Malcolm and Jess are in a rough patch in their relationship. After years and thousands of dollars, they have not been able to have a child, which is something that Jess desperately wants. Malcolm's time is consumed by the Half Moon bar, which is struggling in its own way. Their marriage has not been prioritized and their resentments are building.

We hear the present-day story from Malcolm and the background context from Jess' POV. We learn about the slow disintegration of their relationship, one that started from a place full of love and passion. The portrayals of the struggles they face are so realistic and compelling; anyone who is in a committed relationship would be able to relate and recognize these specific difficulties as well as both people's perspectives.

I was completely enraptured by this couple's story and the direction it would take me. The characters are well-developed, with distinctive voices. The first 2/3 of the story was so evocative, particularly the chapters from Jess' point of view. However, the last third of the book became noticeably more clunky in writing and plot development. I was also hoping for a bigger reveal to bring the story full circle.

Thank you for this ARC! I was a big fan of Ask Again Yes and was excited to read this follow up book. It did not disappoint. It has the same wonderful character development and family drama. If you like a heart wrenching epic tale, I highly suggest picking this one up! Trigger warnings for infertility.

The Half Moon is a bar that is not doing well, causing a lot of stress for owner Malcolm who is the first person we meet. The bar seems to be his life, his escape, his source of stress all in one. Jess, his attorney wife, is stuck in childless mode and is having a lot of trouble seeing what Malcolm says when he says enough of pursuing something that is not working and costing us everything, financially and emotionally.

It was rather depressing to read all downer entries of their attempts to have a child, the purchase of the bar under circumstances that made me scratch my head when Malcolm didn't run the paperwork past his wife who knows contracts and she didn't seem to insist on it, either. In a way, I almost felt like they got what they deserved; they were acting as individuals rather than a couple.

Jess takes matters into her own hands to try to find happiness and Malcolm tends to live in denial far longer than is helpful or realistic. I was annoyed with both of them and found myself skimming as it just felt too long without going anywhere. Too depressing, too, to want to continue reading about problems with no intention of trying to do anything to resolve the issues.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 2.5 stars, maybe 2.75

I’ve been sitting on what to write in my review for The Half Moon for about a week now, because I loved it so much but can’t articulate why.

Here’s my best try- it’s such a real book. The characters, the struggles, the mid-life crises. Keane perfectly captures the essence that we are al just out here, trying out best to navigate our time on earth, making it up as we go and seeing if we got it right. It’s a great novel about the adjustment and readjustments we make through life - the mundane decisions and the big ones.

Set against the backdrop of a powerful snow storm, The Half Moon follows Malcolm and Jess as they navigate their relatively new separation and the emotions that surround it. After struggling with infertility for years combined with the crippling debt of student loans and ownership of a bar, this couple seems to have lost sight of what they were fighting for. Although I wasn't really invested in either person, the story was well written and I liked the approach of the short time period it addressed.

Mary Beth Keane is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Malcom is barely keeping his head above water after purchasing the bar in his hometown where he worked for over 20 years. His wife, Jess, has been on a years long infertility journey that has further sapped their finances as well as her emotions. Jess has left for a bit "to take a break". Malcom is miserable, and starting to get suspicious of the business deal he made when he bought the bar as well as Jess' activities during their separation. Keane gives the reader the perfect amount of insight into these characters as well as the minor characters in the story. The sense of place is very well-done, and one can almost feel the transitions between the city and its suburbs. A quick read, but not without substance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. The Half Moon is the second book I've read by Mary Beth Keane. The first one was Ask Again, Yes. The Half Moon is the name of the bar that Malcolm has worked in for years and then is persuaded to buy when the owner moves away. His wife, Jess, is a lawyer and is skeptical of the purchase of the bar. There are several story lines in the book, all of them strong but a bit scattered. Malcolm and Jess are having marital problems, the bar is not doing as well as hoped, and there is a separate story line of a regular who goes on the lam due to bad business dealings. I enjoyed the book and I really like Ms. Keane's writing style. The book started slowly and I wasn't sure I would keep reading but it picked up and I ended up liking it a lot.

Book reviews:

What happens when the dream that brought a marriage together is shattered? Can the marriage survive? The Half Moon is a beautifully written story about what happens to a marriage when life throws a dose of reality and a series of major disappointments into the mix. Mary Beth Keane allows us to get to know each of the characters so well, and I truly rooted for them each to find happiness whether together or apart.

This was almost a five star read for me, but I found parts of it to be a little unbelievable. Having been through a divorce this year, some of it was too close to home, and I had to put it down and come back to it a few times because some of the emotions and situations in the book were so familiar and tender. Ultimately I really enjoyed it and was rooting for the main characters throughout. MBK writes an excellent family drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This is a character driven story of a marriage in shambles. Malcolm and Jess are a 40 something couple who have split up after years of infertility, disappointment, infidelity and struggles. The characters are very real and relatable and I definitely thought about them after I was done reading.

This was an interesting story of love, friendship, loyalty and hard decisions. Malcom is trying to get his life on track and thinks that buying the Half Moon bar is what he needs to do that. This book tells his story and the story of the woman he loves. I liked the strong character development and the emotional connection I felt to the main characters. This was a smart, touching fiction story.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

At first, I didn't quite like this book. The use of long sentences with tons of phrases were sometimes hard to follow in the beginning. But this book, which at its heart is about the relationship between Jess and Malcolm, is more than a mere family drama. While the book begins with Jess and Malcolm temporarily separating, a freak snowstorm brings all the problems, both business and personal, to a head. However, I would argue that this text really begins to hit its stride when we start to discover fraud. And it's true, there are many moments of fraud, fraudulent relationships and fraudulent payments, all of which pale in comparison to the big fraud that propels the climax of the text. So in the end, I really liked the text. Is it a good classroom book? No, but it's a great read for that week between Christmas and New Years.

I love Mary Beth Keane's novels. The way she writes her characters and stories are so relatable to real life. I found the couples struggles relatable and love that despite their hardships they found their way back to eachother.

I met Jess and Malcolm in the middle of a blizzard over the holidays and I won’t soon forget them. As I cozied up beside the fire, they invited me into their small-town bar and into the shambles of their marriage during an impending snowstorm.

Told in dual timelines, THE HALF MOON follows Malcolm and Jess through their struggles with infertility, infidelity, and their fledgling ownership of the HALF MOON bar. Their characters were flawed but had incredible depth and practically leapt off the page. The story so poignantly explores the minor marital missteps that can turn into a colossal unraveling if left unchecked. I love stories that ask readers to consider the paths in life not taken, and this was certainly no exception.

With its sticky floors and nights full of promise, The Half Moon bar is a character in and of itself. It’s that underdog you can’t help but root for. I loved the parallels between Jess & Malcolm’s relationship and the status of the bar and the impending weather.

I’ve been searching for the next We Are The Brennans and dare I say I’ve found it? Readers who enjoy family drama or a second chance romance won’t want to miss this one. I have Keane’s previous novel, ASK AGAIN, YES, sitting unread on my TBR shelf, but mark my words, it won’t stay unread for long.

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: May 2, 2023

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

Many thanks to NetGalley, Mary Beth Keane, and Scribner for the ARC!

After reading Ask Again, Yes and Fever by Keane I could not wait to read her next book- and it did not disappoint!

The Half Moon is a gritty book about the realities of marriage and pledging to spend your life with someone- a bond that is both strong and fragile. Malcom's dreams come true when he transitions from bartender to bar owner of The Half Moon when his mentor decides to retire. Jess is a lawyer whose life isn't turning out qhite like she envisioned it. Over 12 years of marriage Malcom and Jess have endured many ups and downs, and things spiral out of control before their town is shut down by back to back blizzards. When the storm is over, will their marriage survive?

Keane's masterful telling of a marriage in trouble is authentic, raw, heartbreaking, and full of empathy. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to Scribner for the advanced copy of this book.

Ever since I read Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane, I've been waiting for what she would write next and highly anticipated this one.

A lot of what I loved about AGA spilled over into this one as well: beautifully written prose, unique and multi-dimemsional characters, generational family drama.

This story followed a married couple that was deeply struggling for many years with infertility and ultimately a marriage that was falling apart. The author slowly revealed reasons from both perspectives on what what wrong along the way.

While I did like the individual characters, I wasn't as connected to the story as I was hoping to be. Parts of the plot felt unnecessary and a couple times I got excited that something was going happen and then it was a fake-out.

I would recommend if you are a fan of slow-burn marriage dramas; unfortunately I don't think it was the best choice for me personally.

This book will be available on May 2, 2023.

In Mary Beth Keane's The Half Moon, two back-to-back blizzards have shut the town down and, being basically snowed in, Malcolm begins to take stock of his life. He's in massive debt, his business is failing, and his marriage is in shambles. Add to this the fact that a regular at his bar has gone missing and the police are asking questions. Malcolm is 45 years old and feels like he should have his life more together than this.

I loved the character development in this book. It jumps back and forth in time which allows readers to witness Malcolm and his wife Jess's relationship over many years, from their honeymoon days, through a long journey with infertility, to secrets and betrayals, and finally separation. I appreciated that the author treated both Malcolm and Jess fairly. Neither of them were set up as the "right" or "wrong" one. I found both of them likable and sometimes baffling in equal measure.

This might sound like a depressing story, and it was quite sad in parts, but ultimately I found the message that you can do a 180 on your life at any age rather uplifting. 4 stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Malcom owns the bar Half Moon. He and his wife Jess have tried for years to have a baby. She's left him and he's figuring life out. In a few short days, the town gets a huge snow storm and as it's arriving, he learns Jess has moved on. Then he finds out a regulator customer, who may have had a bit too much one night, also went missing. A good read!

I absolutely adored this author's first novel, Ask Again Yes, but this one was a bit difficult to get through. The prose didn't seem to flow as easily as her first novel.

Another engrossing novel of white and blue collar life from Keene, though this one doesn’t have the heart-wringing compulsion of Ask Again, Yes. Nevertheless, despite a less gripping plot with a saggy middle, her characters convey authenticity and the emotional bonds are the best, most convincing dimensions of the story. She remains one to watch.

Mary Beth Keane's novel The Half Moon is a beautifully told story about a marriage that begins to unravel when the disappointment of many failed fertility treatments takes its toll. Jess remains determined to explore every option that will lead her to motherhood but Malcolm has come to the end of his rope. The charismatic owner of The Half Moon bar is struggling to keep his business afloat amid one financial setback after another. As much as he adores Jess - and he truly does, from the first day they met - continuing treatment or pursuing adoption are no longer options when the previous owner of the Half Moon is sending his thugs to threaten Malcolm until he fully pays his debts.

Mary Beth Keane has created another masterpiece of real, raw, emotionally fragile, flawed, deeply likeable characters. Jess and Malcolm will live on in your mind - and your heart - long after the last page.