Keane is an excellent writer, particularly with character development. The same goes for “The Half Moon.” Malcolm is having a helluva week in this book between his failing marriage with Jess, the struggling bar his somewhat owns, an upcoming snowstorm, worrying about his mom, and a patron who’s gone missing. Some of this felt relatable in how life is, but too many plot points led to the book fizzling out.

I absolutely loved "Ask Again, Yes" so I was really looking forward to this book. I once again enjoyed Mary Beth Keane's writing, but I didn't feel as connected as I wanted to be with the characters and the plot seemed too obvious. I've seen other reviewers complaining about the structure and how the story jumps back and forth in time but that really wasn't an issue for me. I never got confused or annoyed by the flashbacks. The Half Moon just didn't hold up for me next to 'Ask Again, Yes' but that won't stop me from reading whatever Mary Beth Keane writes next.

Enjoyable, well written novel that takes a reader into the lives of a young couple trying to get established after they were married and start a family. As most married couples quickly learn, things rarely go as planned in marriage (or in life for that matter, too). And Jess and Malcolm in the book are no exception when infertility challenges arise. The character development of Malcolm is strong, perhaps a bit too much so, in that at times it overshadows his wife, Jess. A couple subplots are interwoven about halfway through the novel, which keep the storyline moving along. I feel that the novel would still be enjoyable if one of those subplots had been left out. Overall, I think people will enjoy this one and recommend it!

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my ARC to read and review.

Poetic, compelling and so, so real -- The Half Moon paints a gripping portrait of a failing marriage in small town America. Alternating between Malcolm and Jess's point of view, the novel recounts the events that lead to their separation and what takes place after.

I enjoyed the characterisation of both the focalisers. Keane brought out their virtues and vices subtly, making the characters realistic. The language was beautiful but not over the top, and made for a fairly enjoyable read.

My only criticism is the subplot with Tripp was unnecessary and dragged the book on. It took me about half a day to get through the first two-thirds of the book and then three more to get through the last third. I liked reading it the first time, but I wouldn't read it again.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The old wooden sign above the door of this bar showcases a carving of a crescent moon, and customers love pointing out how inaccurate the sign is when entering the Half Moon bar.

In storytelling details like this, Keane shines in this slow-burn portrait of a childless couple searching for a purpose and direction in their forties.

The reader is introduced to Malcolm, who worked at the Half Moon bar for twenty-four years before he bought it.

This bar holds a history for him because it is where he has learned everything from fixing a running toilet to soldering a pipe. He also seems to relish being the tried-and-true vessel for his regular customers' worries and complaints. However, his current preoccupation lies not in his joy in running the bar but in the lack of financial resources to make it into the bar he knows it can be.

Meanwhile, Malcolm's wife, Jess, struggles with her own. A successful lawyer, she's been trying for years to start a family but is coming to terms with the possibility that motherhood may not be in her future. This six-and-a-half-year battle consumes Jess's life, where her first waking thought is singularly focused on what her ovaries are doing.

As both Malcolm and Jess confront the reality of their aspirations and the ticking clock of their youth, they must also navigate the turmoil of a tumultuous week that includes the disappearance of a regular customer during a major blizzard in their town.

I loved how Keane writes about the challenges of trying to blend a family and the fertility challenges that her character faces in relatable ways that had me highlighting passages.

This book did not match my expectations of her finely crafted Ask, Again, Yes, but much of that also landed in weird structural waters.

The story jumps from past to present with no clear indication of the change for the reader, making it difficult to keep track of where in the characters' lives certain events occurred.

That doesn't discredit this storyteller, and if you enjoyed We are the Brennans and craving a quiet story, the two were similarly built.

This novel will hit store shelves on May 2nd!

This was my first read from Mary Beth Keene and I hope this book isn’t my last due to how I felt towards Half Moon. I didn’t quite enjoy the time jumps in the story. It made it difficult for me to keep up with the story. I think it was just a little confusing or my liking . How I mentioned before this was my first read from Mary Beth Keene and I’m hoping this book didn’t ruin the rest of her work.
Overalll the story is very real and heartfelt. I know many people who will see themselves along the characters of the book. I really appreciated the character development along the way. This story deals with infertility, divorce, finding one self, and even has a missing person investigation. I would tell people to read this book for themselves and give it a try cause at the end of the day it was a good read.

Interesting characters, interesting plot, well written prose that moves us along. Should be a good fit with our patrons.

I personally stopped at 12% but it should be an easy 3-4 stars for our usual readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

Thank you again NetGalley for the chance to read a highly anticipated book that I was very much looking forward to. Ask Again, Yes is definitely one of my favorite books I've read in the last five years so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Although I did really like this book, I didn't connect with it quite the same way though. The characters are great. Mary Beth Keane writes them with such specific detail and feelings that they always feel so vivid, authentic, and flawed, like people we would all know. And their marriage struggles and trials were also written so well. But ultimately, some of the plot of this book just felt off. I really loved the first half but felt that the storyline was a little unbelievable in the last section and some parts wrapped up too neatly for me. Probably a 3 1/2 star book rounded up for superb writing and memorable characters that I enjoyed spending time with.

3.5/5 rounded down

There’s a lot to love in this book. Incredibly well written characters, beautiful articulations of daily struggles and how the pains of disappointment can transform you as a person and a perfectly woven setting are the top three that come to mind.

The story follows the dissolution of a marriage and the struggle of what happens next, and despite all of the above I really struggled to connect. Perhaps it’s the slow burn of it, perhaps it was the few times the book started going somewhere only to not finish that route, but at the end of the day it just left me wanting a bit more. More for Malcom and Jess, but more for myself for the time it took to read.

If you like complex relationship dramas or are obsessed with small town dive bars, you should definitely pick this up.

Malcolm owns a bar that is run-down and probably on its last legs. Jess, his wife, is a successful attorney. They have been trying for years to have a baby and now, in their forties, realize that's probably not going to happen. Jess has moved out and is living with another man.

A blizzard of epic proportions is bearing down on the city. From this point on, it is almost the blizzard that controls the story. Together and separately, Malcolm and Jess try to re-evaluate their lives, both together and apart. Malcolm worries about his mother, he worries about the bar employees who are holed up in their respective homes; he worries that the bar will survive the intense cold and of course the power is out. Then the police make it to his house and ask if he knows anything about a patron who has gone missing. From there the story twists and turns.

Told in dual timelines, there were times it was confusing as to who was speaking and if this was past or present times. I had difficulty investing myself in this story and its characters.

Was intrigued, but unable to finish. Might pick it up later, but I flew too close to the sun by picking up way too many books from the library.

Malcolm and Jess’s marriage is very familiar and normal. Both have their life’s dreams but only Malcom’s seems to come true, temporarily. The struggle of infertility and its endless procedures and costs weigh heavy on the marriage as does the struggling bar they “own”. The story is an interesting and heartbreaking tale of everything falling apart and the courage to hold on to a real love.

This is a story of the dreams we have, the ones that come true, and those that don’t. The desires of a married couple whose visions seem blinded by their individual desires.

Malcolm Gephardt, is a bartender at one of those bars where it seems everyone there knows the lives of each other inside and out. Malcolm is married to Jess, a lawyer, who loves her life with Malcolm, and as much as she loves her career, what she really wants is to have a baby. And they try, over and over they try, spending money they really can’t afford to spend in order for Jess’s wish to come true, in addition to the therapist they’re seeing - who isn’t cheap - to deal with their struggles over if/when to stop trying to conceive.

Malcolm’s boss is retiring and Malcolm decides this is the time to make his dream of owning a bar a reality. He has years of ideas he’s collected to make it attractive to a broader clientele, and therefore more prosperous. The problem is that while he’s spent years there as a bartender, knows his side of the business inside and out, he knows very little about owning and running a business successfully.

Meanwhile, Jess is still focused on wanting to have a baby, even though all of their attempts to conceive had failed, and those bills are adding up, as well. She needs time to decide on what this means, what to do next, unwilling to let go of this desire, despite how much it is draining them both, physically and financially. She needs a break from their lives together.

And then everything seemingly collapses like dominoes. An epic blizzard changes everything, one of Malcolm’s regular customers appears to be missing, the power is out, there are people that need to be checked on, and decisions that need to be made.

A story of family, of love - who, how, and why we love, the decisions that follow when all seems lost, and learning to accept love for what it is.


Pub Date: 02 May 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Scribner

Mary Beth Keane has the ability to paint a visceral picture of the pain of human relationships and like Ask Again, Yes she does it flawlessly in The Half Moon. Keane is able to depict how a crisis in a marriage, such as infertility can chip away at the individual soul of the woman, and the helpless and silent grief of the man, leading both to wonder what to do with themselves and their dreams. The differing points of view gave me insight into each of their experiences leading me to cheer for, and yell in frustration around the decisions they make to tear each other apart and come together in grief.

Thanks for the ARC NetGalley and Scribner!

This is a beautifully written tale of a marriage and the trials and tribulations of surviving it. It’s character-driven and very relatable. Very poignant and lovely with a twist or two along the way.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoy domestic dramas about how tough marriage can be so this was right up my alley, I did definitely enjoy this but found it to be a bit slow in parts. Still absolutely worth the read.

After a long battle with infertility, bar owner Malcolm and lawyer-wife Jess come to an impasse. She looks elsewhere, and he is basically running the bar into the ground with no way out. At the same time, there's an epic snow storm and a questionable bar patron who goes missing.

I blew through this, wanting to know if they work it out, if the bar makes it, if there's a baby, I appreciate how Mary Beth Keane writes male characters, and how she manipulates time. Very solid, if not necessarily ground breaking.

A fantastic family drama! I loved Ask Again Yes and this did not disappoint. Keane beautifully portrays the ups and downs of family life and all the emotions that accompany it. A must read!!!

This story was interesting because it wasn’t anything spectacular meaning some over the top story. It was deep and real. It was something that could happen to us when we fall into the routines of our everyday life. I appreciated that part of the story.

The realness of this story made it hard to read at times, it touched a level of vulnerability that anyone married for the long haul can relate. Much like Ask Again, Yes this book will stay with me long after reading.