We Are the Brennans
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- Create Date：2021-08-14 08:21:11
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Tracey Lange
- ISBN：B08HHQHSNH
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Summary
In the vein of Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again， Yes and Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's The Nest， Tracey Lange’s We Are the Brennans explores the staying power of shame―and the redemptive power of love―in an Irish Catholic family torn apart by secrets。
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。
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。
Reviews
Holly
，
Despite the fact that all these characters made bad decisions， I really liked this book。 Except for one thing。 And that one thing is a spoiler， so you've been warned。 （view spoiler）[Why in the world would Sunday up and move， leaving everyone and everything she knew behind， on the basis of what happened to her without telling anyone why for YEARS？ I was honestly expecting something worse to have happened to her， and while what did happen was traumatic， it wasn't so traumatic that it made sense th Despite the fact that all these characters made bad decisions， I really liked this book。 Except for one thing。 And that one thing is a spoiler， so you've been warned。 （view spoiler）[Why in the world would Sunday up and move， leaving everyone and everything she knew behind， on the basis of what happened to her without telling anyone why for YEARS？ I was honestly expecting something worse to have happened to her， and while what did happen was traumatic， it wasn't so traumatic that it made sense that weeks or months later she still wouldn't have talked to someone about it。 （hide spoiler）] Other than that， I liked this book almost because of all their inherent character flaws。 They felt like a real family with real problems， even if most of them were of their own making。 This reads a bit like a character study style book， with only the ending really veering into actual plot movement。 So if you dislike that kind of thing， you might not enjoy this one as much。 But it's definitely right up my alley :） 。。。more
Jan Norris
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I love a good family drama with secrets。
Scilla
，
🥃 ☘️ 🇮🇪 rolled into a family drama ♥️
Jessica
，
Superbly written。
Charde
，
My honest opinion is that the book had a very slow beginning。 It wasn't one of those books that immediately pulls you in。 For me， it started to get my attention almost towards the middle of the book when the secrets started surfacing and everything started to unravel。 Once the secrets started to surface， that's when I had a hard time putting the book down。 All in all， it was a good book but not a book that I would re-read。 My honest opinion is that the book had a very slow beginning。 It wasn't one of those books that immediately pulls you in。 For me， it started to get my attention almost towards the middle of the book when the secrets started surfacing and everything started to unravel。 Once the secrets started to surface， that's when I had a hard time putting the book down。 All in all， it was a good book but not a book that I would re-read。 。。。more
Tasha Lynn
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 *3。5 Great short family drama read with more romance than I expected when I went into it。 I rarely write about spoilers in my reviews but there is no way around it for me in this one。 The story falls the rekindling of a romance 5 years after their break up。 1 of them is now married with a child。 The author initially describes the wife as a great wife and mother but quickly to fit the plot flips the script and makes her a villain。 The Husband literally just drops his marriage in 1 conversation af *3。5 Great short family drama read with more romance than I expected when I went into it。 I rarely write about spoilers in my reviews but there is no way around it for me in this one。 The story falls the rekindling of a romance 5 years after their break up。 1 of them is now married with a child。 The author initially describes the wife as a great wife and mother but quickly to fit the plot flips the script and makes her a villain。 The Husband literally just drops his marriage in 1 conversation after his ex had only been back for 2 months。 It wasn't realistic。 As much as I loved and adored Kale and Sunday。。。。。 I struggled with the quick drop of his marriage。 Books like Bridges of Madison County are so fantastic because it was a more realistic way of handling someone in the position of Kale， in my opinion。 。。。more
Mariah Harper
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Just okay…？？ Was trying to be this larger than life family drama but just ended up being a little corny？ Some moderately well written parts and the rest of it was just okay…。🤷🏼♀️
Lori
，
“Shame and guilt are like plagues。 And we Irish wield them like weapons and wear them like medals。” Tracey Lange- We Are the BrennansFantastic debut！ As far as family dramas go this was one of the best I’ve read。 The characters were well developed and the transitions between POVs made the story flow seamlessly。 I was surprised by the abrupt end， but after thinking about it， it worked very well in keeping with the nature of the story。 I can’t not mention how much I loved the inclusion of Shane’s “Shame and guilt are like plagues。 And we Irish wield them like weapons and wear them like medals。” Tracey Lange- We Are the BrennansFantastic debut！ As far as family dramas go this was one of the best I’ve read。 The characters were well developed and the transitions between POVs made the story flow seamlessly。 I was surprised by the abrupt end， but after thinking about it， it worked very well in keeping with the nature of the story。 I can’t not mention how much I loved the inclusion of Shane’s character and how touched I was by the tenderness shown towards him。 Readers that enjoy big-hearted family dramas will fall in love with the Breannas。 I really look forward to reading more by this very talented author。 4。5 stars。 。。。more
Rosa
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Family drama。 Quick easy read
Christin Huether
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We Are the Brennans is the story of a family that is struggling under the weight of their secrets。 Sunday Brennan has a car accident while driving under the influence， resulting in her returning to the family she suddenly left five years earlier。 Her brothers are facing different struggles， her father showing signs of dementia， and her ex-fiancé is wondering what happened to make Sunday leave。 This book was told in multiple perspectives of the characters， which gives you insights into their thou We Are the Brennans is the story of a family that is struggling under the weight of their secrets。 Sunday Brennan has a car accident while driving under the influence， resulting in her returning to the family she suddenly left five years earlier。 Her brothers are facing different struggles， her father showing signs of dementia， and her ex-fiancé is wondering what happened to make Sunday leave。 This book was told in multiple perspectives of the characters， which gives you insights into their thoughts， memories， and experiences as you piece together what happened。 This story captivated me early on and held my attention。 I was really rooting for all the Brennans， even with their flaws。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book—definitely give it a try！ Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for offering me an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Amy Blake
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I loved this story。 It was a just that- a good story。 The characters and family were easily likable and the subtle love story and love triangle were just enough。
Jill Anderson
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Oh boy， for a little while I thought I was listening to my own life！ Irish family？ Check。 One daughter with three brothers？ Check。 Thankfully， that's where the similarities end。The Brennans are a close bunch， full of secrets， trauma， and challenges。 Sunday Brennan's secret is a doozy， and one which has pushed her away from the family she loves， the family she needs。I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator and the fast-moving story。Each character has their own dragon to slay， and they Oh boy， for a little while I thought I was listening to my own life！ Irish family？ Check。 One daughter with three brothers？ Check。 Thankfully， that's where the similarities end。The Brennans are a close bunch， full of secrets， trauma， and challenges。 Sunday Brennan's secret is a doozy， and one which has pushed her away from the family she loves， the family she needs。I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator and the fast-moving story。Each character has their own dragon to slay， and they can't do it without each other。It's a story of heart， family， and not giving up。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this entertaining story。 。。。more
ARLETH
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Good like really good
Lisa-Books Smiles
，
3。5 stars
Erika Bucci | erikalaceyreads
，
Review to come
Marjorie Grafton
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Good characters， family drama， wrapped up a little too perfectly
Karina
，
Simply stunning。 The character perspective transitions from one chapter to the next， poetic。 This book is a quiet 5 stars for me， in the way it weaves together it’s story so beautifully in the end。 I just loved it。
Booksandcoffeepleasemx
，
𝘜𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦， 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦！What can I say about this wonderful story， now I know what all the hype was about。I was completely immersed in this book since page one， it’s one of those stories that you simply don’t want to let go。A story about family， secrets， grief， fierce love and some mystery in the mix that you need to read。 A fantastic debut， I loved it！Thank you Celadon Books for this gifted copy。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢， 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦， 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦！What can I say about this wonderful story， now I know what all the hype was about。I was completely immersed in this book since page one， it’s one of those stories that you simply don’t want to let go。A story about family， secrets， grief， fierce love and some mystery in the mix that you need to read。 A fantastic debut， I loved it！Thank you Celadon Books for this gifted copy。𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢， 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯， 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴。https://www。instagram。com/booksandcof。。。 。。。more
Jori
，
3。5
Anne Cooper
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Excellent debut novel from author Tracey Lange。 I thoroughly enjoyed the saga of this very real， very flawed， modern day， Irish Catholic family and the secrets they held。 Lange’s characterization and plot setting are so vivid it feels as if the reader could just step into the story。 Every character is battling a secret mistake， made in their past， that ultimately affects the entire family。 Seeing them come together to love and support each other is completely heartwarming and endears t ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5Excellent debut novel from author Tracey Lange。 I thoroughly enjoyed the saga of this very real， very flawed， modern day， Irish Catholic family and the secrets they held。 Lange’s characterization and plot setting are so vivid it feels as if the reader could just step into the story。 Every character is battling a secret mistake， made in their past， that ultimately affects the entire family。 Seeing them come together to love and support each other is completely heartwarming and endears the family to the reader。 The most intriguing character for me was Jackie。 He seemed always on the periphery of the story and I’m still wondering why he didn’t figure more prominently。 Sunday’s reason for leaving behind her life in New York seemed a stretch for me。 But it spoke to the power and control their very selfish， dysfunctional mother had over her husband and children。 Even though she has passed on and is not alive in the book， we see that the actions and behavior of one woman， Maura Brennan， a wife and mother， set the wheels in motion for the lives of her children。 The book left me cheering for the people her actions could have destroyed。 And the ending was everything I’d hoped for！ ☘️ 。。。more
Lori
，
I listened to the audiobook version， and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 I got drawn into the family drama and was intrigued by the story。 It kept my interest and I flew through it。 Makes a good summer read。
Jenna
，
I finished this book in two days as I could not put it down。 I found the characters so engaging and really enjoyed how they all developed through the book。 The relationships and dynamics between them were real and flawed， as we all are。 I liked that it didn’t seem to drone on- the characters didn’t drone on or wallow in self pity。 The plot felt perfectly paced and evolved naturally to a solid， if not perfectly wrapped up conclusion。 Highly recommend👍🏻👍🏻
Beth
，
This was a very entertaining listen for me。 I did get the book from book of the month last month but hadn’t gotten to it yet but this morning I found it available in Libby so I listed during my walk。 It kept me engaged and I always know a book will be a high rating for me when it makes my exercise time go by fast。 Very benign drama and a bit of angst but not too much， just a touch of mystery and lots of family members who were developed nicely。 I always like the developmentally challenged charac This was a very entertaining listen for me。 I did get the book from book of the month last month but hadn’t gotten to it yet but this morning I found it available in Libby so I listed during my walk。 It kept me engaged and I always know a book will be a high rating for me when it makes my exercise time go by fast。 Very benign drama and a bit of angst but not too much， just a touch of mystery and lots of family members who were developed nicely。 I always like the developmentally challenged characters and Shane was a good addition to this story。 Really worth the read or listen， the narrator， Barrie kreinik did a good job with voices。 。。。more
Michelle
，
This book is a 4。75 which I am rounding up to a 5。 I will say that I guessed most of the twists in this story but I feel that was a good thing for this book。 This is more of a family drama so the author outlined each character and their personalities so well that I was able to predict decisions they would make， both past and in the present。 I really loved how each character was flawed and was portrayed with their flaws unflinchingly。 This is a book that will stay with me which is why I am rating This book is a 4。75 which I am rounding up to a 5。 I will say that I guessed most of the twists in this story but I feel that was a good thing for this book。 This is more of a family drama so the author outlined each character and their personalities so well that I was able to predict decisions they would make， both past and in the present。 I really loved how each character was flawed and was portrayed with their flaws unflinchingly。 This is a book that will stay with me which is why I am rating it a 5。 I am taking away 0。25 star as there was one thing I wanted to see happen in the end that I doubt will。 Otherwise， I found both the storyline and the ending very satisfactory。 I recommend this for readers who like character driven books， books about family secrets， and those who like books set in a small town。 If you like the Tv show， “Mare of Easttown，” I suspect you will like this book。 。。。more
Jackie
，
So much family drama and I'm here for it， but it did start to bother me the amount of stuff this family seems to be able to get away with。 Do I love them or do I hate them， I'm not even sure I know by the end of the book and I think the author does a great job of playing on how complicated people really are， no one is all good or all bad。 So much family drama and I'm here for it， but it did start to bother me the amount of stuff this family seems to be able to get away with。 Do I love them or do I hate them， I'm not even sure I know by the end of the book and I think the author does a great job of playing on how complicated people really are， no one is all good or all bad。 。。。more
Alexandra
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If， like me， you are big fans of The Brothers McMullen and The Fitzgerald Family Christmas （both written by and starring Edward Burns）， you will love this contemporary Irish family drama。
Elise a。k。a。 PAPERNERD
，
This is a book about family。。。and the dramas， that come with it。I have to say， that this was a little out of my usual taste， but the story wasn't too bad。I am not into romance， but there is plenty of romance in this。It is more a story of missed opportunities and family secrets， than anything else。。。If you like the TV show "This is us"， somehow I have the feeling， you will eat up this book。。。with your eyes。。。have fun ！ This is a book about family。。。and the dramas， that come with it。I have to say， that this was a little out of my usual taste， but the story wasn't too bad。I am not into romance， but there is plenty of romance in this。It is more a story of missed opportunities and family secrets， than anything else。。。If you like the TV show "This is us"， somehow I have the feeling， you will eat up this book。。。with your eyes。。。have fun ！ 。。。more
Kristin
，
WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK ！！！ I am sooo obsessed with this book and this family。。。 definitely a new favorite ！！ When Sunday wakes up in the hospital in LA after a drunk driving accident that she caused she knows its time for a change。 When she calls her big brother Denny to come and get her， he is shocked because Sunday left the family in New York and hasn't been back in 5 years。 He convinces her to come home， so she can heal and help out with the family business。 However， when she left 5 years ago， WHAT AN AMAZING BOOK ！！！ I am sooo obsessed with this book and this family。。。 definitely a new favorite ！！ When Sunday wakes up in the hospital in LA after a drunk driving accident that she caused she knows its time for a change。 When she calls her big brother Denny to come and get her， he is shocked because Sunday left the family in New York and hasn't been back in 5 years。 He convinces her to come home， so she can heal and help out with the family business。 However， when she left 5 years ago， she gave no one an explanation， including her high school sweetheart， Kale。 Now she not only has to face her family and Kale， but also the past she was running away from。 This book was phenomenal！！ I loved everything about it。 Sunday was an amazing character。 She has always been the protected and care taker of the family， and when something horrible happened to her， she took the blame and removed herself to save the people she loved from hurting。 I loved the relationship Sunday had with her family。 Even after all that time she was away， they still were so open and caring towards her。 Of course there was some drama， and alot of questions needed to be answered， but they were all so close and it was really amazing to read about。 This book really captured what a real family is like- their roles in the family， different personalities， interesest， problems， responsibilities， fears。。。 all the things。 I could read about this family forever honestly。 This story was told from many POV's- Sunday， Denny， Jackie， Mickey， Kale。。。 it was so great to hear how each situation was different for everyone and how they call handled it。 I was lucky enough to get my hands on the audiobook and it was excellent。 I loved listening to the story- it added so much depth and feeling。 Although， there is a lot of sadness and heartbreak in this story， the love and strength of family really overpowered all the problems and came out on top。 I absolutely loved it sooo much ！！ I can't wait to read more from Tracey Lange！！ Thank you so much to Tracey Lange， Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Betsy
，
A fast-paced， well-written， family drama。 I really liked it。 This one has the two most important things for me in a book: I cared about the characters （even though I didn't always like all of them） and they showed growth。 I was rooting for them， and it paid off。 So satisfying to me。Lots of points of view， which I like， but if you don't enjoy that skip this one。 And I think it would be confusing on audio。 A fast-paced， well-written， family drama。 I really liked it。 This one has the two most important things for me in a book: I cared about the characters （even though I didn't always like all of them） and they showed growth。 I was rooting for them， and it paid off。 So satisfying to me。Lots of points of view， which I like， but if you don't enjoy that skip this one。 And I think it would be confusing on audio。 。。。more
Meli
，
Audio book - honestly this was really boring
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Are the Brennans
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Are the Brennans&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Are the Brennans&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0