⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s such a satisfying feeling to start with zero expectations about a book and realize within the first few chapters that I’m reading something quite special.

Ask Again, Yes really took me by surprise, and I think this book has the potential to be really huge, captivating readers in a similar way to Little Fires Everywhere or Miracle Creek (examples from recent memory).

The book begins introducing us to two rookie cops who meet in training and end up moving their young families to the same suburban block. The specifics to how the two families grow both apart and together over the next several decades is better left for readers to find out on their own. It’s a slow ride, so prepare to settle in and spend some time with these characters. The story is both sad and hopeful and I just loved it!

Such an all consuming story! This book starts out slow but then it takes hold and won't let go. It has several strong characters and they are all so realistic and they deal with alcoholism, infidelity, mental illness and death. The author's writing style is perfect for the type of story she tells. I am going to chase down some of her previous novels to read because I do thoroughly enjoy what she writes.
This is a sad story all about love and loss but very much like real life. Definitely 5 stars for me!!

For some reason, I'm having a really hard time reviewing this book. I absolutely loved it, but I'm having trouble putting it into words. It's not the kind of book that's going to have you saying "omg!" or sitting on the edge of your seat. It's more of a slow burn that will totally suck you in and have you thinking about the characters non-stop.

When I first started reading Ask Again, Yes, I wasn't so sure I was going to like it. It starts with two New York police officers, Francis and Brian, who are just getting their start in their career. But the book quickly jumps into the family lives of Francis and Brian, introducing us to their wives and eventual children. It didn't take long for me to get hooked.

I honestly don't want to give away too much of the plot because I feel like this is the kind of book that is best if you go in blindly. It's not even so much the plot that's important anyway (though it is good); it's the characters and the way you'll watch them change and grow throughout the novel. It's an emotional journey and one that I feel like anyone can relate to, even if you've never actually been in any of the specific situations in the book.

It's the kind of book that I know I will read again some day (which is pretty rare for me) and in the meantime, I'll be thinking about the characters and looking forward to meeting them again. I don't give five stars lately, but this is a definite 5 star read for me!

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of this novel. The minute I read the synopsis of this book I had to get my hands on a copy. This is a very dark family drama - if you're not up for a long and painful journey, I would look elsewhere. But this is how life really IS, how it often unfolds, and as you read it you believe (you know) it could happen.
This is the story of two families interwoven by their children's relationship and a tragedy that affects all of their lives, forever. Keane's writing is sharp and clear, and lends itself perfectly to the journey she takes us on -- no flowery prose, but her characters are so well drawn. This is a character driven novel, but she moves the action along well. 4 instead of 5 stars because I did feel there were a few spots that dragged - I think I was just so hit by the sadness of this book that I was desperate for some ray of hope at the end. I won't spoil a thing - to find out if you get that you'll have to read it!

4.25⭐️

An intense drama, this centers around two families over decades of their lives...how they meet, mesh, clash and ultimately merge. There’s mental illness, alcoholism, and an especially violent episode as seen through multiple characters from each family.

I’ll be honest, while I felt this was an excellent read, I sometimes felt bogged down by the moments of darkness and despair the characters had to work through to come out whole. So while only 400 pgs., it really felt much longer to me and actually took me longer to read than I had anticipated (as I took breaks when the emotional density got to me).

Out 5/28

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Scribner for providing me with the ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you to Scribner and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

This is a story of two neighborhood kids who were best friends when a tragic incident happens in their childhood and then goes on to follow their lives and how the aftermath continued to affect them and their families. This was a story revolving around quite a few topics; family, love, mental illness, and forgiveness. This was beautifully written but I hard time connecting with the characters. This literary novel was a bit slow but I did find the end better than the start. I would say this is a book that may be enjoyed by fans of literary family dramas such as the Immortalists or The Rules of Magic.

A few years ago, I was staying with my family at a beach cottage on the coast. I brought a book with me, hoping to get some research done on my own novel, but found myself drifting through it aimlessly. The cozy conditions of our vacation house were ideal for getting lost in a really good book and I was longing to be drawn in. Helpfully, the owners of said house had a lovely, if sparse library, and I decided to take a chance on the book with the most interesting cover. To say, “And I was not disappointed” is an understatement because the truth of the matter is that the book, Fever, stayed with me for months. It left such an impression, I vowed from that day forward I would read anything Mary Beth Keane wrote…even if it was just her grocery list.

Though the events of Ask Again, Yes take place in the same area of the country as Fever, Keane takes us much further into the future in her latest novel. Opening during the early years of the 70’s, we are introduced to rookie cops, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, and led through the birth of a partnership that will have far reaching consequences for generations to come. One of the things I loved most about this story was the way Keane revealed the twists and tangles enmeshing these two families, so I’m not going to say anything more than I already have about the plot. I’ll leave those moments between Keane and the reader. What I will say is that Keane has written a masterpiece.

As we walked the beat with Francis and Brian, I could feel the sweat and grime of the city streets, instantly transported in much the same way I was when I read Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Both writers know exactly how to make New York live and breathe as few authors can. Keane gives the story depth and complexity with incredible attention to detail. This is most evident in small moments, such as when Francis describes, quite late in the story, a side-effect of having a glass eyeball. Through these nuanced intimacies, the reader is never allowed to forget the humanity of these characters.

And it is their humanity that is the most important part of the story, because though the Gleeson and Stanhope families were created in the author’s mind to be put on the page, the truth is that we know these people and their struggles in real life. They are our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends. Ask Again, Yes is an unflinching portrayal of tough subjects like alcoholism and mental illness, but it’s a compassionate one too. Keane gives readers like me, daughter of a recovering alcoholic and step-daughter of a bi-polar manic depressive, hope that joy is not lost, even in the darkest of times.

I truly can’t say enough good things about this book or the author. Mary Beth Keane is so amazing at her craft that it makes me weep as a novelist because all my words pale in comparison. Gorgeously written, Ask Again, Yes is a moving tale about love and loss, tragedy and triumph. It is one of those novels that will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Thank you for the ARC of this book. My reviews can be read on my GoodReads page at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1335387-kelly.

This book was so profoundly heartbreaking and heartwarming — mostly heartbreaking, but I think the word I’m really looking for is moving — that I finished it within hours and proceeded to dream about the characters all night long.

There is not a boring detail in here, everything is so important to the story, from the first page to the last. It’s a beautiful novel about mental illness and love, family and heartbreak.

I didn’t know what exactly I was getting into when I received the reviewer’s edition from Netgalley (thank you to the website, publishers and the author for providing it) but whatever I thought it was — I was just blown away.

The gift given to the father is so profound, and I hope every reader catches onto the deep routed meaning of why it is. Typically when I write that I cried during books, I’m slightly over exaggerating, but when I got to that part, I actually did cry.

Thank you so much for this beautiful piece of art — because that’s only what this book can be called.

4.5 stars

I have always enjoyed reading family stories that take me on their journey across time. This is a story of two families over four decades and how their lives intersect in a tragic way as well as one that is filled of love and ultimately forgiveness. Two NYC police officers, living next door to each other in the suburbs, connected mainly by the friendship of their two young children. Abruptly the things going on in one of the families impact the other in a way that changes everyone’s life and the two young friends are separated. In less capable hands, this book could have been melodramatic, but it wasn’t. The author addressed some tough, realistic issues - mental illness, alcoholism, parental abandonment and the effects on these characters, who I was vested in throughout, felt for throughout. This could never be a happily ever after story because the things that happened to these characters are burdens that while can be lightened by that love, loyalty and forgiveness, they can never fully be erased. An ending that was satisfying and provided realistic closure. Highly recommended.

This was a monthly buddy read with Diane and Esil.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Scribner through Edelweiss and NetGalley.

I love a good family drama but I can be impatient with stories that don’t give me characters worth following. This story involves two families, neighbors who become linked by one adult seriously injuring another. I was immersed in the story and highly recommend it.

Thank you for this advance copy.

Mary Beth Keane delivers an intricately woven and tantalizingly premised novel rich with secrets, friendship, sadness and joy. It's impossible not to connect with these wonderfully compelling characters. An irresistible read.

On a recent podcast interview, when asked which new release I was most anticipating, I instantly answered with Mary Beth Keane's Ask Again, Yes. Just listen to this premise: NYPD cops Francis and Brian happen to move next door to each other in the suburbs. Though their children Kate and Peter become the best of friends, Francis and his wife have learned to keep their distance from Brian's wife due to her precarious mental health. When tragedy strikes between the two families, Brian's family is forced to move away. But when Kate and Peter fall in love, the two families must learn to confront the tragedy that ties them together. A story of love and forgiveness, Ask Again, Yes serves up the perfect blend of family drama and character study to win it all the stars in my opinion.

There are stories, and then there are stories. This is a rich, delicious novel that makes you forget there’s an outside world. There’s only this handful of characters and the love and heartbreak between them.

The two main characters are Kate — the youngest of three daughters to Francis and Lena — and Peter, the only son of Brian and Anne. But the narrative starts with Francis’ perspective as a young police officer in the Bronx. He yearns for the suburbs, an escape from the stress and violence of his job and a return to a world sort of like his childhood in Ireland. Lena never wanted to leave NYC, but she can see it’s important to him. Still, she’s lonely. Then Brian — Francis’ partner but not quite friend — and Anne move in next door. Lena tries to make friends with Anne, but Anne will strangely have none of it.

So Kate and Peter grow up next to each other, and from the very beginning, they know intuitively that their souls are entwined. And yet their parents’ chilly animosity to one another won’t let them just be. When they’re about 14, they’re torn apart by a terrifying, violent night that will impact every day of the rest of their lives. But years later, they reconnect, and then their own relationship becomes the forefront of the story. But it’s not simple, and it’s not easy — the scars our childhoods leave behind never are.

Rather than switching POVs between chapters, the narrative weaves between the characters’ points of view seamlessly from one sentence to the next. When they’re young, most is from Peter; when they’re adults, most is from Kate. And a bit is from each of their parents, too.

The story has really strong themes of love, childhood trauma, mental health, the danger of pretending to the world that everything is fine at home when it’s not. Also addiction, the repetition of parents’ mistakes, and acceptance. So much to pack into a relatively short novel, but wow, was it beautiful and heartbreaking and just meant to exist.

This novel will be one of my favorites this year. I absolutely adored it.
The character drama was written so very well. I loved the timelines and how it all fell into place at the end. Amazing writing. I have already posted on Instagram....will post again closer to pub date. This book gave me all the feels and still has me thinking. The writing was well done and the plot very well thought out. The characters were delightfully flawed and I loved it. Although it had strong triggers for mental illness and addiction, I personally appreciated the way Mary Beth Keane wrote this so apologetically. I'm still trying to process my full review. It will be posted on my Instagram page. But this book got all the stars from me!

"But as Francis Gleeson had once told Kate, love is only part of the story."

F$%& yes. This book was so good. So hard to put down. And the ending.I had to dab at my eyes a bit. Dust, you know.

Anyway, this book covers a whole lotta years, but it's done in a really interesting way. (At one point, the narration reminded me of the song Help--the actual words in each line of the verse sung by the backing vocals precede the main vocals--but that wasn't precisely what was going on. Nevertheless, the structure is interesting enough that I was thinking about it while reading it.)

It's not precisely a beach read--it's a little too serious for that, with some weighty topics in it--but again, I found myself longing for an extra minute here or there to read it, so I could find out what would happen. I willed myself to bed last night even though I probably could have stayed up long past my bedtime reading.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are police officers assigned to the Bronx right out of the Police Academy in 1973. They only work together for 6 weeks as young rookies starting their lives and families. Francis and his wife, Lena, buy a home in the suburbs and a few years later, Brian and his wife buy the house next door. Francis's wife would like to be friends with Brian's wife, but Brian's wife is mentally ill, difficult to get along with and often hides in her room. She is difficult even for her son, Peter, who befriends Francis and Lena's youngest daughter, Sarah.

This novel spans several decades, with a terrible incident that affects both families deeply, forgiveness and moving on. It shows how people cope with tragedy and deftly explores mental illness and alcoholism. The ending is beautiful and a message that I needed to hear.

This was the first book by Mary Beth Keane that I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing but not so much her characters. I will definitely read another book by her, hoping I feel more invested in her characters.

It is a story about what is meant to be; love, loss, forgiveness and finding our way back to each other.

Kate and Peter were meant to be together and they worked hard to get there and to stay together. Though I understood their story, even empathized with many of their problems I never connected with them.

Part of the problem could be the novel covers so many years I felt as many of the years were summarized and I lost tough with who Kate was as a young girl, who Peter was during his formative years. .

I enjoyed the writing and got through the book fairly quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a multi-generational family saga.

4.5 stars! Two families, living next door to each other and ties that bind them over the decades. Kate and Peter grew up together. Their friendship was a strong one, but also one that neither of their mothers really wanted. Tragedy strikes and Peters family leaves their home, and Kate and Peter are separated. This is a story of the families lives after the tragedy, how Kate and Peter find their way back to each other, and how everyone involved finds a way to live their life beyond the horrible event from years past.

I’m not sure why but recently I have loved stories like this. I love the neighbor kids having a strong friendship, being torn apart for some reason or another, and eventually finding their way back to that friendship. I really enjoyed and highly recommend this book!

Thank you to netgalley and scribnerbooks for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this read about two families who suffered hardships only to become reunited later on in life. The characters, who in their own ways, came alive and contributed to an engaging story.