Every now and then, if you’re lucky, you stumble upon something that is so beautiful and special that you know you’ll remember it for a long time; a good and well-told story. That’s what I found when I opened the pages of Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane.

This is not the story of one family, but of two, the Gleeson family, and the Stanhope family, told over the course of more than four decades. Told so richly, and beautifully, evenly and fairly, that the reader comes to know each one of the family members, and the events that happened in their lives as if they were a part of the story too. Don’t you love it when that happens? When a book grabs your heart and your mind and your emotions so totally that it makes it hard to put the book down at the end? I do!!

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope came to small town of Gillam with their wives when they were young rookies in the same precinct with the NYPD. They lived next door to each other. Francis and Lena Gleeson had three girls, the youngest, Kate born six months after Peter is born to Brian and Anne Stanhope. The two of them latched onto each other as infants, toddlers and childhood friends, always close, always together. Peter didn’t have as easy childhood. His mother, Anne, was quiet, and different from other mothers. She didn’t talk much, didn’t want to have friends, or talk with the neighbors, didn’t like to leave the house. When she did talk, it was usually because she got all worked up about something. Then she raged, threw things, cried. Peter didn’t know what was wrong, but he knew she loved him, even when she hurt him, he knew that. He tried so hard to be good for her. His dad just looked sadder and sadder as the years passed, and he started drinking more and more.

One day, in the spring of eighth grade, Kate and Peter were together like always. They were growing up, and new feelings were growing between them. It was a little bit strange, but exciting too in a way! Anne saw them through her window and didn’t like it one bit, not one little bit! She came out of the house and told Kate that afternoon to stay away from Peter! She was really upset! Kate’s mom, Lena heard the noise and came out to the yard. After hearing what the fuss was about, Lena sent Kate into the house. That night after dinner, Peter and Kate snuck out to talk. When they went back home, Anne and Brian were fighting again, loudly. Not too long after Kate returned to her house, Peter came to the Gleeson doorstep and asked if someone would please call the police for him. Francis held the door open for him and told him to use the phone in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Lena started walking over to Peter’s house. Francis ran after her and stood beside her as he rang the bell. Anne opened the door and welcomed them in, just as they saw Brian walking up the stairs. What happened that night changed everything for everyone in both families.

The Stanhope family moved away. Peter and Kate didn’t talk to one another for four years., until Peter writes a letter to her. They meet again, because their ties to each other are deep – life-long deep, but are they deep enough to overcome and move past what had happened that night? Is it even possible? What will their families say?

Gleason brilliantly tells the stories of two families and the impacts each one has on the other. She deals with the hard topics of mental illness, alcoholism, parents who leave their family, and does so with a strong voice of truth, of realism, and yet of grace.

The story will absorb you, emotional involvement with the characters is guaranteed, and the ending might surprise you as much as it did the characters themselves. This is a five-star read!! Please don’t miss it!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I've always had a bias for kids over parents. If there's any kind of complicated scenario or relationship I'm more likely to take the kid's side. Multi-generational stories like Ask Again, Yes always challenge those beliefs and I'm grateful for that.

Even so, I think a big part of that is that I'm not a parent, and I have no plans to become one at any point. I feel like people who have kids are easier on other parents, more understanding of some mistakes because they've made them too. Parents are just people. I don't think that's much of an excuse, but is more of a reason that some adults shouldn't reproduce.

I really felt for Kate and Peter as children and young adults, especially when they started living lives of least resistance. You might not outgrow the scars of childhood, but I guess you can treat them. I struggled with wanting to assign blame throughout this novel. It just feels like someone should be at fault. There are parties who bear some responsibility, but I just get so frustrated when they never seem to be the ones to bear the consequences. In this case, life really does imitate art.

Mary Beth Keane does an excellent job juggling multiple viewpoints without abruptly announcing a new 'narrator' or harshly switching the tone. It feels like a movie in that way, just seamlessly checking in on another character, having the passage of time speed up or slow down accordingly. She's also able to put us into the minds of people struggling psychologically, especially when a character is having a breakdown or paranoid episode. Everyone is hurt by untreated mental illness, and she makes you feel that pain multidimensionally.

This was a sad story of hard lessons. Not a happy ending, but some kind of a resolution. The best we can hope for, I guess.

This is one of those perfect books that as a reader I both wanted to finish and yet delay the ending. The characters drive this story about two families who are inextricably connected through time, place and circumstance. When a tragedy threatens to wreck all the lives involved, the strength and love of some make them not only survive but come out stronger.

If you enjoyed last year's "A Place For Us" By Fatima Farheen Mirza" you should pick up "Ask Again, Yes". This story follows two cops who live on the same street in suburban New York and follows their families and their relationships through the years. If you love character driven, quiet stories, read this book.

My new book journal prompts me to describe the book in 3 words. For this book my three would be: Family.
Addiction. Hope.

When I was chatting with someone about this book I said I call these books ‘quiet, but powerful.’ What I mean by that is the book isn’t propelled by an action heavy plot. The novel is immersed in the characters’ essence, motivation, demons and passions. In these quiet novels I find myself so invested, feeling so deeply, caring so strongly, they feel like people I know in my own life. That's when I know I am in the hands of an extremely talented author.

This story follows two families over a span of several decades. The men meet as rookie cops and become suburban neighbors with their young families.

One family is challenged by mental health issues and alcoholism. The other family knows something is unusual next door, but is determined to keep their distance.

Their children, Pete & Kate are drawn to each other despite their parents’ warnings and objections.

A tragic event blows the families apart, yet links them irrevocably.

This is a beautiful story about family, heartbreak, resilience and hope.

This one releases May 28th and I highly recommend you get on that library holds list, or just go ahead and pre-order. It’s that good.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't want to put this book down from the moment I started it...too bad I needed sleep and had other things I needed to do. Still I read it within a few short days and it hurt my heart but also, filled me with hope. Mary Beth Keane did a great job of putting her words down on paper.

Kate and Peter, born to neighbors, 6 months apart, had a connection from the beginning of their time. They were best friends but more than best friends, they knew each other and loved each other before they were even aware of that fact. Kate had a blessed life and a loving family but Peter had a harsh, troubled life, both a troubled dad and a troubled mom. Peter carried the weight of the world on his young shoulders, weight that a child should not have to carry.

When Kate is 13, Peter 14, something happens that shatters their lives and the lives of their families. Peter and his family have to leave immediately and Kate is left with a hole in her heart, Peter too is left with a hole, holes that only the other can fill. Eventually Kate and Peter make contact again and all of the past is still with them and their families, past that is part of their present too. I won't say more about the book except that it was so heart-wrenching, so real, but also so full of family and love, that I finished the book wanting to continue being a part of Kate and Peter's lives.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a strong, emotional story. Would highly recommend. Definitely a more serious, somber story but I very much enjoyed it. A strong familial drama, depressing and REAL - I very much enjoyed the characters and this story. Thought it was a pretty realistic look at life and marriage - nothing was glamorized. A memorable read.

This is your next Book Club book.

1970s NYC. Two Irish cops just starting out. Partners. . Following the American dream - they move to a small suburb north of the City. A house, a big yard. They end up living next door to each other and what follows is a story that spans 30+ years and includes friendship and tragedy but also hope and forgiveness.

It really digs into family dynamics and the part our past plays on our future and our children's futures.

If you're looking for a book that hits all of the emotional buttons - this is yet.

*I received an ARC of this book from Scribner via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Most people read to escape from reality, but the best thing about Ask Again, Yes is how "real" it is. While the majority of us don't grow up in homes plagued by mental illness and alcoholism, the day to day struggles of just getting by-holding down a job, raising a family-are universal. Ask Again, Yes starts out as a "Romeo and Juliet" type love story (although the Capulet's and Montague's feud seems almost charming compared to what the Gleeson's and Stanhope's do to each other), but morphs into a tale of duty, drive, fierce determination, revenge, and the hardest task of all-forgiveness-of ourselves and those who have hurt us. Although filled with stereotypes-both families are headed by Irish Catholic men who become New York City police officers-Mary Beth Keane deftly rises above any cliches with writing so pure, and characters so beautifully rendered, Ask Again, Yes will resonate with anyone who has been a child, parent, sibling or friend. Ask Again, Yes is one of the most highly anticipated books of the summer-and with good reason. It's packed with emotion-although not a "thriller" you'll turn the pages at a frantic pace to see how the story unfolds-and delivers an ending that proves that love and family are to be cherished, and always worth fighting for-even (especially) when the odds are stacked against you.

This is a hard book to review--not because I didn't like it but because it's hard to put into words all the emotions I felt while reading it! I adore family dramas and this one is multi-generational so it's complex, but you are so immersed in the two families that it's hard not to be depressed when they go through trauma and happy when they are not. Basically, you just need to be prepared to realize this isn't a nice fluffy read; it's an amazing story of mental illness, childhood secrets, alcoholism, familial obligations, regret, and ultimately, redemption. It's a little like Romeo and Juliet on steroids--and I mean that it the very best way as I adore Shakespeare and loved this novel; I will be pondering and reveling in these emotions for a long time!

Many thanks to #Net Galley and #Scribner to allow me to review this beautiful story. 5 STARS

The publisher’s plot summary for this book is “A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship (and love) between their children (Peter and Kate), a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, and the power of forgiveness.” To be honest, it will be difficult for me to describe it better than that, other to add poignant as one of the descriptive terms.

The story deals with the issues of abandonment, mental illness, loyalty, alcoholism, forgiveness, strength from adversity, the poverty of happiness, and above all what it means to love your spouse and your family.

There were times when reading about the years and events that followed the tragedy, that I felt a tension… like something would set the main characters off in another bizarre turn of events. But as the characters matured over the years, they began looking at the events through different eyes. One of my favorite quotes is from Peter’s uncle George who wisely says: “The thing is, Peter, grown-ups don’t what they’re doing any better than kids do. That’s the truth.” And Kate’s thoughts after Peter’s return from the hospital “What used to be fluent between them felt incomprehensible now, far more difficult to translate. But things were meant to change, Peter said. Because life changes and people change. As long as we change together, we’re okay. “

Thanks to #NetGalley #Scribner for my free e copy of #AskAgainYes by @MaryBethKeane @Mary_Beth_Keane in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you appreciate complicated family stories with poignant, relevant themes, I think you must add Ask Again, Yes to your TBR!

Thought provoking themes include neighborly relationships, friendship, mental health, tragedy, addiction, forgiveness, and redemption. Among all these threads, there is a love story.

Beautifully written, Ask Again, Yes introduces us to two families who live next door to each other. Behind closed doors, the families deal with complicated issues. Meanwhile, two of the children, born six months apart, grow up as each other's best and constant playmate and develop a deep friendship as they hang out after school. Just as Kate and Peter grow old enough to discover they might be attracted to each other, a tragic event happens that changes everything for the two families. One family moves away and the children's friendship is torn apart.

The remainder of the story involves the children, who are now grown, coming to terms with what happened and figuring out what this means for their relationship, their families, and their future.

The story is told from multiple points of view, and the characters are complex and well drawn. I love how the author causes me to care deeply for each one and how I still think about them. It reminds me of A Place For Us in that way.

Even though the story is heavily character-driven, it is engaging and moves at a fast pace. I read it in two days. When I finished, I had that "wow" feeling that indicates how emotionally I had connected with the characters and their situations. I like that the story feels realistic, and I love the big themes of regret, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, second chances, growth, and redemption.

I'm highly recommending this heartfelt story for readers who appreciate complicated family drama, for fans of well-written, character-driven fiction, and for book clubs because of its rich discussion possibilities. Ask Again, Yes is already on my best of 2019 list!

***trigger warnings: mental health, alcohol addiction

Full review will be posted on my blog on Friday, May 17, 2019.

I LOVED this book. The characters were very well developed and the story had me hooked in the first few pages. This is a great book!!

4.5 stars.

I loved every bit of this book.

"The thing is, Peter, grown-ups don't know what they're doing any better than kids. That's the truth."

I've noticed that sometimes the quietest stories are my favorites. Stories where I slowly get to know each character and before I know it they have grown on me so much that I can't imagine waking up another day and not finding out about how they're doing. The best novels are like that for me. Characters that I miss deeply. Characters who are flawed and so deeply lovable and so deeply real.

"She's learned that the beginning of one's life mattered the most, that life was top heavy in that way."

And this book is full of them. Almost every character is imperfect. They are messed up, broken, struggling, and just working hard to move forward in life. Terrible things happen in the book, and sad realities of life surface. There are heavy issues like parental abandonment, substance abuse, mental illness, and sexual abuse. The scars of life's experiences and the intermingling of all this deeply affects these characters, all of whom I had come to cherish in some way or another.

"It wasn't that she didn't love him, he knew. It was that she loved him so much that it frightened herm loved him so much hat she worried she might have ti protect herself from it. He tried to let her know that he'd figured that out, finally, that there was no need to explain, but then he realized that she might not know it herself."

It's hard to get the ending of such a book right. But this author does it just perfectly. It's true. It's real. It's not a pretty bow tied perfectly and yet it still manages to leave glimmers of hope. I have enjoyed all my moments with this book and I am glad I stuck with the slow simmer. These characters will stick with me for some time.

With gratitude to netgalley and scribner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this family drama. Two families through two generations. It was a slower read for me. The first 10% had me wondering if I’d finish, and then suddenly I kept thinking about it and the story picked up. The pull of Kate and Peter’s life kept it going. There is much to discuss in here for book clubs. Many tough subject matters in this which I think the author gave thought provoking points of view from many angles - violence, mental illness, addiction, abandonment.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A refreshing multi-generational family saga that was captivating. It was a nice break from the thrillers I typically read. A full range of emotion felt by the reader. This would definitely make a great book club pick!

An enjoyable and engaging novel. Much deeper than the star-crossed lovers book blurb, this book takes a deep dive into complex and difficult issues including mental health and miscarriage. At times, I felt that some of the characters were a bit unreachable for me, and the dark issues create a very dark cloud over much of the book. But, overall, a pick.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for the electronic ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book stuck several chords with me that no multi-generational novel has before. It follows NYPD officers Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope and their families over the course of 4 decades. It is really a character study of Francis and Lena Gleeson and their daughter Kate, and Anne Stanhope and her son Peter. The writing was excellent and you really get to know the backstory with all of the main characters. It shows how life changes your viewpoint on events as well as the enduring power of love. Keane makes the point that not all "bad guys" are lacking humanity. There is something in this book anyone can relate to and I could relate to most characters at some point in the journey of their lives.

Keane does not shy away from the hard subjects stillbirth, alcoholism and mental illness. Not many books address the subject of stillbirth like this one does. While it is definitely not a focal point, the after affects on multiple characters are shown very realistically throughout the book. Alcoholism is told from several angles. She also shows mental illness in a way that makes you really understand the character.

The way Keane writes leaves you feeling like you know the characters. Overall it is excellent, the only thing that kept it from being a 5 star read for me was I felt it lagged in a few places.

I was wary of yet another New York City / Irish / immigrant-family-through-the-generations-story, but this book breaks the mold. It starts with a different generation of immigrants; ones that came to this country in the 1970s. The story-telling is detailed and imaginative, and the reader has an opportunity to "get inside" each character, even the ones that are dysfunctional. This empathy for the "bad parent" sets this book apart, and makes it much more intriguing and realistic.

This book starts with Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two NYPD rookies assigned to the same Bronx precinct in 1973. They both get married and have kids. Brian moves out to the suburbs, right next door to the house Francis and his family live. Francis & Lena's youngest daughter is the same age as Brian and Anne's only child. Naturally, Kate and Peter spend all their time together and become best friends, and later it becomes more than just a friendship. When something terrible happens that affects both families, Peter and Kate lose touch. When they reconnect during college, stars realign and everything is right again. But they face challenges that neither one expects or is prepared for.
This book addresses the topic of nature versus nurture, and whether some things are fated to be no matter what circumstances are thrown in the mix. The author wrote the book in such a way that I felt I were actually there watching the families grow and evolve over time. This is a very enjoyable read that is appropriate for anyone.