Family drama, homage to Little Women: four sisters, love, betrayal, grief. Set (mainly) in Chicago and spanning over 30 years, the members of the Padavano family are realistic and touching. I feel the ending was a bit rushed.

I knew I wanted to read this even before it was Oprah’s 100th book club pick. It’s a family story spanning three decades and focusing on the Padavanos, a working-class Italian American Chicago clan with four daughters: Julia, Sylvie, and twins Cecilia and Emeline. Julia meets melancholy basketball player William Waters while at Northwestern in the late 1970s and they marry and have a daughter; Sylvie, a librarian, makes out with boys in the stacks until her great romance comes along; Cecilia is an artist and Emeline loves babies and manages a nursery. More than once a character think of their collective story as a “soap opera,” and there’s plenty of melodrama here – an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, estrangements, a suicide attempt, a coming out, stealing another’s man – as well as far-fetched coincidences, including the two major deaths falling on the same day as a birth and a reconciliation.

There is such warmth and intensity to the telling, and brave reckoning with mental illness, prejudice and trauma, that I excused flaws such as dwelling overly much in characters’ heads through close third person narration, to the detriment of scenes and dialogue. I love sister stories in general, and the subtle echoes of Leaves of Grass and Little Women (the connections aren’t one to one and you’re kept guessing for most of the book who will be the Beth) add heft. I especially appreciated how a late parent is still remembered in daily life after 30 years have passed. This is, believe it or not, the second basketball novel I’ve loved this year, after Tell the Rest by Lucy Jane Bledsoe.

There was a lot packed into this book and it was most definitely a slow read that only picked up pace after the half-way mark.

William's three year old sister suddenly dies when he is less than a week old. This causes his parents to become emotionally detached from him. He grows up as a stranger in his own home. His only outlet is basketball. He later goes on the attend Northwestern and plays on their basketball team. It is during this time that he meets Julia - the eldest of four Padavano sisters. This is where the direction of the book changes and it becomes about the Padavano family. William and Julia get married but William's childhood scars run deep and it is only when this comes to the forefront, that everyone's lives change. The story spans over several decades and the reader sees just how different every character's life becomes.

Ann Napolitano has covered some difficult topics in this book like mental health, the break up of a family unit and grief. However, I felt a huge disconnect with the characters; some of them being dislikeable. I found them to be selfish and bitter.

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.

He soon meets Julia Padavano - and she is inseparable from her three younger sisters. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.

This is probably the most disappointing book of 2023 for me.

The writing in Hello Beautiful reminds me of a middle school diary, the way mental health is treated is absolutely appalling, and the 'unwavering bond' if the sisters that is promised on the cover text is complete codependency that never gets closely examined.

It seems like this novel definitely has an audience - people seem to love it! Unfortunately I am really struggling to see why.

I have always made it a rule that I will never not finish a book even if I really don’t like it. This has served me fine except for a couple of times. One of those being this book. For me, although I love the Fannie Flagg style of writing, and felt that the middle of the book was really drawn out and lost my interest as a reader. Also the constant change between first and second person account meant that in fact, it didn’t seem like anyone had a clear voice.

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is a powerful and moving novel about family, love, and loss.

The novel is told from the perspectives of the four siblings, William and Alice .
This allows us to get to know each character intimately and to understand their unique perspectives.
The author did an amazing job of creating believable and relatable characters. I felt their anger, heartbreak, sadness and most importantly their devotion and love pour from every page.
The characters became completely fully formed with this beautifully descriptive and lyrical prose and I felt like I was completely immersed into their world and became their friend. Well maybe not roses lol.

However although this novel is undeniably beautifully written reader be warned it is a very, very slow burn of a book.

This is Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet meets Louisa may Alcotts little women and I won’t tell you if ‘Beth dies’ no spoiler here. But if your anything like me you will find yourself on an emotional rollercoaster by the end.

If you are looking for a novel that will move you and stay with you long after you have finished reading it, then I highly recommend Hello Beautiful.

This is a brilliant novel and is written so well that you really connect with each of the characters and empathise with each perspective of the same situation. It’s the perfect holiday read if you’re looking for something deeper than a beach book, but not too strenuous!
Each character and story line is given time to develop, and Napolitano covers some sobering and difficult topics in a sensitive and meaningful way which allows the reader insight into the behaviour and actions of the individuals. It is very evocative, and you feel as if you’re there with the characters watching the love story unfold, but also understanding the deep sense of pain it’s causing due to its difficult circumstances and the truth which underlies it all. Definitely recommending this book to any book clubs as I think it will bring about some really interesting discussions.

I love a generational novel and this was a great read in light of this; it covers the four sisters of the Padavano family, their parents, and primarily, the eldest sister, Julia’s marriage to William. As expected with these kind of family novels, there is a level of drama encompassing marriage, death, birth etc - it didn’t necessarily surprise me in any aspect here and a lot of the action was expected.

However, I did love the characters. The four close knit sisters really reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, so if you enjoyed that you may like this. The entire family was well rounded and William’s struggles very believable (though I’d have liked more of a back story on him). It started very strong and I feel like slightly crumbled around William’s accident - in characters moving away I felt little pull to them and indeed began to dislike Julia, though I’m not sure if that was the intention? All round though, a good read, and despite it’s size I whipped through it in just over a day :)

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is the story of four sisters all growing up in a loving chaotic household. Then Julie Padavano meets William Walters and they fall in love and marry. However William has issues and is not the man Julie wants to stay married to. So she and her daughter move away and start a new life without William.
This is the story of what happens next.
A delightful story, full of life, love and death. A typical family.
Highly recommended

An instant five stars for this beautiful, totally immersive family drama. It defied my expectations in the best way - I was able to really relate to and care about all the characters, and every one felt well-developed and fleshed out. It reminded me a lot of Ask Again, Yes, another book I loved.

This is a slow gentle story about life, love, relationships and death. It centres around one man, William Waters and 4 sisters, the Padavano sisters. Julia, Sylvia and twins Cecelia and Emeline..
When still a baby, Williams only sibling, his older sister, dies. His parents are unable to accept her death and in some perverse way seem to give William the impression that they wished it was him that had died. His relationship with his parents as he grows older is cold and distant, his mother rarely speaks to him and he has a remote father. When he leaves for college he realises the only child they had really wanted was his deceased sister.
At college he finds refuge in basketball, he is tall and thin and has the players aptitude for the game. However his basketball career is ended when he suffers an injury to his knee. He meets and Marry’s Julia Padavano and they have a child together, Alice.
The story is told through many eyes, including Alice’s starting when she was 5 and her mother has told her her father is dead (they had divorced and he was still very much alive) it’s a story full of character and love and each person has a story to tell. I really enjoyed it although I suspect the slowness of the story might put some people off, but I can see why it was an Oprah Bookclub pick.

#HelloBeautiful. #NetGalley

Hello Beautiful is a gut punch of a novel. It will put you through the emotional wringer, and life won't be the same after meeting the four Padavano sisters.
Loosely based on Little Women, I expected it to be a rather light-hearted and frothy affair, but it was so much more than that.
I always enjoy an ambitious, rather unlikeable character, and Julia (the first sister we're introduced to) ticked that box for me. I could have happily read more about her time in New York and her plans for her life - I found her flawed and relatable and the most interesting character. It felt as though 'life happened' to the others sisters, but the contrast with the proactive Julia was deliberate.
The narratives of the four women - and one man, William, who played a role in all of their lives - were interwoven beautifully, leading to the heartbreaking ending. It really was a wonderful book that stayed with me.

Between finishing reading Hello Beautiful and writing this review, this book has exploded. Oprah has taken it under her wing and shown it as the wonderful piece of work that it is to her followers. So, it has already been read by a lot of people - and rightly so. I loved it. Books about families and family relationships, whether they’re a difficult or loving relationship, are one of my most favourite things.

There are most certainly echoes of Little Women, but if you’ve never read it, it won’t make much difference to your enjoyment. You might want to try Little Women at some point though!

William Waters grows up in a very dysfunctional family, and is drawn into the Padavano family when he marries Julia - it’s a family he comes to love.

With themes of mental illness, family loyalties, love in all of its forms and loss, it’s a big read for only around 400 pages. The story just sped by, and I was bereft when I turned the last page.

I loved the world of William Waters and the Padavano sisters.

Highly recommended.

This was a lovely, gentle read. I enjoyed the way that the story flitted between the perspectives of the main protagonists over various time periods in their lives.
It was an intimate and introverted read, thoughtful and thought-provoking about the ways that family relationships affect our lives.
Once I passed the halfway point I felt like the pace increased a little, but it didn’t feel like a story you could race through.
Beautifully written, touching and well-observed. If you’re looking for an inclusive and considerate story about love and the bonds that tie family together, you’ll enjoy this book.
With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin U.K. for the opportunity to read an ARC.

“Hello Beautiful" follows the journey of Julia, a young woman who finds herself in a new town, starting a new life, and uncovering secrets about her past along the way. One of the most intriguing characters in the book is William Waters, a mysterious and reclusive basketball player who becomes Julia’s boyfriend and later, husband. But the story has a lot of twists you want to read to know.

"Hello Beautiful" is a stunning, heart-wrenching novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Napolitano's writing is masterful, weaving together multiple perspectives and timelines to create a rich, nuanced portrait of love, loss, and the power of human connection. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves deeply emotional, thought-provoking fiction.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the way Napolitano masterfully crafted her characters. Overall, I cannot recommend "Hello Beautiful" highly enough. It is a stunning work of literary fiction that will leave readers breathless with its beauty and emotional depth. If you are looking for a novel that will move you to tears, inspire you to hope, and remind you of the power of human connection, then this is the book for you. Five stars!

I received an electronic ARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review, thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher.

This book!! I loved it, really really loved it. Generational family drama - yes pleaaase. Excellent writing, characters, some likeable - some unlikeable. It all worked. Did not want it to end.

Grateful for an ARC from Netgalley. Although will 100% be buying a copy.

Family sagas aren't often my thing but I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover and the comparison to a "modern Little Women". I wasn't disappointed. Behind that beautiful cover is an equally beautiful story. Napolitano peels back the layers of the Padavano sisters and William Waters from their childhood through over forty years of their lives and loves, as the family falls apart and pulls itself back together.

It is a little gritty and depressing at times - this book wasn't the most cheerful to read at the start of my honeymoon and there were times I considered switching to something lighter. Napolitano touches on some tough topics, particularly regarding mental health and attempted suicide. But I became attached to the author's authentic characters, and I had to see it through to its beautiful, bittersweet ending.

You might have to be in the right mood to get into this one, but it won't disappoint and it's thoroughly deserving of the accolades it's already receiving

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Hello Beautiful spans from the late 1970s to the late 00s. It is a family drama, set in Chicago, about 4 sisters. I am afraid that it did not grab me. I found it hard to get through until about the 50% mark. As other reviews have said, it didn't feel like it was set in modern times. Some characters were more likeable than others, but by the end of the story, I didn't care about what had happened to any of them.

This one spans 30 years and gets you so immersed that you feel like you really know the Padavano family. Beautiful. Wow I adored this book! Everyone go out and buy it!

I absolutely loved this book !
Walter was unloved and unwanted as a child which had a devastating effect on his mental health .
At university he meets Julia who has everything he always wanted -a close loving family and a clear direction of what she wants out of life . Walter is more than happy to follow Julia's path even though it isn't really what he wants .
We follow Walter ,Julia and her family from childhood to old age -It was such an emotional ride I couldn't put it down -keep the tissues handy .