The Connelleys of County Down by Tracey Lange – 288 pages
ARC from Celedon and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
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.
My Review: 4 stars
The Connelleys of County Down by Tracey Lange was a warm and heartfelt family drama. It explores themes of loyalty, family bonds, second chances and moving forward.
This is Lange’s second novel and I believe this one was just as enjoyable as her first, We are the Brennans. It features an Irish family living in New York and deals with the strength or lack thereof between siblings. Tara has just been released from jail, her brother is a brain-damaged single parent to a young son and the eldest sister is harboring a huge secret. They live together to save on expenses and like all siblings, there is a lot of drama.
There’s a lot of growth in the characters after Tara returns from jail. The small truths that are exposed and the complications that are overcome allows for a compelling storyline. I do miss this group of siblings and wish them well.
This book is for fans of good family dramas, with richly layered characters. It was a short read that also moves quickly.
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