stephmcoakley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Stalking, Death, Pregnancy, Cancer, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Car accident, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
wellreadmegs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
bringmybooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
B̷R̷I̷N̷G̷ ✨ 𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪 ✨ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this; I had gotten We Are The Brennans from BOTM (Book of the Month) a while ago, and honestly other than the family having connections to (and/or living in) Ireland, I didn't remember much about the synopsis.
It's a book about family. The family you're born into, the family you choose, and the family you sometimes have to leave. It was a somewhat weird read, because while I didn't feel myself overly emotionally attached to any of the characters of the plotlines, I couldn't put the book down?
My favorite part of the book was the multiple POV narration, and especially the way the narrators switched off. Whichever character spoke last at the end of a chapter, their quote would be repeated at the beginning of the next chapter and the POV would switch to them. It had this really neat effect of having you follow the story throughout the book in a seamless and (almost interactive?) way that I really liked.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go start planning yet another fantasy trip to Ireland because I have wanted to go since I was maybe 6 years old? And that was 30 years ago? Sigh.
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexism, Infidelity, Dementia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Rape
Minor: Pregnancy
mbedrosian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Classism, Cancer, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Abandonment, Violence, and Gun violence
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Car accident, Sexual harassment, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, Alcohol, Sexism, Gun violence, Dementia, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
carmenvillaman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Miscarriage and Sexual harassment
jaec11's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Idk what genre this book is considered... it seems to be marketed as a mystery but there isn't really a mystery until the end. I liked the family dynamic, but wish it were more significant in the circumstances
Graphic: Car accident and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Ableism
madsmcw_reads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Each of the characters are flawed and beautiful in their own way and I loved being welcomed into the Brennan family. They are fiercely loyal and full of love and a little messed up, but then again what family isn't? This was a short book coming in under 300 pages and I think that worked to the story's advantage. Family dramas tend to feel too drawn out and long for me, but this shorter length felt perfect. The ending didn't really do it for my though, I would have liked to see things wrapped up just a little bit better, or at least have an epilogue or something, I needed just a bit more detail there.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. If you like tv shows like Parenthood or This Is Us, I think it would be totally up your alley.
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
lucyjohanneman's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Miscarriage and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, and Gun violence
Minor: Death of parent and Murder