3 stars: a good, solid book. Not as interesting or engaging as "Ask Again, Yes," a 5-star book that was one of my favorite books of 2020. Having said that, I would recommend the book to a wide spectrum of readers.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner and the author for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when the dreams you’ve had as a couple begin to diverge?

We meet Malcolm and Jess as they are at a crossroads in their marriage and in their lives. Malcolm has always dreamed of owning his own bar but now that it has come to fruition, he is struggling to stay afloat financially. Jess has always dreamed of being a mother but after years of failed fertility treatments and devastating miscarriages, she is finding it hard to accept that being a mother may not be in the cards for her. Recently separated, they are both trying to figure out what they want when a huge snowstorm hits town and a bar patron mysteriously goes missing.

This book had the small town setting that I love - I could just imagine hanging out at The Half Moon - and an infertility storyline that hit close to home. There were many relatable elements, yet it still fell a bit flat for me. The pacing was very slow until the last 25% and the point of view would shift confusingly at times. I found myself going back to reread parts to figure out what timeline we were in. Malcolm and Jess’ lack of communication was very frustrating. I wanted to clunk their heads together like the Stooges. I understand they are meant to be flawed but without empathy for the characters, I ultimately didn’t care about their fate. The subplot of the missing patron was also underwhelming. I was expecting this to be a much more emotional read than it turned out to be.

If you like slow burn character/family dramas, this may be your jam. Do be sure to check trigger warnings - specifically for pregnancy loss and IF - before you dive in.

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for gifting me an ARC of Mary Beth Keane’s newest novel The Half Moon. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

I’m a long time fan of author Mary Beth Keene and was very excited to receive a copy of her latest novel. Once again she proves adept at writing contemporary fiction, especially messy, complicated, realistic families. The first half of this story felt so much like ordinary life that I found myself wanting to escape the monotony of the book but then a sudden surprise changes the tone and narrative. MBK is such a gifted writer and this book proves her skills.

A story of love, responsibility, marriage and the emotional and financial strain infertility can create on a couple. Add in a major snowstorm, a missing bar patron and some devastating news and you get the perfect storm facing Malcom Gephart, owner of The Half Moon bar and his estranged wife, Jessica. In the course of one week years of fissures will come to a head.

Poignant and genuine, reflective and refreshing this book will make you examine at what price are you willing to follow your dreams?

Publishes May 2, 2023💖

Malcolm and Jess have been married for several years when they really begin to struggle with their different priorities. Malcolm is finally the owner of The Half Moon, a local bar that he has worked at and cherished for years. Unfortunately, he bought the bar from a friend who selfishly pressures and threatens Malcolm for money that isn’t available. While Malcolm has big dreams for the bar, Jess is focused on her struggles with infertility and the money spent on her medical bills becomes a source of contention for the couple. The main story takes place over a week or so with frequent “flashbacks” that reveal the backstory of Jess and Malcolm’s relationship. During this week, a side story/mystery around one of the bar patrons is developed and intertwined with the couple’s struggles and decisions.
This book is well written, definitely leaning towards literary fiction with a deep look at a struggling marriage. The issues around money, priorities, infertility and infidelity are portrayed well by the author. The characters did seem flat to me and not all that likable - their decisions seemed to lack emotion but both of them were reactive and lost. I found the flashbacks confusing at times as there was no clear introduction to them and I often wondered which time frame the story was in and had to backtrack to see how the story got there. The book moved slowly at first but the mystery around the patron, Tripp seemed to pick things up. Other than being interesting, Tripp’s story appeared to be unnecessary but came together nicely in influencing Malcolm and Jess’s eventual mutual decision-making. Overall, I enjoyed the book and liked the ending.
#NetGalley, #Scribner Books

This is a story about a marriage in crisis. It takes place over the course of one week, during which a small town in upstate NY gets blanketed by a late spring snowstorm.

Malcolm the owner of the Half Moon. He worked there as a bartender for years and when his boss finally retires, he seizes his chance to make it his own. He’s one of those people who doesnt sweat the small stuff and believes things will always work out- but the pressures of being a business owner are getting to him.

His wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career, but after years of trying for a baby, she's struggling to accept the idea that motherhood might not be in her future. She finds herself slipping away from both her career and her marriage, and is beginning to wonder what the rest of her life holds.

The book opens right as the blizzard is about to hit. There’s a weird energy in the air and Malcolm’s two best friends fill him in on some shocking news about Jess. Not only that- there’s a bar fight involving one of his regulars - and then everything gets frozen in place when the storm hits.

I loved this book. MBK has such a unique writing style- it’s intimate, it’s a little meandering, but when I read her, i trust that she’s going to bring us something good. It’s worth mentioning that the plot centers pretty heavily around infertility, so if that’s not something you want to read about then I would pass. what worked particularly well for me was her descriptions of malcolm as a bar owner. My dad has owned restaurants my entire life, and i’m very familiar with the ups and downs that can go with this profession. I thought she nailed it- i was tense and i was rooting for him, even though many of his struggles were his own doing. I also appreciated jess as a character. She is very different from me but i felt for her, and i especially emphasized with her struggle to reconcile the difference between the life she thought she’d have at 20 vs the life she’s living now. This is VERY character driven and not much happens, particularly in the first half, but i didnt care. I was happy to spend time with these characters in their hometown

I was really excited to get this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. I just could not get into this story. It was good writing, maybe a bit overly detailed. I liked the characters, but I just could not relate because I am not in the situation of the characters. 3 stars because the writing was good, just be aware of trigger warnings before picking this up.

An ordinary couple trying to live a fulfilling life discover that even with their best efforts life is challenging. This seemingly ordinary premise in the hands of Mary Beth Keane, a master writing craftsman evolves into a vividly told story. Malcolm and Jess marry in their early twenties. Jess finishes law school and Malcolm works at his hometown bar. They buy a home, they try everything to have children. At age 39 Jess doesn’t make partner, and Malcolm makes a risky deal to buy the bar. Finally, all the pressures and disappointments lead to decision time for this meticulously drawn couple.

Written in third person omniscient, Keane pulls in the reader to the lives of this pair. Using a snow storm to represent the claustrophobic nature of their relationship adds a compelling aspect to the story. This is truly an outstanding novel.

Sophomore novels are hard as readers so often compare to the debut; I'm going to try hard and not do that here. I really loved that this entire novel takes place over the course of just a week. There's a certain intensity that comes with writing something like that. I also loved the setting; it felt like home. Some of the storylines felt a bit used, but I still cared about the characters so much and couldn't put this book down once I sunk in.

While I loved Ask Again, Yes, unfortunately The Half Moon didn't have quite the same impact on me. The story of a struggling marriage with rather unlikable characters was tough to resonate with. Since I loved Keane's prior novel so much, I'll still be looking forward to more from her in the future.

Mary Beth Keane shines once again in this breathtaking novel. I thought Ask, Again, Yes, would be impossible to top, but this is the best book of 2023 so far.

I loved Ask Again, Yes, and was thrilled to receive an advanced reading copy of The Half Moon. Keene is a master of characterization and I fell in love with both Malcolm and Jess. The story unfolds through dual timelines and carries the same family, multigenerational drama that fills the pages of Ask Again, Yes. The narration focuses on Malcolm and Jess's marriage which is in shambles, but then the reader is privy to flashbacks, memories, and the past to fill in the early days of their relationship, the choices that each made to see their dreams come to life, and the aspects of their marriage that they sacrificed along the way and lead to their separation.

Malcolm is a handsome, charming bartender who dreams of making his recently purchased Half Moon bar a grand success, but must balance the pressures of fulfilling the terms of the deal he made with the bar's previous owner, Hugh, a mobster type who sends his goons to intimidate Malcom. Malcolm is strapped for cash and struggling to remain afloat after the couple spent thousands upon thousands on fertility treatments to fulfill Jess's dream of becoming a mother. The final straw came when Jess, a lawyer, found out about the casual deal that Malcolm made with Hugh in secret, compiled with Malcolm's decision to stop trying for a baby. Jess leaves and seeks comfort in other places.

The way that Keane captures the heartache, confusion, ambivalence, and disappointment that ravage both Malcolm and Jess pulls at your heart strings and at times, fills you with dread for this poor couple. How could they ever pull through this mess they have created?

When a historical blizzard hits the town, Malcolm is forced to confront the reality that is his life as the financial pressures, reality of Jess's betrayal in leaving him, and a strange mystery at the bar bring everything to a head. Jess's choices also catch up to her as she is also snowed in and realizes that maybe what she was longing for was already hers in the ways that are most important. I was so emotionally invested in these characters and won't be soon to forget Malcolm and Jess.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

Actual Rating: 2.0

I was really hoping this would be emotionally harrowing for me, but it unfortunately just didn’t click.

The plot is relatively simple. It follows Malcolm Gephardt and his wife Jess through their marital issues. The bar that Malcolm recently purchased is struggling to stay afloat, and Jess is feeling her youth slip away as the two of them fail to conceive a child.

I think infertility and the marital issues that this book touches on are very worthy topics, but the story itself felt very flat. I found myself not really caring what the outcome would be or not even feeling that this was an important story to tell; there’s also an overarching subplot about a missing bar patron but it’s not something I felt that emotionally invested in. All in all, the final results just felt a little underwhelming.

I actually really enjoyed the tidbits we read about Jess and Malcolm in the past and was kind of craving more of it. I think it might’ve helped me connect with both of them more because ultimately I found both of them bland and not that interesting to follow.

The writing style was fine; there were some great lines but overall everything is pretty straightforward. I think it simply would’ve hit harder had the plot or the characters clicked more with me.

Overall, this is definitely a slow burn. I enjoy those but this one in particular didn’t hit me. The only people I’d recommend this to are those who enjoy slice-of-life contemporary stories, but even within that, there's definitely a more specific, smaller group of people this will click more with.

This started off very slow but picked up once I got used to the writing style and understood the characters. This is a character driven story about a couple who owns a bar and their struggles with infertility.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mary Beth Keane is an ARTIST. Highly recommend this to anyone that is a fan! All the stars from me. Loved it.

This book just wasn’t for me. As much as I loved Ask Again Yes, I found this book to be hard to follow, slow, and uninteresting. The writing needed some editing down, and I’m sad it just didn’t work for me at all.

Malcolm Gephardt, owner of the struggling Half Moon bar, and his wife Jess are having some serious marital problems. And unfortunately that’s an understatement. At the time that a huge blizzard wipes out Gillam, New York, it’s been seventeen weeks since she left. Over the course of a long snowy weekend, we learn their story. The difficulty of the current state of their marriage is apparent in the present while flashbacks show us the twists and turns of how they got there.

I think it is a challenge to write a book that prioritizes character over plot and unfortunately this one didn’t quite rise to the challenge. I felt that author Mary Beth Keane wrote this book to excel in character development, then worried it wouldn’t be enough so she threw in some unnecessary elements. For example, I often enjoy books told from multiple perspectives and timelines, but this one didn’t pull it off as smoothly as I would have liked. There are also a couple side storylines that don’t feel necessary and therefore distract from the main characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the advance copy of this book.

This fantastic book cements author Mary Beth Keane into my favorite authors list. A beautifully written, gripping novel.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success, but struggles to stay afloat.

His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying for a baby, she is facing the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away and wonders how to reshape her future.

Award-winning author Mary Beth Keane’s new novel takes place over the course of one week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town of Gillam, trapping everyone in place. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, the complicated intimacy of small-town living, and what it means to be a family.

Out on May 2.

Thank you, Mary Beth Keane, Scribner, and Netgalley, for the gifted eARC.

Malcolm Gephardt has been a bartender at the Half Moon for years. When the owner decides to retire, Malcolm jumps on his offer to buy the bar. Malcolm's wife, Jess, is a lawyer. They have been struggling to have a child for years, the bar isn't doing as well as Malcolm had hoped, and their finances are in shambles. Malcom and Jess's marriage is in a very delicate place right now and may not survive.

If you're looking for a fast-paced, fun, light read, this is not the book for you. The Half Moon is an intimate look at the broken marriage of Malcolm and Jess. It's told over the course of a week, during a snowstorm that shuts down an entire town. We get to read both Malcolm and Jess's POVs in both the past and present. Malcolm and Jess both tell about their life in the present and their experiences of how their marriage got to the place it is. This is a character driven story and not a plot driven story. I love that this book looks at how messy marriage can be, but also how love can bring you through the toughest of times. This book was so beautifully written, and I found myself drawn into Malcolm and Jess's lives and rooting for them to pull through. Trigger Warnings: miscarriage, infertility, infidelity.

As someone experiencing infertility, this book really hit home. I loved Mary Beth Keane's last book- but this one was even better in my opinion. Watching the marriage fall apart- and then slowly mend itself only once it had gone up in flames- was beautiful. Will be reviewing it next week during National Infertility Awareness Week on @overeducatedwomenwithcats and our website www.overeducatedwomenwithcats.com

Many thanks to my friends at @scribner and @simon.audio for this #gifted copies of this book.

Messy. Vulnerable. Relatable.

Growing up watching Disney fairytales, I used to think the kiss indicated the end of the journey. We see the embrace, fireworks erupt, and then they ride off into the sunset. <end scene/curtain call>

But as a grownup, I quickly learned that wasn’t true. The kiss is only the beginning.

It’s rare that I watch fairytales anymore. These days, I tend to find more satisfaction in authenticity. And that is why Keane’s newest novel, The Half Moon, worked so well for me.

We meet Malcomb and Jess in the midst of crisis. Failed dreams, inordinate debt, and poor decisions have left deep cracks in the foundation of their relationship.

It’s a book about a bar that’s really about a marriage. (Ironically, bars and marriages have a lot in common.) Set amongst the backdrop of a life-stopping blizzard, we ponder the frozen status of a husband and wife, wondering if the temperature of their union will thaw alongside the weather outside.

Reading The Half Moon, I was deeply drawn into the predicament Mal and Jess faced.
It felt so REAL. It’s not indicative of my life. And yet, the decisions that pile up…the way small cracks can become something more if not properly handled… I’ve known this to be so true.

There’s a universality to the crisis Keane pens between Malcolm and Jess. An authenticity that I connected with, even in the characters’ most *unlikeable* moments.

And while I think the humanity in this story will find its home with many readers, I also recognize that many plot points will be hard to swallow for some.

As someone who walked the road of infertility, it’s important to note that it plays a big role in this story. More than a decade after my experience, I still felt a bit of a twinge when reading it here.

This made for a terrific buddy read with one of my favorites, @rachellelovesbooks. I loved seeing this book through a different set of eyes as we contemplated the mistakes, the options, and the outcome.