Ann Napolitano

From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes an emotionally layered and engrossing story of a family that asks: Can love make a broken person whole? William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most? Vibrating with tenderness, Hello Beautiful is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

A Novel

Hello Beautiful

mara henderson

For William, it was something he worked on because there was a silence inside him that sometimes frightened him.

The writing style will draw you in. From the first chapter I felt like I was inside the minds of the characters. This book is a story of four sisters with a bond that has remained stronger then ever. But life has a way of putting strain on their relationship. As a reader, I'm intrigued, but don’t find myself loving the characters or agreeing with their actions. But I understand why they do what they do because life has a way of molding a person from experiences they can’t control. 

Hannah James

Sadness cheat code. i liked the world building enough. cute nods to Little Women.

This book wasn't for me - and you might be thinking then why are you rating it a 4?? Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean I cant look past it and notice how beautiful the writing and story is.

I read this book for a book club and my inability to DNF runs deep.

This is a great story however it is not my type of book and that is a-ok. 

If you are a literary historical fiction fan I beg you to read this masterpiece, if you are a straight smut reader skip this one by unless you will rate it accordingly.

Brittany Peterson

This book wasn't for me - and you might be thinking then why are you rating it a 4?? Just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean I cant look past it and notice how beautiful the writing and story is.

I read this book for a book club and my inability to DNF runs deep.

This is a great story however it is not my type of book and that is a-ok. 

If you are a literary historical fiction fan I beg you to read this masterpiece, if you are a straight smut reader skip this one by unless you will rate it accordingly.

The story is complex with plenty of characters, but it lacks the emotional depth and psychological nuance—kind of like Sally Rooney’s work, which feels like a 4D emotional experience, while this book felt more like 2D. The relationships are intricate, but the focus is more on plot complexity than real emotional depth. It’s a solid family drama, but I wanted to “feel” more rather than follow a layered complicated relationships.

Jana Barkova

This is just over 3☆ but not even enough for 3.5☆, let alone to be rounded up to 4☆.

This does not tend to be the kind of novels for which I would usually go. Last year I did, I think, two - "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett and "French Braid" by Anne Tyler. (I now realise all of the authors share a first name; all Ann(e)'s out there (but not Anna's), there is at least one (1) family drama novel within you, I promise.) One I was not really the reader for, the other was pleasantly surprising for me.

"Hello Beautiful" is much of the same. I think I am more interested in character examination and portraiture, when it comes to literary novels, than the sequence of events of a life. I know such stories can resonate deeply with some and there is value in them which is why I can see why this novel is so successful. On my end, what I enjoyed the most about it was the narration. I am not sure whether Napolitano's authorial voice flows mellifluously or it is that of the narrator of the audiobook, Maura Tierny, but I found it soothing and absorbing. It was, in short, a really pleasant background to my day that made me feel like my day-to-day activities were painted in the same colours as the world of the novel itself.

I do not think of this novel as a personal favourite but I do find it an easy, neutral recommendation to a casual acquaintance. Please take that as a positive.

P.S. <spoiler>Can family drama novels stop using cancer as a pivotal drama moment? Of course, it happens in real life but SURELY there can be other ways to resolve interpersonal conflict. </spoiler>

This is just over 3☆ but not even enough for 3.5☆, let alone to be rounded up to 4☆.

This does not tend to be the kind of novels for which I would usually go. Last year I did, I think, two - "The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett and "French Braid" by Anne Tyler. (I now realise all of the authors share a first name; all Ann(e)'s out there (but not Anna's), there is at least one (1) family drama novel within you, I promise.) One I was not really the reader for, the other was pleasantly surprising for me.

"Hello Beautiful" is much of the same. I think I am more interested in character examination and portraiture, when it comes to literary novels, than the sequence of events of a life. I know such stories can resonate deeply with some and there is value in them which is why I can see why this novel is so successful. On my end, what I enjoyed the most about it was the narration. I am not sure whether Napolitano's authorial voice flows mellifluously or it is that of the narrator of the audiobook, Maura Tierny, but I found it soothing and absorbing. It was, in short, a really pleasant background to my day that made me feel like my day-to-day activities were painted in the same colours as the world of the novel itself.

I do not think of this novel as a personal favourite but I do find it an easy, neutral recommendation to a casual acquaintance. Please take that as a positive.

P.S. <spoiler>Can family drama novels stop using cancer as a pivotal drama moment? Of course, it happens in real life but SURELY there can be other ways to resolve interpersonal conflict. </spoiler>

Molly Bridge

The only con of this book is how long the chapters are… other than that I really enjoyed it. The ending pretty much ripped my heart out. Cue: ugly crying

Jennifer Palmer

Keila Rico 

william waters defender first, human second

tink 😵‍💫⭐

too long-winded.. felt like a chore to open and read it.. almost DNF-ed but i read a spoiler on how the plot turned out and had to revisit bc i was kind of shocked and intrigued and when i tell you i skipped a lot of pages to get to the plot twist and still took me almost 4 hours to finish, i kid you not.. also, just recently i got to watch little women and the similarities with the plot is corny!

hanni

Victoria 

I think I would’ve given it 5 stars if I hadn’t listened to the audiobook for half of it. Audio does not do this book justice, but at the same time. It probably would’ve taken me twice as long to read this - the chapters are just SO long - my only con .

mic shulman

i get why this book is very popular at the moment it's very sweet, sentimental, and easy to read but is very much a book equivalent to hearing someone else recount their family drama except less fun and i don't say that to be a hater

“When an old person dies, even if that person is wonderful, he or she is still somewhat ready, and so are the people who loved them. They’re like old trees, whose roots have loosened in the ground. They fall gently. But when someone like your aunt Sylvie dies—before her time—her roots get pulled out and the ground is ripped up. Everyone nearby is in danger of being knocked over.”
I’ve been put my card on the line of this book for months—of how this book was anticipated in everywhere all the time, which lead me to have a very high expectation towards this book. But I don’t know why, it was out of my expectations, or probably.. I just haven’t in urgency to read this book right now? 

The story remind me of Little Women bu Louisa May Ascott, the conversation between Jo and Laurie, the sisterhood, women empowerment, etc. But, that’s it. It’s like the American version of that. I almost lost my focus to dig into the story each time I turn the page. If you need a lighthearted books with many characters at once, this book might be written for you.

A lovely story of family and forgiveness over the course of several decades. It sometimes felt like the characters were drawn from a psych study about common personality types, which lacked some creativity for me. The relationships between the sisters were heart warming (if not a bit over the top), and I found myself rooting for them by the end. It wasn’t my favorite, but glad to have read it. 

Jacqui Spears

Little Women meets Normal People? The book follows a family of four sisters over roughly four decades. The character development is excellent. I laughed, I SOBBED at the end, I overall really enjoyed it start to finish. 

Kaitlyn Wendler

Ehhh I didn’t love it & didn’t hate it. I feel like it was super long winded tbh. The beginning was slow middle was pretty good then the end was also slow. There were also just so many missed connections that would have been amazing to see 

Mariah crawford

Honestly, 20 pages away from the end and I’m calling it bc I cannot read another page. Terribly boring and anticlimactic. The characters were awful. I was also confused the entire time about the fact that no one seemed to care that much about the dad in the very beginning… like, he was written as an unreliable, burdensome alcoholic… but then all of a sudden, after his death, he was made out to be this super important character so much so that the entire book was named after a phrase that was mentioned like once. Huh?! Maybe I missed something but it’s a naw from me. 

Alexandria Ferley

This was supposed to be an homage to Little Women. What it was was a bunch of awful people doing awful things. Such a let down after Dear Edward.

Cheri McElroy

         If you’ve ever considered what all goes in to being an absolutely terrible parent, read this book.  I realize this book is so much more than the two examples of terrible parenting, but the terrible parenting stuck out for me.  But let’s go ahead and break it down a bit.

            William’s parents were terrible.  William’s terrible parents created a young man with zero self-worth, allowing his college girlfriend to take the leash of his life and lead him wherever she saw fit.  I can’t help but wonder if William had had a vastly different upbringing, his life would have gone in a completely different direction.  So much of William’s story falls back on what his life was like growing up.  Julia’s life was quite different, growing up in a large, boisterous and seemingly happy family, but there were some faults there as well.  While Julia’s father was alive, it seemed like Julia’s mother’s entire existence centered around tearing Julia’s father apart.  She frequently addressed him with snarky comments and was openly disdainful towards him.  Why would you spend your life with someone you clearly don’t like?  When Julia’s little sister got herself into a bit of a jam, their mother completely disowned her.  When Julia’s life became fractured beyond repair, Julia’s mom had nothing encouraging to bring to the table, just more disdain.  Julia’s mom came across as hateful and selfish.  I was genuinely baffled.

            This book is one shit-show after another…just tragedy after tragedy after tragedy.  I fully understand that a good story does need to contain solid conflict, frequently even more than one, but this book was just sad, from start to finish.  It seemed like nothing good ever happened to this family.  It became distressing.  It was like watching the last two seasons of The Walking Dead, trying to figure out why they keep going at all…what’s the point?  The members of this family would clear one hurdle only to encounter a Mt. Everest of problems immediately after. 

            The pacing of this book was also baffling.  Napolitano created a broad and detailed story surrounding a wide variety of characters, diving deep into every day.  Then we end up going from months-at-a-time pacing, to years-at-a-time.  We got such a rich view of their lives before Julia left, then after Julia left it was like a shadow of a story.  I didn’t view the first portion as a slow-burn, I viewed the second portion as a rushed version of the same story, and it was infuriating.  I’m pretty sure that is the first time I have ever called a book “infuriating.”

            Napolitano’s writing is beautiful, that’s not the issue with this book.  The story is compelling, the characters are likable (terrible parents excluded) and well-developed.  It became exhausting and tedious to continue to read about this family that had what felt like so few happy experiences. 

Kristen Claiborn

         If you’ve ever considered what all goes in to being an absolutely terrible parent, read this book.  I realize this book is so much more than the two examples of terrible parenting, but the terrible parenting stuck out for me.  But let’s go ahead and break it down a bit.

            William’s parents were terrible.  William’s terrible parents created a young man with zero self-worth, allowing his college girlfriend to take the leash of his life and lead him wherever she saw fit.  I can’t help but wonder if William had had a vastly different upbringing, his life would have gone in a completely different direction.  So much of William’s story falls back on what his life was like growing up.  Julia’s life was quite different, growing up in a large, boisterous and seemingly happy family, but there were some faults there as well.  While Julia’s father was alive, it seemed like Julia’s mother’s entire existence centered around tearing Julia’s father apart.  She frequently addressed him with snarky comments and was openly disdainful towards him.  Why would you spend your life with someone you clearly don’t like?  When Julia’s little sister got herself into a bit of a jam, their mother completely disowned her.  When Julia’s life became fractured beyond repair, Julia’s mom had nothing encouraging to bring to the table, just more disdain.  Julia’s mom came across as hateful and selfish.  I was genuinely baffled.

            This book is one shit-show after another…just tragedy after tragedy after tragedy.  I fully understand that a good story does need to contain solid conflict, frequently even more than one, but this book was just sad, from start to finish.  It seemed like nothing good ever happened to this family.  It became distressing.  It was like watching the last two seasons of The Walking Dead, trying to figure out why they keep going at all…what’s the point?  The members of this family would clear one hurdle only to encounter a Mt. Everest of problems immediately after. 

            The pacing of this book was also baffling.  Napolitano created a broad and detailed story surrounding a wide variety of characters, diving deep into every day.  Then we end up going from months-at-a-time pacing, to years-at-a-time.  We got such a rich view of their lives before Julia left, then after Julia left it was like a shadow of a story.  I didn’t view the first portion as a slow-burn, I viewed the second portion as a rushed version of the same story, and it was infuriating.  I’m pretty sure that is the first time I have ever called a book “infuriating.”

            Napolitano’s writing is beautiful, that’s not the issue with this book.  The story is compelling, the characters are likable (terrible parents excluded) and well-developed.  It became exhausting and tedious to continue to read about this family that had what felt like so few happy experiences. 

Hello Beautiful A Novel

Reviews

Highlights