Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

I LOVE a good family saga, and this is a great one! This story follows two families over several decades and how their lives intersect in a tragic way. Keane explores abuse, abandonment, mental illness, alcoholism, and infidelity. It's painful to read at times, but also eye-opening, insightful, honest, and beautiful. It made me think about how I can be my best self. Completely engrossing and compelling, and well worth the read!

RATING: 4.5 STARS
2019; Scribner/Simon & Schuster Canada

What an emotional ride. I finally read Ask Again, Yes with my FB book club, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long. The pretty cover drew my attention and I requested the eARC from NetGalley. As per usual, I request (and get approved) way more books than I can read. In my book clubs (yes, that is meant to be plural) I try to suggest one of my NG or EW eARCS. I was excited when this one was chosen, and it was an utter delight when this book blew me away. I loved that like Game of Thrones, this was a novel where anything could happen. Just when you think the story is going one way, the writer takes you down another route.

This story starts in 1970s with two young police officers, one who immigrated from Ireland and the other born in America, starting their careers and life. During a conversation, Francis tells Brian he has moved to a new neighbourhood, and soon finds Brian his wife, Anne as neighbours. Lena, Francis's wife, is looking forward to meeting her new neighbours...but this is not a story about a family friendship. Instead, it is their children that form a friendship, and it only drives the two families further apart.

Ask Again, Yes was my first novel by Mary Beth Keane, and I am so happy to hear she has a few more published. The characters were so realistic, flawed and endearing. You find beauty in the way the characters grow, or don't grow. Keane's writing is blunt but still lyrical in a sense. Francis and Anne's Irish backgrounds also adds to the story of how the two families are similar and yet so different. This novel will take you on a journey. It is not an easy novel to read at times due to heavy issues and emotions, but is also one I could not stay away from. I would highly recommend this novel to any reader that enjoys to falling into a story entirely.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Oh my goodness was this well done. Bravo 👏🏼 to the author for this emotional and thought provoking family drama.

Would someone really marry the son of the woman who shot her dad in the face? Even if they were childhood sweethearts/friends? The whole resolution of the story strikes me as particularly unlikely. Everyone forgave each other and got along the end. Meh.

But, I appreciated the exploration of difficult topics such as mental illness & alcoholism. I would have appreciated more depth into these topics rather than having the story span so many decades. It moved so fast at times I found myself flipping back because I was sure I missed something.

Overall an enjoyable read. Not something I’m going to rave about at book club but definitely not time wasted

I must admit I didn’t love this book and struggled to finish it.

The description pulled me in however kept me wanting more. I found this book didn’t need to be as long as it was, and found the plot to be quite dry, uneventful, and repetitive.

I had expected more for this book and it sadly let me down. I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend and I would rate it 2.5 stars.

A story about life, love, and forgiveness. We start off reading about the story of Francis and how he makes a life for himself in America. He becomes a cop, starts a family, lives suburban life, all quite usual. The story later shifts and becomes about his daughter Kate and the neighbor's son Peter.

They all go through a lot, life goes on, and time passes. Some things remain the same, others are changed forever. As a mother myself, I enjoyed watching how the family dynamics changed over time, and watching Kate grow from a child to a smart and mature woman.

The story feels like you're watching someone go through their life. Most of it is ordinary, so I found the story a bit slow in the middle but the excitement at the start and the end made the read well worth it.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the free eGalley as a host of the Oakville chapter of the Girly Book Club.

Ask Again, Yes is a story that deals with several topics relevant to family life. Two families live next door to each other, however they have very different experiences with parenting, living in a small community and friendships. . What happens in a home is nobody’s business. One shocking evening their lives are intertwined forever and none of them can predict how they will be connected in the future. I enjoyed this book and recommend to those who enjoy reading about family and neighborhood dynamics.

I thought I had previously written a review for this beautiful novel. Incase I haven’t I wanted to pop in and say a year later and I am still so in love with this story. I love a family saga or a story that introduces family members and weaves them together ! This was a five star read for me. The relationships were so strong and the characters truly stuck out ! I’ve shared it with my followers @drownedinfictionx numerous time’s!

I read this book for the GirlyBookClub meeting taking place in June. I really enjoyed the book and appreciated the use of different narratives throughout the book. So many different issues were evaluated in this book, mental health, alcoholism, death, murder and marriage

3.5 Stars!

This book was a little too slow going for me which focused more on the characters rather than the plot which I know impacted me as a reader. I don't normally do too well with that but I still was interested enough in this story though and I'm glad that I read it.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an eARC.

There's so much heartbreak, sorrow and tragedy. These two families are connected due to a tragedy and a friendship. I couldn't connect with it like I needed to I think

It's well written and flows well but with all the raving about this book, i'm left wondering what I'm missing.

What an emotionally complex story! Layered beneath the heartbreak, sorrow and tragedy was the power of resilience and hope. I would describe this book as a literary family saga that made me feel so many emotions. The characters, flaws and all, were painstakingly developed. Even though there were some despicable people, I understood where they were all coming from and what led to their decisions (even if I didn't agree with them). The writing was superb. The narrative flowed easily and the plot galloped along. It was very easy to get lost in the prose.

The story is about two families whose lives are intertwined because of a tragedy and a longlasting friendship between their children Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope. The book delves into the complicated dynamics and emotions that each family experiences as a result of the aftermath. Do we, as parents, pass along our unresolved trauma to our children? Are we, as children, able to carve out our own lives without repeating our parents' mistakes? It was a book that made me think and contemplate well after I finished the last page. Loved the ending and the possibilities it left the reader to consider.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgslley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted more from this book, especially after hearing so many people rave about it. I liked Kate, but would have liked to have connected more with the other characters. The writing style was great, but I would have liked more from the story as a whole.

This book really grabs you. It is about two families, as they are ripped apart by one mother's psychological problems, but are later pulled back together.

What a beautiful novel rife with tragedy and suspense. I loved this book. The prose was lovely and Francis was an excellent character (my favourite).

Wow. What I can say that will do this book justice? It is everything that I love about a family drama. This is a memorable story and one of my favourites of the year!

RTC

Such a well written book that was heart-rending and stirred so many emotions!!

A tale of two tragic families who are neighbours in the 1970's. Two kids who are best friends despite their families. Two fathers who are not particularly close but are colleagues together in the NYPD. The story follows the families and two of their children over forty years of their life.

This was such a moving story and very poignant. This was my first Mary Beth Keane book but certainly not my last. I think this is a perfect book for any book club to discuss. So many issues and emotions are packed in there and I'm left still pondering about the characters. A very well developed story. Highly recommend.

This story of two families and the traumatic events that they face, is one that I have been looking forward to for some time. Although Ask Again, Yes has received many glowing reviews, there are still some readers who found that it fell flat, and I have to admit that I can see where they are coming from.

Kate and Peter are the focal point of this book and their love story is perhaps one of the most realistic that I have read in some time. However, despite starting out as such a strong character, I felt that Kate lacked further development as the years passed. Somehow, she became lost in motherhood and married life, despite being a career-woman working towards (and eventually obtaining) her master's degree. I would have liked to hear much more of her voice throughout. By the same token, Peter’s character became increasingly disappointing. His choices and circumstances led him to become a dramatically different person, and one that I could no longer connect with. I felt a growing distance from him as his challenges continued across decades. Many reviewers have also made note of a significant time jump following Kate and Peter’s reunion, which only seemed to heighten the disconnect between the reader and the protagonists.

Despite these seemingly negative points, I prefer to believe that most writers are fairly clever, and that their craft tends to be well thought out. It seems to me that the time jump functions as a type of metaphor, giving the reader a sense of familiarity with Kate and Peter’s adult lives and relationships with their immediate families. Keane’s ability to shift the reader’s connection to each character from one of love to disappointment or disconnect and ultimately forgiveness is subtle, yet effective. She reminds us that we are all imperfect, and that as much as we are capable of love, we are capable of disappointing those we love; that despite our traumas and our failures, we can still turn out okay. That there is still so much to be grateful for.

Thank you Mary Beth Keane for sharing your talent, and thank you to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to review this advance reader copy.