William Waters' life has been irrevocably marred by loss. Meandering through his college years with a fractured sense of purpose, he finds that things change overnight when a headstrong young woman named Julia Padavano bursts into his life and simply refuses to leave.
Flash forward several years, and William has discovered a sense of place. This sense of comfortable familiarity that he's never known in his life comes from the infectious warmth that is the Padavano sisters: ambitious Julia, bookworm Sylvie, spirited Cecelia, and caretaker Emeline. Together, the sisters are almost a single entity, and may just be enough to keep the darkness of William's past at bay.
But then, tragedy strikes. Again. And before he knows it, William's life is fracturing around him once more, only this time the repercussions will ripple throughout the Padavano family too and the generations of it to come.
"Hello Beautiful" is a book I almost hesitated to start because of its grandiose advanced praise. That, coupled with the fact that I seem to be the only one I know who has yet to read "Dear Edward" had me worried I was in for disappointment. As someone that finds it hard to settle into the often slow burn pace of multigenerational family dramas, I fully expected the beginning to grab me (it did) and the middle to lose me (it did, too).
What I didn't expect, however, was for the last 30% of the book to sweep me off my feet again, even more than the beginning did. Ann Napolitano's writing is quiet, unsuspecting, but infused with a sense of empathy that only comes along a few times in a generation. Even if I couldn't relate to some of these characters, I loved them. I wept with them. My heart swelled for them. This book, which is hailed as a modern retelling of "Little Women" is an absolute triumph. I urge readers to stay patient with its slow but oh-so-important middle, because the emotional journey is well worth it in the end.
Rating: 5 Stars
Publication Details: Out Today, Random House Publishing
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
