If you love sweeping family sagas, this book is for you. Mary Beth Keane does such a wonderful job of writing highly developed characters that beg for your empathy and understanding.

“Ask Again, Yes” is a story of family and redemption. It’s slow moving but never boring. Every word felt like it had a purpose.

I’ve never read anything quite like this before.

This book is so relatable. Every family has their issues, even if it's minor arguments or disagreements. This book is not a light read and dives into it all: addiction, mental health issues, neglect, etc. You never really know what's going on behind closed doors. At points this book reminded me of the beginning ofThe Great Alone. It wasn't all that fast-paced, you were fully tuned in and wanted to know more. However unlike the The Great Alone it didn't totally draw me in and make me feel all the things the characters were feeling and at times it struggled to keep my attention.

This book was a fantastic portrait into the lives of two families in New York over a 40+ year time period. The characters were wonderfully developed and they manage to tear at your heart while you resent them at the same time. They aren’t good people, but they aren’t necessarily bad people either. Through complicated family relationships you come to empathize with most of the characters if you have had any unhealthy family dynamics in your life, especially mental illness and addiction.

Relationships and love aren’t simple, and this book does a great job portraying that. Excellent writing, character development and pacing.

This book was incredible! It started a little slow -- I was telling a friend about it when I was about 15% through and said "it's interesting, but I'm not sure what it's about yet." Then at about 25% through, the real story picked up. Keane did such a wonderful job building these complex characters. I couldn't bring myself to dislike any of them. They're all so layered and complicated. I recommended this in my monthly book round-up and so many people asked questions about it and seem to be heading to pick it up. I think this book is going to be everywhere this summer!

Thank you so much for the ARC for my honest review.

Unpopular opinion here. This book is getting solid 4-5 star reviews and I had a lot of trouble connecting to it. I'm not sure if it was the case of wrong book wrong time or what. I just may not have been in the right head space to read this.

I just couldn't ever connect with the character's or the story. At about 65% I almost DNF but I'm a completionist with ADD so I decided to give it a chance and finish it. I, glad I did because it deserved it, I just don't know if this book is my cup of tea.

Wow! If this is what literary fiction is like in 2019 sign me up.

Ask Again, Yes is a multi-generational story that follows two neighboring families across decades. Although the patriarchs of the family met while being partnered for the NYPD, it's the actions of their neighboring that brings about consequences that last decades.

I wasn't sure about Ask Again, Yes since the hype on social media was so high for this book prior to its publication. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I will give a trigger warning for alcoholism as this was the toughest section for me to read since I've had to deal with alcoholism with loved ones. Mary Beth Keane's writing gave a raw feeling that made readers feel like they were within the action of the Gleeson and Stanhope families. Now excuse me as I go dive into Mary Beth Keane's backlist.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for a eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Scribner for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are completely my own.

I started seeing the hype around this book long before it was published, and I knew that I wanted to read it based only on what everyone was saying about it. I had to see what everyone was talking about, right? But since I already knew, rather than being caught on the fence at all, I wanted to try and go in as blind towards the actual plot as I could. So other than a character-driven family and mental health drama, I didn’t really know what to expect going in. But even so, my expectations for this novel were very high, and I was not disappointed.

At the top of the novel we meet Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two young men beginning careers in the police force, and their young wives just as they are starting families and settling down. The couples find early on that their lives and futures are tethered together, with the men working together and the families living next door to each other.
Now, going in not knowing the plot, at this point I imagined that I had met all of our primary players – Francis, his gentle wife Lena, Brian, and his mysterious wife Anne. That would have been a story on its own, but I was then pleasantly interested to find that the novel and story cross generations and focuses as much on these four as it does on two children, one from each family. Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope were best friends their entire childhoods, which is pretty typical with kids close in age and living next door to each other. But when the two are in eighth grade, a long night and a violent event forces the Stanhopes to move away, and the two are torn apart, forbidden by their families to see the other.
This novel encompasses an entire lifetime, full of choices and relationships, and how the events of 1991 affect them as families and as individuals across decades.

This novel includes quite a few topics that can be challenging, and that may not be easy for everyone to read – this includes mental health difficulties that lead to violent actions, abandonment, alcoholism, and how injury and sickness (specifically cancer) affect not only the person but their families. I believe that these are topics that are important to be able to talk about, and in my opinion the author does a good job of showing both sides of all of these issues. I want others to be able to have the same experience reading this novel for the first time and experiencing it with fresh eyes, so I’m not going to go too far into this since it would be impossible to do so without spoilers to the plot.

As I mentioned, this story is obviously very character driven, so I was glad that there were characters that I could relate to and that I felt connected to. One of my favorite characters was the youngest daughter, Kate Gleeson (as I think she is meant to be). Even as a child she is smart and strong, with a sharp and sassy personality and a kind heart. However, all of the characters really had their moments where I wanted to be like them, where they frustrated me, where they broke my heart. But all along the journey I felt like I knew each of these people, and I really love that in a novel.

All in all, I really did love this novel. It took me almost an entire week to read for one reason or another, but in hindsight I’m glad, because this is not a story that you want to rush through, but rather one to really sink your teeth into and let yourself feel everything fully as it happens. While some of the themes could warrant a content warning, as I said I believe that if you are able to read them then you should start here. If you’re not sure if this book or the themes would be easy for you, I would honestly highly recommend reading this with a friend or a book club, in order to really get into the conversations that this type of story starts.
I would highly recommend this read, and if you are planning to read it, or have read it, and want someone to get into a discussion with, you know who to call. Or… email.

I love books with family sagas I know two cops who live next door to each other married with children and the children end up falling in love and Something happens that makes them not talk to each other then years later they find their way back. This book is heart breaking and heart warming at the same time. I want to thank Netgalley and author MaryBeth Keane for a Arc I also picked this as my book of the month this month I can’t wait to get it!!!

This was surely the wrong pick for me but there was some sense of satisfaction as I progressed.

Discussing about the effects ignoring mental diseases can bring to a family (or two), the story focuses on two families who come to be neighbors and whose children fall in love with each other, forcing them to deal with one another and causing inevitable tragedy that will define their next decades.

Can love overcome all? Not if you ignore the signs, that's the lesson I learned from Peter and Kate's love story. I'm not that into stories following the many years and tragedies of a family simply for the drama, I half cheered for some gruesome twist that would turn this into a thriller. It never happened, but I did come to love the feeling that I was actually spending time with all these characters.

The story is narrated from the POV of many characters, especially the two couples and their two children in love, Kate and Peter. We get to experience how the four met, how they came to be neighbors and how the two were born and fell in love as a result. It's really a journey and I'm sure there's a good public for it, even if I'm not a part.

Mary Beth Keane has a very easy-to-read style and the interchanging POVs never confused me, as they could in the hands of a less experienced writer. I also appreciate how she managed to insert a cliffhanger in the end of each chapter, forcing me to go to the next even when it was already the middle of the night and I had work the following morning. In other words, she knows how to grip her readers.

And, as I mentioned in my own summary, the main theme is how we tend to feign ignorance when it comes to mental diseases. The book is almost a cautionary tale of how things can go bad and how people insist in ignoring them nonetheless. The story begins around the 70's reaching nowadays and the six (or seven) main characters reincured in this mistake time and again as much back then as in the present times.

At the same time, the conclusion has its beauty and was fitting of the family drama this was. Of course, I won't spoil you. Just know the destination is worth it.

Lovers of family dramas should enjoy Peter and Kate's journey as they defy their families to stay together.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel - I loved it!

Frances Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two NYPD rookies, although not close friends. A few years later, they find themselves next-door neighbors. Both now married and with children, we learn that things go on behind closed doors that even neighbors aren't privy to. Frances and Lena's youngest daughter, Kate, and Brian and Anne's son, Peter, become the best of friends. However, one night when they are teenagers will change everything. Years later find Kate and Peter reuniting and the majority of the book focuses on their relationship with each other and their families after the tragic night years ago caused a permanent rift.

Just a beautifully written novel about family, mental illness, forgiveness, loyalty and the past that shapes each of us. I loved these characters and all their flaws. A story that will stay with you after you turn the last page. Highly recommended!

Ask Again, Yes is a moving family drama with the complexities of relationships at the forefront. This book forces you to consider over and over “Is love enough?”

The Gleeson’s and Stanhope’s start out with average connections to each other- both husbands are NYPD. Over time, the relationships twist and turn, until a breaking point that would seem to sever all ties. However, some bonds are stronger than others, and despite all obstacles, this book examines if love is enough to make you overcome anything in your way. I loved how this story was told over several decades and from multiple viewpoints, but I never felt like I missed out on anything important in the characters lives. Their stories are spun together so eloquently, you can’t help but be sucked in.

I would recommend this book to friends because I really enjoyed reading it has a great story. I hope it gets published and she continues writing.

𝔸𝕤𝕜 𝔸𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟, 𝕐𝕖𝕤 𝕓𝕪 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕪 𝔹𝕖𝕥𝕙 𝕂𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕖

I can’t quite wrap my head around how a story can be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I’m not sure I have ever read a story quite like this one. It’s not the typical genre that I gravitate towards, but I’m so happy that I went outside my comfort zone!

Mary Beth Keane wrote the characters in Ask Again, Yes so vividly. I immediately felt captivated by this emotional tale of how one horrifying split second impacts the next forty years of these two neighboring families’ lives.

There are no twists and turns in this novel. There are no big reveals or AHA! moments. What you do get is an immersive story, told slowly and sincerely about life, love, addiction, families, and how the choices we make every day reverberate through the entire universe for the remainder of our lives.

I absolutely, fully, completely LOVED this book. It has all of the things I adore in a book: family drama, character development, relationship musings, a subtle plot where life happens in the small moments. Somehow, Mary Beth Keane took it all to a new level in Ask Again, Yes.

I was skeptical to start this one because it centers around police officers. I appreciate how much research Keane did into policing in America from the 1970s to present day to make this book possible. I also appreciate that this book was not heavy on policing, but used it to inform the plot and create a through line from one generation to the next.

I’ve seen some criticism about how this book handles mental health. Early chapters paint Anne as a brutal, menacing, shut-in but later chapters reveal her thoughts, feelings, and actions. I can see why this would be frustrating and triggering for readers to start with a reductive view of mental health (by today’s standards), but I thought the book shared mental health through the lens of the 1970/80s and the eyes of the kids interacting with Anne. I enjoyed that structure and the way the book’s portrayal and understanding grew with the characters.

I love reading family stories: the triumphs, the heartbreak, etc... Not one family is perfect or escapes “life”. I empathized with these characters and felt many emotions during their various points. The author described her characters so well and lovingly wrote their stories.
Many thanks to Scribner and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ewww. Just ewww.. I couldn't finish this. I tried. Didn't like it at all. It rambled on and on, and when a story finally started coming together it was horrible.

Ask Again, Yes is filled with family drama that last a lifetime. This book will tug on your heartstrings. This is my first book to read by Mary Beth Keane. I will be looking forward to reading more books written by Keane.

"Because life changes and people change. As long as we change together, we're okay."

Life isn't all sunshine and happiness. It's how we react to life that makes it what it is. ASK AGAIN, YES has been compared to other books like COMMONWEALTH and LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE for good reason. Through a chance encounter at the NYPD academy two families, the Gleesons and the Stanhopes, are brought together and forever linked in ways that they could never have imagined. This character-driven novel allows the reader an intimate look at two families struggling through issues like mental illness, friendship, alcoholism, love, and infidelity. The tragedies are real, the pain imaginable and true for some readers.

A multi-generational saga, ASK AGAIN, YES is the kind of story that sticks to your bones. Never did I feel that I was reading something outrageous or unbelievable. Instead, I felt like a fly on the wall, watching anxiously as the mental, emotional, and physical injuries happened before me, feeling relief as I witnessed the characters working hard towards repairing and healing their lives and relationships. There are many scenes that are difficult to read; the raw reality and the genuine pain caused my palms to sweat while I turned each page.

You'll be drawn to this book for the cover but it's what's inside that will make you stop everything you're doing until you're done reading.

Mary Beth Keane’s engrossing new novel, “Ask Again, Yes,” begins as NYPD rookie Francis Gleeson waits for fellow rookie and temporary partner Brian Stanhope prior to starting their shift in 1973. Their relationship is cordial although not necessarily friendly, but when the house next door to the Gleeson’s home in the Westchester suburb of Gillam becomes available, Francis lets Brian know and the Stanhopes move in. Thus begins an uneasy connection between the two families that deepens when their children, classmates Peter Stanhope and Kate Gleeson, forge a close friendship. Just as that friendship is about to blossom into something more, however, the shattering events of one spring night change everything and connect the families in ways none of them could ever have imagined. Spanning almost 50 years, “Ask Again, Yes” tells the stories of the Gleesons and the Stanhopes from the alternating perspectives of several members of each family, sensitively dealing along the way with mental illness, alcoholism and the ways families build and test their capacity for loyalty, compassion and forgiveness. I really enjoyed this book; the writing is fluid and assured, the plot never veers into melodrama or sensationalism (which it easily could have) and the story and polyphonic format reminded me a lot of Ann Patchett’s last book, “Commonwealth,” which I also recommend. Great pick for readers looking for a literary family drama to get lost in this summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel, even though it’s a character-driven type, I still found it hard to put down. The beginning felt a little slow so I put it down for a bit and came back to it. While it’s not a page-turner in the sense that a thriller book, I found myself unable to put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next in the lives of the characters. It reminded me a bit of Little Fires Everywhere, following the lives of two families and how they intertwined. This story covered a much greater expanse of time, through multiple perspectives. It was really interesting to see how the characters all dealt with the tragedy the faced and what decisions they made later in life. Very much enjoyed this story and would recommend if you enjoy a character-driven type novel.