Sad story in some ways about how two families interweave when a tragedy occurs. The future of the children is set from this going forward and the book is an interesting read as an account of how the past influences the future.

I like a family saga, and this story was that. Set in small town USA and New York it tells the story of two families - the Gleesons and the Stanhopes. Brian Stanhope and Francis Gleeson do their police training together and are partnered together at the start of their careers. They end up living next door to each other in small town, Gillam, with their wives and families. Try as she might, Lena Gleeson can't get conversation or friendship from Anne Stanhope, so Lena concentrates on bringing up her three daughters next door to the Stanhopes and their son, Peter. Peter, and the youngest Gleeson, Kate, become inseparable but Anne isn't happy with this. Anne is troubled, and one night it comes to a head with devastating consequences. The Stanhopes move away, and the book follows the lives of both families, exploring themes of mental illness, alcoholism, forgiveness and always family ties. A sometimes disturbing read, and one where you hoped the problems of the past would inform the future. #netgalley #askagainyes

Ask Again, Yes is a powerful, emotional and thought provoking read which is beautifully written. I have been a fan of this author’s previous books and while I felt this was different from her previous book it was still a very interesting read.

The story follows two families who have been friends for a long time, through the years both before and after a tragic accident that has a huge effect on their lives. The reader is drawn straight into the story and the characters lives, following every drama as it unfolds. The fly on the wall view allows the reader to become fully emerged into the family which is very interesting. I enjoyed learning more about the characters and the cracks in their relationships.

The characters are very well drawn and I enjoyed reading about how they changed throughout the years. There were definitely some characters that I loved to hate, especially Lena whose attitude towards her daughter’s relationship was almost spiteful at times. I did wonder why someone didn’t call her up on some of the things she says as I think I would have done .

There are some thought provoking themes running through this book which I’d love to discuss with someone. The idea of forgive and forget was especially interesting to me and had me wondering about how possible it would actually be. I found it quite intriguing to see how the characters deal with it.

I didn’t find this book as gripping as other reviewers but I’m putting that down to tiredness due to kids illnesses, rather than anything to do with the story. It was a compelling read for me though as I found I did want to read more of the story and discover what would happen.

Huge thanks to Sriya from Michael St Joseph’s for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

The book is described as a "gripping and compassionate drama of two families linked by chance, love and tragedy." Two families, the Gleesons and the Stanhopes, live next door to each other in Gillam, upstate New York. Lena Gleeson is lonely and would like a friend, but Anna Stanhope would prefer to be left alone. However, their children - Lena's younger daughter Kate and Anne's only child Peter - find a way to form a friendship despite their mothers. However, this is broken when a tragedy occurs between the two families.

It took me a while to get in to this book, and when I was in it, I did find it slow-moving. However, I wanted to give up to find out what happened. I believe I found it hard to read because it's a drama focused on the characters and their development over the years, rather than a drama which focuses on dramatic plots here, there and everywhere.

The book was well written and the characters and plot were clearly well thought out. Keane also tackled issues such as mental health and alcoholism with extreme sensitivity. However, I just felt like I was spending too much time looking in, and not much time involved and fully 'there' with the characters.

This has all the hallmarks of a 'boy meets the girl next door' story. Oh, apart from the fact that Peter's mother has something seriously wrong with her and wants to do everything she can to keep Peter and Kate apart...

The first half of this book utterly grabbed me; it was pacy, had great characters and intrigue. Anne Stanhope is a genuinely chilling character and as she starts to lose control, you can feel the book building up to the 'event horizon', the tragedy that would once and for all drive a wedge between these two families. The trauma these two families go through is intense and you can't see anyway for them to come back from it. I was utterly transfixed, albeit somewhat surprised to realise I was less than 30% of the way through the book.

This is where the book lost me a little bit. The rest of the story is spent following the 2 families, both apart and together, through the following decades. We are party to the intricacies of their lives and how their past has impacted on the choices they now make. Whilst this was really well done, for me it was a little bit too protracted, and the story started to lose some of the pace and thrill of the first third.

What I really liked about this book, is how well the families are depicted and the stark difference between them both. The Gleesons are your a-typical, all American family, who stick together no matter what. Whilst the Stanhopes are the complete opposite. Anne Stanhope's mental difficulties are interesting against the backdrop of the 70's and 80's when these health problems were much more stigmatised and badly understood. The overriding theme of nature vs nurture is an interesting one and so we are invested in seeing Peter's outcome, and the man he will become.

Overall this was a fantastically written family drama, but for me, too long to pack the punch I was hoping for. It is however, getting absolutely rave reviews from pretty much everyone else (!), so its definitely one to check out.

Ask Again, Yes was released on 8th August 2019 by Penguin, Michael Joseph.

Big thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is just a superb book in the best family drama tradition and I could hardly put it down. Telling of the experiences of two families living next door to one another from the 1970s onwards, the story focuses most closely on Pete and Kate, best friends until tragedy pulls them apart.

The novel manages to be a page turner while also exploring the experiences of Irish immigrants to the US, and covers a wide range of other topics from mental health to alcoholism. It’s a story of love and redemption, told simply but effectively. For a child of the 70s and 80s as I was, it brilliantly captures the freedom and boredom of a child at that time.

It wasn’t until I was halfway through that I realised that Mary Beth Keane is also the author of Fever, another excellent read (a novelised history of the infamous Typhoid Mary in 1900s New York). Whilst this is set in more recent times, Keane’s storytelling is flawless, pulling me in and leaving me thinking about the characters long after I’d put the book down.

It’s been weeks since I finished it and I still find myself thinking about the characters.
The first half broke me with all the hardships that the characters had to deal with, then the second half mended my heart ever so slowly.
I was very angry at most of the characters in the first half, in fact, all of them and didn’t like many of them for that matter. Hated some of them with a passion.
But then they all slowly grew on me especially during the last third of the book. My heart went out to most of them.
I honestly can’t recommend this highly enough.

A lovely family saga tackling hard issues and a binding love story at its heart. I fully recommend this book although i originally found it difficult to get into

A love story with a difference. Is the policeman in love with her or is he playing hard to get? Does she really want him or is she playing cool? A lovely read, highly recommended.

There's no option to say I didn't read it, it wasn't for me sorry I won't be reviewing it
Can you delete this review please

A gripping modern day Romeo and Juliet, following two families in the aftermath of one day when their whole lives change. Each character carries a great deal of strength and fortitude as their lives are irrevocably changed. Thought provoking in how would you cope in a similar situation.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

My first book by Mary Beth Keane and I loved it! This is the kind of book that hits you right in the feels. It makes you want to hug the characters. If I had a physical copy, I know it would be the kind of book that I would display on my shelf and at the same time, guard with my life (no lending out,lol).

The Gleeson and Stanhope families live next door to each other. Brian and Francis are both cops and somewhat friends. Their wives are not too friendly though. Anne is different, sort of aloof and doesn’t welcome friendly overtures. On the other hand, Lena is a lovely lady, fiercely protective of her family. While the parents might not be the best of friends, their kids, Kate and Peter, are certainly very close. It’s the relationship between the kids that led to some dramatic happenings in the story.

This book covers a lot of themes surrounding family. The strength and love of the two matriarchs for their families was apparent in each chapter despite their individual struggles. There are other themes of addiction, abandonment, forgiveness, friendship and mental health that tugged at my heartstrings and made me sympathize with some of the characters. My heart broke so many times but I still found reason to smile through the pages.

The author did an amazing job with the character development. Each one of them touched me in a way. Some I might have wished to throw off a cliff but most were relatable and I rooted for them all the way. The story-line and themes are enthralling and realistically portrayed. They made the 2 families relatable.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane is a beautiful, captivating, emotional read with memorable characters and an impactful plot. It broke my heart in some chapters and made me smile through others. It’s a sad but hopeful kind of story.I had such a great time with this fabulous read!

I loved this book! I loved the way the story unfolded about the two families. I found it very relatable. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Mary Beth Keane for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This book that leaves you with a swell of pleasure - you’ve followed two families through tumultuous lives, some of which you wouldn’t expect, to a satisfying end. It’s well written, you start to care deeply for the main characters as you follow how their lives progress, and wonder if they’ll repeat the mistakes or successes of their parents. There’s young love, pain, a mother’s love, and hardship and heartbreak along the way, but it’s a book that satisfies rather than leaving questions unanswered. Definitely a must-read, and one I didn’t want to put down.

A saga of a tale well told and not afraid to include alcoholism and mental health issues. A bit like one of Anne Tyler’s books or Edna O’Brien. The plot was interesting although I did find myself skim reading a little bit in places but only a very little bit. Does that mean the editing could have been tighter or that I was being a lazy reader? I fear the latter. Whatever the book is a great read and one I will happily recommend.
I’m giving it a heavy four stars. Not quite a five but excellent anyway.

A family saga set in America and it involves two family who have more than their fair share of tragedies This story has lots of Interesting characters and covers a lot of difficult subjects mental illness, alcoholism and family problems The main plot centres around Peter and Kate who meet when they are young and everything they suffered I the past effects their future together A good read

I loved this book, it is a slow paced book, but still one that is difficult to put down. I am not always such a favourite of multi-narrated stories, but the way the multiperspectivity is used in this book comes across seamless and the only way the book could have been written. I would highly recommend this book!

Loved this book and didn't want it to end!
If you like a family drama that spans the years then this one is a fab book. It centres around 2 families the Gleesons and the Stanhopes and how their lives intertwine .
There is a lot of tragedy and some happiness between the families - heartache - things left unsaid - Mental illness - The boy next door - family relationships this book has it all ! The writing is thoughtful and had me reading 'just one more page!' until the early hours.

“The only love is kindness.”

This is a story of a dysfunctional family and of the collateral damage of addiction. It is also a story of an individual who, because he is loved, is able to overcome at last the damage inflicted on him in childhood.

Ask Again, Yes is the moving story of two Irish immigrants, neighbouring families in a New York suburb and the love between two children that endures through traumatic childhoods into adulthood. Both fathers are NYC policeman – but the Gleesons are a stable family with three daughters and the Stanhopes (who have only one son, Peter) are a family fractured by mental health problems and later alcohol addiction.

This is primarily Peter’s story – the story of a young boy, abandoned by both parents – his mother because of mental illness and his father because he just cannot stand anymore. Peter struggles with the terrible legacy of damage and addiction left to him by his parents and is only able, at last, to overcome his problems and alcohol addiction because of the great love he and his childhood sweetheart (later his wife and mother of his children), Kate Gleeson have for each other.

Anne Stanhope’s psychosis manifests itself after several miscarriages and the birth of a stillborn child. Peter is her only living offspring. She is unfortunate enough to live in an era (the 1970s) when her burgeoning problems were ignored rather than treated, and she is often a profoundly unsympathetic person. Peter struggles as a child to protect her, feeling guilty when he fails to do so and suffering from chronic anxiety as he walks on eggshells, trying not to upset her, never knowing what he will find when he returns home.

A tragic and catastrophic accident occurs, which tears both families apart. How Peter and Kate struggle to re-find each other and overcome the toxic legacy of their shared past is the main thrust of the story.

This book is not an easy read. The narrative sags at times and the characters can seem all on one note as human beings rarely are, but in her treatment of mental illness and addiction and the collateral damage, it does to families the author shows profound understanding, knowledge and unsentimental compassion that is masterful. This is a thoughtful and perceptive book. Even though the writing occasionally falters, the understanding never does. Everyone should read it.

Charlotte Gower

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

One of the books I've most enjoyed recently: you know you've enjoyed a book when you're still thinking about it weeks after reading, right?

This one focuses on two families who move into a suburban New York neighbourhood in the 1970s to raise their families. Although both men are police officers, they don't really know each other to begin with and their lives slowly begin to overlap as they have kids in the same school and time passes.

Starting off with the fast passing of time, as things begin to settle into a slower pace, we learn more and more about some of the characters and witness a love story unfold, with some dramatic consequences. Suddenly on one night, everything changes and the families are left dealing with the fallout from this tragedy for the rest of their lives.

I don't know how much more I can share about this one as I don't want to give away the major event, so I'll just implore you to read it and leave it at that. Happy Tuesday!