A review by dennasus
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I was a bit let down by this story to be honest. I enjoyed Lange's debut "We Are the Brennans" (which locations make sort of a cameo here, which was a nice wink) and there were parts in this one that I enjoyed as well. I liked Tara and Conor and Tara and her "gamer boy" bosses and some other stuff. Geraldine's tendency to avoid difficult things felt a bit too close to home for me, which isn't necessarily  a bad thing to take away from a novel. Some of the siblings dynamic I could relate to and most of them made sense knowing their backstory. All in all I still didn't really connect with either of the characters and I couldn't bring myself to care all that much. I guess that's why the truth about the crime Tara went to prison for caught me by surprise.

My big problem with the main plot tough was that Brian's behaviour was soooo unprofessional. From the start of the story. From way before the start of the story as it turned out later. So many no-gos. I guess that's also what kept me from being invested in their relationship.  (17 August 2024)

[I've stopped rating books in May 2024]