3.5 – 4 stars

ASK AGAIN, YES is something of a heavy read with challenging topics; I felt like I had completed a marathon when I’d finished but I mean that in a good way. The book had wrung me out emotionally and I needed time to rest my mind and think afterwards.

This is a complex story of two families across two generations. Their lives were so interwoven and yet they were not close to one another. Through proximity, circumstance, tragedy and then attraction, they were repeatedly brought together and pushed one another away.

The storyline starts with the parents of these two families but over the whole of the book, it felt like the story centred on Peter and Kate. I held my breath over these two and I didn’t feel a completion at the end; I don’t think the reader is supposed to. Anne was incredibly difficult to like as a character and I admire the author for where she went with mental illness and this character. We rarely see books that will go to the extent of exposing the psychology and behaviours of someone with this level of illness. I liked Francis, I found him solid, reliable and real. George was the unsung hero of this book.

Most readers will feel the heaviness of the topics expored in this book, which include acute psychosis, addiction, cheating, first love, the effect of trauma on the psyche, grief and loss and abandonment. It’s a lot but it didn’t feel unrealistic for the timescale, the range of characters and the narrative gently and sometimes bluntly led you into these issues with skill.

This was an impressive, memorable and epic story. I felt a lack of completion overall and needed a bit more in terms of closure. Mary Beth Keane wrote the complexity with simplicity and I would read her work again.

Thank you to Michael Joseph for the early review copy.

This book was such a fantastic read and I enjoyed every single page. It started off quite slow, but in hindsight I realise the author was setting the scene for the rest of the story. It is a tale of family issues, trauma, illness, mental health, addiction, love, hope, forgiveness. I enjoyed how the chapters were told from points of view of different characters and how the author juggled the timelines by telling stories through those characters. They all seemed so realistic that at times I had to remind myself that this was all fiction. Keane’s prose is exquisite, so effortless and simple, making it easy to read. I have the utmost compassion the characters and their stories will say with me for the longest time. I will definitely be happy to read more from the author in the future and catch up on her previous books. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

A grown up love story, with all its bumps and obstacles along the way. Endearing without the saccharine.

'He told her he'd been thinking about it for a while, about a thing she'd said a few weeks back: that not all problems looked the same, but that didn't mean they weren't problems'
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Kate and Peter grew up living side by side, experiencing everything together, although their parents were never thrilled about their friendship. The story explores the Gleeson and the Stanhope families and how there lives interlock before and after a tragedy.
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I can already feel a book hangover coming on because this was incredible. Believe the hype people, this raw and emotional story had me absolutely gripped. I felt for every single character and needed desperately to know how their lives panned out. Keane's writing is so beautiful, and she leaves no stone left unturned. The book spans over 40 years but I never felt like it dragged, her writing was so effortless to read. How human and flawed all of the characters were really reminded me of Miracle Creek, so if you liked that, you'll love this! I highly recommend this book to everybody, it is out in the UK on August 8th so go get it preordered!💃

This book is getting rave reviews everywhere so I wanted to see what all the fuss was. Unfortunately I don't think that this book is for me. It is slow and does not seem to be going anywhere. I am trying to read outsise of my usual genres but on this occasion it didn't work.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
This is a novel about family, alcoholism and its devastating effects and the terrible damage wrought by mental illness. The story opens with Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope as partners and rookie cops in New York City. Francis moves to the small town of Gillam and when Brian moves in next door his wife Lena envisages that they will all be friends but this is not the case. From the outset it is clear that Brian’s wife, Anne is suffering from mental illness exacerbated by the birth of a stillborn child.
Peter, Brian’s son, and Kate, Francis’s daughter form a deep friendship and Anne finds this abhorrent. This friendship is the catalyst of a terrible event which tears Peter’s family apart and devastates Kate’s family. It is a very well written novel which keeps you reading desperate to find out what is going to befall these families in the future. You become involved in their lives and their story lives on after you have finished reading.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Story of two families/neighbours/fellow cops. Sorry but can no longer continue reading this book - it’s a struggle as it’s slow and limpid. Loved the sound of it though and thought it would be an enjoyable, engrossing read, but sadly not, at least not for me.

Wow. It's a struggle to write what I thought of this book because it made me feel so many things. It felt so real. The characters, their lives, their environment, it all felt so real. It was like peeking in on somebody's life. The book starts off a little slow but you realise later that everything in this book is relevant. Keane's style is varied and never forced, and her writing is easy to read.
I liked how the novel weaved together the different character's stories and how each character developed over time. The main character, Peter, is particularly well depicted, both as a teenager and as an adult. The characters all felt relatable even if I didn't identify with one in particular, and the book is clever in never forcing you to adopt a set perspective or outlook.
The exact genre of the book is a little hard to pin down but I would say that it belongs to General Fiction verging on Historical Fiction. It wasn't quite what I was expecting (I thought it would be a classically romantic story) but it blew me away. Read it!!

I was offered this book out of the blue by Penguin/Michael Joseph and at first glance on Netgalley I almost turned it down. It didn't look as though it fitted into the genres I normally read and wasn't sure it was something I would enjoy. I am so glad I decided to take up the offer to read this book as it is a magnificent family saga.

Spanning four decades it examines the lives of two men who met at the New York police academy and were partners for a few weeks in the early 1970s.

We are given a few clues about their different personalities and how those traits will determine their futures. Those clues are subtle. Most will only become obvious upon refection after the book is finished.

Both couples move to the suburbs and start their own families. They are neighbours and we get to compare and contrast their lives. Francis and Leena Gleeson have three daughters while Brian and Anne struggle with miscarriages and eventually have a son.
Brian and Anne's son, Peter, and Francis and Lena's daughter, Kate, are inseparable. They embody the best and worst traits of their parents and we see glimpses of these traits being handed down to the next generation as well.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, mental health problems were not often recognised and if recognised not taken seriously. Anne's failing mental health and the problems it causes for both families is central to the story and led me to ask all sorts of what-if questions such as what if Anne had been diagnosed and treated earlier, what if her symptoms had been taken seriously, what if Brian had acknowledged the problems in his life instead of turning a blind eye in order to live a quiet life.

I found this book made me ask those serious questions without the book itself becoming overly profound or too earnest. It could be read as a simple multi-generational love story where a couple faces trials and tribulations but get together and stay together for a lifetime but I found it was deeper than that, it asked questions and required me to think about the solutions.

Two families, forty years, lots of issues: mental health, alcoholism, love and forgiveness - lots of material to work with but sadly I found the writing flat and the characterisation and plotting rather schematic. The pacing is uneven: gripping in parts, then it slows down and feels repetitive. The flip-forwards and then summary of the past ten years just didn't work for me: it was too 'told' and broke my involvement in the story. A critical edit might have tightened up the whole thing: quite a leisurely read, maybe good deck-chair fiction?

I couldn’t put this book down, returning to it as often as I possibly could. A page-turner, unputdownable, edge of seat stuff.
Relating the turbulent history of two families, entwined through love and hatred. A great read!

This was by no means my favourite book I've read of late but I enjoyed the saga of the family links and how lots of small things can lead to a catastrophe which then changes so many lives. Some of it made me uncomfortable as I wasn't sure how realistic it would be for a father to leave his child - but maybe this is because I don't live in that sort of head space.

Good writing and would look for the author again,

I absolutely loved this winding tale of a book. Parts of Peter's lonely teenage years reminded me of "White Oleander." Not quite as poetic but equally as beautiful.

I enjoyed the exploration that villains aren't always who they seem. By the end of the book I felt like the true villain of this story was circumstance and I truly cared for each of the characters.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it was fast-paced and absorbing. It is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be looking out for more! I would say, overall, a good holiday novel. Thank you!

I took this novel by accident and don't have time to read or review it. I really apologise but it is not to my personal taste though I am sure it is very good.

A great read with some differing twists and turns. Demonstrating the trials and tribulations of family life and the impact of learned behaviour.

I loved this book, it covered so much. Family, friendship, love, mental health, depression, alcoholism, betrayal, tragedy and so much more, set from the 1970s to present day. The characters were realistic and I felt the author showed great empathy with them. This is one of those books that will stay with me and make me think about life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I’ll not rehash the plot, since the publishers’ blurb says as much as could be said without giving it all away. I will say this is a perfect American family story, charting several generations through good times and bad. It touches on a few important issues, including mental illness, alcoholism, parental responsibility, to name just a few, all handled with sensitivity and in a non-judgemental way. Characterisation is key and, since that is the main thing I look for in my reading, I was happy. Characters are not set in stone - those who seem most unsympathetic at the beginning become more understandable and forgivable by the end. All done with an impressively delicate and subtle touch.

Terrific writing - a couple of examples:

‘[She] thought about their wedding day as a conclusion to something, where he thought about it as a beginning. Rising action versus falling action. They were reading different books.
….
And besides, if their marriage was a conclusion to something, what did that mean for every day that came after?’

‘He let that swell over him like a wave, and when he looked up from the black water, his chest full, his body tired, the sky looked more blue than when he went under.’

Highly recommended.

An enjoyable family saga, which kept me gripped all the way through. I would definitely recommend it as a great holiday read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book about family life

this book is so much more than mental health issues and how it wasnt dealt with properly, its about family life and how things are swept under the carpet, how some people walk away and how some people are dealt a vicious blow and try to recover and how all the little itty bitty things in life can suck but how people can come through life and feel happiness and contentment

this is a book that makes you feel all sorts of emotions...to peter who has to grip onto life and grab all that he can to take control

to the other family that have to come to terms with how life dealt that an awful blow and how they slowly got on with life

a gripping novel that makes you want to carry on reading to find out what happens to all the characters and how their lives pan out

another author to keep an eye out for