This was my first Carmel Harrington book. It needs a warning to keep a box of tissues handy. It is hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it. She does a wonderful job with the BFF’s and Bea’s family and weaving the storylines. My great grandparents were from Ireland and I got to experience an Irish wake and funeral when my great grandmother passed away. This story makes me wish that I knew more about their experience coming to America and ending up in Pittsburgh.

I received a copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

Devastating Secrets. This is one book where two timelines intertwine to devastating effect. In one timeline, we get an epic romance between an Irish immigrant and a 2nd generation Irish American. In the other timeline, we get a woman who is both the daughter of a 2nd generation Irish American and an Irish immigrant who seems to have a mystical "13 Going On 30" / "Frequency" scenario going on where a childhood project is speaking to her and directing her to make amends for mistakes she has made in the intervening years. Both timelines work well independently, but when they come together... well, refer back to the title of this review. And then it gets even more devastating. Indeed, the ending and epilogue will likely have you in tears, even moreso than when the timelines converged. Overall a truly solid book and very much recommended.

The Moon Over Kilmore Quay is a story of immigrants, friendship, forgiveness and love. This novel is beautiful in every way. You just want to curl with it and keep reading. It made me cry, laugh and want to hug my best friends. The author has written the feelings of an immigrant so well and being an immigrant myself I could relate to those feelings of missing my home country but loving my adopted country as well. Alternating between two characters and years this story has layer of secrets for a little suspense lovers. A very beautiful summer read!

Been travels to Kilmore Quay to renew old friendships and finds that life can bring surprises and some wishes can come true

This is a lovely dual time line novel of family and friendship. Bea forgotten about the letter she wrote as a school child but when it's mailed to her 20 years later, she's surprised at what she hasn't done. And that she's lost the light of one of her friendships. Her mom died when she was a kid and her dad was estranged from her mom's family in Ireland- something she's now ready to explore. This tells both of their stories. Bea and her friends take off to Ireland to find the truth about her family. It's a positive one (don't worry - no big darkness lies ahead, only matters of the heart.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read.

Receiving a letter from her younger self changes Bea's life in ways she couldn't possibly fathom. While in school, Bea's made a time capsule and her teacher promised to send the letters in twenty years. When Bea receives hers, she's shocked at just how much her life had veered off the path she set.for herself. She had grown apart from one of her two best friends, had an awful falling out with an old girlfriend of her dad's, and had never truly asked the questions she needed answers to regarding her long deceased mom. This letter sets her on a path where we discover so much about Bea and her mom while we watch her try and make amends.

This book. There are no words and five stars seems such a low bar when this book is as shockingly good as it is. I even found myself screaming NO WAY and almost woke my baby just because the twists and turns had me that shocked. I read this late into the night simply because I had to know how it ended. And trust me, the ending is as beautiful as the beginning and middle. The story is told in New York and Ireland and toggles between Bea and Lucy. Going back and forth thirty years is hard for some authors to do but Carmel does it so seamlessly in this book you always know who's speaking and ever single scene is so relevant to the story. Theres no filler here. Part romance part women's fiction with a dash of mystery thrown in this book will sit with you long after you're done with it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Carmel Harrington, and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

First off I want to say a huge thank you to the publisher Bookouture, the author Carmel Harrington , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.And I'm glad that I picked it up to give it try, because of 2 things which are :1 the cover is beautiful and second was the story itself was heart warming, and touching at the same time , it reminds me of the Hallmark movies that are about family , and friends and the journey of coming home.

Oh my what an awesome book this was. I have to confess and say I had never heard of this author but I was drawn to the book by the wonderful cover. Once I started to read this book I couldn’t stop. It was such a good read. The book has a really good story which will keep your interest and the characters are superb. For sure I will be checking out more books by this author.

Bea received her Time Capsule letter from a grade school teacher- it seems to be sending her messages. Like reconnecting with her best friend Bea rarely talks to.
Bea convinces her other best friend and business partner, Katrina, to visit Stephanie. They find her depressed, self loathing and heartbroken. Stephanie's one again and off again boyfriend announced his engagement- to another woman.
Katrina and Bea drag Stephanie out of her gloom.
Thanks to a case at work, Bea finally has a reason and motivation to go to Ireland- the granddaughter and daughter of Irish immigrants. She can finally meet her mother's estranged family - Bea's mother died when she was a toddler.
The girls jump on a plan and embrace their adventure.
Family. Bravery. Love. Forgiveness. This story sucks you in.
The positive female friendships of both Bea and her mother were the best part. Non judgemental, encouraging and loving support - the heartbeat of the story.

After she receives a letter written when she was in school, Bea starts writing her new wishes and decides to find out more about her family in Ireland. This beautifully written book told in both past and present helps reveal family secrets and how these secrets affect the characters’ lives. Carmel Harrington’s The Moon Over Kilmore Quay is a gem of a book – one that will stay with you long after you’ve read it. I only wish I could give this book higher than five stars. I can’t wait to read Carmel Harrington’s next book!

The Moon Over Kilmore Quay
by Carmel Harrington

Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is just such a lovely story about love, family, drama, secrets and best friends forever. Set in New York City and Wexford County, Ireland, the settings, the characters and the story will draw you in and you won’t be able to set this book down until you’re finished.

Beatrice (Bea) just went through a break up with the love of her life, Dan. When she receives a letter, written by herself as a child in school, she decides to investigate her family and her Irish roots. Many years earlier, Lucy, immigrates from Ireland to New York as a young woman, with her sister Maeve to start a new life.

This book is beautifully written. The descriptions of New York City, Queens, and Wexford County are beautiful, I felt like I was there with the characters of the book. The book goes back and forth in time and back and forth between the characters of Lucy and Bea, telling the story bit by bit until it all falls together at the end.

Families and secrets and how these secrets can change the course of the lives of these characters. And, how once these secrets are discovered, how love can heal the wounds these secrets have inflicted. I enjoy multigenerational stories, and stories of love and forgiveness and this book has all that and more.

I especially enjoyed the friendships of both generations. Bea and her friends were so much like Lucy and her friends, and how these friendships lasted over the years. They all tried to live up to the mantra of Best Friends Forever.

I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy.

About the Author: Carmel Harrington is from Co. Wexford, where she lives with her husband, her children and their rescue dog, George Bailey. An Irish Times bestseller and regular panellist on radio and TV, her warm and emotional storytelling has captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Her books have been translated into nine languages and have sold hundreds of thousands worldwide.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.me.

Okay, Do you have a sweater in the back of your closet that you've had for a very long time? And when you put it on is just wraps you up in a warm, comfortable, hug? That's how I felt about reading this book!
I loved the cover, I loved the characterization. I just really enjoyed it.