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ukponge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia
amyeicher's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
nonsense's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcohol
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This was a read for Book Club, and as much as I wanted to give it the 5 stars, it fell as about 3.5 out of 5 for me ✨ I felt myself getting slightly frustrated with the characters throughout, and even the beautiful language couldn’t dissuade me 🫠
I’m looking forward to hearing what people have to say about this one 😊
Graphic: Homophobia, Self harm, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
mellowreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was not exactly what I was expecting. I have it a 3 because I don’t think it’s absolutely terrible or overall bad, but the themes and characters simply did not work for me, and I did not find the writing to be at all interesting or engaging. Yet, I kept picking the book up. This book does have a slow pace, but I never felt like it dragged.
I absolutely despised one of the main characters from the beginning, I think seeing just how much she could p*ss me off kept me engaged.
This may be a bit spoilery, but my biggest annoyance with the novel (beyond Julia and the prose/plot feeling dull/unnoteworthy) was the theme. Throughout the book, several characters make decisions ranging from questionable to deplorable, cutting one another out of their own lives and hurting one another for selfish reasons. In the last few chapters, everyone suddenly decides to be besties again and the book hammers in the theme that “you just forgive your family no matter what because you need them and that’s what love is.” And all of the characters brush years of neglect and trauma under the rug, without apology or even acknowledgement from other characters, because of this idea. This was not only extremely anticlimactic, but also this philosophy in general just annoys me. Obviously people irl are allowed to forgive on their own terms, but this being the ending sentiment of the book really soured it for me personally.
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
roget's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Hello Beautiful follows the lives of the Padavano family--especially Julia, Sylvie, William Waters, and a girl named Alice. Loosely Little Women inspired, this story focuses on the mundane and the deeper emotional revelations that come from living through change, loss, grief, and healing.
I spent most of this book wanting to throttle one or more people for their choices. And yet.
As a family epic, this is profoundly moving. Napolitano is a master of character work, and the voice has a way of calmly relaying both brokenness and strength. Did I like the plot? No. I wanted them to
So many books bring a vague ideal to the table, and this slams you into a chair, shows you the ugly and the beautiful, and you are left blasted with love too big to wrap your arms around. You're left wondering about the nature of how we handle conflict or mistakes or forgiveness. You're left considering human mistakes and just...humanity in general, really, which is usually a sign that you've read something important. The family here isn't idealized--it's messy and real (though I admit there were some parts where people were a bit more charitable or less charitable than expected, but maybe that's because I'd respond differently in some of those situations).
Still can't decide if I deeply resent William or if I love him. I have no idea what to think.
But Alice--Alice is beautiful to me. I don't know. This book was a lot. Clearly, this is going to be one of the major literary works of 2023. I likely will have more thoughts in the days to come, and may return to this review after a time to add them.
*My thanks to Random House, The Dial Press, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. My thanks to my husband, who sat through a forty-five minute long summary of this novel so I could process it.*
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Minor: Addiction and Infertility
drraytay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Sexism, and Terminal illness