The Half Moon

3.75 (rounded up to 4) - I've been on a literary kick so this book came along at the perfect time. This might have been the first time all year I read my Book of the Month selection in the same month I chose it.

Malcolm and Jess' marriage is on thin ice. This isn't much of a surprise after a long battle with infertility, financial struggles, and midlife crises. We follow their turbulent lives in the present all while flashing back to various points throughout their relationship.

One of my all-time favorite movies is Two for the Road and this book is very reminiscent of it right down to the way it's told. For that, I absolutely adored it. What I didn't love were the characters. I didn't hate them nor did I find it difficult to sympathize with them, they just felt without a strong identity outside of the active plot. Strong characters in a plot like this are a must for me. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

A Solid Read, But Lacking the Wow Factor

I restarted The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane for a readathon, hoping it would captivate me the second time around. While I did enjoy the book, I found it to be a solid, well-written story but without any standout moments that really grabbed me.

The novel explores the complexities of marriage, dreams, and the small-town life of its characters with depth and realism. Keane’s writing is engaging, and she does a great job of capturing the nuances of her characters' emotions. However, despite the strong character development, the plot felt a bit predictable, and I kept waiting for a moment that would truly surprise or move me—but it never quite came.

Overall, The Half Moon is a good read, especially if you appreciate character-driven stories. But for me, it lacked that extra spark to make it truly memorable.