3.5 stars
Ann Napolitano’s writing is immersive and incisive. She always creates these fully fleshed memorable characters, whether we actually like them or not- which makes the writing authentic in a sea of other books with contrived characters and predictable plots. This is a multi-generational tale that keeps us guessing until the end about what happens next for everyone!
Thanks to NetGalleh and Madison at Random House for the advance copy for review!

Not my favourite from Napolitano, but I absolutely love her writing. She never disappoints in that regard. Her sentence structure and word choice always immediately places me right in the center of a scene.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Within Arm's Reach follows the 3 generations of an Irish American family, with Catherine, the matriarch/grandmother. Tragedy strikes this family throughout the years, and the story is told in alternating voices: Catherine, Kelly (her daughter), and son-in-law Louis, and their two daughters, Gracie and Lila.

Gracie ends up single and pregnant, with the father not being involved. Lila is a doctor, who doesn't have great beside manners. Kelly feels very disconnected from her family. And Louis just kinda puts up with it all.

While I did end up finishing, this book by this author fell a bit flat for me. I loved Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful and I had high hopes for this one, but ti was just "ok".

“Within Arms Reach” is a story about a multigenerational Irish Catholic family primarily focused on the dynamic female relationships in a large family. A rerelease of Napolitano’s first publish novel (written in 2004) “Within Arms Reach”, similar to her best seller “Hello Beautiful”, focuses on her own family’s story, one of trying and failing to love someone the way they need and of silently enduring tragedy.
There’s several characters and the story is told from a multitude of perspectives. I found all of them to be authentically flawed and understandable. I found so much of my own family’s story in this novel.
“I’m not sure any child really wants to know their parent, or vice versa.” As Catherine, the matriarch of the family, struggles with failing health, her mother haunts her and her oldest daughter hovers. She’s looking forward to the next generation of her family and hoping she’s built a legacy of love that will last once she’s gone. “The past and present are each important. They share equal weight, don’t they?”

Within Arm's Reach is Ann Napolitano's debut novel, published after her first two novels (which are some of my favorite books of all time), Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful.

In Within Arm's Reach, Napolitano does what she does best- richly creating a vast cast of characters that are authentic and relatable. Gracie, one of the characters at the center of the story, has a complicated relationship with her family and is always searching for love. When her latest conquest proves to not hold her attention, she decides to go ahead and have his baby without him.

Gracie's decision turns her tight-knit but dysfunctional Irish American family into turmoil. As Gracie's pregnancy progresses, the family will have to come to terms with not being able to control Gracie's decisions and will need to learn to love eachother despite differing opinions and lifestyles.

Within Arms Reach was a good book, but definitley not my favorite. Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

The story delves into the complexities of three generations of an Irish American family jarred by an unexpected pregnancy. Napolitano explores themes of guilt, loyalty, and the inextricable bonds that tie families together. I will say Hello Beautiful remains my favorite!

A very realistic portrait of family and the concept that sometimes we don’t like them all. The interwoven drama of patterned behavior and decades old trauma impacted the storyline in a meaningful way.

This Irish family drama sucked me in from the beginning. I really enjoyed getting different characters perspectives. Just enjoyed.

i enjoyed this family saga! Napolitano has a way of telling stories that fully immerse you and take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. highly recommend!

WITHIN ARMS REACH
Ann Napolitano

When you share a secret, do you share in the shame?

Gracie comes from a tight-knit conservative family. And she has a secret that is going to change everyone’s life forever. It’s complicated and confusing and the thing she needs the most from her family right now may be the last thing she is going to get.

We follow along as Gracie’s secret is exposed and each member of her family responds. WITHIN ARMS REACH is an exploration of how carrying secrets affects us and those who love us.

Napolitano constructs her most vivid characters in an interesting way. She introduces them first in terms of what they do not have. We are first introduced to the things they are not instead of the things they are.

Instead of a gradual revealing of negative attributes, it is the opposite. And in the case of Gracie in WITHIN ARMS REACH, there is a slow revealing of her positive attributes. Instead of diving in an ocean looking for sharks we are swimming with the sharks and looking for dolphins.

I am a fan of Napolitano’s writing however this is not my favorite of hers by far. Unfortunately, the story is still pertinent today if not more than it was twenty years ago. It’s available now and I’m glad they have rereleased it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced copy!

WITHIN ARMS REACH…⭐⭐⭐

Hello Beautiful is one of my favorite books of all-time. This one was not as good, but it was still enjoyable. This book is a re-release of her first book. It has been compared to The Connelly's of County Down, and I agree when it comes to family dynamics and Irish American culture, it is similar. What was missing for me was a strong throughline other than in tough times family sticks together. There were a lot of people to follow (ok def Irish), but I didn't find any to be particularly lovable despite their faults. It took me some time to finish this which is not my usual reading style.

Within Arm’s Reach is a character-driven novel focusing on three generations of women of an Irish-American family and the struggles they face.
Normally I love a novel exploring the layers involved in family dynamics and coming of age, however I felt none of the characters were likeable, and I was not rooting for any of them. After reading both of the author’s more popular novels, I had expected more from this one and felt disappointed at the end.

I read the whole book because I was committed. I did not love this and had to oush myself to finish. Too many characters, many storyline not wrapped up

Very disappointed

This one didn't work for me, it's not a typical genre I reach for. I found the story to be really boring and dragged. Beautiful Cover but not a match for me.

They have just re-released Napolitano's debut novel WITHIN ARMS REACH, and I am so glad.

My first foray into Napolitano's writing was through HELLO BEAUTIFUL, which I adored. I loved this one just as much.

I love stories about big families and this is exactly what the book is about: three generations of an Irish Amercian family— with a multitude of characters centered around their matriarch who is nearing the end of her life. She is ploying to keep the family together after she's gone. 

Like most families, there are issues, tensions, unresolved resentments, rivalries, secrets, but also love, commitment, hope and dreams. Unplanned pregnancies, unexpected loves, tragic events, and connections with loved ones long gone.

I'm shocked to see it rated so low on Goodreads. I have yet to read DEAR EDWARD, but am l loving how Napolitano captures the dynamics within a family — the good and the bad.

This one was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. Couldn't put it down.

Thanks so much to @randomhouse and  @netgalley for the #gifted copy.

Thanks to Dial Press for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

I have loved Ann Napolitano's last two books. She's become a bit of an auto-buy author for me. This book is a re-release of her first book. It has been compared to The Connelly's of County Down, and I agree when it comes to family dynamics and Irish American culture, it is similar. What was missing for me was a strong throughline other than in tough times family sticks together. There were a lot of people to follow (ok def Irish), but I didn't find any to be particularly lovable despite their faults. It took me some time to finish this which is not my usual reading style. The characters are definitely deep and nuanced but their struggles were a bit of a shrug for me.

I loved both of the author's other books and was excited to learn that she had one I hadn't devoured yet. While this book was still enjoyable, it felt significantly different than her strong writing I've become accustomed to. It's another book focusing on multiple generations in the same family and it ebbs and flows as the family grows apart and comes back together at times. I felt like a few characters were developed well but others were lacking and I didn't know where the story was heading most of the time. If you haven't read her other books, I'd recommend starting there!

I enjoyed this family saga about a large Irish Catholic family and the highs and lows of their lives. This is a family story while simultaneously doing a great job developing the individual characters of different members of the family. This work spans multiple generations living connected lives, while each having their own secrets and stories. It is a story of the difficulties in life and the resilience to overcome these challenges. The author does a wonderful job portraying each of the character’s struggles and how that affects their perception of themselves within the lens of the family and how they interact with family and friends.
If you like a sweeping family saga, then this is for you. I really loved the way Napolitano was able to give the multigenerational story all in the span of a short timeframe, really focusing on the interactions within the family as well as the individual plot lines.
#WithinArmsReach #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup

Thank you to NetGalley and Radom House for the eARC. I was so excited to have been approved for this ARC. I thoroughly loved Dear Edward and truly enjoyed Hello Beautiful, so I was intrigued to check out this re-released of Ann's earlier work. Unfortunately, aspects of this story fell flat for me. There were several comments made by characters that simply did not age well and in a re-release should have been edited for sensitivity. I will say, the characters were well fleshed out and felt fully composed, which was not something I can say in my review of last year's Hello Beautiful. I look forward to future work from Napolitano.

Originally published in 2004, I questioned whether Within Arm's Reach would live up to my love of Ann Napolitano's 2023 release of Hello Beautiful. As it turns out, I may love this re-released debut more - or maybe the same amount, but a different kind of love - and I really didn't think that was possible!

Napolitano quickly tosses readers into the fray of an Irish American family, the cacophony of boisterous personalities vying for attention even while no number of discernible interactions occurs between them; within this family everyone is an island and acting for themselves alone. Napolitano builds characters, family dynamics and stories that build up around you as you read, only to be shocked to find the family not in fact surrounding you when you glance up from the book. Each and every character is richly developed and relatable. Catharine - the elderly family matriarch; Kelly - the daughter caught in the middle and seemingly pulled in every direction; Louis - the son-in-law trying to keep the peace; Lila - the rigid do-gooder doctor-in-training; Gracie the one just trying to have fun.

In no way does this novel feel like a book first released in 2004; it could have been written within the last year as it is just as relevant in today's world, as it was twenty years ago. This is both a testament to Napolitano's timeless writing, along with the fact that times have not changed all that much.

I devoured this book in a day, and I will wake up tomorrow missing and longing to know more about this family.

(The audiobook is narrated by a full cast, and I highly recommend it!)

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the complimentary copy to read and review.