We Are the Brennans: A Novel

Tracey Lange

Aug 2021 · Sold by Celadon Books

About this ebook

**INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**

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.

Ratings and reviews

When Sunday Brennan wakes up in the hospital after a drunk driving accident, she decides to go home to her family in New York. However, five years ago, she abandoned them and her long-time boyfriend/fiancé with no explanation. She knows that this reunion isn't going to be easy. Sunday is determined to get her life back on track on the east coast, even if it means dealing with an angry ex-fiancé and resentful brothers. However, she starts to realize that they might just need her as much as she needs them. An old character from their past comes back into their life and almost takes the Brennan family's pub to the brink of financial ruin. To save the pub Sunday realizes that she must dig up old secrets. Secrets that cause the Brennan family to confront their mistakes and attempt to find a way forward together. The alternating view points really added to the suspense and kept the reader interested. I enjoyed that this one was a thriller but also had the heartfelt tones of what it's like to stick together as a family.

This is a good story about flawed people torn apart by secrets but working hard to become a family again and that family is stronger than individuals standing alone. Nobody on this earth is perfect and it is nice to read about this sometimes to remind us that we too can live and be stronger when we have others to lean on. The Brennans are extra cool because they are also Irish though they are living in New York and have a cool pub and are working to open another one. But secrets are getting in the way and the secret that drove Sunday away must now come out in order to save the rest of the family. It is well said by Sunday that when you deal with one Brennan you will have to deal with all six of them. This book drew me in and it was a easy read and I enjoyed it, getting a glimpse into the lives of the Brennans. It also made me want to learn more about them, especially what will happen after then end. That, to me is the mark of a good book, if I want to know more even after a satisfying end.

Sunday is the only daughter in a big, close knit, Irish American family living near NYC. Five years ago, she suddenly and mysteriously ran off to LA, abandoning her fiancé and family. She is forced to return home, after a DUI leading to an accident, in which she is badly injured. She must confront the secrets and consequences that she was hoping to avoid by running away years ago. She is not the only member of the family with something to hide, whether it is a long buried secret or a current deception. The story flows smoothly from chapter to chapter through multiple points of view, so that the reader experiences the unfolding of events through each character's eyes. These perspectives help build the tension and allow the reader to connect and empathize with the characters. The storylines were intense and emotional with unexpected twists and turns, creating a real page-turner. It is hard to believe this well-crafted family drama is written by a debut author. @CeladonBooks #partner #CeladonReads #WeAreTheBrennans #BookishFirst

About the author

Born in the Bronx and raised in Manhattan, Tracey Lange comes from a large Irish family with a few secrets of its own. She headed west and graduated from the University of New Mexico before owning and operating a behavioral healthcare company with her husband for fifteen years. While writing her debut novel, We Are the Brennans, she completed the Stanford University online novel writing program. Tracey currently lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, two sons and their German Shepherd.