these things this year…it‘s my goal!!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🔷 So I read this book for a book club….one that I found on Facebook….it‘s a mailing book club that each book gets mailed to a different person. This was supposed to be my December 2022 book. Needless to say I didn‘t make it. Here‘s my review!!!! 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔!!!! #LitsyLove #2023 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55169040

3/5
Positive: easy read, entertaining plot
Negative: predictable, repetitive

The more I read, the more I encounter these types of "mainstream" books with the same themes, the same marketing ploys, etc. Am I the only one noticing it, and getting tired of it!?

This story reminded me of a stereotypical Irish family from New Jersey. The men have tempers. The women are confrontational. They live the motto of “blood is thicker than water.“ I enjoyed the story development and the characters development. It seems everyone has secrets and it is surprising the lengths they will go to keep them. The layers and layers of secrets kept my interest to finish this book.

This is a great story of a large Irish family and the personal drama they each face. Character development is fairly strong. Romance, heartbreak, siblings, Irish pubs…who could ask for more?

This one hit too close to home for comfort, and I'm sure I'll have to process for this a while; it will probably be the most impactful, bringing up nostalgia and heart heaviness for a while, until another one with its themes articulated in a similar way comes along. It was sad to watch these reactions and interactions, and a sad mirror of our society and sexist relationship assumptions we have to work on. Recommended for men to read for reflection

Four books I had 50 pages or less to complete that I finished in June (this week). One I already gave away to a little free street library (Ed McBain's 1957 standalone, Vanishing Girls). 2 books at 4.5 stars for impact and accomplishment in depicting life; 1 at 2.5 stars; 1 not sure how to rate. 2 contemporary, 2 mid-century noir.Getting back into the library system didn't help to focus me in the end. Not very impressive but there it is.

A captivating read, Family secrets, shame, family bonds, lost love, relatable characters. This book swept me up into the Brennan family and left me wanting to be a member of this family. A highly enjoyable read.⭐⭐⭐⭐ #wearethebrennans #traceylange #goodreads #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram #amazonkindle

Book 42

I listened to We Are the Brennans, a family drama, mystery. I didn't want to stop reading and finished it quickly. I'll look into more by the author. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I absolutely loved this! It had everything that appeals to me in a family drama, a full cast of likeable (but imperfect) characters, complicated family dynamics, and secrets long held. I inhaled it with a quickness. Actually kinda bummed that it wasn't on my radar when it was a #BOTM pick 🍀

A great family drama! The Brennans are a tight-knit Irish-American family whose members are all keeping secrets. When faced with the sister‘s return after 5 years away, and possible loss of the family business and complete financial ruin, those secrets come to light. They all must face the past in order to move forward, learning that family always comes first.

#bookspinbingo
#pop22 - a book about a secret

Happy March 1st! These are 3 of my most anticipated reads for this month. They‘re also from my #botmbacklog, so that‘s a plus too!
☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️

#mugsoflitsy

2-20-22: My 16th finished book of 2022! When Sunday Brennan was up in an LA hospital after a drunk driving accident, she decided it‘s time to go home to NY. 5 years earlier she deserted her family and high school sweetheart after experiencing a traumatic event that no one knew about. Now, she is trying to mend her relationships and start over amid many family secrets. This was a good family drama with many points of view. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣1️⃣6️⃣

An Irish family must face their past when their wayward daughter comes back home. Told from multiple perspectives (sometimes too many), We Are the Brennans brings the theme of family front and center. The Brennans are in no way perfect, and may even be worse off at the end of the story, but there is something that continues to draw them together even after they‘ve been ripped apart by trauma. Is it something altruistic or is it in their blood?

Fairly fast paced family drama. 👍

This is a story about a tight knit Irish family.Knowing some Irish families myself,it seemed pretty spot on.3 brothers, one sister, and one close friend.I can visualize the scenes around the kitchen table, having seen this myself.This is the part of this story that I loved.I didn‘t necessarily find the plot to be all that interesting.There were a lot of hidden family secrets,but many families have these. On a plus side, the book cover is gorgeous.

4½⭐
If you like great writing and family drama…especially of the Irish variety then this book might be a good pick for you. This is a story filled with the aftermath of ill-advised decisions. The highs, the lows, the secrets, and everything in-between. Overall, the story wasn‘t necessarily what carried this book, it was the writing. It was so easy to find myself immersed in this family‘s drama. Not to say that the story wasn‘t good because it was.

First book of 2022 and was beautiful. The style of writing from the point of view of every member was entertaining and transitioned seamlessly. 10/10 recommend for everyone. The plot revolves around Family secrets

1st read of 2022! Oh how I loved this book! It was a clever style choice to have a quote said at the end of a chapter 2 be the starting point 4 the following chapter & then be from that character‘s perspective. I really enjoyed the pacing & the character development. It‘d make a great mini series. I liked how the ending made u wonder more & what was going to happen to the characters. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author!

At first I wasn‘t sure I‘d like this but I‘m so glad I stuck with it. Called the thing at the end, but that didn‘t detract from the story. Third book finished for #20in4

I love books in which the main theme is family secrets! I had wanted to read this book since I first heard about it before it was published. I received in as my BOTM in July and thankfully finally read it! I loved it! I finished it in one day! It had me sucked in from page one! 🌟🌟🌟🌟!

I finally got around to this BOTM pick and really liked it. I loved how this family was written.

I wish we would have gotten a bit more of Sunday and Kale‘s relationship but truly the way this was written was great even without that.

Definitely a fan!

#bookspinbingo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A crazy Irish American family that discover each other's secrets have a way of coming to light.

Family first, even if it‘s hiding the hurt and burying the same for someone else‘s sake. That‘s what it meant to the Brennan‘s, especially one Sunday Brennan. I like this tale of a mostly normal family and how they handled life‘s curveballs. There were a few twists I thought I solved but didn‘t, lol. The last one I saw coming and it was fitting of the book. Book #57 in 2021

Family didn‘t mean hiding the hard stuff from each other, it meant facing it together. And it meant forgiving each other ☘️💚

I was raised (a long time ago) in an Irish-Catholic community, and six siblings tipped us to the larger end of a mid-sized family - eight siblings were needed to be a large family. Soooo, I‘m drawn to stories where siblings gather as adults to establish who they are despite a birth order pre-defining their destiny. This book was right up my alley.

I guess after all of the hype that this book received, I was expecting more. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. While the characters are likeable, I just wish I had seen them experience more growth. While it is an adequate book "The Brennans" does not have the staying power to resonate with me in the years to come.

What a great book for lazy summer evening reading. I like a good family drama with secrets that keep spilling out and this fit that bill. Combined with good writing, I‘ll be watching for more from Tracey Lange.

Finally a book that was so good I didn't want to put down. I loved the family dynamic in this story. It's a story about Sunday who gets in an car accident and her emergency contact is her brother who she has not seen in 5 years. Sunday comes back home and the family tries to figure out what made her leave her family all those years ago. A+

Kind of reminded me of a tamer version of the Gallagher clan from Shameless. A great family drama filled with misunderstandings, secrets, & complicated relationships. I found myself rooting for Sunday & Kale even though Kale was married. I thought the multiple viewpoints really worked for this book. Another really good #BOTM selection.⭐⭐⭐⭐

We Are the Brennans is an enjoyable novel that is so effective at showing the power of secrets as well as the power of strong family bonds. The story is presented through the eyes of multiple characters, giving the reader a complete feel for the personalities and motivations of the family members. There are also the occasional flashbacks that are perfectly placed, providing background information at just the right times.

I‘m a sucker for literary family dramas. This one isn‘t long enough to be considered “epic” status, but I thought it was just long enough to work well. Sunday Brennan returns from LA to her big, close-knit Irish family in NY. Some drama, some trauma, some past and present overlapping in the book, some switching perspectives — all this made for an enjoyable #audiobook while I painted today. Recommended. Also reminded me of J. Courtney Sullivan‘s ⬇️

A large, multi-generational Irish family opens the second location of their pub in this light contemporary fiction novel. It didn‘t bring about the strong emotions I felt when reading Ask Again Yes (tagged ⬇️), which I‘d recommend over this as far as an Irish family drama. A mild pick. The #audiobook narration is good.

Snuck out of bed really early this morning to drink hot coffee (before the baby wakes) and finish this novel. A family drama examining the effect of long-buried secrets. Even when we run from our past, it has a way of catching up to us, until we can't escape it. Told from multiple perspectives of the Brennan family, each struggling to confront their mistakes and shame. A fast-paced literary drama, looking forward to more by this author ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I finished the entire book yesterday and it is beautiful. It's one of those novels you finish, sit there and think, wow I just read a piece of magic.

for my full thoughts see: https://heartandsoulbooks.blogspot.com/2021/08/when-you-find-masterpiece.html

When I first saw this book I was a little hesitant to pick it, because recently I've been having difficulty getting into Contemporary books. However, by the time I got to the halfway point I couldn't put it down. The family drama and secrets sprinkled throughout the story drove the book for me. Also, the different character perspectives and the heart of the family shining through made it a fun reading experience. Excited for more books from Lange.

I want to be clear that this book was perfectly *fine.* A quick read, likeable if predictable characters, an interesting way of switching between perspectives But it‘s being compared to novels like Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, and this is not that. Not even close. So just a so-so from me.

Sunday Brennan picked up and left New York for California five years ago but when a drunk driving accident lands her in the hospital, she faces the music and heads home to spend time with her family.

Everyone has questions but the reader quickly learns Sunday is not the only one with secrets.

Multiple characters and POV‘s but the author writes in a way that welcomes you into the Brennan family and makes you feel like you‘ve known them all along.