This was an enjoyable if heartbreaking read, perfect for those with Irish connections as they will appreciate all the talk about Barry’s tea and Kerrygold butter.. lots of twists and plot lines and I didn’t see the end plot at all.
I personally felt it went on for too long and dragged a bit , it wasn’t my cup of tea ( Yorkshire) .

I loved this!
A story spanning two generations, but with so many twists and turns! The final one being the most unexpected.
Amazing book!

A story with immigration at its heart.
I always wondered why people say there are more Irish people in the US than in Ireland, now I know! And they’re not wannabes, as I’d supposed.
I loved this book, a modern day Maeve Binchy, with all of her kindness, well drawn, interesting characters and great stories. And it kept me guessing till the end - unusual for me!
I enjoyed it so much I even read the acknowledgments…also very unusual.

A beautiful read, set in Ireland and New York
It is an emotional, rollercoaster of a book. It has many interwoven threads which all come together to make an explosive book. It is a beautifully written family story of love, loss and betrayal- get the tissues ready !
Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Carmel Harrington for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

A very rare 5 star review from me.

Lucy and Maeve are as close as sisters can be. Only 10 months separate them and they do everything together.
Including emigrating to New York from Ireland through the Morrison Emigration Visas.

Told from the point of view of Lucy and her arrival in NY and trying to make a life for herself and her daughter, Bea who has grown up surrounded by a loving family.

When Bea receives a letter written to her future self, forwarded from a teacher, she is surprised to find that the letter is sending her messages.

This is a story about family. The ones that you are born with, the ones that you choose and finding your place in the world

Being the daughter of an Irish immigrant, so much of this book spoke to me. The characters were wonderful. So lifelike and most of them were people that I would love to know.

There are twists in the book. Some you can see coming a mile away and some that take your breath away.
I have been on such an emotional rollercoaster for the last hour that I need to go and have a lie down.

I can't recommend this book enough and I can't wait to read more by the author.

It took me a while to get into this book, but wow once I was hooked I couldn't get enough of it.

And by the last quarter or so I lost count of the amount of times I paused and looked up in open mouthed wonder at what was happening next.

Somehow I didn't see a large amount of things coming although with hindsight it makes sense.

I loved the dual times lines of what is happening in Bea's life now, as well as Lucy's life when she first emigrated to New York from Wexford, Ireland.

There is a great sense if Irish community and pride within this book that I loved feeling a part of.

It is another well thought out, gripping and engaging story from a fabulous author, who always produces wonderful books.

A very heartwarming story that will certainly get under your skin and get you thinking.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I adore dual narrative and dual setting books. So, seeing both used to such fantastic success in this story was a highlight. I did slightly prefer Bea, as I also have the experience of life as an Irish emigrant and have a long held love for New York, but I loved both narratives.

This is an emotional story with many twists to keep you hooked – I was completely hoodwinked by the reason Bea split from Ryan – and a wonderful read for the summer evenings.

A beautiful story following three generations of one family from grandparents to current day mainly focusing on the mother’s or tres amigos of our three best friends Bea, Stephanie and Katrina
Originally it was sisters Lucy, Meagan and their best friend Michelle who applied for visas to go to USA but Michelle fell in love with an Irish boy and didn’t want to go fortunately her visa didn’t come through. So Lucy and Megean left their parent’s pub and travelled to New York where they found jobs as waitresses Lucy also found a wonderful man Ryan who she fell for and began spending all her time with.
Then their father died and both girls returned home to help their mum they stayed a month then went back to New York where Lucy realised megean was pregnant but then overheard a conversation in which Ryan admitted to sleeping with megean and being the baby’s father
Lucy was distraught and decided to leave and go home to Ireland she never returned to see her sister
Ryan and megean married and baby Bea was born.
Years later Bea asked her father why they never spoke to her aunt he refused to talk about it and ask Bea had lost her mum when she was young she had no one to talk to except her best friends so when she said she was going to go to Ireland to try to talk to her aunt they were all in and decided they would go with her
What would she find? Would she find out about her mum? Who knows ?

The Moon Over Kilmore Quay is beautifully written, the characters - especially Bea and Lucy are so easy to warm to you are pulled in to their lives. I found the storyline of the time capsule letter a little strange but in the end it made sense. A heartwarming story about family, friendship and community spirit with twists that will keep you turning the pages.

I was given a copy of The Moon Over Kilmore Quay by NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

This story is written in dual narrative and dual timeframes and with two settings. It is the story about an ordinary family searching for their roots in Ireland. I received this book for review through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher HarperCollins. Thank you for granting my request. I have long been a book fan of Irish author Carmel Harrington and I feel honoured to read her latest story and submit my review for others to read.
The two female narrators in this novel are Lucy Mernagh who lives in Kilmore Quay, Ireland with her son. She once took a leap of faith and left her family to make a new life for herself with her sister. She settled in New York, and loved her new life, but found that she missed Ireland and was really homesick. She loved the peaceful small town where she grew up in Ireland. When her circumstances changed, she decided to call it a day and return home to her family. There she made a new life for herself and she was very happy.
Years later we meet Bea O’Connor, the other narrator. She is the daughter of Irish immigrants living her life in the Big Apple in Brooklyn. She is successful, sassy and well suited to her job. She has always been an enthusiastic member of the Irish Quarter and loves to ask questions about Ireland. She is determined to visit one day to see where her mother lived and to talk to her Irish relatives. Sadly her mother passed away soon after she was born, and her father is sad when he talks about the wife he loved and lost far too early.
Bea is actually the main character in the novel. She is popular, kind hearted and friendly. She has two very special friends and they are inseparable. Our story soon becomes a bit of a mystery story when Bea receives a letter that she wrote as a young girl at school. Her teacher had set up the activity and planned to keep all of the letters from her class in a ‘time capsule’, releasing them in the future when her pupils are older. When Bea receives her letter she feels discombobulated and filled with the urge to find out more about family in Ireland. Soon the opportunity to travel with her two friends for a work related job entices her to make the move and visit her Irish relations, making a bit of time for her own research as well as her occupational research. This story is full of romance, memories, secrecy, love and loss and a massive surprise. Read this story and you are sure to be filled with emotion, turnarounds, a mystery solved and love and loyalty.
The storytelling is timeless and beautiful. The descriptions of the lovely settings in Ireland were stunning and reminded me of our visit there one hot sunny summer. There is a rollercoaster of activity and shocks galore as the story hurdles towards Bea’s trip to her motherland. Surprisingly I cannot pick out my favourite character as I liked most of them. As usual Carmel’s story is full of emotion, surprises and romance. The ending was not predictable at any stage of the story either. Carmel has always wanted to write a story about immigration. Her knowledge about New York was impressive and I feel I would like to pay a visit myself. I enjoyed reading the story especially towards the ending when Bea and co landed in Ireland. This story is not amongst my favourite novels in Carmel’s back list, but this is only my opinion. It is a 3.5* review from me.

This book gave me all the emotions. Feeling quite emotionally challenged at the moment I loved how it portrayed the importance of people, friends and family are all that really matter and the importance of love.

The story which has immigration at its heart, is set between New York and Ireland. Having relatives myself who have immigrated I understand how they always dream of and reminisce about their homeland.

Bea and Lucy are the main characters. Bea was born and lives in New York. She has grown up with stories of her ancestors home in Ireland and hopes to return to visit. Her mother is dead but she is very close to her father and uncle, and has always grown up with strong family connections and the love and fun that make Irish families special. Bea has recently split up with her boyfriend Dan and seems heartbroken but why has she ended it? This had me second guessing but the true reason which is revealed was definitely one I didn’t guess.

Lucy came to live in America with her sister Maeve when they were granted visas in an Irish lottery. Beas curiosity about her mum begins to grow as she gets older and after finding a note in her mums handbag she decides to go to Ireland and meet her mums friends and relatives to try to discover more about the mother she never had a chance to know. What she finds out sets her world spinning.

Without giving away the wonderful plot I can honestly say I was smiling and crying in equal measures. The importance of seizing life and loving with all your heart with no regrets is one which the story explored so well. A first class easy read for me, one I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this beautiful book.

This was a really good read. Easy story to follow, charming setting and great characters. Really enjoyed it.

I loved the locations of this book. It made it an emotional and atmospheric read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

Loved this book! A really good plot with engaging characters. A real feel good story with a good ending. I would reccomend.

In 1992 Lucy is granted a visa to move from Ireland to America with her sister. Here she meets and falls in love with Ryan.

In present time New York, Bea uncovers a secret that sends her back to Ireland to discover the truth.

Told in dual narrative this is a heartwarming and emotional story about immigration and leaving what you love behind.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed this book, a light summer read covering the two locations of New York and Ireland. Entertaining and engaging. I would recommend!

An emotional and intriguing dual timeline story focusing on Irish Americans.

Lucy emigrates from Kilmore Quay to America in the 90s. Bea is a second-generation Irish American, who with a little serendipity, finds herself back in Ireland. She discovers family secrets that illuminate her life. The characters are vibrantly written and immerse the reader in their stories. Well researched, the details about Irish emigration and life in America give the story its authenticity.

The plot has surprising twists that keep the reader engaged in an emotion-rich tale that is compelling reading.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Oh my word I absolutely loved this book . It is an emotional read that had me hooked from the very beginning . I loved everything about this book and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

This book is just exquisitely gorgeous. A love letter to New York, to Ireland, to family and friendship, and above all, to love.

Bea is a native New Yorker but has deep familial connections to Ireland. She is close to her Dad and uncle, and has two amazing friends, Stephanie and Katrina. And until recently an amazing boyfriend, Dan. Who she still loves. So why aren't they together? She alludes to a good reason, but I never would have guessed at what this was. This is just one of two big surprises in this wonderful story.

The story moves between Bea's and Lucy's story. Sisters, Lucy and Maeve were granted visa's in an Irish lottery in 1992. Lucy meets Ryan, and their love story is heart-stoppingly beautiful.

Now in 2020, Bea is depressed and thinking a lot about her mother who tragically died when she was little. When an opportunity presents itself to her to travel to Ireland, she is excited to meet her mom's family and discover more about the woman she never got to know herself. But she is in for a huge shock.

There's no way to talk more about the plot without spoiling the story so I will simply say this. If you want to be transported to New York and to beautiful Ireland, please dive in to this amazing book. It will make you smile. It will definitely make you cry. But ultimately it will lift you up and make you want to live and love that little bit harder.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a heart warming read. Really well written and I got really invested in all of the characters. Definitely recommended.