Hello Beautiful - by Ann Napolitano

3 words come to mind when thinking about this book: Beautiful - Devastating - Quiet The writing is absolutely beautiful. The characters are very relatable on such a real & humanly level. I loved Sylvie. She's such a carefree dreamer that's just waiting for her soulmate to come along & she's not willing to settle on anyone until she truly feels that full electrifying connection that she only reads about in books. Never wanting to take the same path as anyone else around her. And the inseparable close sister bond that Julia, Sylvie, Cecelia & Emeline have is so beautiful. This book isn't for everyone. It's extremely emotional & deals with some heavy grief, depression, trauma & healing. I feel like, to like it you have to be able to appreciate the story. Have the tissues handy with this one.

Was looking forward to this book for my Bookclub. Quarter way into book I reached out to our group asking if it gets better. They said stick with it. So I did. It was painfully slow and boring. Sure she developed the characters but it was too slow for me. And predictive. Cannot recommend. And actually wish I could get those hours back!

Slow and boring. I had to skip pages and force myself to finish. Not for me…

Excellent easy read.

Such a boring read, with boring characters and zero substance. It was a chore to finish.

I found this book incredibly boring and was trying to force myself to finish it, but I just realized I’m still only halfway through and have to give up. The main character, William, is depressing and literally has no personality. It’s a family story about him, his wife, and his wife’s sisters. The sisters are mildly more interesting than him, but I really could not get myself to care about any of the characters. I kept thinking it must get better but I’m almost 200 pages in and it’s still dull.

SYNOPSIS: William Waters grew up with out any love from his parents. Buried with grief, they had no attention or love to give to their son. The 4 Padavano sisters have a fierce love for one another and their family. When Williams basketball talent takes him to Northwestern University, he meets Julia Padavano. As these 5 lives start to intertwine what is left is a story of raw emotion and characters that take us through the depths of the human experience. • THOUGHTS: This book! The characters in this novel are relatable on such a human level. I love how Napolitano wrote from multiple POVs, yet not one character outshined another. I was so deeply invested in each story. A reimagined modern day version of Little Women, It’s heartbreaking and beautiful. It’s all woven together in a special way. Napolitano really touches on what it means to be loved and understood by those closest to us. She also challenges the reader with some tough questions. What does it mean to live your life as your most authentic self? Can we survive a life without any love at all? What about the relationship with have with ourself? How does that impact those around us? The domino effect of all these questions leaves us with some complex, yet very real characters all trying to do their best. These characters are flawed and real, but they are living lives as genuine as they are capable of. I loved it. • Grab this book and grab your tissues. It’s one worth reading friends. Also, have you ever seen a more beautiful cover?

This book will rip your heart out before slowly putting it back together and developing into a heartwarming story. A well told story that highlights many issues including childhood neglect/ abandonment, trauma, and depression and the dangers of not getting help for them. This book highlights the ups and downs of William’s life and how his childhood experiences shaped his adulthood. William felt he was never recognized as a child until boys on the basketball court invited him to play. His parents didn’t pay much attention to him, due to his parents grieving about his sister’s death. Therefore, William knew he had to create the life he wanted on his own. Thanks to advice he was given early on about basketball, he was able to be successful in high school, where he was awarded a scholarship to play for Northwestern University. William found support in his college girlfriend Julia, who supported him along with her family throughout college. William and Julia ended up getting married. William’s life is consumed with basketball, teaching, grad-school, his wife and a new baby, but will this be enough? Is this the life that makes him happy? This book will have you turning the pages to find out. I loved how even though the book was focused on William, the author chose to have each chapter from a different perspective, including William. Each chapter that was not from the perspective of William was from a person who was important to William, such as his wife, daughter, sister-in-law, on their perspectives and how he affected their lives. This author does a good job of capturing the struggles and grief of the characters! This book is not for the light-hearted as it dives into heavy-hitting topics. Even though this book will leave you feeling satisfied in the end, it’s one of those stories that leaves a lasting impression! Perfect for those who are fans of Elizabeth Strout and Elizabeth Berg as this book reminds me a lot of books written by them. A great book club pick as well as this will lead to many interesting discussions.