A book where it seems like nothing happens, but everything happens. I was gripped and found myself really invested in the characters.

There was a lot to appreciate about this book- complex characters, the small town vibes, reminiscent to me of Anne Patchett and Anne Tyler in some ways. It also made me feel quite sad though- a poignant read. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

This was a definite 5 star read for me. An exquisitely written story of a marriage in trouble, told from both sides.

Jess and Malcolm were amazing. Until they weren't. Failed IVF, financial troubles and loneliness leading to infidelity all make it seem unlikely this couple will make it.

But the connection between the characters was too strong for it to be the end.

Added to the story is an element of intrigue when it comes to the bar Malcolm has worked at and ultimately brought. A customer goes missing and this event becomes integral to the story.

Being tenacious, leads Jess to use her knowledge and instinct to rescue this couple from financial devastation and ultimately a fresh start that leaves this story on an optimistic note.

There is no schmaltzy romance, it's real and messy and heartbreaking at times.

Absolutely captivating and beautiful to read, I adored everything about The Half Moon.

I loved both the Walking People and Ask Again, Yes, so was thrilled to receive an ARC of Mary Beth Keane’s newest thanks to NetGalley.

Malcolm Gephardt owns the Half Moon, an Irish pub in New York he had been bartending all his life. His lawyer wife Jess dreams of motherhood, but has endured more failed IVF treatments than anyone should have to experience.

Theirs is a marriage in crisis.

“He’d learned over the seventeen weeks since Jess left that waiting for something to happen was exhausting, as if a door slammed four months earlier were still slamming, and he was still standing there, flinching, body tensed, waiting to find out what would come after. Now he knew, he supposed. In a tiny way, it was a relief.“

The novel goes back and forth between past and present, as we learn what brought these two together and what is tearing them apart.

“When she asked whether he was happy, he acted as if he didn’t understand the question, like he didn’t even know how being happy or unhappy was relevant to a life like theirs. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“I mean, you always seem upbeat but are you really? Do you ever want something else?”
“Something else?” he asked. “What are my choices?” She saw that he’d never asked himself that question, or if he had, he’d refused to answer. She saw him wondering if what she was really asking was whether she was happy.”

Irish catholic family, east coast of New York, Irish pub, marriage in crisis, poor financial decisions, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons with We are the Brennans. But The Half Moon goes deeper, is more of a character study, perhaps at the expense of a plot.

I want to say that when the writing is this good then it’s hard to care about anything else, but really I found it a bit of a slog. It’s beautiful but I found myself bored. The story was just a bit slow and plodding. I struggled go get really invested like I did with her previous books. And, I don’t think the Tripp subplot added anything but unnecessary length.

I wanted to love this book so much, and Malcolm and Jess Gephardt really captured my heart, and I adore Keane’s writing, but something was just missing for me.

3.5*

This book was enjoyable and with well fleshed out characters however I found it quite slow to get into and felt it was maybe a little wordy in places? I think Keane is a compelling storyteller but at times I found myself lost in so many words I think. Overall it was an enjoyable experience but I didn’t enjoy it as much as her other book.

I loved this book. I loved Ask Again, and this one for the same and different reasons. Gentle and sad and hopeful. We need more books like life.

I already bought my own copy.

A beautiful domestic drama. A really engaging read. I loved the last book I read by Beth Reade so this was a treat to delve into a new one. I was not disappointed.

What a lovely story So easy to identify with the main characters Malcom and Jess as they struggle to achieve their ambitions' I loved the secondary plot that was woven in with the missing person An enjoyable read.

Loved this book, I sadly took a break in it halfway through due to commitments. Yet I returned to it and loved the conclusion, the finality and the general closure afforded to Malcolm and Jess in the novel. A great follow up to here first book and yet this is a standalone work of greatness. I have just finished THE BEAR on Disney+ and this is a great companion piece to that series in terms of the trials and tribulations that service as an industry has on an individual and their private life when your life is so public.

I loved this book. I was completely captivated and fell in love with both Malcolm and Jessie. I found it to be a very real, candid, heart wrenching depiction of an 'ordinary' relationship with ordinary people living their important lives. A real insight into fertility struggles and living a child-free life whether by choice or not and the grief that can surround that. I was really moved by this story and enjoyed the witty, dry writing.

Well if you want a surprise ending in a book- you will certainly get it here.
Set in a small fishing village in Cornwall it is a story of beauty, infatuation and murder.
I struggled to finish it as the storyline was almost fantasy with regards to the plot, the characters and the ending.
Despite being a longtime fan of Tony Parsons I didn’t really enjoy the book.
3 stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in return for a fair review.

Mary Beth Keane’s novels are just so fantastically readable, even though they inevitably deal with sad topics like the infertility and money troubles of The Half Moon, and so I read this in just a few hours. You can’t help but root for Malcom and Jess as they assess whether to repair their marriage during a storm that’s shut down their town, and this is helped by the strong interiority of both protagonists, giving their backstories. The Half Moon is written in simple, clear language full of emotion that is somehow identifiably American. I loved it.

This was probably one of most anticipated reads of this summer, I loved Ask Again, Yes by this author and loved the sound of The Half Moon.

This is a slow burn poignant study of a marriage in crisis set in a small town in New York state. Malcolm is 45, gregarious, gorgeous and finally owns the bar, The Half Moon, he has been working in for all his adult life, he has big dreams that are not grounded in reality. Jess is his wife, a lawyer has been broken down by the last fifteen years of fertility treatments and disappointment. The story unfolds over the course of a week as a snowstorm shuts down the town and is told from both their perspectives as to how they have gotten to this point.
Broken dreams, crushed hope, financial difficulties, complications and a relationship that maybe can no longer sustain all it carries.

I liked this, I didn't love it. There is some really gorgeous passages within and Keane explores these two characters and their marriage with great depth and understanding but it was probably the half way point of the book before I was fully invested in this one. Parts of the story were relatable and then there were others that really weren't , some of their choices and decisions seemed at odds to their relationship and as a result this stopped me from caring too much about what would happen.

A big of lightness would have elevated this book to me to a four star read but no doubt its well written, poignant and captures small town life in particular, the effect and influence of friendships and family on a relationship.


3- 3.5 stars.

There are two sides to every story and The Half Moon explores a marriage in crisis.
It’s very character driven and there is some excellent storytelling.
Malcolm is a bartender at the Half Moon and has always dreamt of owning his own bar.
His wife, Jess has dreamed of having a baby and is struggling to accept that being a mother might not happen.
When a blizzard hits the town, everyone is frozen in for a week and Malcolm and Jess are forced to decide on their future - are they going to stay together or go there separate ways.
A delightful slow read of small town life and the relationships in them.
Showing how the break up of a marriage not only impacts family and friends but the whole community small close knit community.
The book makes you contemplate your own life choices, knowing when to compromise and when to walk away.
The book also thoughtfully handled infertility issues tactfully and realistically, showing the devastating ordeal of the couple longing to be parents.
Would be perfect for book clubs to dip into, as lots of discussion starters on the choices made.
Thank you @marybethkeane @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

Thank you to netgalley & publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I rated this book 3.5stars. It took me a while to get into the story & felt it was a bit of a slow burner, but once I got into it, it was quite a compelling story.

Rating - 2.5 stars rounded off to 3

Sad that a book from a favorite author from the past fell so flat.

Thanks NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis -

The charming and handsome Malcolm gives in to his dreams of becoming a bar owner and goes out of his way to buy The Half Moon. He has ambitions to turn it into a successful and profitable bar. While he struggles to keep the bar running, Jess, his wife, with a steady career as a lawyer, has given up on trying to have a baby. When the small town where they live, is hit by a blizzard, both Malcolm and Jess’s life is set to take a turn for better or worse.

Review -

When I read #AskAgainYes about 4 years ago, I remember to have been totally invested in the story, in the characters and ended up loving it. But unfortunately I cannot say the same for #TheHalfMoon. There are several reasons why it did not work the way I expected it to –

1) Although the story had a great potential for in-depth exploration and character study, the author only ended up barely scratching the surface
2) Just when I began connecting with Jess (never warmed up to Malcolm), the plot is hit by a tangent thread so off the course, that I could feel this ship begin to sink right after leaving its dock
3) I was really heartbroken by Jess, for I’ve been through infertility myself, but yet her narrative didn’t stir my heart with how the author handled it
4) Instead of delving into some unnecessary threads that have no bearing on the main plot, Keane could’ve focused on bringing out the love, connection and chemistry between Malcolm and Jess
5) Timelines were so out of place – it was hard to track if it was present or past
6) So much of boring mundane detailing could’ve been avoided
7) Both Malcolm and Jess act incredibly impulsive. It felt so unrealistic to see their immaturity coupled with ridiculous decision making and bad judgements
8) The book failed to salvage itself towards the end when nothing happened and everything was as stagnant as it was when we started. I couldn’t care less about either of them or the story.

I went in expecting a beautiful story with some great characterisation, but alas!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

the half moon is a pub run by Malcolm Gephardt and his wife jess who is more of a background person

malc bought the pub off his mentor but he was struggling with the repayments and then the blizzard hit

jess was desperate for a baby... she had tried all the routes known to people who want a baby but nothing had worked...

but malc and jess were about to face the biggest challenge in their lives and it would either make or break them...

a captivating story that held my attention right to the end... i really do love how this author brings her characters to life and make them believable and loveable...

Relationships, shattered dreams, heartbreak, redemption, love and hope, this book has it all in spades.
A brilliant quiet introspective look at life. An engaging read

Malcolm bartender at The Half Moon has always dreamed of owning a bar and when his boss finally retires he seizes his chance. His wife, Jess has devoted herself to her law career, but after years of trying for a baby, she's struggling to accept the idea that motherhood might not be in her future. She finds herself slipping away from both her career and her marriage. The bar is Malcolm's dream and she feels her youth start to fade, she wonders how to reshape her own life.

I love a American family drama and loved Keane's previous book Ask Again Yes. However this one right from the start I had to wade through the mundane to find a glimmer of any kind of connection to the story. Malcolm and Jess's marriage is defined by pregnancy and has been right from the start. When we meet them they are estranged and Malcolm doesn't even know where is wife is and has to rely on mutual friends to inform him. Usually you are rooting for a couple to reconcile but to be honest I felt they made a toxic pair and I neither connected or cared what happened to them. Don't get me wrong the fertility issues they faced together were heartbreaking and intricately realistic written but I felt that the emotion was lost in amongst the tedious. In this kind of book I am prepared for a slow burn but this one didn't even ignite.

Reviewing this novel feels like scolding a straight A student because they scored a B plus one day. What I mean is, I know it is unfair for me to be disappointed by this novel because it's good. But I LOVED Ask Again, Yes and The Walking People, so unfortunately this one doesn't really measure up for me.

I enjoy Keane's take on the work of marriage, and sympathised with both the main characters of Jess and Malcolm. The plot feels insubstantial though. I'm fine with a novel that's slow-paced and character-driven, but in the Half Moon too little happens, apart from a fairly weird sub-plot involving a minor character faking their own death, which I am not sure linked very much to anything. I will still read anything written by this author as I think she writes beautifully, but this one is not a favourite.