I really wanted to like this book so much more, but it really dragged in places.

Kate and Peter live next door to one another and become friends in the 1970s. Something happens between the families, which means Peter and his family move away. But Peter and Kate never forget one another, they find each other again years later.

They say time heals everything, and in a way this book sets out to discover if that idiom is in fact true. This book covers some tricky issues very well, such as mental illness, and how it was viewed both back in the 70s and in more recent times.

The Americanisms referred to and some of the way of life, especially from the 1970s, were lost on me and I felt that I missed out at times on really understanding and feeling connected to the characters. I never really warmed to any of them either. My biggest gripe with the book is that although the writing is good and at times some beautifully written scenes, it just went on for far too long in certain time frames.

Ask Again, Yes is about the inextricable links that form between two Irish-American policemen’s families in New York. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope meet as cops on the same South Bronx beat in July 1973 and soon move upstate, settling in as close neighbors in the suburb of Gillam. After a stillbirth and a miscarriage, Brian and his wife Anne, who’s from Dublin, finally have a son, Peter. Six months later, Francis and Lena’s third daughter, Kate, is born; from the start it’s as if Peter and Kate are destined for each other. They’re childhood best friends, but then, like Romeo and Juliet, have to skirt around the animosity that grows between their families to be together as adults.

This is quite a tough read, and is quite relentless, and at times it could do with a little more context rather than skipping over a vast amount of years in a few pages, but overall it is impressive.

An incredibly powerful book of family hardships, trauma, hurt, heartbreak and so much more. It will keep you captivate and enthralled from the first to the last page.

This book tells the story of two families living next door to each other in a town not far from New York. They are also linked because the fathers of both families trained together for the New York police force. There the similarity ends. The Gleeson’s are a big happy family with three daughters. Natalie, Sarah and Kate. The Stanhopes are a smaller family, Brian, Anne and their son Peter. Anne is troubled and mentally fragile, making their son, Peter’s, childhood quite difficult. Anne is not equipped for motherhood and treats Peter badly. His escape is with his best friend Kate Gleeson from next door. The story follows the lives of these two families and the tragedy that happens because of Anne Gleeson. It is a bit of a saga and is told from the perspective of members of the family but although it took a bit of time to get into it does draw you in wanting to know what happens to them all. Once I got into the book I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC.

I loved this book. I did find is a slow read, but I'd figured that there wasn't going to be a dramatic main event about to happen at some point and was content to read about the lives and events of the characters. It stayed with me for quite a while afterwards.

Very intriguing characters, wonderful plot, thoroughly enjoyed this one and I will look out for more from this author.

This took me a while to read and I struggled to engage with it at the beginning as the story is told from different perspectives, Once I got used to the style of writing it was an enjoyable read.

This was such an interesting novel. Despite being about two police officers and their families, it’s not a police procedural- it’s a moving novel about an incident between two neighbouring families and how their lives diverge from that point. It took a little while to get going- there’s very little suspense, no desperately turning pages to find out who did it. We read what happens and we know who did it. The novel is about why, and about how these two families deal with this life changing incident, how they move on and grow afterwards.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This was another book that I had seen many youtubers talk about and so I became interested but i quickly realised it was not for me however the writing was not bad in fact It was written well and there for it would not be fair for me to rate this properly given I didn't finish however I do believe many people would enjoy this book if you do like litteraiary fiction.

Mary Beth Keane writes a poignant and powerful epic character driven multi-generational family drama spanning decades, sensitively exploring family dynamics, the darkness and the issues that so often reside in the heart of a family behind closed doors. In the 1070s, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are rookie cops in NYPD that end up living outside the city on the same street. A pregnant and lonely Lena Gleeson tries so hard to befriend Anne Stanhope only to be rebuffed. However, their children, so close in age, Kate, and the only Stanhope chiid, Pete, develop a close, life enduring, relationship through their childhood that flowers into romance as adults. However, their love is to be tested to the limits when tragedy strikes, the repercussions of which echo through the years, culminating in estrangement.

Years later, Pete and Kate reconnect, all their old feelings for each other remaining intact, leaving them having to address the past that haunts them, finding their memories of long ago shifting considerably. This slow moving, memorable and emotionally charged family drama has flawed and messed up characters, authentically portrays the chaotic and heartbreaking nature of families. I found this to be compulsive, moving and well written storytelling that takes in mental health issues, alcoholism, abuse, betrayal, family loyalties, love, loss, forgiveness, hope and resilience. A brilliant novel that will appeal to those looking for a thought provoking book with complex characters, heartrending family issues and dynamics through the decades. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph.

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

A story of truth and joy that should be read wide and far with a important message of forgiveness and what can in the end be forgiven ?

Two families, the Gleesons and Stanhopes should be great friends. The husbands both New York cops, the wives both immigrants, alone in a new neighbourhood. But no matter how much Lena Gleeson tries Anne Stanhope remain aloof and cold. This doesn't stop their children, Lents daughter Kate and Annes son Peter becoming the best of friends, with a seemingly unbreakable bond. But a tragic incident affects both families and sets them on a destructive path. Only truth and forgiveness can get them back on course.

I'm not really a fan of "moving family dramas" of this sort. I'll be honest not enough happens to hold my attention usually. I'm not an action junkie by any means, but I'm a mom. Without a lot happening I usually find myself using by kindle as a pillow. But this did grab me, albeit in a very gradual way. I found the characters very relatable and liked how we were not privy to their every thought and motive. The characters are believable and even at their worst sympathetic. I have an awful habit of forgetting a book almost as soon as I put it down but this one will stay with me.

Keane has produced a lyrical piece of writing in the form of Ask Again, Yes. The writing flowed beautifully, and I found I was almost finished before I knew it.

Ask Again, Yes is an impressive book which deals with some difficult themes, themes I cannot discuss without revealing some pretty big plot spoilers.

Brian and Francis were partners in the police academy together. Later they find themselves neighbours in an up and coming neighbourhood.

Lena, Francis’ wife finds it lonely in pregnancy and early motherhood and she makes efforts to make friends with Anne but finds her hostile and unfriendly.

Anne and Brian have a little boy called Peter.

Lena and Francis already had two girls and then they have a third call called Kate who is around the same age as Peter.

Anne’s behaviour is unstable and shows itself early on in her treatment of both Brian and Peter. Pete finds solace in his close relationship with Kate.

Then when they are teenagers Peter and Kate sneak out one night and are caught coming back in and an accident happens that changes the course of their lives.

One family moves away but the young couple find they are drawn to each other still.

The story flows seamlessly and even though it was a fairly long book I cannot say I felt bored or wished I was further along in the story at any point.

It was an enchanting tale and I didn’t want it to end.

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

3.5stars. I enjoyed this, but I found it quite heavy going and of course very American and sometimes I got a bit lost/confused with the unfamiliar terminology.

The story follows 2 families whose lives overlap at various times over the decades, with consequences that affect everyone. Seeing how experiences of the past affect people in the future was interesting and well thought out.

I adored this book. The plot is gripping, the characters and unique and interesting and the writing is captivating. I'll be keeping an eye on this author from now on.

This was a good read; well-written although slightly predictable at times. It dragged a little at points. Would recommend.

What a beautifully written novel that is full of emotion and destined for the big (or small) screen. I loved it.