From the author of Ask Again, Yes, a devastating and hopeful portrait of a marriage in crisis. Told over the course of one tumultuous week, a confluence of events—a blizzard, a missing person, and a shocking revelation—leads the couple to reckon with their past, and decide whether there's hope for their future. I drank this down.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane is a Story About Perception and Perspective!

It's hard to hold onto a dream. It's even harder when you and your spouse have different dreams.

Malcolm's dream is to own his own bar. It has to be the "Half Moon" where he's tended bar for years. When this bar is offered for sale, he'll be the buyer, at all costs.

Jess's dream is to have a baby. For years she'll go from doctor to doctor for the newest procedures to become pregnant, no matter the cost.

As both dreams begin to falter and fade, it creates tension, sadness and blame between Malcolm, Jess, and their marriage. Living in the small community where they grew up, even the most well-meaning family members and friends cause unnecessary interference and complications.

How can this relationship between Malcolm and Jess, and their marriage, possibly end well?

The Half Moon is the first book I've read by this author and I'm completely convinced she knows how to write character driven stories that dive deeply into a relationship. The atmosphere is thick, dark, and tense and both Malcolm and Jess are broken and damaged just like their marriage. It's heart-wrenching to read and to witness their pain. It's palpable.

It feels like the reader hears mostly from Malcolm, however Jess voices her memories and perspective of their relationship, giving a balance to the backstory and current standing of their marriage. I love the depth of detail the author shows this relationship in her storytelling.

There are several surprises as the storyline wanders and begins to feel like a story within a story, but it always travels back to Malcolm and Jess's marriage. IMHO the addition of this second storyline is a genius move by the author and creates another layer to the story and a different perspective overall. Pretty clever, Ms. Keane!

I love character driven stories, especially one that's as well-written as The Half Moon. I have a hardcopy of Ask Again, Yes sitting on my desk that I'll definitely be reading soon.

I love and highly recommend The Half Moon! 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for an ARC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

I loved Mary Beth Keane’s novel, Ask Again, Yes, so much, it felt life and heart changing. Yes, fiction can be that way for me even more than “self help” books. I insisted all I knew they had to read it. This zeal made me afraid to begin The Half Moon. I thought, there is no way it can be as all encompassing. Mary Beth has proven me wrong. The pages kept calling and I found myself not only reading of the blizzard which all in the story are in, but was right there with them. She illustrates for the reader how it is in the character’s imperfections, which ultimately make their humanity perfect, like few writers can. They are who we are. Will I drive all I know nuts again talking about The Half Moon? Absolutely!

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing me this book for my honest review. This is a very thought provoking character study primarily focused on a husband and wife. This book takes place during a week but there are flash backs that connect well to the present. I love how there are two perspectives- the husband and the wife. The reader really gets to know each character so much that it feels like the reader is in the bar too. This book really makes the reader think of life and choices made. This book and these characters will stay with me for quite some time. If you love character driven books then this is one to pick up. Thank you so much again to Net Galley, the publisher, and author.

Received as an ARC through NetGalley and Simon & Schuster. Mary Beth Keane's newest novel, The Half Moon, traces a marriage through a winter storm, but also the storm of small business ownership and unwillingness to see beyond one's hometown.

Malcolm has lived his entire life in his hometown and worked most of his adult life at The Half Moon. When he purchases the bar from his retiring boss, he finds that he has bit off far more than he can handle. While his professional struggles continue, you find out that he is also struggling with his marriage and his wife, Jess, has left him.

Keane has an ability to make her characters feel very lived in and relatable. She also delves deep into the psychology of a marriage in a way that many other authors would make feel imaginary. Her characters, including Malcolm and Jess, feel very real.

While this book isn't nearly as much of a gut punch as Ask Again, Yes, Keane has created an exceptional story that will show readers that leaving the comforts of home can actually be what is really needed.

Malcom and Jess are separated and the evening the story opens- there is a blizzard starting. The couple tried for years to have a child and are now both at a crossroad in their lives. Malcom is pursuing his dream of owning the bar and Jess is a successful attorney. Also that evening a regular customer of the Half Moon goes missing. The entire story takes place in one week.
thought the storyline as well as the characters were realistic. The former however is depressing at times, and I wondered how anyone could come out of it okay, especially Malcolm. I definitely had doubts and blinders on.
I was completely enraptured by this couple's story and the direction it would take me. The characters are well-developed, with distinctive voices. The first 2/3 of the story was so stressful. However, the last third of the book became noticeably more clunky in writing and plot development. I was also hoping for a bigger reveal to bring the story full circle but I appreciated the way the ending was written. It was believable and not all tied up nice and neat, just like real life. But it was hopeful, which satisfied me. Keane is an excellent storyteller. I look forward to more from her in the very nearfuture.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

🌜The Half Moon by @marybethkeane
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Malcolm and Jess are a young, ambitious married couple. Malcolm dreams of owning the Half Moon bar when his boss retires. Jess, his wife and lawyer, sees it as a stretch in their finances.
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While Malcolm sees it as his life's dream with nothing but benefits, quickly changes when the bills begin to pile up.
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Behind the day to day at the bar, Malcolm and Jess have struggled with their plans to start a family and this begins to take a toll on their relationship.
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What made me fall for Mary Beth's stories has been her ability to create characters that feel like they could be your next door neighbors- which is what I loved in Ask Again Yes. I was so engrossed by the Half Moon, Malcolm and Jess' heartaches as a couple and as individuals. This book moved me.

Malcolm is an outgoing bar owner who is struggling to keep The Half Moon afloat. After working there for years, he jumped at the chance to buy it when the owner, Hugh, retired, but he's finding it isn't easy to make changes to a local institution. Malcolm's wife, Jess, works at a law firm and is longing to start a family. She's finding it difficult to combine her stressful job with her efforts to get pregnant. The story takes place over the course of one week, but there are a lot of flashbacks to the events that led up to all the characters' current situations. Life moves on until a deadly blizzard changes everything - one of Malcolm's customers seemingly disappears, Jess considers moving on with a ready-made family new to the area, and Malcolm's deal with Hugh seems to have not been completely above board. I enjoyed the author's writing style, and the way she combined small-town life with life in the big city (in this case Manhattan). This was mostly a character-driven story, and I felt like I knew them (well, most of them) well. Many thanks to Ms. Keane, Scribner, and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

I enjoy reading books with dual narration. Unfortunately, I just could not get into The Half Moon. I attempted several times but was unable to connect with the characters.

3.5 stars out of respect for the author and the fact that The Half Moon is likely is just not the right book for me at this time. I will keep in on my "to be read" list and will update this review in the event that my opinion changes.

I received this book as an Arc and I was excited to go on the journey with the characters. Unfortunately, I had a hard time following all of the time jumps that happened within each chapter as one minute it was the present and the next it was the past, and back and forth. I also, felt that while I enjoyed the characters I couldn't relate to them, and too much time was spent on their problems I felt that I wanted to skim a lot because it felt redundant. Maybe I was looking for a more upbeat book to read right now, either way, the book was well-written and the characters developed.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane is a realistic and heart-rending story.
A very well written and thought provoking read.
Beautifully written with unforgettable characters.
The author does a great job of developing the characters and making you invested in their lives.
The characters in this story are captivating and they make this novel so hard to put down.
I loved this new story by Keane and would defiantly recommend it.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You Netgalley and Scribner for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Half Moon by the author of As Again Yes follows the demise of a marriage and a bar. Mal and Jess marry young in a shotgun wedding. They’re in love, they’re pregnant … then not. And time goes by while they struggle though fertility treatments. Golden boy Mal buys a bar, The Half Moon, without Jess’ consent. Mal has always been lucky and the kind of guy that skates on his good looks and personality. But that can’t save the bar or his crumbling marriage. Jess has become bitter, frustrated and starts looking outside her marriage for validation. The story rotates in time and perspective all the while so you get a sense of each characters musings. All that said, I never felt that close to these characters. I appreciated how the marriage and even the bar failed and how that was tracked but this book was missing something for me. The writing was plain, nothing fancy, though it mostly kept me engaged. I think it was both not deep enough, not edgy enough or not special enough for me. I compared it to We Are the Brennans which I sort of felt the same about. It wasn’t bad but I never “got” why I should care for the Brennans or why they were special and I guess I felt a bit of the same sentiment here. That said I think a lot of folks will love this and maybe if you haven’t read ask again yes you’ll love this more than I did. This isn’t necessarily a family drama but a marriage drama. And maybe I wasn’t expecting that either.
Probably a 3.75 but rounding up here

A couple’s marriage is strained by infertility, infidelity, and an unpaid debt on a bar that the husband bought without his wife's informed consent.

I found the first part of this book to be a bit of a grind. The relentless focus on the couple’s problems put me on edge, and the timeline jumped all over the place in a way that made it hard to follow. Things picked up near the end when they got together to deal with the bar, but it was hard going to get there.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

The Half Moon
by Mary Beth Keane
Pub Date: May 2, 2023
Scribner
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts on this book!
This story captures your heart because it is so real! This book was a sad, realistic, marriage story. This book grabbed me from the beginning. Malcom was a bit slower for me to warm up to.
I liked that the book was hopeful at the end. I liked this book much more than Keane's first novel, Ask Again.
I highly recommend this book.
4 stars

Relationship's... It's complicated. Malcom and Jess have a history, through various circumstances they are brought together and torn apart. Well written, the author moves back and forth between the two characters
telling two very personal perspectives.

I loved the writing and the characters in this story. Mary Beth Keane writes about a marriage that is in trouble after dreams are deflated and the timing and plot are right on.I read this book in two sittings and highly recommend. It is a bit depressing but super realistic as anyone who has struggled in a marriage will agree.
I just loved the way the story moved along and the sidebar mysteries that unfolded and the downright dirty tricks and dealings going on outside of the main story. This is a must read for anyone that needs realistic fiction in their lives.

I am deeply appreciative to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Keane digs deep into what it means to be married and takes a hard look at where one draws the line. Her fine prose left me cheering for both Malcolm and Jess at different times. Although this story was dark at times, Keane shines a light for you to follow their stories to the end.

Aside from the heartbreaking narrative of living with infertility, this story delves into the missteps of relationships, and how quickly they add up. She poses questions you may even change the answers to once you realize both sides of the story add up to one incredible tale of love, heartache, and second chances—in both love and life.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This one had moments where I thought it was going to be interesting, but then I got bogged down by the lack of a moving plot. I chose not to finish this one.

I love Mary Beth Keane! 'She has such a beautiful style of writing - cathartic and relatable. I think this one will be a hit, once again. I love the drama of the restaurant and how the familial relationships tie in.

Once I again I call on editors everywhere to EDIT THE BOOK!!! I am curious how so many books seem they had no editor. This was good- but def could have been better with editing.