There’s nothing I can do about that,” Keane adds, speaking on the pressure to compete with such a market hit. “You just have to write the book that you want to write at the moment.” When you are young and in love with your whole life ahead of you, nothing seems insurmountable. But, the reality is that we don’t all get everything that we want in life. Some couples find their way through their disappointments together and others must find their way, apart. I appreciated the way the ending was written. It was believable and not all tied up nice and neat, just like real life. But it was hopeful, which satisfied me. I do wish there had been an epilogue though. This book just seemed way too unnecessarily long. It took me ages to read it and I even read books in-between to refrain from DNFing.

The Half Moon: The compelling new novel from the New York

Jessica, 41 – Malcolm’s wife. Lawyer. Desperate for a child and willing to do anything to be a mother. Malcolm not in agreement.Marriage is hard. It’s messy, hurtful, yet rewarding. And Keane shows us this through two flawed characters who love each other despite life having broken their hearts. Many thanks to NetGalley, Scribner, and Mary Beth Keane for an ARC of this book! Now available as of 5.2!**

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane | Waterstones

Malcolm's dream is to own his own bar. It has to be the "Half Moon" where he's tended bar for years. When this bar is offered for sale, he'll be the buyer, at all costs. This may be the most accurate portrayal of marriage I have ever read. Marriage can be messy. It can be all consuming and lonely at the same time. With marriage comes compromise but sometimes a person can only compromise so much. I loved both Malcolm and Jess. Neither one was perfect and both made mistakes but through it all they were still good people at their core. People you want to see happy and successful in their endeavors. My heart broke for their predicament. Keane took such care in crafting not only this story but the characters. Slow burn, quiet stories like these don't always work for me but I was completely invested in this couple and their outcome. For me, the ending was absolutely perfect. 4 stars!While writing a novel is a whole different world, the struggle to get it right — to capture that lightning in a bottle — is a familiar feeling. Keane, who’s now at work on her fifth novel (which will be “quite different” from her previous works, she hints), says she tries to write every day to keep the momentum going but takes time to re-center herself when the words aren’t coming the way she wants. Jess's dream is to have a baby. For years she'll go from doctor to doctor for the newest procedures to become pregnant, no matter the cost. In addition to the hot mess story and characters was what I consider hot mess writing. Aside from seemingly stream of consciousness sentence structure, the timelines and POVs were all over the place with no hallmarks. Jess, a successful lawyer by day, has always wanted to be a mother. After many attempts and many miscarriages they turn to IVF with unsuccessful results. Year after year of crushing disappointment. Jess would like to consider a sperm donor or perhaps adoption but Malcolm is spent. He doesn't want to continue this journey of heartbreak anymore.