The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.

While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.

The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published August 1, 2023

 by Celadon Books

4/5 stars

This was my July Book of the Month pick.

Tara Connlley has been released from prison after serving 18 months on a drug charge and is ready to begin her life anew. Problem is no one wants to hire someone with a prison record especially when it's a drug charge. Forced to move in with her siblings creates a whole new set of issues.

The Connelly's of County Down is a story that is ultimately about family, about secrets, and the effect those secrets have on others. This was nice fast paced read, it was a moving story that told of family loyalty and the pitfalls of hiding the truth from those you love. As you can read from the blurb above there is a lot going on within the 288 pages.  It is well written with some twists and turns, some suspense, and even a touch of romance,  

I’m glad I picked this book. I will definitely look out for more by this author.

This book was part of my 2023 reading off my shelf challenge.