Welcome to Litsy!

This was such a moving story for me. The love and loyalty this family has for each other is incredibly powerful. Three siblings who suffered loss in their youth forged a powerful bond that seems unbreakable even by the most traumatic of circumstances, now have to continue to save and protect each other. I really enjoyed getting to know all the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Finished reading in bed. So-so. I predicted a lot of what was going to happen, but that‘s okay for a holiday read.

Haven‘t found a bookstore yet so switching to my kindle for the next one!

🏝️

Flying to Aruba and reading this!

My friend gifted it to me, it‘s an ARC. Does anyone know of any book exchanges or little free libraries on Aruba? I just want to give it away when I‘m done 😂

1. Soccer & basketball season right now. Nothing beats watching your kids playing sports. I‘m also a huge Bears fan. 🐻🏈💙🧡

2. I can‘t recommend any…

This was a disappointment mostly because I didn‘t realize a lot of it was couched in a modern-day romantic fairytale. I‘m not a fan of them, and there was no excitement or insight around the sibling relationships for me.

Tara is getting out of state prison on a drug trafficking charge. She receives a rough welcome home from her siblings and finds a lot has changed in her absence. Meanwhile the cop who arrested her is being awfully nice to her.

I grew up in a non traditional setting during a traditional era, and I‘m certain that is what draws me to fictional family sagas. If the author throws in even a touch of Irish Catholic family dynamics, well, I‘m gonna sink down and read straight through to the end. It‘s my way of convincing myself - see mine was never inspiration for a novel of family drama, so that must mean we were a nearly normal family, right!?

This was so good! I loved how every character had their (in some cases very significant) issues, and how real the interactions between them felt. It was easy to root for each of them but also dislike each of them in turn. I ended up just a hair shy of 5 stars because some parts came together slightly too perfectly and I was just so frustrated by some stupid decisions, but this was still such a good read!

Loads of themes like resilience, family loyalty and trust, consequences of actions. Four alternating POVs with each full back story as well and unique plot perspective.
I zipped through first half then it felt a bit Hallmark movie, which isn't my cup of tea.

Overall, a good, fast summer read.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for advancing a Kindle copy in exchange for an honest review.
1 like

While this family drama may make the reader/listener slap their forehead & shake their heads at the poor decisions being made, I must admit that I couldn‘t stop listening. The book opens with Tara being released after 18months in prison. She returns to the home she shares with her older, also unmarried siblings & her nephew. The adjustment to living together again has some stumbling blocks along with resolving past conflicts that led Tara to jail.

When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won‘t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems.

-I felt like there was very little character development and I didn‘t feel as though any of the characters were believable or genuine.
+ beautiful cover

#doublespin

This is a touching novel that shows the strength of love within a family, as well as the pain that family can cause. The story is so well written and it drew me in right from the beginning, although at times the narrative seemed to drag. I really enjoyed the characters. They are so well developed, honest and relatable, and I found myself immersed and invested in their lives. This is a heart-felt novel full of love, drama, and perseverance.

Tara is fresh out of prison and trying to start her life over while living with her high strung older sister, her brother who suffers from the effects of a traumatic brain injury, and his young son. Lange has created fantastic characters and i enjoyed the dynamics between the siblings. As choices are made and secrets revealed they come with potentially huge consequences but the ending is so quick and neat that it underwhelmed. #booked2023 #new2023

You know, it's kinda funny, back in the day I would have LOVED having the option to add 5 books to my box, but ever since that actually became a thing I can never seem to find 5 that I actually want in the same month. Almost went with just 2 (not gonna lie, in part bc I saw @Cinfhen give 3⭐️ to Little Monsters, haha). But I figured what the hell. So this is my July #BOTM box 🤣

I‘m so excited to be a part of the #celadonreadstogether initiative.

Last month I read “Beyond that, the sea” by @laura_spence_ash with my buddy partner Melissa .

Starting in April, this time it‘s a group read. I will be reading “The Connellys of County Down .