3.5 stars rounded up,

Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, has always dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success but struggles to stay afloat. His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying for a baby, she is facing the idea that motherhood may not be on the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning to slip away and wonders how to reshape her future.

This story takes place over one week. The pace is on the slow side and remains that way throughout. It could also be a little confusing at times. The struggles Malcolm and Jess were going through were realistic and it touched on several mistakes people are likely to make. The timeline changes with every chapter. I nearly gave up on this book a couple of times but I'm glad I stuck with it.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #MichaelJoseph #PenguinRandomHouse and the author #MaryBethKeane for my ARC of #TheHalfMoon in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read anything by Mary Beth Keane until this and I’m blown away by her writing.

The Half Moon is a deliciously slow exploration of lives in crisis and I really felt for both central characters as they’re faced with change, uncertainty and more. This is a tale about ordinary people, but what makes it exceptional is that it’s written with insight and compassion. They’re real folk who it’s easy to identify with. One’s a dreamer and the other a hard working career driven individual. But both are facing up to the fact that their marriage has soured somewhat. The opportunity to fulfil a dream comes along in the shape of a small town bar, and this could be the answer to their prayers.

Keane takes a very ordinary situation to the next level by the quality of her writing. I was sept along with genuine feeling for their difficulties and if a writer creates such emotion in a reader, then they are exceptional. A brilliant read snd I’ll be looking for more by Mary Beth.

This is a slow burn, character driven novel which requires time to get into and fully appreciate. It’s worth persevering with, even though the plot may not unravel as swiftly as you might like, because Malcolm and Jess, their broken dreams and fractured relationship, will eventually grab your interest.

The financial pressures they are facing, alongside the searing pain of unwanted childlessness, set limits to the future dreams and plans they long to execute. They are realistically and sensitively described for the life altering issues they can be for so many people.

Malcolm reacts to these problems by pressing on with the tasks at hand as he battles a blizzard and tries to focus on keeping his dream job of managing the The Half Moon pub alive. Jess responds by feeling vulnerable, lost and adrift, as she temporarily walks out on him.

Taking place over a period in the present, each chapter is told from their individual perspectives, and interwoven with bittersweet memories of when they first met and fell in love. Is the marriage redeemable? Or will it be sacrificed on the altar of self-interest?

Their marriage may be in jeopardy but it originates within a framework of strong family ties, a supportive community, and concerned friends who want them to reunite. This is an insightful saga where the empathetic observational writing makes you root for the protagonists. Grateful thanks to Michael Joseph Penguin Random House UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Half Moon is a book I’m split about due to many factors.
The book is set over one week and is centred around the two stories of Malcolm and Jess. Malcolm has always wanted to own The Half Moon and at last his dream comes true but when that happens his wife, Jess leaves him. Jess is having problems of her own as all she wants is a baby but unfortunately it’s not quite as easy as she thought it’d be. Jess decides to say time on their marriage when Malcolm decides he doesn’t want to keep trying for a baby.
This book was so slow at the beginning that I almost DNF but I carried on and it did get better. There are no high moments I didn’t think just a flat lined book but the storyline got deeper and I started to care about the main characters. If your wanting a thrilling read this is not it but if you want a relationship sage type book this is for you.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

3.5.

The Half Moon is a difficult book for me to review because at first I found it incredibly slow-going. I decided to skim a bit to get through it, and that was when I started getting interested.

Essentially, it's a well-written slow burn of a story, looking at a marriage that is seemingly failing due to problems around money and childlessness, and whether or not there is anything left to save. It is set over a short period of time (in the present) but also flashes back to the past.

Malcolm buys The Half Moon pub without thinking about the financial implications. Jess desperately wants a child but they've been through so much that Malcolm doesn't want to keep trying. She's burned out and frustrated. Who can be surprised when she moves out?

What's interesting to me is that this is quite a realistic take on infertility and the pressures that it puts on a couple. I felt like the author didn't want to take any easy ways out, or go down any thoroughly obvious plot routes. I appreciated that. But reality is also a little gloomy and depressing.

How much is really resolved in a satisfying way by the end? I'm not sure. There's a subplot about some characters with hidden depths (being purposefully vague here) and I thought that was an opportunity to do something interesting that didn't happen either. Again, maybe she was avoiding clichés but you can also inadvertently avoid 'what works' that way too.

I'd read this author again but I think I'd check out the premise of the book first.

This is a first time author for me but I will be reading more of her books.
I loved the way the characters were portrayed, warts and all! They became real people with real problems and real lives.
While Malcolm immerses himself in his business, running a pub, his wife Jess drifts slowly away from the marriage, wanting more from her life.
With chapters alternating between the characters, the reader is allowed to see both sides of the story.
A very interesting book.

I found the first half of this book rather slow and depressing (I get it; it's about a marriage breakdown!) but then I found myself getting more invested in the characters, so maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to start with.
Overall I did enjoy it, but not as much as Ask Again, Yes.

3.5 stars

I adored this novel, set in a familiar world if you know Mary Beth Keane's work but showing a clear development from her previous books. I really cared about her characters and I felt she really tapped into emotional truths about the situations these people found themselves in. I couldn't put it down and definitely one of my top five reads of the year so far. Highly recommended and many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Mary Beth Keane explores the nooks and crannies of a small town upstate New York community, a relationship and marriage which begins with so much promise, only to end up in a heartbreaking emotional quagmire. We become immersed in bartender of the The Half Moon, Malcolm Gephardt, and successful lawyer Jess's marriage which is currently in a state of crisis and separation, following what happens over a period of a week in the present. In a thought provoking and touching character driven narrative that goes back and forth in time, but now there snowstorms bringing life to a standstill in the town with powercuts. As the couple consider where their marriage is now at, is there any possibility, any chance whatsoever, that their relationship will survive or is it all over?

Malcolm's life has revolved around his bar for so long that there is nothing more that he wants than to own it, and he now does, but the weird deal he made with the owner is bringing its own problems, then there is the cost of the much needed repairs, adding to financial pressures, and the changes he wants to make to the bar are not going down well, all his customers want is the familiar. All Jess desperately desires is to become a mother, to which end, they have sunk a lot of money into infertility treatments that have so far failed, Jess wants to continue them, but Malcolm has had enough. Student loans have exacerbated their money problems, marriage comes with the understanding that it is built on compromises, have they reached the point where neither will compromise?

Keane paints a realistic picture of two well intentioned vulnerable people in a marriage rooted in community and friends, that over the years has reached a point where both must engage in deep reflection to ask themselves whether they will be able to move into the future together. This is a relationship and marriage that resonates emotionally, the knocks that take such a toll over the years, and the negotiations, sacrifices and costs of different dreams, where the landscape of marriage has changes so dramatically from the start of the relationship. This is for readers who enjoy being immersed in family and relationship drama, albeit one with a mystery disappearance, and fans of the author are likely to love this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Malcolm has always dreamed of owning the Half Moon. However, as he realises his dream his wife walks out on him.
When a blizzard hits the town everything stands still and everything comes into perspective.

I really enjoyed The Half Moon. I’ve enjoyed other books by the author, and this caught my eye. I liked the fact the chapters alternate between present with Malcolm and Jess struggling to find their way back to each other and key moments in the past. The author does a great job of soliciting sympathy for both of them. This is a compelling read. I thought it was great.

I really enjoy books like this. Slow, quiet portrayals of relationships & small town life and Mary Beth Keane is a master.

In this one we meet Malcolm & Jess at the end of their marriage. As both try to come to terms with it and make sense of things, the chapters alternate between them allowing us perspective from both sides.

The book also touches on how such a breakup impacts family and friends and even the wider community in such a small town.

As well as the story of their relationship it is also a story of dreams and what we do to make them happen and how we cope when they are broken.

A beautifully written, gentle, emotional gem of a book

Huge thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and netgalley for the chance to read an early copy

I mostly read crime fiction but every so often I like to step outside that genre and that brought me to the work of Mary Beth Keane. This is a slow paced book despite that fact that it takes place over the course one week. I also took an absolute age to read it so for me it felt really slow. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it. Beth and Malcolm both have to deal with the disappointment of long held dreams not coming to fruition. It felt very much like Malcolm’s story with Jess the secondary character. There is also a sub plot involving a missing patron and let’s not forget the blizzard which is a character in itself. I find myself wondering what will happen to Malcolm and Jess next and in the absence of a sequel I’ll gift them a happy ending.

I was looking forward to reading this as I've enjoyed previous books by this author. Sadly, for me, it didn’t live up to to my expectations as I found it really difficult to warm to any of the characters or feel interested in their lives. I will keep Ms Keane on my author list though and hope she returns to form (in my opinion!) with her next title.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book

this book has 3 or 4 narrative strands all of which seem a bit underdone. Jess and Malcolm have spent their ives trying for a baby. It has taken over everything including their togetherness. Malcolm has taken over the ownership of a bar which is an economic struggle. A bar customer is preparing for a double life with some help from a friend. As these problems come to a head there is a blizzard. There were huge chunks of the narrative that lulled me into sleep and the blizzard was really a non-event it didnt have any real impact on the storyline .

I found the characters insipid and the narrative thinner than a net curtain. It was only in the last 10% of the book that things behan to warm up and not just in the weather. A disappointing read

I have really enjoyed books by Mary Beth Keane in the past and although I enjoyed this, it didn’t hit the spot like previous ones. It’s a very measured tale of marriage and separation and hope for the future.

An absolutely compelling and also a very touching story. It was hard to put down. It really did show the meaning of a true family with all its ups and downs.

Good. Follows a couple and how they negotiate their feelings about each other following a break up. Full of rich detail which kept me turning the page.

Jess and Malcolm have been together for many years. They have reached a point where Jess is unhappy at being childless and is very frustrated that Malcolm has achieved his dream but it all backfiring. Their lives are told in almost a monotone – very lacking in lots of passion, anger, sense of direction. In other words it’s very like most relationships 10+ years down the line. Even the hint of something terrible happening to one of the Half Moon customers petered out into nothing. An ok read.

This is a slow burner ,the story is about Malcolm and his wife Jess struggling to keep their marriage together.Everything happens over a week during two major snowstorms .I didn't really get into the story or the characters .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC