The Irish Goodbye: A Read with Jenna Pick

A thoughtful and compelling book about family dynamics . The things we try to bury that have a way of resurfacing. I couldn't put it down.

Just a good read on family dynamics around a holiday. Everyone is able to relate to family drama.

A great book, I can relate coming from a large family and losing a brother at a young age. Excellent writer

Excellent book, well written , keeps pulling you into the story of this family?

This is a sweet telling of the Ryan family's struggles and triumphs. The focus on honesty and openness should remind us all that family secrets rarely add anything positive to the family's history and closeness. Easy to read and hard to put down. Here, The Irish Goodbye is a lesson for not slipping out on the truth.

I was surprised at how fast this book grabbed me and made it hard to put it down. It was an interesting comment on families and how we can often not really know the people we spent so much of our lives with

Enjoyable probing depiction of family dynamics and reactions to a tragedy that reverberated for decades through the large Irish Catholic family.

This story was spot on about a big family! Loved all the chaos & drama & secrets! Its5a great book club read

A very good read. Well written. Strong characters that anyone can relate to and flowed from one chapter to the next.

Loved the complex family storylines all messy and based from a lot of love. The house, The Folly was more than a setting but a metaphor for the family who lived there. Beautifully written, deeply sad and hopeful all wrapped up with loving imperfect parents!

This book was an amazing read. Professor O’Neill taught me for two different courses in college and she helped me grow as a writer. Her voice shines through this whole book. It is an amazing story of family and the way we sometimes deal with tragedy. Give it a read, I can’t wait for her next piece.

Wow! Blew me away. I couldn’t put this down.Finishing this book was bittersweet.What a touching, rich, beautiful story.I devoured this book. And now I just want more of the same.Heather Aimee O’Neill has just earned her place among the best of today’s writers.

I really loved the concept of this book: the setting, the family dynamics, the backstory. But it fell flat. I found the characters underdeveloped and semi one dimensional. The name of the book and how it’s tied into the story, however, was perfect. There was definitely some beauty to be found in this story, but I think the characters deserved more depth and more connection with one another.

📚✨ Book Review ✨📚The Irish Goodbyeby Heather Aimee O’Neill⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Three sisters. One Thanksgiving. A family still haunted by the brother they lost years ago.The three Ryan sisters reunite on Long Island for the holiday, but they’re carrying two decades of secrets, guilt, and unresolved grief over the loss of their brother, Topher. Each sister is facing a life-altering crisis—from a forbidden romance and career upheaval to bringing a same-sex partner home to their devout Catholic mother.When Cait invites someone from their past to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions bubble to the surface, and long-buried secrets threaten to tear the family apart—unless they can find a way to forgive themselves and one another.The Irish Goodbye is a quiet yet powerful novel about how families often carry, silently, the weight of what’s left unsaid. It explores grief, guilt, and the bonds that both break and hold us together. If you love character-driven stories about sibling relationships, redemption, and the messy work of healing, this one will linger long after you close the book.

I could not put down Irish Goodbye. It has been a long time since I felt this kind of pull from a book. WOW! So many lessons in it. I am struck by how Heather O’Neill got inside the heads of her characters. All of it seemed to resonate truths of living…of growing up…maybe even Nora as old as she was! I have been a reader all of my life and encourage Heather to keep writing!

A poignant family story that will have you hooked from the very beginning. A tale so beautifully written about love, loss, grief and the bond of a family. Couldn’t put it down. A must read!

I just put down this book. And immediately I want to understand what happens now and next to all of the characters. But perhaps I just want that ending of surprise, but also a bit of wonder about what's ahead. Heather O'Neill has crafted a beautiful story about how we also personally evolve, yet at the same time, stay the same. I probably should have waited to write this review and let the book's majesty set in, but I'm so excited to share my recommendation with others so that they can enjoy it like I did.

I'm still a fan after reading this, but will look at them differently from time to time. That sounds morose, which is not my intention. I'm trying not to give away any of the plot and my attempt to sound mysterious...This book has left me fumbling for words. Perhaps my review should have waited until I'd processed the book more. As the oldest of three, I recognized myself in Alice the most. But I also saw bits of myself in each of the siblings, especially Topher. This book left me wanting more, but not needing more. It made me want to call my siblings, tell them how much I love them, but also how much they irritate me. I want to tell my husband all the ways he's failed me and the ways he continues to fail me. I won't do any of that. But I will highly recommend this book to the ones I love. I usually begin a new book immediately after finishing, but I find myself thinking about rereading this one. I can think of only 3 other books I immediately wanted to read again. If you've read through my rambling and aren't sure of my opinion, I recommend reading this when you can spend your time curled up with no chance of being interrupted. I didn't want to put it down and was sad when it was over.

I was hooked from the first moment. The journey of grief and family that Heather Aimee O’Neill takes us on is rich with imagery and moving moments. I laughed, I cried, and I connected to each sister in different ways. The holiday gathering was a perfect premise to bring this complex and full story to life.

Absolutely beautiful writing. From the very first page it pulls you in and doesn’t let go. The Irish Goodbye is a story about sisterhood, family dynamics, and the many ways we each navigate grief- individually and together. It’s filled with secrets, drama, and heartbreak, while still managing to weave in irony and humor with such grace. I didn’t want to put it down!