Title: Hello Beautiful

Author: Ann Napolitano

Audiobook Length: 15 hours and 6 minutes

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction

Read Start Date: August 7, 2023

Read Finish Date: August 19, 2023

Goodreads’ Synopsis: 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.

My Review: The novel begins with the birth of William Waters, a boy who is unwanted by his parents. He grows up in a house filled with silence and sadness, and he never feels loved or accepted. When he meets Julia Padavano, the oldest of the four sisters, he finds a connection that he has never had before. Julia’s family is everything that William’s is not: they are loving, supportive, and full of life.

William and Julia fall in love and get married. With Julia comes her family, the Padavanos. The Padavanos are a close-knit family who are always there for each other, no matter what. William finally feels like he belongs somewhere. However, the Padavanos are not without their own problems. Julia’s father, Charlie, is a struggling alcoholic. Her mother, Rose, is a devoted wife and mother, but she is also exhausted and overwhelmed. The sisters themselves are all struggling to find their own way in the world.

The novel spans four decades, from the 1960s to the 2000s, and explores themes of love, loss, forgiveness, and redemption.

Hello Beautiful is a beautifully written and moving novel that deals with some heavy topics, such as childhood trauma, grief, and loss. I often felt melancholy while reading this book, so I think that you have to be in a good headspace before starting it.

Each character is well developed and complex and feels like a real person.

William Waters is shaped by a childhood trauma that follows him into adulthood. For decades, his choice to abandon his wife and infant daughter created ripple effects throughout the Padavano family. When abandoned by William, Julia, a strong and independent woman, blazes her own path despite the obstacles ahead of her. Sylvie is a dreamer and a romantic, and she is always looking for a new adventure. She is drawn to William’s vulnerability and makes a choice that creates a rift between the once close-knit sisters. The first to go her own way, Cecelia is an artist and a free spirit, and she is not afraid to be herself. Emeline, Cecelia’s twin, is the family’s caretaker and is always there to lend a helping hand. Emeline struggles with her sexuality and whether to be herself in the face of outside scrutiny or bigotry.

It is a story about the power of love and the importance of family, even when things are at their darkest. There is so much to unpack in this book, that it will stay with you long after reading it. Apparently, it is supposed to be based on Little Women, but in my opinion it is at best “loosely” based on Little Women.

Stats: As of September 8, 2023, this book has a 4.23-star rating on Goodreads, so my review is on par with that of the general public.

Recommended? YES!