I knew right away that this was not going to be a book for me, but I did continue on and read until the end given that I was reading an ARC edition in exchange for my honest review. While the topics covered in the novel (infertility, small business ownership, economic stresses) in relation to marriage are valid and important, they alone cannot lift a storyline. The Half Moon is plagued by too much exposition and flat characterization. There is altogether too much telling and not enough showing. Although I did enjoy the author’s previous novel (Ask Again, Yes), this new release does not come close, and was a disappointing read.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on May 2, 2023.

Mary Beth Keane is an automatic yes for me, if I ever see her name come up. What's so special about her writing is the ability to capture the very complicated reality that humans can have two very strongly conflicting desires at once and our attempt to reconcile them with one another or find a way to pursue both is what lands us in the "dark night of the soul" kinds of moments in life.
Her examination of morality, vs the idea of - "Are we actually just breaking free from societal norms and being true to ourselves? Does the action of eschewing false social obligation immediately put us in the territory of the 'immoral'?" is actually quite fleshed out an perfectly balanced so as to make this a true question for the reader to ponder long after they've put the book down.
Jess and Malcolm met quite young, and rushed into marriage - unexpectedly but happily. What followed was years of fertility treatments and disappointments, financial decisions (some made one-sidedly with major impact to both of them), aging family members to "notice" and wonder if it's "time" for care... and then of course, some infidelity. A breaking point always comes.
The questions of interest to me here are: are we allowed to have secrets from partners, and if so, which ones are to protect (possibly just in the moment, until we've come to stronger decisions?) And which are insidiously harmful,...
And also - she makes the point, some things you actually can repair, but not revert to a prior state. Some things are never the same after wounds so big. But, some things (and I really really see this, but perhaps I'm jaded), you just can't walk back. They've been said, done, and the only repair to part and heal from the rupture.
Beautiful writing and story from Keane, as always - there's actually a whole subplot of conspiracy and fraud, bringing in the feds, that adds a surprising (and believable!) element of excitement to this very domestic town set in the sleepiest most routine of locales.
Thank you for the chance to read!

This was my first Mary Beth Keane read and I will definitely be doing a reread of this at some point. I enjoyed the plotline the first time through, but this felt like a right book, wrong time read for me. I was trying to read on a deadline, but this is one of those books where you have to have the mental and emotional capacity to process the plot.

Malcolm and Jess's stories are so heartfelt and emotional. I felt like the author did a great job at capturing the drama and feelings associated with trying to navigate a marriage when your goals aren't the same anymore.

Thank you to Mary Beth Keane and Scribner Publishing for an eARC via NetGalley. I loved Ask Again, Yes so I was very excited to dig into The Half Moon.

This story takes place over one week and moves back and forth in time, giving so much depth to the characters. A family drama that explores marriage, infertility, friendships, disappointments & and mistakes. Keane is a mastermind at character development, it is a book that stays with you long after the last page.

This story doesn’t make any sense.

If you purchase a business, I am not sure how you cannot have a lawyer. You would need someone to incorporate for you, get all of your licenses, and you would also need someone to do your taxes for you, especially your sales tax and payroll deductions. Who manages your IP (intellectual property) like your trademark and logos?

Also, Jess is a lawyer. Half the Moon talks about her student loans. The standard repayment term is 10 years so how is she still making payments after 12 years? When you graduate, you can consolidate your loans and usually secure a lower interest rate. Why pay 6.8% if you can pay 2%? Jess is also working in a large law firm, trying to make partner. The beginning salaries are usually $110,000 to $120,000 (and this is information from about 10 years ago). How in the world is she only making the minimums on her student loans? She would have to have an incredibly lavish lifestyle.

Malcolm gives off Ryle vibes from It Ends With Us. Hasn’t he ever heard the phrase, “Happy wife, happy life?”

The two main characters: Malcolm and Jess who are supposed to be mid-40’s and late-30’s respectively but act more in line with someone in their early 20’s.

For example, Jess was struggling with her suitcase, and Malcolm just watches her. What? Help the poor woman! In life, you get to decide who you are. You can either be a reactionary or you can already have a strong sense of self. If someone approaches you screaming, you get to decide to scream back (reactionary) or you can keep a low, gentle tone, deescalate the situation because you know that you are a kind, gentle person and no one can force you to act inconsistently with your inherent identity.

But all of that usually develops over time. Apparently, Malcolm and Jess did not get the memo.

At one point, Malcolm says that he deserves something because Jess spent money on medical expenses. Imagine if your partner had kidney stones and you spend $2,000, you wouldn’t just immediately demand a big-screen TV to even the score. The immaturity was astonishing.

The book is a bit bleak, and it would have been nice to cut through some of that with jokes, maybe a snarky character.

I wanted to like this book. I tried several times to read it. From the beginning I just couldn’t stay interested and this is no fault to the author. Sometimes a book is just not going to work out and that’s okay! I can see that others have really enjoyed it!

I thoroughly enjoyed THE HALF MOON. I found myself so consumed by Jess and Malcolm's story that I couldn't do anything else until I found out how their relationships turns out at the ending. Yes, it is slower-paced, but that to me made it all the more suspenseful, richer. I appreciated the dual POV and the two timelines and really enjoyed the style of the writing. Such emotional depth, layers, realness, and complexity in the character development. So much pain, heartache, and broken dreams between Jess and Malcolm. I thought the author did a tasteful job of addressing infertility.

And boy, does a lot happen and change in just one week in a town where the power's gone out and for a couple whose marriage is up in the air. It was my first time reading the author's work, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my candid review.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

Sometimes when I start reading a book I can tell from the start that this will be a slow burner and this time I was right. It was too slow and I couldn't keep my interest up. Apparently I'm an outlier since it's received a lot of five star reviews.

THE HALF MOON by Mary Beth Keane is the story of the marriage of Jess and Malcom and their struggle with infertility. The feelings and emotions of the couple are well-written and bring the reader into the story. The Half Moon is the bar that Malcom owns. I loved the way the two stories blended into one.
The story has a dual timeline, the past and the present. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and her development of the characters and the plot.

Is life complicated or simple? Is the glass half full or half empty? These are questions that I thought about a lot while reading The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane. Jess and Malcom Gephardt have a very complicated relationship, but they love each other. Malcom is an optimist who believes everything will work out in the end. Jess is the worrier of the family, often worrying about things before they even happen. Throughout this novel, the Gephardts are met with a series of difficult events and decisions. Jess’ inability to get pregnant, Malcom’s decision making without input from Jess, fraud, infidelity, etc., all lead to some bad decisions, some revelations and finally to finding out a very simple fact. The simple act of loving someone can make all the ups and downs of marriage, as well as life, easier to take. I loved most of the characters and could identify with some of them, but most importantly, loved Gephardt and their struggles. This is an “everybody” book. Both men and women can appreciate how well “life” is portrayed with all its problems and rewards.

This was my first book by this author, and while it didn't knock my socks off, I didn't hate it either. I enjoyed the writing and authenticity of this story. The character development was on point and Malcolm and Jess's relationship seemed very realistic to me. I couldn't relate to their struggles, but I could empathize.

If you like books about married couples with struggles and drama, then you would like this one, but don't expect any action. I suppose the story progressed too slow for me, and while I hoped it would pick up at some point along the way, it just never did and that was a huge disappointment that left me unsatisfied with the overall book.

There's a dual POV, and I can't say that I liked one more than the other. It does allow you to get both sides of the story and see the faults and flaws of both characters.

There were times when I just wanted to quit this book or at least put it down and read something more uplifting or fast paced and then come back to it when I was in the mood. This is definitely a mood read! It's sad, depressing and gets you thinking about your own life choices, which isn't a bad thing if you're in the mood for it.

Special thanks to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. This is a story about Malcom, his wife Jess, their marital troubles, and their bar, The Half Moon. This book is really slow. I’m a big fan of slower, character-driven literary fiction books, but I struggled with this one a little bit because it was slow and I couldn’t find myself caring about Malcom or Jess at all. I much prefer reading books where I like or dislike characters to ones where I just don’t care about any of them. The first half is much slower than the second half, but a small mystery is introduced into the story that kept my attention and I really enjoyed reading about The Half Moon

4.5 stars.

Digital Advanced Review Copy received from the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I read and really enjoyed Mary Beth Keane’s earlier book, Ask Again, Yes so I immediately requested this new novel. It is an intense character study of a couple, Jess and Malcolm, who live in a small suburb outside of New York City. Malcolm is the owner of the failing bar, The Half Moon, which features heavily in the book. I had a day off of work and read this book in one day, which proved to be a fever-dream like experience in which I felt as if the characters in the book were part of my real life. Keane is so brilliant at creating realistic, extremely flawed characters that you still in up rooting for in the end. Centering around the middle-age realization that you have to accept and enjoy the life you have currently and not the one that you always imagined yourself having, this book will be one that I think about for some time. The resolution of this book felt a little rushed, especially after spending so much time with these characters but this author is definitely someone who I will immediately read.

Malcolm and Jess fell in love and married without thinking about it but now they're struggling, with each other and with life. He bought the bar where he's spent his entire working life - without checking with Jess, an attorney. She's invested all her hopes and dreams into having a baby and they've been through so so many failed procedures. Now things have come to crisis point even as a blizzard hits their small town. Jess has left Malcolm, Malcolm can't make his nut, and it's all a mess. Oh and one of the bar's patrons, father of a policeman, went missing from kitchen just as the snow started. This moves back and forth in time and between Malcolm and Jess's (third person) perspectives. Keane has a somewhat mannered writing style but she's also a good storyteller. One of the subplots didn't really work (no spoilers) but I was caught up in Malcolm's fight for his bar and for Jess. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Very good read.

4.5 stars!

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane is a quiet, but memorable novel about the convergence of a struggling couple, a failing local bar, and an epic snowstorm over the course of one week. Tense, passionate, and atmospheric, I didn’t want to put this one down.

Having read the author’s previous novel, Ask, Again Yes, I knew The Half Moon would be well-written and engaging. And while I enjoyed Ask Again, Yes, The Half Moon surpassed it.

The Half Moon, the town’s local pub, is run by Malcolm who has tended bar there for twenty years, purchasing the bar from the previous owner. Keane does a wonderful job of placing the reader in this setting. I felt like a patron of the bar. I could hear the clinking of the glasses and feel the sticky floors.

We meet Malcolm at a low point in his life. His wife Jess left four months ago, the couple’s relationship having broken under the stress of infertility and finances. The dual point of view alternates between the past and present, letting the reader get to know these characters and what brought them together and tore them apart.

Malcolm and Jess are humanized, flawed, and I appreciated their character arcs. And while they both make some decisions that are questionable, it reflects how we can all make terrible decisions when we’re under the stressors of life that would buckle most people.

I especially appreciated the author’s honest handling of infertility. Portrayed realistically, it’s a devastating ordeal for people longing to be parents that so often gets overlooked and ignored. Friends, family, and even strangers can be cruel without even knowing it, and the author represented that with care.

There’s also a mysterious side story about a missing bar patron which added to the unease and the many demands weighing on Malcolm’s shoulders. It only enhanced the story for me, spotlighting side characters who were also well-rounded and human.

Set during a fierce snowstorm with loss of electricity and connection with the outside world, this would be a perfect novel to read curled up by the fire. It’s odd how I can usually tell a new book has been written during the pandemic even if it’s not set during the time. They always have that feeling of stark uncertainty, hollowed out loneliness, but also weirdly nostalgic. A reminder of how most of us shuttered ourselves in and gathered close with our loved ones, and this novel is a perfect example.

Despite focusing on some heavier subjects, I thought The Half Moon wrapped up satisfactorily, hopeful but realistic. It would be perfect for book clubs to dive into, as well. I hope this one gets all the attention it deserves.

Mary Beth Keane is such a great writer, and I found our married couple to be so realistic and well developed. I was invested in their marital and financial struggles, and was totally rooting for them. I thought the story was interesting, but the plot was slow and didn't really go anywhere. I think I far prefer Ask Again, Yes. 3.5 stars rounded up because the ending was so good.

This was my first book by Mary Beth Keane. A friend of mine always praises her for her realistic characters and now I definitely see what she means! Everyone in this book felt like a real person- they could be your neighbor, your friend, that person you lost touch with from high school. The town of Gillam also felt like a very real place- I think I read that the author based it on her hometown? As someone who also grew up in a small town, I could definitely relate to the way the social scene was described.

The one thing that really threw me off was the turn that the plot took in the last third of the book. It seemed like the first 70% of the book was about one thing (Jess and Malcolm's relationship), and then all of a sudden those problems just disappeared and it turned into a mystery/crime story. I didn't think anything was done to resolve their relationship problems other than them just deciding that the problems no longer existed. I also thought the ending was pretty rushed and not very satisfying.

Overall, though it was well-written, I just don't think this book was for me. Still, I'm sure it will be easy to hand-sell this spring!

The Half Moon was an intimate peek into the lives of Jess and Malcolm. Malcolm became the owner of The Half Moon Bar under very sketchy circumstances. Hugh, the former owner, pulled a fast one. Jess wanted desperately to have a baby. After a gazillion medically assisted tries, a baby never happened. The development of the characters and the plot kept me interested throughout the book. The author writes very effectively about the bumps in the road for Jess and Malcolm and then brings it to a satisfying conclusion. It was slow-paced, but that was okay. I loved it and hated to see it end. . Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review The Half Moon. Ms. Keane is one of my favorite authors. It was a great read.

The Half Moon is one of those novels that if written by any other author, the book could have fallen flat. But Mary Beth Keane has that magic touch that elevates the story to the next level. I REALLY loved this book. It was very sharply written and also extremely relatable. The story is just about 2 people going through a rough time with their marriage.. but it just feels so real. I could not put this book down and actually finished reading it within a day! I can’t wait to see what this author writes next!

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane is about a couple who are having trouble becoming parents, which is something that causes grief, stress and sadness among many people that it happens to. The situation is very stressful and the two very busy would-be parents become angry and sad, and they take it out mostly on each other. They try for years and use their savings and more, which causes more problems.

There are twists of plot and suspense. It is very like life but more interesting. The book reads very quickly and is hard to put down. I highly recommend it!