Book reviews:

What happens when the dream that brought a marriage together is shattered? Can the marriage survive? The Half Moon is a beautifully written story about what happens to a marriage when life throws a dose of reality and a series of major disappointments into the mix. Mary Beth Keane allows us to get to know each of the characters so well, and I truly rooted for them each to find happiness whether together or apart.

This was almost a five star read for me, but I found parts of it to be a little unbelievable. Having been through a divorce this year, some of it was too close to home, and I had to put it down and come back to it a few times because some of the emotions and situations in the book were so familiar and tender. Ultimately I really enjoyed it and was rooting for the main characters throughout. MBK writes an excellent family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a character driven story of a marriage in shambles. Malcolm and Jess are a 40 something couple who have split up after years of infertility, disappointment, infidelity and struggles. The characters are very real and relatable and I definitely thought about them after I was done reading.

This was an interesting story of love, friendship, loyalty and hard decisions. Malcom is trying to get his life on track and thinks that buying the Half Moon bar is what he needs to do that. This book tells his story and the story of the woman he loves. I liked the strong character development and the emotional connection I felt to the main characters. This was a smart, touching fiction story.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

At first, I didn't quite like this book. The use of long sentences with tons of phrases were sometimes hard to follow in the beginning. But this book, which at its heart is about the relationship between Jess and Malcolm, is more than a mere family drama. While the book begins with Jess and Malcolm temporarily separating, a freak snowstorm brings all the problems, both business and personal, to a head. However, I would argue that this text really begins to hit its stride when we start to discover fraud. And it's true, there are many moments of fraud, fraudulent relationships and fraudulent payments, all of which pale in comparison to the big fraud that propels the climax of the text. So in the end, I really liked the text. Is it a good classroom book? No, but it's a great read for that week between Christmas and New Years.

I love Mary Beth Keane's novels. The way she writes her characters and stories are so relatable to real life. I found the couples struggles relatable and love that despite their hardships they found their way back to eachother.

I met Jess and Malcolm in the middle of a blizzard over the holidays and I won’t soon forget them. As I cozied up beside the fire, they invited me into their small-town bar and into the shambles of their marriage during an impending snowstorm.

Told in dual timelines, THE HALF MOON follows Malcolm and Jess through their struggles with infertility, infidelity, and their fledgling ownership of the HALF MOON bar. Their characters were flawed but had incredible depth and practically leapt off the page. The story so poignantly explores the minor marital missteps that can turn into a colossal unraveling if left unchecked. I love stories that ask readers to consider the paths in life not taken, and this was certainly no exception.

With its sticky floors and nights full of promise, The Half Moon bar is a character in and of itself. It’s that underdog you can’t help but root for. I loved the parallels between Jess & Malcolm’s relationship and the status of the bar and the impending weather.

I’ve been searching for the next We Are The Brennans and dare I say I’ve found it? Readers who enjoy family drama or a second chance romance won’t want to miss this one. I have Keane’s previous novel, ASK AGAIN, YES, sitting unread on my TBR shelf, but mark my words, it won’t stay unread for long.

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: May 2, 2023

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mary Beth Keane, and Scribner for the ARC!

After reading Ask Again, Yes and Fever by Keane I could not wait to read her next book- and it did not disappoint!

The Half Moon is a gritty book about the realities of marriage and pledging to spend your life with someone- a bond that is both strong and fragile. Malcom's dreams come true when he transitions from bartender to bar owner of The Half Moon when his mentor decides to retire. Jess is a lawyer whose life isn't turning out qhite like she envisioned it. Over 12 years of marriage Malcom and Jess have endured many ups and downs, and things spiral out of control before their town is shut down by back to back blizzards. When the storm is over, will their marriage survive?

Keane's masterful telling of a marriage in trouble is authentic, raw, heartbreaking, and full of empathy. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to Scribner for the advanced copy of this book.

Ever since I read Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, I've been waiting for what she would write next and highly anticipated this one.

A lot of what I loved about AGA spilled over into this one as well: beautifully written prose, unique and multi-dimemsional characters, generational family drama.

This story followed a married couple that was deeply struggling for many years with infertility and ultimately a marriage that was falling apart. The author slowly revealed reasons from both perspectives on what what wrong along the way.

While I did like the individual characters, I wasn't as connected to the story as I was hoping to be. Parts of the plot felt unnecessary and a couple times I got excited that something was going happen and then it was a fake-out.

I would recommend if you are a fan of slow-burn marriage dramas; unfortunately I don't think it was the best choice for me personally.

This book will be available on May 2, 2023.

In Mary Beth Keane's The Half Moon, two back-to-back blizzards have shut the town down and, being basically snowed in, Malcolm begins to take stock of his life. He's in massive debt, his business is failing, and his marriage is in shambles. Add to this the fact that a regular at his bar has gone missing and the police are asking questions. Malcolm is 45 years old and feels like he should have his life more together than this.

I loved the character development in this book. It jumps back and forth in time which allows readers to witness Malcolm and his wife Jess's relationship over many years, from their honeymoon days, through a long journey with infertility, to secrets and betrayals, and finally separation. I appreciated that the author treated both Malcolm and Jess fairly. Neither of them were set up as the "right" or "wrong" one. I found both of them likable and sometimes baffling in equal measure.

This might sound like a depressing story, and it was quite sad in parts, but ultimately I found the message that you can do a 180 on your life at any age rather uplifting. 4 stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Malcom owns the bar Half Moon. He and his wife Jess have tried for years to have a baby. She's left him and he's figuring life out. In a few short days, the town gets a huge snow storm and as it's arriving, he learns Jess has moved on. Then he finds out a regulator customer, who may have had a bit too much one night, also went missing. A good read!

I absolutely adored this author's first novel, Ask Again Yes, but this one was a bit difficult to get through. The prose didn't seem to flow as easily as her first novel.

Another engrossing novel of white and blue collar life from Keene, though this one doesn’t have the heart-wringing compulsion of Ask Again, Yes. Nevertheless, despite a less gripping plot with a saggy middle, her characters convey authenticity and the emotional bonds are the best, most convincing dimensions of the story. She remains one to watch.

Mary Beth Keane's novel The Half Moon is a beautifully told story about a marriage that begins to unravel when the disappointment of many failed fertility treatments takes its toll. Jess remains determined to explore every option that will lead her to motherhood but Malcolm has come to the end of his rope. The charismatic owner of The Half Moon bar is struggling to keep his business afloat amid one financial setback after another. As much as he adores Jess - and he truly does, from the first day they met - continuing treatment or pursuing adoption are no longer options when the previous owner of the Half Moon is sending his thugs to threaten Malcolm until he fully pays his debts.

Mary Beth Keane has created another masterpiece of real, raw, emotionally fragile, flawed, deeply likeable characters. Jess and Malcolm will live on in your mind - and your heart - long after the last page.

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane was eagerly awaited after her last book, Ask Again, Yes. The Half Moon's main character is Malcolm, a bar owner recently separated from his wife, Jess, an attorney. The characters were well-developed, but I would have liked a little more backstory on Malcolm's father and relationship with Hugh as well as a more nuanced storyline about the infertitilty and how that became a central factor in so much of Malcolm and Jess's story. Overall, I loved this book. I think the plot moved along well and there were definitely some twists that I did not see coming that made it all the more enjoyable. I will continue to look forward to Mary Beth Keane's future publications!

The Half Moon ruminates on the unfulfilled dreams and expectations of a Hudson Valley bar owner and his wife, in a town that's already seen its best days, with an overlay of blizzard, missing person and (maybe) the mob. This story was so melancholic, maybe a little too real, and deeply interested in the slowmotion heartache and uncomfortable compromises of being married for a long time. I don't think I was quite in the mood for something so wistful when I picked it up, thinking it would be more about the drama of the snowstorm and mystery of where the drunk banker went. The Half Moon is a good title – like a glass it's neither full nor empty, it's a state in-between – and I liked Mary Beth Keane's writing here, I just felt the story sat too long in the discomfit of unresolved relationship and career issues. Maybe that's the point.

I absolutely loved "Ask Again, Yes" and I was not disappointed by "The Half Moon." Mary Beth Keane has a unique ability to immerse and engross her readers fully into her character's worlds. I was consumed by this book early on, and throughout the book I kept wanting to know what will happen in Gillam. There is a lot going on with both of the two main characters and it seems impossible that this situation will resolve itself fully. In the end, things don't go back to the way they were and that is for the best. I think this is a good lesson for real life too - that we all change over time and we have to adapt to keep moving forward.

4.5 stars that I have to round up to 5 simply because this one of those stories that make your heart sigh. It is complicated and will hit close to home for many people. It is brutally real and touches on the many mistakes we humans are prone to make. How easy it is to lose one's self in marriage and families and just day to day life. It is shockingly simple how we can forget who we are and why we made the choices we did. And while we would all like to think we are such complex beings, we are all pretty much the same and severely flawed, just trying to make it through without hurting ourselves and others along the way. I really loved watching the journey this couple took because it was so very real.

Life and love is both complicated and simple I suppose and Keane is excellent at telling these stories. There's always hope, even when it seems unlikely that things will eventually work out. This is far less about the bar and more about how two ppl navigate their marriage. Malcolm is incredibly likeable as a character; Jess much less so but that doesn't make her less relatable. We spend less time with her so maybe I'd have liked her better if her narrative was fleshed out differently but Malcolm really pulls the story through and it's very well written even if some plot points teeter on the absurd. I finished it in a day, it's a winding story in dual narratives and timelines that doesn't give you much time to breath but the weight of what this couple is under punctuated by a storm that brings that home means I just kept reading. 3.5 stars

Loved, loved this book. The story of a marriage dealing with debt, infertility, infidelity. Add some interesting characters and a missing person, one is captivated until the very end! Kudos to the author.

THE HALF MOON
BY: MARY BETH KEANE

Mary Beth Keane is rapidly proving herself to become one of my favorite Authors due to her exquisite writing. This is her fourth novel that is being published called, "The Half Moon," and I loved it. Coincidentally, before I knew this beautifully written contemporary novel was written I had recently enjoyed her historical novel called, "Fever," which captivated me because it tells the story of Typhoid Mary who is strong willed, and doesn't think that she is making people sick and causing their death. She doesn't show any symptoms so she doesn't believe it is possible that she is infecting innocent people. My favorites of her work are this one, and "Ask Again, Yes." The depth of the characters trials and tribulations are palpable and Mary Beth Keane has the ability to allow me to feel the emotions that her characters are feeling. I think anybody who has read "Ask Again, Yes" and loved it will also love this one. I have loved all three of her novels and am eager to read the one that I missed. I knew that I was in good hands and knew next to nothing about this one. You can trust me about that. That going in totally blind was a reading experience that was heightened by choosing to take that route.


One thing that I have noticed about her stunning characterizations, which is evidenced in this one, is that she can capture her male's thinking and actions due to her brilliant character development. She can write both the female and male genders both so realistically and convincingly that I was absorbed so deeply while reading, "The Half Moon." I read most of it in one sitting because I didn't want to stop reading this excellent novel. The pacing was fast and her adept knowledge at innately writing what feelings, thoughts, and actions of the married couple in crisis had me hypnotized as any thriller would.

Malcolm and his wife separate for reasons I won't disclose because I don't want to give any spoiler material that would steal any readers enjoyment in discovering why for themselves. If reading about the real reasons why a marriage could reach a crisis interests you, then look no further than this fantastic contemporary novel, that is dripping in realism. I have read three out of four of Mary Beth Keane's work, and she is impressive for Authors writing literary fiction and historical fiction. I highly recommend you to read her novels called, "The Half Moon," "Ask Again, Yes," and "Fever." I hope that you love them as much as I did. I am seeking out the novel that I haven't read yet, to read next. I will read anything that she writes. Five Plus Stars from me! A Favorite!

The reason that I have said very little about the plot is that you can read the synopsis to find out more about this wonderful novel. I personally feel the less that I know about a book the greater the enjoyment of a reading experience that I have. My reviews tend to reflect how a novel makes me feel,
rather than me summarizing what can be gleaned by reading the blurb. I just will end by saying that I really enjoyed this novel and it is masterfully written. I was sad to finish this because I was so invested in the outcome of what transpires and that I loved the characters, and will miss them. All that you need to know is that you will be addicted to this and the characters are real, and that they are easy to keep straight. Enjoy!

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Mary Beth Keane and Scribner for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

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