The Irish Goodbye by O'Neill, Heather Aimee

A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick

In this emotionally resonant and gripping novel, three adult sisters struggle with the past as they reunite for a Thanksgiving weekend on the East End of Long Island.

It's been years since the three Ryan sisters were all together at their beloved family home. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by a fatal accident on their brother Topher's boat. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carries 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. 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.

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 one another--and themselves.

Author: Heather Aimee O'Neill
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
Published: 09/30/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.37h x 6.22w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781250408150

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/01/2025 pg. 1
Booklist 08/01/2025
Shelf Awareness 09/28/2025
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2025

About the Author
Heather Aimee O'Neill is a poet, a teacher, and the assistant director of the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn with her wife and two sons. The Irish Goodbye is her first novel.