The Irish Goodbye
- Judith D Collins
- Sep 28
- 5 min read
Narrator: Kristen Sieh
ISBN: 9781250417695
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: 09/30/2025
Format: audio
My Rating: 4 Stars (ALC)
In this debut, for fans of J. Courtney Sullivan and Mary Beth Keane, three adult sisters grapple with a shared tragedy over a Thanksgiving weekend as they try to heal strained family bonds through the passage of time.
It’s been years since the three Ryan sisters were all together at their beloved family home on the eastern shore of Long Island. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by an accident on their brother Topher’s boat: A friend’s brother was killed, the resulting lawsuit nearly bankrupted their parents, and Topher spiraled into depression, eventually taking his life. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carrying a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush: Topher’s best friend and the brother of the boy who died. Middle sister, Alice, has been thrown a curveball that threatens the career she’s restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk of bringing the woman she loves home to meet her devoutly Catholic mother. Infusing everything is the grief for Topher that none of the Ryans have figured out how to carry together.
When Cait invites a guest from their shared past to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive themselves—and one another.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.
My Review
Heather Aimee O'Neill’s poignant debut, THE IRISH GOODBYE, intricately weaves together the lives of the Ryan sisters—Cait, Alice, and Maggie—who find themselves reunited at their childhood home on Long Island for the Thanksgiving holiday after years of separation.
About...
Three sisters, united by blood yet divided by a tragic past, gather for a Thanksgiving that promises to unearth long-buried secrets.
This family reunion is cast in the shadow of a devastating boating accident from twenty years ago, a tragedy that claimed one sister’s life and left a lasting imprint of turmoil, guilt, and unresolved grief on the family.
The accident not only resulted in a heartbreaking loss but also led to a lawsuit that nearly brought their parents to financial ruin. Their brother Topher, unable to cope with the aftermath, spiraled into depression and ultimately took his own life.
As the sisters yearn to reconnect at the lovely Victorian family home, each carries the weight of a hidden truth.
Cait, the eldest, struggles with the guilt of her undisclosed involvement in the accident while reigniting a romance with her high school crush—Topher’s best friend, who is also the brother of the boy who perished.
Alice, the middle sister, faces an unexpected challenge that threatens her nascent career and forces her to confront a choice that could jeopardize her marriage.
Maggie, the youngest, is finally mustering the courage to introduce the woman she loves to their devoutly Catholic mother.
When Cait makes the bold decision to invite an unexpected guest to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions flare and new revelations emerge, threatening to unravel the fragile thread of their familial bond.
The stakes are high, and unless the sisters can navigate the path to forgiveness—both for themselves and for one another—their cherished holiday could be forever tarnished.
In my perspective...
This beautifully crafted family drama deftly explores the intricacies of relationships and the weight of unspoken truths as the sisters’ secrets come to light.
An engaging exploration of familial love and the bonds that, despite being tested, can endure. The captivating cover and well-developed characters invite you into a rich narrative filled with distinct voices and powerful themes of sisterhood, love, guilt, loss, and the power of forgiveness.
An ideal book club pick for further discussions.
The audiobook experience...
I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook narrated by the talented Kristen Sieh, whose performance breathes life into this complex ensemble of characters. She captures the emotional depth of the story with remarkable compassion, vivid descriptions, and an engaging delivery that draws you in.
Recommended for...
THE IRISH GOODBYE is a must-read for enthusiasts of family dramas and those who appreciate the works of Maeve Binchy, J. Courtney Sullivan, Tayari Jones, and Alice McDermott.
A heartfelt thank you to Macmillan Audio, #MacAudio2025, and Netgalley for providing an advanced listening copy in exchange for my genuine thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Sept 30, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
Praise
A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick
"An extraordinary book about the power of family and sisterhood . . . shows how the ripples of loss and grief can shape even our closest relationships."
―Jenna Bush Hager, The Today Show's #ReadwithJenna
“A sparkling debut, The Irish Goodbye is a rich, compassionate novel about sisterhood, marriage, grief, and forgiveness.”
―Jenny Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street
“The family saga we all need―utterly un-put downable, beautifully drawn, thrilling and heartfelt at once and totally not to be missed. Heather Aimee O'Neill has arrived with gorgeous skills and a keen eye for what drives families apart, and brings them together, too.”
―Jessica Soffer, New York Times bestselling author of This Is a Love Story
"I picked up The Irish Goodbye one morning and finished it later that night, unable to do anything else until I got to the end. These characters captured my heart, and I got lost in this family weekend full of secrets, resentment, and emotional landmines. Heather Aimee O’Neill has written a beautiful debut about family, grief, love, and loss."
―Jennifer Close, bestselling author of Marrying the Ketchups
"Lovingly rendered and acutely felt, The Irish Goodbye takes the reader into the aching, complicated nooks and crannies of a single family trying to find their way back to one another, even as none is sure they have hold of themselves. A beautiful and moving debut."
―Lynn Steger Strong, author of The Float Test
“Emotionally gripping and achingly poignant, The Irish Goodbye is about the secrets we keep from our families and from ourselves. In the Ryans, Heather Aimee O’Neill has created a family that, despite its glimmering specificity, could very well be our own. Mesmerizing.”
―Daisy Alpert Florin, author of My Last Innocent Year
"The Irish Goodbye has it all: a lovable cast of complex characters; forbidden affairs; a stately, crumbling beach house; a doomed sailboat; long-suppressed family secrets; and one pressure-cooker of a holiday weekend. Above all, this finely-crafted novel explores what it means to be a family, and what we owe each other and ourselves."
―Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Animal Instinct and Unseen City
"Fans of writers from Maeve Binchy to Alice McDermott to J. Courtney Sullivan will relish this big-hearted novel."
―Kirkus
"O’Neill, a poet and writing coach, brings her skills to her compelling debut....This melancholy yet loving novel is perfect for fans of Jennifer E. Smith’s Fun for the Whole Family."
―Booklist
About the Author
Heather Aimee O’Neill is the author of two poetry collections: Memory Future (winner of the University of Southern California’s Gold Line Press Award) and Obliterations (co-authored with Jessica Piazza, published by Red Hen). Her debut novel, The Irish Goodbye, will be published by Henry Holt in September 2025. As a developmental editor and assistant director of the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, she has worked with hundreds of writers who have gone on to publish with major publishing houses. She lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with her beautiful wife, two sons, and—she hopes, one day—a dog. WEBSITE
