Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 288 pages
First Published: 2023
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Rachael’s Review
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celadon Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
After serving 18 months in prison on a drug conviction, Tara Connelly tries to rebuild her life. She moves back in with her siblings – a brother who’s a single dad trying to overcome a brain injury and a sister struggling with an intense need for a sense of control. Just as Tara feels like she might find love again, the cop who arrested her begins to hassle her and the family’s secrets threaten to unravel everything she has worked for.
Once I began The Connellys of County Down I could not put it down, staying up way too late to finish it. Lange builds a rich story about complicated sibling dynamics, each sibling damaged in their own way by their dysfunctional upbringing. Yet the unconditional love between them shines strong, bringing you to tears as they struggle to balance their desires with what is best for the family. With its emotional presence and deep themes, The Connellys of County Down would make an excellent book club book selection.
Publisher’s Description
From Tracey Lange, the New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans, comes The Connellys of County Down: a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.
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. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.
While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.
The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.
About Tracey Lange
Tracey Lange owned and operated a behavioral healthcare company and is the author of We Are the Brennans and The Connellys of County Down. Born to a large Irish family in New York City, Lange currently lives in Bend, Oregon. Visit the author’s website →
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