Wow, I was not expecting to absolutely love this story. I’m iffy on family dramas especially when it’s due to just not talking to each other, but the way We Are the Brennans was written was amazing.

Something happened five years ago that made Sunday Brennans leave for California. She left behind her four brothers, parents, and her fiance. She’s spent the last five years thinking she was running towards something, when really she’s been running from that night. When she ends up with a DWI after crashing her car, the oldest Brennans, Denny, convinces her it’s time to come home. What happens next will force Sunday to face that night from five years ago, but will also force all the Brennans to come to terms with the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other.

The story is told through through character transitions and we do hear from all of the main characters. While this can sometimes causes confusion, the transition between is so fluid that I had zero trouble keeping characters straight. Each chapter ends with a conversation, and though the chapter ends, the conversation is picked up in the next chapter by a different character. So you get multiple POVs in the same conversation. It was actually a really nice way to read this story because you not only end up getting multiple perspectives on the same events but also make the story so seamless.

Some family sagas, where people keep secrets just get ridiculous. I end up rolling my eyes a lot but this is not the case at all for this book. Lange does a fabulous job of keeping her characters realistic and down to earth. They each have wonderfully written, distinct, and complex personalities. Their love for each other truly shines through the pages of this book and the secrets they kept were always done to protect each other. I honestly just loved the family dynamics in these pages.

This is such an engaging debut and I just loved this story. I have zero complaints other than I wish it could have gone on forever. I cannot wait to see what else Tracey Lange writes up.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★★★

We Are the Brennens is out August 3, 2021.  Huge thank you to Celadon Books for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.