User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars.
A novel full of family dysfunction and drama? Sign me up, please!
Bill Sweeney was one of the most formative writers of his time; decades after his books were written they continue to be taught in schools, discussed, and revered. Fifteen years ago his poet wife, Maeve, died, leaving him to raise their three daughters in their small seaside town of Southport, Connecticut. Bill did the best he could, although the sisters took care of themselves and became even more inseparable.
One morning, the sisters get the call from their long-time housekeeper that Bill has died. It’s a shock, as they felt somehow he might live forever, but the three—Liza, Maggie, and Tricia—return to their childhood home to make sense of it all.
It turns out that Bill was hiding a few shocking secrets from the girls, which knock them for a loop. As they try to ready the house for sale, they’re desperately searching for Bill’s missing memoir, and in light of their discoveries, wonder what everything will mean for his literary legacy and their lives. How will it affect their own memories of their father, too?
On top of dealing with their father’s death, each woman has their own challenges to deal with. It’s an emotional time, fraught with roadblocks and crises which test their relationships and force them to reexamine their pasts and their futures.
I love a book full of good family drama, and
The Sweeney Sisters certainly doesn’t disappoint. Lian Dolan did a great job with her story, and I couldn’t get enough of these characters. Sure, it’s predictable in places, but I love the fact that Dolan didn’t veer too far into melodrama, because there definitely were places the plot could have gone into that territory, and that might have derailed the story.
How well do we know those we love? How much can we depend on family in our time of need? How do others see us? Should late-in-life discoveries change how we've viewed a person for our entire life? These were fascinating questions this book tries to answer, and does so well.
I received an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks to William Morrow Books, Lian Dolan, and Wunderkind PR for making it available!
The book publishes 4/28.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
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Rating: really liked it
The Sweeney Sisters is just the kind of read I needed right now! It’s about three sisters who grow up in a quaint seaside town in Connecticut. When their mother died from cancer, the sisters sadly grew apart. Their father is the second love of their life, second only to their mom, and he passes away unexpectedly causing his daughters to return home and to each other.
When the family gathers for the funeral, a woman appears claiming to be another Sweeney sister thanks to a DNA test. How did THAT happen and what secrets was their beloved father keeping?
The Sweeney Sisters is full of heart. It was paced well and the perfect escape. A story of secrets and sisters, who doesn’t love one of those? I loved the setting and the ending was really satisfying. I highly recommend it for your summer reading!
I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Rating: really liked it
Enjoyable story - quick moving, fun escape. DNA test reveals family secrets that shake up a close knit family.
DNA testing and the often surprising results it reveals has become an increasingly popular topic of discussion. There used to be a more negative connotation with the ever popular Maury Povich asking women who slept with multiple men while their boyfriends were in jail, “Who’s the Father?” Today though, it seems like everyone has an interest in their family tree, where they come from and who their long lost ancestors are. Dani Shapiro’s memoir, Inheritance, brought to light the power of the ancestral knowledge and the life-changing impact it might have. In The Sweeney Sisters, author Lian Dolan incorporates genetic testing in her storytelling, just as a casual thing people do out of curiosity. It is a story that represents current times, and I found it very enjoyable.
The Sweeney Sisters, a lighthearted humorous story of sisterhood, is about Maggie, Liza and Tricia, a close knit threesome, redheaded sisters who although are very different, have learned to navigate their relationships and enjoy each other as adults. They return to their family home in Southport, Connecticut to settle matters after their beloved, famous father, Bill Sweeney passes away. Their father’s lawyer reveals to them some surprising news: he has another they don’t know about, and he has written a possibly revealing memoir.
Meanwhile, in Washington DC, genetic testing led journalist and only child, Serena Tucker, to discover the identity of her biological father, and it was not a simple matter. Her mother’s secret affair years ago with the Connecticut next door neighbor, literary genius and college professor, Bill Sweeney, led to the birth of a baby girl. Growing up on the same street as the Sweeney sisters, seeing their bond and now realizing she is one of them is important information in understanding who she really is, and Serena chooses to make the effort to connect with her sisters and learn more about what kind of man her father had been.
Maggie, Liza and Tricia come together at their family home to mourn the father they thought they knew, but with the news of Serena and the discovery of the memoir, they are forced to tackle the truth of their past and appreciate the true meaning of family. Bringing together three young women and their “new” older sibling doesn’t come without messiness and ups and downs. Emotions, old boyfriends and memories amidst this heartfelt reunion of sisters creates author Lian Dolan’s wonderful story of family.
In The Sweeney Sisters, the family home is located in Southport, CT and I couldn’t help but love all the accurate local references, from Garelick & Herbs to Fortuna’s to the Pequot Library. The loss of a literary legend, a secret sibling and a hidden memoir contribute to this meaningful story of family and sisterhood. I enjoyed the lighthearted humor and recommend this book for a day at the beach or a day in quarantine! Book will be published April 28th, 2020.
Q & A with Lian Dolan
Q: DNA testing has become a popular thing to do and the results can bring big joys and deep sorrows, depending on where it leads. What made you decide to incorporate this into your story? TO SEE MORE GO TO https://wordpress.com/post/booknation...
Rating: really liked it
A warmhearted novel about a literary genius, family secrets and a trail of broken hearts, set in a ‘small town with long tentacles.’ This is women’s fiction with realistic female characters that tackles some weighty questions about family and legacy.
The Sweeney sisters may have seemed perfect growing up, but their lives have not turned out that way. Liza married the next best thing who turns out to be the next worst; Maggie, the middle wild child, the impulsive artist is penniless; and Tricia, the youngest, attorney, Type A personality, mistrusts everyone. Into this triumvirate enters Serena, the next door neighbor’s daughter, an accomplished journalist in her own right, with a DNA test that proves the famous author dipped his quill in more than just the ink pot.
I enjoyed the pace, humor and writing…
‘Amongst a certain stratum in Connecticut, the six degrees of separation was reduced to two: you and the nearest person in boat shoes’…but most of all I appreciated how believable the characters and their relationships were drawn. Enjoyable and insightful.
Rating: really liked it
3.75 DNA Test stars
With a plotline almost ripped from the headlines – a new sibling is in the mix for the Sweeney Sisters. They are mourning their famous author father when they find out that he fathered another daughter. The new sister got the results when she did a DNA screening test. The original three sisters – Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia – are redheads who have a close bond and they aren’t quite sure how this new half-sister will fit in.
The book spends quite a bit of time on the legacy of their father as they plan his wake, clean out the house, and search for the memoir he wrote just before death. We learn more about each sister and they each grow and change in the course of the book. There are some great family moments (and plenty of drama) and it mostly makes me yearn for a bigger family!
It was an interesting glimpse into the life of a family with a famous writer and the publishing world. There were some really fun parties described too! As the sisters work their way through the estate and intellectual property, they come to terms with their new half-sister. I liked the setting in Southport, Connecticut with sailing, club dinners, and the glamour of New York and Yale nearby.
This one is a family saga that you can read and savor and perhaps escape to a world different than your own. I would definitely read other books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lian Dolan, and Harper Collins/Morrow for an early copy of this one to read in return for an honest review. This one is out next week -- 4.28.2020.
Rating: really liked it
This book was a fine distraction for a few hours and had some fun moments but mainly it just sort of dragged along without any real climax and oozed too many first world problems for my liking.
Between the 3 (then 4) sisters, the only one that I had any appreciation for was Tricia. She was the one with the most relatable backstory. The other 3 sisters all grated at my nerves, which probably made me less invested in their outcomes overall. The author had a tendency to be very materialistic in her description of people instead of delving beneath the surfaces to make more of an emotional connection between the reader and the characters. I knew way more about what their fashion sense was than their true feeling about what they were experiencing. It also just seemed like, at the end of the day, the fact their father died only spurred on questions relating to the finances of the characters and didn't really carry the weight of influencing their other, more mindful choices in life.
Overall, the book was just fine. For being a book of unlikable characters, it at least made me want to find out how everything resolves in the end but even when the ending came around I was just sort of like, oh that makes sense. I realized that how I felt at the beginning about each of these characters ended up being how I felt at the end and that wasn't necessarily a great thing when I didn't enjoy their personalities to begin with.
If you are looking for a quick and relatively unique story, I would suggest MAYBE picking this one up. If you have any issues with having first world problems brought up at almost every page turn, maybe let this one stay on the shelf.
Rating: really liked it
First off, I won this as a goodreads giveaway. Thank you William Morrow and Harper Collins.
I was very impressed by this book. It is about family ties. This ties are often out in the open and ones that are hidden.
This story is so full of secrets it will make your head spin.
If you can try and finish this magnificent family story in one sitting.
Rating: really liked it
I’ll be honest: this was only on my radar because of a Goodreads giveaway. One that I didn’t even win, might I add. It probably would have sat on my “want to read” shelf forever if it weren’t for the fact that my local library added the audiobook recently. The premise is interesting enough: basically, after their genius author father dies unexpectedly, three sisters soon learn that daddy dearest fathered a child out of wedlock.
I love a good family saga. I love books about sisters. But this one just did not hit the spot. It was often quite boring. The characters were so one dimensional. It’s like the author thinks that the way to write a well fleshed our character is to: 1. Vaguely explain physical attributes, 2. Vaguely explain character’s job, and 3. Give character a defining personality trait as well as a traumatic experience, but don’t go too into detail and make sure you bring up said traumatic experience 216 times.
I almost gave up on this book at three separate points but because it’s not too long I stuck with it. I don’t regret it because the ending was decent but I wouldn’t recommend this one.
Rating: really liked it
The Sweeney Sisters: A Novel
Sisters! Sisters! There were never such devoted sisters. . . .(are you humming it?)
This book begins with three devoted, yet mourning, sisters. Their parents loom large throughout the tale but happen to be dead (mostly), famous, rich, and the pages are possessed of so many clues you couldn’t be blamed if you thought this was a mystery – well, ok. I think it is. And a little ways through, tag it a romance, and part way through I began to sense someone somewhere in the writing crew has interior design credentials, with possible realtor experience. There are handsome men, all mostly rich – everyone is rich – and golfs, tennises, and yachts. One man isn't rich but knows how to grill - that means he has one. I was raised up a poor kid, so about there in the book I was fading – these folks are too many social classes above me!
But then. . . .I started seeing the differences between these girls, and they were not the same. Ha! That happens in my family. So, some relevancy cred regained. Then a little bit of friction, each have some kind of person issue that holds them hostage – another relevancy cred applied. And then well STUFF HAPPENS. . .I will leave you to find out on your own. From there in, I held tight to that kindle, stabbing the right side as fast as my big brown eyes could do that L-T-R zip across the screen. It was A Blast (capital B), every T crossed and all the I’s dotted. A very fun, smart and engaging read. After it was done, I missed the mix-and-mingle of the characters done so well by this author. I missed them.
4 stars. . . There was one person of color and hurrah for that yumminess, but a family that caucasian could stretch its wings a little. . .
From now on, I am looking for more of the Dolan flair.
Got it.!! ?did you? ;)
A sincere thanks to Lian Dolan, HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
I received a complimentary copy of this E-book ARC from the author, publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
When Famous author William Sweeney passes away, the three Sweeney sisters gather back home to Willow Lane to settle his affairs. What will happen when they gain a new sister in the process? Read on and find out more for yourself.
This was a pretty good read. I enjoyed this women's fiction book about sisters, family, and forgiveness. I also thought it was cool that these characters got to befriend some real life celebrities while reading this book too like Willem Dafoe and more. If you like stories like this, be sure to check this book out when it officially hits bookstores and wherever books are sold online on April 28, 2020.
Rating: really liked it
The three redheaded Sweeney sisters-Liza, Maggie, and Tricia-were devastated when their father died. William Sweeney was a complicated man, a well-known author, and a Yale professor. They held a big Irish wake to honor his memory. The next day they met with his lawyer, and the three women were shocked to learn that there was a fourth Sweeney sister who grew up in their neighborhood. On top of that, they cannot find their father's manuscript for his last book and he already spent the advance.
Family secrets, sibling rivalry, and sisterly love are themes in this story. The women are dealing with this new sibling relationship in a small coastal Connecticut town where news travels fast. There have been both pressures and perks associated with being the daughters of a difficult, but brilliant, literary icon with a taste for whiskey. "The Sweeney Sisters" is an entertaining book full of family drama. 3.5 stars.
Rating: really liked it
I listened to this one and it was good but I could have taken it or left it. I didn't really connect with any of the characters. The Sweeney Sisters have just lost their father and discovered they have another half sister. The father seems like a crazy, out for himself, not that decent of a guy. They learn a lot about him from a memoir they knew nothing about and in turn find some new direction for their own lives.
Rating: really liked it
First, I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, so a thank you to William Morrow for the opportunity. My review is voluntary and my own opinion.
I am giving the book a 3 because the author is a good story-teller. The story is well thought out and has a few surprises to keep the reader engaged. There is descriptions to set the story and well-defined backbackgrounds to help you understand from where the story emerges. Sadly, this is part of the problem.
The author spent so much time telling us where the characters came from that little time was spent on flushing out who they actually are. Of the almost 300 page book, I only found 2 characters to be fully developed and remotely likeable (and they were supporting roles). The book follows the story of 3 stereotypical women of privilege (focused on success, appearances, name-dropping, themselves) who basically discover some awful truths regarding their father (who they already knew to be awful). They are shallow and flat, and the "growth" during the story was abrupt and eye-roll inducing at times.. There appears to be little love between them - only an odd sense of often wavering loyalty? I am sad to say I did not connect with anyone on any level. I really wanted to enjoy the story, but everyone was so unlikeable it clouded any interesting elements (of which there were few, as most of the story unraveled predictably). Maybe a fun beach read, but is a story I will likely forget about in a few days.
Rating: really liked it
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Sweeney Sisters
By: Lian Dolan
REVIEW ☆☆☆☆
Maggie, Eliza and Tricia are the Sweeney sisters. The death of their mother fifteen years ago caused a drifting apart, but the death of their father pulls them back together. Their father was a well known writer, so the sisters know a proper Irish wake is the thing to do in honor of him. You know how these things go-drama, old grudges, disputes and liquor-is a recipe for disaster. Through the course of events, a new sister, Serena, emerges. Now, the four women are left to untangle their father's life and deal with any fallout that might happen because he was well known and respected. This discovery will change perceptions of him but in what ways? How does Serena feel about being the fourth wheel? The lives of Maggie, Eliza and Tricia are forever altered, and they must decide how to proceed. This story is heartbreaking and humorous with many ups and downs for all of the characters. I honestly don't know how I would react. Change is inevitable, but it's also unwanted. I sympathize with each of these women and understand their differences of opinion. This story is about the unknowns, the surprises and the gifts life throws in your path. How you react is everything. I enjoyed reading The Sweeney Sisters, and with all of its charm, tension, wit and hope, I do recommend trying this book out for yourself.
Rating: really liked it
Imaginative storyteller, Lian Dolan, thrills with her latest and most intriguing novel yet. The Sweeney Sisters is a heartfelt, fun story of sisters going through ups and downs of life in every way one can imagine. Each sister has an interesting, well developed background and personality. The tale is woven expertly to keep the reader wanting more and loving each of the characters for her individual traits. The Sweeney Sisters and the cast of characters draw the reader in to the story, keeps the reader wanting to know more, and the end is more than satisfying. This is a must read. Put it on your list.
