This is the kind of book that usually sucks me in— the family secrets, the betrayal, the heartbreak, the sacrifice. But reading The Connellys of County Down, I just felt kind of heartless.The book had all the right parts —good pacing, structure, characters, expo— but I just never really connected with the characters and the book felt like a chore to finish. It felt almost too dutiful to everything you're told a novel must include, particularly when it came to the exposition, which was rather forced.
The ending was another pet-peeve of mine. It was trying to be open-ended, to allow readers to imagine for themselves what would be the next step in each character's life, but it didn't offer enough ideas. For all I know, the characters could all get jobs in a coffee shop au. (Which would be cute)
In all, it was a good book but it gave me debut vibes, like the author hasn't yet managed to hone their craft yet.
The ending was another pet-peeve of mine. It was trying to be open-ended, to allow readers to imagine for themselves what would be the next step in each character's life, but it didn't offer enough ideas. For all I know, the characters could all get jobs in a coffee shop au. (Which would be cute)
In all, it was a good book but it gave me debut vibes, like the author hasn't yet managed to hone their craft yet.