by: Ann Napolitano
Goodreads description:
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes 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.
Helen says: 🤓🤓🤓 1/2
Heavy stuff! I wanted to shake the characters in this book! They all had terrible communication skills and only saw the world from their own perspectives. I could have solved their problems in 5 minutes if only it were that easy…I just didn’t have the attention span for it this month…so I listened on audible. It was narrated by Maura Tierney (Abby Lockhart from the hit television show ER). I knew her voice sounded familiar. This was a chore to finish, but it did have a satisfying ending- I cried.
Holly says: 🤓🤓🤓🤓
In keeping with the theme for 2023 – “when bad things happen to good people”, add this one to your reading list. William Waters’ parents are in the running for worst parents of the decade, but he perseveres with the help of a loving wife (one, not two, of the Padavano sisters) and a dedicated life-long best friend. A modern version of Little Women, these four sisters experience love, tragedy, happiness, separation, reunions, and everything in between. Read it.
Helen and Holly Hit the Books 