I had to really sit with this one for awhile after I read it. I absolutely love the writing style of this and Ask Again, Yes. It took me a bit longer to get into this one, but once I did I was RIVETED. The characters are all so heartbreakingly human and it is both painfully relatable and absolutely infuriating. I don’t know whether or not I liked the ending, and I mean that in the best way - I was so genuinely conflicted by everyone’s decisions, and that felt like exactly how I was supposed to feel. Once again, Keane delivers a complex and thoroughly emotional story that sticks with you long after you’re finished.

I was very excited about reading this novel, since I loved Keanu’s earlier novel. This book focuses on Malcom Gephardt and his wife. Like many couples, their lives and happiness devolve around the problem of infertility. They are drained emotionally and financially by this problem. Their situation is made worse by the tremendous drain of THE HALF MOON, a bar Malcom has purchased after working there for many years.

I found the novel bogged down by the money and fertility issues that became repetitive. This was a dark story, which I found difficult to get through. The author does resurrect the story, but o simply didn’t enjoy it.

Thank you Netgalley for this novel by a very gifted author.

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.

I adored Ask Again, Yes and was SO THRILLED to see a new release from Mary Beth Keane. I just finished and I love this one almost as much. I really enjoy her writing style...I can't explain what it is exactly but it just really speaks to me. Great story and can't wait for the next one!

Malcolm began as a young bartender at The Half Moon and eventually becomes the owner. He is devoted to the success of the bar and the family of employees and customers that revolve around the bar stools; sometimes at the peril of his marriage to Jess. The couple is struggling with infertility and The Half Moon is teetering financially. The story takes place over the course of one week when a blizzard blows into town forcing the the bar doors to close and Malcolm and Jess to face the disarray of their life.

Themes include: unrealized dreams, various permutations of family, infertility, infidelity, temptation, and forgiveness.

Loved, loved this book. It’s a story about Jess and Malcolm, their marriage and their recent separation. It really drew me in and couldn’t stop reading!

I could not wait to get my hands on the book. Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again Yes was one of my favorite books that I read that year and one I’d recommend to almost anyone.

This book had so much potential for me. I grew up as a kid of a bar manager/owner. I know how rough the business can be. At first the main couple’s struggles with miscarriage and infertility really tugged at my heart strings, having been through a bit of that myself.

However, after a bit, both of the main characters crappy decisions really just annoyed me. I didn’t necessarily blame the wife for leaving initializing, but the choices she made in doing so were not good. The husband definitely screwed up, multiple times. They both make some terrible choices regarding the bars financial woes. At one point I was ready to give up on the book because of this.

The most interesting part of the story ended up being a side plot that didn’t have a whole lot to do with the main couple. A bar customer goes missing. This is resolved without much fanfare at the end and really had no effect on the outcome.

Ultimately the resolution to the big issue of the bars finances comes out of nowhere which isn’t relevant to much of the rest of the story. The book dragged on and the ending sort of felt pulled out of a hat.

Malcolm Gephardt is a charming hard worker just dreaming of owning his own bar. He jumps at the chance when his boss retires and purchases the buidling against his wife's wishes. What happens next is magical!

I won't lie, I didn't enjoy the first third of the novel and was having trouble connecting with the characters and the plot. But BOY did it take off after that (snowstorm!) I loved the story and was very emotionally invested. This is not a thriller per se, but I was glued to this book until I found out how it ended. If you love family tales, weather based thrillers, or just love good writing, The Half Moon is for you!
#Scribner

Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes contained some insights into the ways we turn away from things we want so badly to fix, and how we can hurt the people we love. The author’s The Half Moon returns to those same themes, this time within the confines of a marriage. Jess and Malcolm Gephardt, a childless couple in their 40’s have reached a crisis point in their lives and in their marriage. The story takes place over the course of one week in which Malcolm learns of his wife’s infidelity, a blizzard shuts down their community, and a patron of their bar, The Half Moon, goes missing. The Half Moon is a character driven novel, and its themes of self-doubt, self-discovery, betrayal and redemption can feel as insular and overwhelming as the small town in which the characters endure laser-focused scrutiny and judgement from both friends and family, and the narrative can feel pretty depressing. There are plot elements which feel a little forced, and not quite necessary, but the story builds well, the characters are well-defined, and overall, the writing is lyrical and leads the reader forward wondering how it will all turn out in the end.

Ms. (@marybethkeane) (@Mary_Beth_Keane) Keane does it again...dipping into the mundane, the every day, the things that make us and break us. While not as poignant as "Ask Again, Yes" (at least, to me), the characters in #TheHalfMoon totally resonated with me - Malcom and Jess, Patrick, Neil (jerk!), Gail, Artie and Hugh. You see yourself in these people, you've had their thoughts and doubts, you've noticed things the way they do, you have met and ARE these people. Ms. Keane has a real talent for tapping into our humanity - as frail and fickle and fiendish as it is. SOOO well done.

P.S. Thrilled to score an ARC from #netgalley. Thank you!

While I didn’t quite love this one as much Ask Again, Yes, MBK remains on my must read authors list. While Ask Again was about two families, this one was about just a husband and wife so it wasn’t quite as interesting for me. And the first half was just so depressing and somewhat suffocatingly so. Also the bar owner behind on bills and leveraged with the wrong guy is a been there done that plot element for me. Thankfully the book turned around in the second half in ways both realistic and engaging. So I’m glad I kept on and look forward to the author’s next book. 3.75⭐️

When I saw that Mary Beth Keane had published another novel, I was almost giddy. Ask Again, Yes is one my most favorite books, and to know that Keane had once again put pen to paper was exciting. I cleared my Saturday and dove in. Whilst this story has its strengths, there are a few hiccups that just kept me from loving it.

The Half Moon is the story of Malcolm and Jess, a childless couple in their forties, searching for meaning and direction. Malcolm is the proud(ish) owner of a run down bar called The Half Moon, and Jess is an accomplished lawyer. Both seem to be stuck in their own mid-life crises, reaching out for something tangible to define themselves and grasping only empty promises and disappointment. The tale floats through their journey, following the natural curves in the river, as the reader plays voyeur to their navigation of rough waters and scraping atop shallow banks.

The story itself is one that relates themes of self-doubt, self-discovery, betrayal and redemption—a heady combination that leaves the reader with a feeling of being weighted down with rocks in one’s pockets. The depressing narrative is a trudge with little to no lightness to ease the load. I felt as I read that I was slowly drowning in the mistakes and missteps of both Malcolm and Jess. Beyond the general tone, however, the biggest issue I had with the book was the structure.

Malcolm has a tendency to see everything through a lens of past events, though Keane’s attempts to recreate that lens seem arbitrary and capricious and make it sometimes difficult to follow. The story meanders from past to present, often a paragraph or two at a time, with no clear delineation of the jump. By the time the reader catches up to the time-line placement, the story moves yet again into another era. The best books are those that disappear in your hands as you become a part of the storyline. Here, however, it was a lot of work to keep track of where in the characters’ lives certain events happened, making it difficult to melt into the setting. One is constantly reminded that they must relocate themselves in relation to the events, which in turn separates the reader from the page as the adjustment takes place.

The news here, however, is not only bad. Keane’s genius in character development is once again on point, and every single character leaps from the page. Additionally, her prosaic text and ability to turn a phrase is positively brilliant. Finally, she leaves the reader longing to know more—to follow the lives of both Malcolm and Jess as they move forward.

Overall, it’s a book I wouldn’t have missed simply because of my love of this author. As a stand alone, without prior knowledge of Keane’s ability, I’m not sure I would have found it quite engaging. The structural issues and amount of concentration it took to readjust to the ever changing time line just make this more work than the investment warranted in returns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner Books for providing me with an ARC for review. Publication is set for May 2, 2023.

Though many novels are hit or miss for me, The Half Moon had me invested throughout. I was a fan of Ask Again, Yes and this next novel didn’t disappoint me. I cared about the characters and I wanted them to work through the pileup of obstacles they were facing. It’s a good sign when I’m thinking about the characters after finishing the book.

A struggling relationship is at the center of the story. Surrounding them are mothers, friends, and acquaintances, a chorus of people, most of whom want to be helpful, a few of whom are trouble.

I wasn’t convinced by a few plot points, but all in all this was a novel I’d recommend.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is a beautiful story of disappointments - disappointment in business, marriage, family, fertility - all of the stories we tell ourselves of who we are, what we want, where we are going, and how life should be. It's about what happens when your plans don't align with life's happenings.

Malcom is an incredible bartender who his customers adore. A few years ago, he bought his bar - the Half Moon - and the building it's in from a friend of his deceased father's. Since then, things have gone poorly, and the father's friend is employing shark-like techniques to get his money.

Jess is a lawyer who has done everything to have a baby, but neither fertility treatments nor IVF have done anything but leave her and Malcom even further in debt. When Malcom says he's done trying, she leaves to pursue another life with a family friend, Neil, who has three children of his own.

This book is a character study of richly developed characters with complicated pasts, wants, fears, and insecurities. The theme of disappointment in one's life carries over to even minor characters, who all seem to have different approaches to surviving a life that isn't what you envisioned.

A great read, highly recommend.

Thank you #netgalley for a free, prepublication copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored The Half Moon. Mary Beth Keane has such great insight into relationships and marriage and how what happens within a marriage can be radically different from how it appears to even close observers. Reading The Half Moon is like stepping into the middle of a marriage in crisis and getting an intimate view of one crucial week in the lives of a well-meaning but all too human couple. I love how the characters are not judged, not presented as victims or perpetrators, just as real people coping with real dilemmas and coming to terms with life not turning out how they had hoped or expected. Keane's writing is both exquisite and unnoticeable - meaning that it doesn't call attention to itself but always hits just the right tone. The Half Moon is also a welcome return to Gillam, the working class town that is the setting for Keane's previous novel, Ask Again, Yes.

Another great book by Mary Beth Keane. This novel centers around a run down bar(The Half Moon), owned by Malcolm who is trying to hold on to it any way that her can. His wife, Jesse, is at a crossroad in her life after years of infertility. Add some interesting characters and a missing person, one is captivated until the very end! Kudos to the author.

Simultaneously powerful and subtle -- an analysis of a marriage as only Mary Beth Keane can write. Good writing, accessible and comprehendable characters, and an engaging plot.

This truly complex novel was both hard to read and also felt like a breath of fresh air. Go into this one with nuance, and enjoy.

This is the first book I have read from this author and I was definitely enamored with the writing. The book was such a three dimensional glimpse into a marriage with all of it's thorns and imperfections. I could really understand each of their parts, however felt the book needed to come full circle and their needed to be the connection between the two halves of the moon. I really didn't get the whole missing person saga and it ended up just feeling forced toward the end. I will definitely read more from this author. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.