Over one Thanksgiving weekend, three adult sisters return to their childhood home on Long Island, forced back into close quarters and into the unresolved grief that has shaped their family for decades. Years earlier, a tragic accident involving their brother Topher’s boat set off a chain of events that ended in loss, lawsuits, and heartbreak the Ryans never truly confronted together. Now Cait, Alice, and Maggie arrive carrying private burdens of guilt, fear, and love they’ve kept hidden from one another. As the holiday unfolds, old wounds reopen and long-suppressed truths threaten to unravel what remains of their fragile bond.
If messy, emotionally charged family dramas are your thing, this one absolutely delivers. Each sister comes to the Thanksgiving table with something heavy: Cait’s lingering guilt and complicated reconnection with someone tied to her past, Alice’s personal and professional crossroads, and Maggie’s brave decision to introduce her girlfriend to their devoutly Catholic mother. The tension builds naturally as old resentments resurface and the weight of their shared grief never fully processed and hangs over every interaction.
Told through alternating perspectives that move between past and present, the novel carefully reveals how one tragedy left lasting marks on each sister in very different ways. I was completely invested in this family’s story; the characters felt deeply real, and reading it felt like being trapped in a holiday gathering where you can sense all the secrets simmering just beneath the surface. I both read and listened to this one on audio and either format is perfect to read this story.
Emotional, tender, and full of heart, The Irish Goodbye explores the uncomfortable truths we avoid, and reminds us that grief, forgiveness, and healing are burdens best carried together. With this being O’Neill’s debut book, I can’t wait to see what else she puts out.
AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP |★★★★
The Irish Goodbye is out now. Huge thank you to Henry Holt and Co. for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
