Family Matters

by Ellie O'Neill

For the first time in her life, Evie McCarthy sees Death coming for her. Clear as day. She just wants enough time to help her family realise the important things in life.

Her big-hearted granddaughter Rosie is in love again. She falls in love too quickly and this time it's serious.

Rosie's married sister, new mum Molly, is sleep deprived, exhausted and wondering what happened to her life.

Rosie and Molly's mum, Yvonne, is hiding her own devastating secret. Something so shameful she can't face the consequences.

Between the jigs and the reels, they pull one another up and over and come to understand that sometimes you have to give up the life you planned to get the life that's meant for you.

Funny, poignant, real and engaging, Family Matters is a thoroughly captivating story of three generations of women, each facing down their troubles to find the power of family.

Genres: Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

Ellie is an Irish Australian bestselling author. She writes commercial fiction and is the author of four books. Her new novel, FAMILY MATTERS, published with Allen and Unwin will be released in June 2022. Her writing has been described as charming, whimsical, funny and touching. To date all of her books have been set in Ireland and she’s not entirely sure why. Australia has been home for over ten-years but her storytelling blooms from the streets of Dublin. Her 2014 novel, Reluctantly Charmed, was a top ten Australian debut and a bestseller.

After completing every book, Ellie announces to anyone with ears, that she’ll never write again. She is currently working on her fifth book and looks forward to dramatically throwing in the towel once more.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely story, all about family, it is witty at times there are smiles and there is frustration and tears as I got to know matriarch Evie McCarthy, her daughter Yvonne and her two granddaughters Molly and Rosie as they journey through life, it is well worth coming to meet them in Ireland.

Evie is seventy nine years old and is a matchmaker, her set of tarot cards tells her that death is coming her way, she is not happy she is sure she has lots more to do, but her first priority is get her girls set on the right path.

Yvonne has taken over the family pub in their little town of Ballyhay, she is divorced from her husband and loves her Mam, two daughters and her grandsons, but Yvonne has a secret that is starting to cause big problems at the moment.

Molly is married to Dommo and they have two little boys but being a mother is really hard and Molly is struggling with it she gets no sleep and things are not good between her and Dommo.

Rosie loves life but is her new boyfriend the man for her? She works hard in her job and lives in Dublin but when her world falls apart family is there for her.

It is an engaging story that had lots of emotions throughout, I loved Evie she is my favourite and always bought a smile and I was often yelling at the other three woman, the author pulled me in to this story really well and I have no hesitation of recommending to any reader who loves a good family tale that is honest and well written and all about family love.

My thanks to the Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining read filled with the Irish sense of humour and set in Ireland.

It is told by 4 POV

Evie - Grandma
Rosie - Grandaughter
Molly - Grandaughter
Yvonne - Daughter

Its a story about online dating, debt problems, health and most important of all family relationships.

This book is character driven and I couldnt put it down.

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming read 🍀 I couldn’t have loved it more. Thank goodness I’m part of the Rachael Johns Online Bookclub or I wouldn’t have prioritised it. Definitely gave me all the armchair travel to Ireland feels, it was just lovely. I love a generational read and Evie, Yvonne, Molly and Rosie were just the sweetest. I could feel the spotlights on all of them. Just a gorgeous story about “family, sisterhood and motherhood”.

[nina.reads.books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family Matters by Ellie O’Neill is a warm hearted family drama about three generations of McCarthy women. Matriarch Evie is the town matchmaker and she is convinced that death is coming for her so she wants to make sure that her daughter and granddaughters are ok before she goes. Yvonne is divorced, trying to keep the family pub running all while keeping a big secret. Rosie and Molly are her daughters. Rosie is in love and is setting up a matchmaking app with her new boyfriend. Molly is a sleep deprived young mum of two small children who is worried about her relationship with her husband.

As the story unfolds each of the women faces a crisis and it is their tight family bonds that will ultimately get them through. Family Matters is all about the strength in families, about finding happiness and your place in the world.

O’Neill is an Irish Australian and has set this book in Dublin and surrounding towns. I loved the Irish accent that shone out through the dialogue! This was at times funny and other times quite poignant. It’s also a bit of a page turner and I whipped through it in a couple of sittings. This could have been quite predictable plot-wise but I definitely didn’t have all the threads completely worked out. If you enjoy a contemporary read focussed more on the family and less on the drama then Family Matters might be for you.

Thanks so much to @allenandunwin for my #gifted copy.

[Maya Linnell]

A funny and relatable story with oodles of distinctive Irish warmth and wit. Full review and author interview to come. Thanks to Allen & Unwin for my early copy.

Full review and author interview at https://www.mayalinnell.com/post/elli...

[Richard Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things I love about signing up for review copies is encountering books I’d never normally select and thoroughly enjoying them. I’d have missed this tale of three generations of Irish women and would never have got to know them all.
While I had some initial confusion about the various ladies with similar names, Evie and Yvonne plus Anna and Angela, they are all very distinct personalities with very different content. Each of the short chapters is from the perspective of a different character which really gives an insight into their relationships and how they all feel about each other and the problems they are going through.
I really felt for them throughout all the stress and trauma they were going through which meant once I was over about 10% of the way through, the pace really started to pick up and I had to read the whole thing within a couple of sittings.
Seeing the end approaching I started to see the obvious ways all the problems would resolve and worried it might be a bit twee or predictable but there were more than a few surprises and the final sentence is perfection.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Allen & Unwin for sending us a copy to read and review.
I love a family drama.
Diverse, interesting and even dramatic storyline’s can be laced into the plot especially when it covers three generations of the same family.
Ellie does not disappoint in this awesome read.
Evie is the matriarch and has the ability to see and predict things, in her local town she is renowned for her match making.
She sees doom in her own life and assumes death is lingering.
It overshadows her outlook as she knows something will end.
Yvonne is Evie’s daughter and runs the family pub.
Money management is not her forte and she has to face some hard truths.
Can she bear the humiliation of her secret?
Grand daughters Rosie and Molly have their own dramas.
Rosie is single and is determined that match making is in her blood too.
A partnership to create a dating app looks promising until the police knock on the door.
Molly has two children and a mother in law in her pocket.
The tiredness, loneliness and chaotic lifestyle leaves her questioning facets of her life and especially her marriage.
All women are at crossroads in their lives and keeping their miseries a secret causing more grief.
The bonds and unconditional love of family is needed to pull them through.
Set in an Irish town I could feel the authentic Irish charm and absorbed its imagery and culture.
Each character had her own story and they culminated perfectly as the book concluded.
A touch of Aussie reminding of us of Ellie’s new life and land.

[Fiona Lowe]

Ellie O'Neill is back and this time her magical realism is matchmaking. Look out Tinder! Family is at the heart of this novel as three generations of women work through very 2022 problems and discover what's most important to them.

[Jane Routley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real page turner. Rollicks along

[Margi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another " feel good" book which I really enjoyed reading. This was a delightful Irish family drama involving 3 generations of women with a romantic theme of matchmaking & love shining through.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy thanks to Better Reading and Allen & Unwin. Written by Australian author Ellie O’Neill, this is a light heartened story about the three generations of women in the McCarthy family. Matriarch Evie, much loved by her daughter and granddaughters, is the voice of wisdom, the wise ear and the gentle guiding hand. Daughter Yvonne is dealing with the breakdown of her marriage, finding her identity and learning to be independent, all while feeling responsible for looking out for her mother and her adult daughters. Daughter Molly is a new Mum and experiencing sleep deprivation and all the joys that has including impacts on relationships and self confidence. Younger daughter Rosie is sweet and naïve, giving her trust and her heart too easily and inevitably gets burnt. An enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy from Better Reading and Allen Unwin.

What a lovely book! I felt like I was wrapped up in my favourite, soft blanket. All three generations of the characters were delightful. They were colourful, believable and very relatable. I found this especially so with Molly's story as a new mum.

It was like taking a holiday to Ireland to visit your favourite relatives and becoming completely immersed in their lives. I found myself laughing along with their experiences and really willing them to succeed.

In addition to the beautiful story telling and vivid characters, the author brings together romance, humour and a little bit of magic. The winning trifecta!

I haven't previously read any books by Ellie O'Neill but I will be adding her books to my future reading list.

[Dianne Boadle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie O’Neill is a new author to me and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. We are introduced to the McCarthy family made up of Evie who is the Matriarch with a talent for matchmaking, her daughter Yvonne who is struggling to run the families McCarthy’s Pub, and her two granddaughters Molly who is a stay at home Mum with two little boys and Rosie who along with Simon are releasing a new online matchmaking service called DeLuvGuru. Each chapter focuses one of the ladies where we learn about their every day’s routines, problems and how the react with each other. The caricatures are well written and believable and I felt I was there watching as their day to day lives evolved.
I loved Evie as she confronts whatever comes along and she loves her family passionately and can sense whenever something is troubling her girls and does everything she can to help. Evie reminds me of the ladies who were important to me and guided me as I grew up.
I thoroughly enjoyed Ellie’s new book and recommend her book to whoever prefers a nice clean easy to read story.
I received this book as an ARC and have written this review voluntarily.
#tag better reading

[Jacky Burkett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family Matters is set in a small town in Ireland, it focuses on three generations of women. There is the matriarch, Evie McCarthy who has the gift of second sight and is convinced Death is coming for her. Her daughter Yvonne, who has a secret that makes her ashamed and she refuses to face up to her issues. The third generation are sisters, Rosie and Molly. Rosie is single and in love, Molly has two small boys is constantly tired and feels she has lost control of her life.
The women in the novel are all at crossroads in their lives, and like many families there are tensions and misunderstandings but through coming together to support each other they realise just what is important in life.
I really enjoyed this novel, the characters are all dealing with situations that many women find themselves in being betrayed by a partner, facing financial difficulties, being overwhelmed with parenthood and facing up to growing older. They are paths many of us have to navigate, and this novel highlights that family really does matter. Thank you to Better Reading and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this novel.

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about three generations of women in the one family, each facing their own challenges, and told with the perfect balance of Irish humour and gravity.

It follows the story of 79-year-old Evie McCarthy who has always had “the gift” and became a matchmaker thanks to her ability to see when two soulmates came together. But her gift has also alerted her to the fact her own days are numbered. Her daughter, Yvonne, is struggling to keep the generations-old family pub going. And then there’s her daughters: Rosie, who gives her heart too easily, this time with devastating consequences; and Molly whose life as a mother of two young boys has left her exhausted and unfulfilled.

There are shades of Marian Keyes in this beautiful tale which explores family dynamics and the notion of love, finding it, holding on to it and when to know it’s time to walk away.

An easy weekend read that will leave you smiling and satisfied.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not for me.
Evie, Yvonne, Molly & Rosie are the McCarthy ladies. Evie is a local matchmaker, Yvonne runs the family pub, Molly is an overwraught house mum & Rosie has just run afowl of the law over a scam involving an app her previous boyfriend set up that is actually stealing people's data.
Given this book is an uncorrected proof, this may sound a bit harsh, but to me this book mostly seemed to be a mishmash of magical realism, romance, bad decisions & people flying off the handle. Add to that a bunch of cliche's, a couple of Irish Gaelic words mixed in for good measure at the end & everything getting wrapped up nicely in a big yellow bow without being explained properly & you have this. Yeah, nah

[Mic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been a big fan of books that switch perspective between chapters, and it fits this story well. I really enjoyed Ellie O'Neill's previous book 'The Right Girl', so I went into this with high hopes. And while this didn't surprise and enthrall me quite as much, or in quite the same way, I still had a good time with it.
Its biggest flaw, like with 'The Right Girl', is the ending. Again, it was just a bit sudden, wrapping everything up neatly, but somehow fairly unsatisfyingly. Maybe it's just that I could stay with these characters forever, but I was underwhelmed by the way the epilogue capped off each story.
Also, shout out to the audiobook narrator Caroline Lennon, who really sold it for me.

[Rhoda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you to Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This book is about three generations of McCarthy women: Evie, her daughter Yvonne and Yvonne’s adult daughters Molly and Rosie. Each woman is at a significant time in their respective lives - although not all of the changes taking place are welcome ones.

This is what I would categorize as a good holiday read. Easy to read, witty and entertaining, but with enough depth that it doesn’t feel like a fluff piece.

In saying that, I found it a little predictable and a tad cliched at times and I could have done without Molly and her perspective entirely. An engaging read though - and I enjoyed reading about Evie’s matchmaking escapades in particular! ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5.

[Julie Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book.
Family Matters is perfect for fans of Fiona Lowe and Sally Hepworth.
It is a beautifully woven story of three generations of women from the same family, all caught up in their own worlds before those worlds collide once more.
It seems as if each is losing their place in the world, their known lives are taking a hit. What do we all do when we take a hit, eventually, we return to the homes of our family to lick our wounds. This family is different though...when the going gets tough, they stand. They back each other. They fight. For this is what families do. Sometimes, it means seeing the world through different eyes in order to find your best life. Most importantly, don't be afraid to ask for help - from family or friends. You just never know what that future might hold...

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming Irish tale that weaves together the stories of three generations of women from the same family, focussing on their individual searches for love and personal fulfilment. The story is written with a beautiful lilt - you can almost hear the Irish accent coming through the ink - oozing it's wit and charm. The story takes a good look at the female lifecycle; from being a young ambitious tech-y single, through to young motherhood, sisterhood, old mother-hood, and all concomitant pressures, insecurities and ambitions that lie therein, often unseen. A theme of 'matchmaking' helps to draw all the strands together which I found both refreshing and culturally relevant.

[Renee Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matchmaking is in her family so Rosie thinks she has found the answer with her boyfriends new revolutionary app. Little did she know it is not what it seems.

It follows three generations and everything they are going through in their lives.
This book is modern and touches on many issues such as new mothers, relationships and family.

I really enjoyed this book as it kept you interested the whole way through and will look out for this author.

Many thanks to Better Reading and Allen and Unwin for my copy to read and review.

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit outrageous & rollickingly hilarious at times, albeit an entertaining read. I really would have like more of Evie, especially as it took a while for me to warm to Yvonne, Molly & Rosie, in fact, I wanted to shake the three of them by their scruffs quite often. By the end I was rooting for them all to succeed but it really didn't happen until the last few chapters & epilogue - a bit more development & pregress through the body of the book would have been more satisfying. Quite a charming tale, however.

[what_amanda_read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seem to be reading a lot of novels by Irish authors at present! 🍀

This is a sweet novel about three generations of women, each facing a difficult time.

Evie McCarthy, the family matriarch and original match maker, sees Death coming in the cards. And yet, she's never felt better, and the doctors assure her that she's in terrific health. Her daughter, Yvonne, is hiding a secret and cannot see a way out of her financial troubles. Daughters, Rosie and Molly, for very different reasons, both have issues of the heart.

A funny, engaging, fast paced read.

[Megan Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family Matters was very engaging and light hearted. I found myself keen to know what happened to each of the different storylines with each character, especially Rosie and Yvonne. There were also many laugh out loud moments. I will definitely look out for more Ellie O'Neill in the future. Thank you Better Reading and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Liz Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book to read before you go to sleep and I mean that in a good way!
Three generations of an Irish family each with their own ambitions and worries and the support they give each other.
Ellie O’Neill is an Aussie of Irish descent and she sets this book in Dublin. She really captures modern family dynamics as well as dilemmas, such as internet dating.
The characters are well-rounded and believable and the narrative progresses at a cracking pace!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story centres around the McCarthy family. 3 generations of women who all have so much going on in their lives but instead of being open with each other they give a lot of half truths and try and solve their problems alone. Once things come to a head they realise that they need to change and become more honest with themselves and each other.

The story is relatable and the characters are quite endearing. Basically this story is about love and keeping that love alive.

[Nora Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 68% (audiobook)
The blurb kind of misled me.
It’s about all the messy things in life, you may enjoy it, sometimes I do, but not this book.
Oh no, my boyfriend is a criminal but how can I be so stupid. What about love, we were gonna help people find there soulmates.
Oh no, my husband is cheating on me.
Oh no, I’m in debt but I can not stop shopping.
In case you can’t tell, Rosie was my least favourite.

[Annette Heslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about the lives of the 4 main characters in this book - Evie, Yvonne, Molly and Rosie. They certainly had a lot going on, and achieved so much. Pushed to near breaking point, they manage to support and be there for each other. Exactly what families should be all about.
I look forward to reading more books by this Author.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure if this book. For some reason it didn’t grab me, but so glad I read it for the Racheal Johns Online BookClub. What a great, heartfelt read. Sometimes I got a little lost as there seemed to be a lot of characters and some with similar names, but once I clicked on I never turned back. Highly recommend 📖

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book it was just so easy to get into and stay really engaged with the lovely characters. Just read this you won’t be disappointed and you definitely won’t be able to put this book down until you read the whole thing!