I am always excited to see a novel with characters in their 40s, my own age group, and while the writing is beautiful, the story itself wasn't what I'd hoped for.

Pub date: 5/2/23
Genre: family drama
Quick summary: Malcolm and his wife Jess own local bar The Half Moon, and their struggles with infertility, money, and fidelity will come to a head when their town experiences a blizzard.

I love a family drama, but this one was a bit too quiet for me. Keane's writing was beautiful as always, but it took a while for the story to get going, and I didn't connect well enough to Malcolm or Jess to make this character-driven novel an enjoyable read. I also struggled with their relationship - both were keeping lots of secrets, both were guilty of infidelity, so the overall tone of the book was darker than I wanted it to be. There wasn't enough lightness in the narrative to balance out the negative themes. The ending did redeem things, but ultimately, I wasn't the right reader for this book.

If you enjoy sad, character-driven reads, you might enjoy this one more than I did!

Thank you to Scribner for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a family drama that takes place over the course of a week. I loved the author's Ask Again, Yes and although I liked this one, it wasn't quite as riveting. It's a book about imperfect characters with life struggles facing difficult struggles. It's an interesting, character driven story. I will definitely keep my eye out for what the author writes next.

This book really surprised me. I found myself so intrigued with how this would come together and I absolutely loved the ending.

this was one book in a lineup of lit fic exploring motherhood i've accidentally been picking up, one after the other, and still i enjoyed it and it stood out

i love unlikable characters who i actually like. so real!

mary beth keane is the shakespeare of irish-american family dramas.

and i love family dramas.

This book was really hard to get into at first but then it came alive. It was a wonderful story about a couple in a small town who must navigate the complexities of marriage, family and longing, Malcom is the bar tender at the Half Moon. He has dreamed of owning the bar for years and finally behind his wife’s back he purchases the bar. Malcom has an elderly mother who he just check in on periodically. Jess his wife is a devoted lawyer and not happy about owning the bar. She has tried for years to have a baby. She leaves Malcom for a while and moves in with a man and his kids. A blizzard hits the small town and life changes for everyone,
‘

I was a big fan of Ask Again, Yes and couldn't wait to read The Half Moon. I enjoy family dramas and this one follows Malcolm and Jess as they deal with the highs and lows of marriage, infertility, and unfulfilled dreams. I didn't like this story nearly as much as I wanted to. I'm still a fan of Mary Beth Keane's, but this slow-burn novel was not for me.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for this ARC.

Not a lot going on plot wise, but I really enjoyed the character building and really enjoyed settling in with Jess and Malcolm. I also thought the bar as a character was so well done!! Loved it.

This book basically takes place over the course of one week with flashbacks to pivotal moments in the relationship of Malcolm and Jess. Though their marriage began with an unplanned pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage, the couple eventually suffers through years of unsuccessful infertility treatments. Malcolm's lifelong dream to buy his own bar finally comes true, but he struggles with the financial burden that adds even more stress to their marriage. Jess finally decides she needs to take a break to gain some new perspective. Everything comes to a head when a major snowstorm paralyzes the community and one of the bar's patrons mysteriously disappears. I found the book to be a fast read and definitely plan to check out more of this author's work. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book. I read it in one day while traveling and that might have been why it really hit me hard. I’m also squarely middle aged, so maybe that has something to do with it.

🌗The Half Moon is a quiet novel about growing older, relationships and pivoting from your dreams to create new ones. The prose was so beautiful and really had me thinking. The Half Moon is a bar run by Malcolm, a big fish in a smallish suburb outside of New York City. Malcolm has spent his career managing The Half Moon and is ready to take it over from Hugh who is retiring. Malcolm can’t see The Half Moon for what it is because it is part of his identity.
His wife, Jess, has wanted a child for years. After years of failed infertility treatments, she still longs for the family she has always envisioned.

🌑Is it failure to give up on a dream? When our expectations don’t align with reality, should be be disappointed or can expectations be reimagined? This book had me thinking about big questions about life, relationships and love.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved Keane's book Ask Again, Yes so was thrilled (and kind of shocked!) to receive an ARC of The Half Moon. I devoured this book in just a few days and loved it.

The Half Moon centers around Malcolm and Jess, a separated couple. The book is set in a huge snow storm in present day, with flashbacks to Malcolm and Jess meeting, falling in love, then eventually falling apart. The supporting characters were fine, but Malcolm and Jess are definitely the focus. The setting is compelling, with their small town buried by a huge snow storm that essentially forces Malcolm and Jess to confront their situation.

I am not always a huge fan of character driven books but Keane writes her characters in such a compelling way that I find myself drawn in. As with Ask Again, Yes, Keane was able to write characters who feel real, interesting, flawed, and relatable. I found myself rooting for them, particularly Malcolm. I highly recommend this book and will continue to read everything Keane writes. 5 stars.

Content Warning: Infertility

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Mary Beth Keane. I was a huge fan of Ask Again, Yes and couldn't wait to dive into this one. It didn't disappoint - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Malcom and Jess married young. Now in their forties, they have spent all their money trying unsuccessfully to have a baby. Jess works as a lawyer at a new firm after failing to make partner at a larger firm. Malcom has worked at The Half Moon for over 25 years and considers its owner, Hugh, like a second father. When Hugh retires, Malcolm buys the bar with basically a handshake deal. But now he's drowning in debt and troubles. Jess is struggling to see what her future holds.

This book basically takes place over a week's time, during a blizzard, but is told in third person between Malcom and Jess going back in time so the reader understands their relationship. I love Keane's writing and I was totally invested in these characters and storyline. This is a middle-of-life story, when people take stock of where they are, where they thought they would be, and where they want to go. But it's also a story of love and commitment, forgiveness, and family. Great read!

A book about a couple - a bar owner and lawyer in Rockland County, NY -who have been trying to have a child for years. There is a sadness to the book that makes it hard to enjoy. I think Keane tried to save the book by adding a missing person mystery to it but that wasn't necessary to the plot of the rest of the book. If you are looking for an introspective book about the ups and downs of marriage, there is some good writing here.

I loved Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane, so no matter what, I was going to read her newest book... and that's just what I did! The Half Moon is about Malcolm and Jess, a husband and wife dealing with infertility and career challenges. The story follows as they work through the complexities of their marriage and the choices they've made along the way. They both make choices that may just take them in different directions. There's enough of an intriguing plot to keep you turning the pages, but this one didn't have me quite as invested as I'd hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I see some critiques of this one, I think I'm just a rightreader for this book.

Malcolm and Jess overlook a handful of mismatches when they become hastily married. As the marriage continues, these issues continue to grow. Each spouse has a separate dream, one that they can't see past for the sake of their marriage, and one that they know their partner won't go to as great of lengths for. For Jess, it's to become a mother. For Malcolm, it's to own his own bar. Because they each know their partner is only in agreement to a point, they'll each find ways around involving the partner to hopefully get what they want.

When their individual dreams become a conflict, Malcolm and Jess have to decide if their dreams or their partners are more important.

Thank you to Scribner publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of the Half Moon in exchange for my honest review.

This one didn't work for me. I am a fan of complicated relationship stories, but this one dragged too much for me. I will admit I do like more of a narrative drive than character study, so it might be just me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for an ARC of this book

Based on the cover, I wasn’t expecting “The Half Moon” to actually be a bar.
This story is boring and not realistic in my opinion. I’m not sure how or why someone would purchase a business and not have a lawyer involved.. especially when your significant other is a lawyer. Just outright stupid.
Malcolm can’t even make ends meet and can’t afford the bar he purchased. He has the ex owner sending people to the business and his house as a warning for not making payments on time or being behind.

Malcolm and Jess were experiencing infertility. Malcolm was mad about how much money it was costing them but then goes and purchases a business that they can’t afford. Makes sense.

This book was a slow burn for me. I didn’t enjoy either of the characters. They seemed very immature and it’s no wonder their marriage was failing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️a gut wrenching book that will literally make you contemplate the meaning of life. the second book I have read from this author that gave me this feeling. She has a gift. TY to the publisher for the advanced copy TW: infertility, pregnancy loss

Jess and Malcolm are navigating an extremely difficult and unfortunately all too common experience while trying to start a family. They love each other, that much is clear, but the stress and cost of the necessary steps is causing a lot of tension. Combine with that, Malcolm's passion to make his recently bought kind of rundown bar a success in a cold, snowy town. Oh right, and add in a massive snow storm that cuts all power and sets a concerning tone for the story.

I was conflicted with Jess and Malcolm as characters individually and as a couple. Initially, Malcolm didn't come off as likeable to me. It seemed like he was blaming a lot of his problems on his wife. I enjoyed reading about Jess' experience because I felt a little more sympathetic to her even though she was the one that left. She was clearly unhappy and the fact that it wasn't working with Malcolm made her even more unhappy because she really wanted it to work. But then she made some decisions that were hard to get behind and I began empathizing with Malcolm more. But that's what kind of made it interesting, it felt real. I think it's a sign of a good book when you can see both sides to the story and understand why they did what they did.

The interactions Malcolm and Jess had, the decisions they made, and their inner thoughts made me reflect on how everyone can be having a vastly different experience to the same set of circumstances or how two people can take away different things from the same conversation. It's so true to the human experience and also is a reflection on the lack of communication that often plagues relationships. I really felt for the characters in the story and while they both make their share of mistakes, they were doing their best to try and live a life that would make them happy. Ultimately, they discover what many people do when trying to achieve their dreams - what you think will make you happy may not be all it is cracked up to be.

One thing that was a little tiresome was the flashbacks. There were a LOT of flashbacks which I can appreciate and they really lend to character development. However, some of the story became hard to follow because it would cut in and out of the same flashback multiple times.

When reading this, you can take different approaches. Are you going to stay unbiased to the choices made or are you going to take sides like the rest of the town seems to do? Are you going to root for one character over the other in hopes they get their version of a happy ending? Maybe you read this hoping the characters stay messy because you want more drama? Either way I think this makes for an enjoyable read.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for an ARC of this book!**

Malcolm and Jess are a stunning couple on paper: he is a handsome bartender, and she's a successful lawyer. After years of marriage, however, financial woes have started to wear on the couple: student loan debt, and unsuccessful IVF treatments, to name a couple of sources of their collective strife. Malcolm has purchased the bar he works at, The Half Moon, despite its waning profitability and he is determined to somehow find a way to turn the tide.

While a big snowstorm holds the small town of Gillam in its clutches, however, Jess and Malcolm have plenty of time to think and reflect on the good and bad of their marriage...and their respective dreams. They each begin to wonder if their paths in life align, and cracks in their marriage threaten to bring the entire foundation down to the ground. Will Jess and Malcolm be able to cling to the memories and the dreams that brought them together? Or has life dealt them a "Dead Man's Hand?"

After middling success with Ask Again, Yes, I felt like Keane was a very strong writer, but that the aforementioned book just didn't have relatable characters...and that this was the sole reason I couldn't get into it fully. After reading The Half Moon, I've come to realize that it isn't just the characters: Keane's storytelling is simply too slow and meandering for me. I figured with different subject matter (marriage, for one!) at the forefront, that this would have that sort of small-town, charming feel despite the dramatic nature of Malcolm and Jess' failing relationship. However, Keane spent SO much time going over details that not only felt unnecessary, but weren't particularly interesting, that I lost focus and interest in the plot over and over again.

For instance, Jess' infertility troubles are a large part of the reason the couple is in financial trouble, and this is fine...but I didn't need to hear about it for what felt like forever. If you've ever struggled with infertility or have trouble reading about the topic, I would STRONGLY recommend skipping this one on that basis alone. The other problems in Malcolm and Jess' relationship were far from uncommon and I had no problem reading about them in theory....but these passages again seemed to go on and on with little emotional impact. The third act 'confrontation' between the two was also lackluster in my opinion and not worthy of the supposed turmoil the two had gone through together. The ending was even more bizarre and I won't get into it: suffice it to say, it actually made me wonder what the POINT of all of it even was and left me far from satisfied as a reader.

There's also a secondary 'mystery' plot that I wish had been left out entirely because I don't think it truly added anything to the narrative. I would have rather spent time getting to know the plethora of characters who were randomly mentioned every now and again, but were little more than character names on a page to me. What was hardest to swallow about all of this is that I KNOW Keane is a terrific writer: I just don't click with the finished product.

The cover of this book reminds me of the famous optical illusion, where the viewer sees either a vase or two faces. And much like an optical illusion, once my view of the picture flipped...I just couldn't see it any other way.

3.5 stars