Andie’s Book Club: ‘Hello Beautiful’

Everyone I know loves this book. According to Goodreads, Hello Beautiful is named one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, Amazon, NPR, The Washington Post, Time, Vogue, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Post and others. 

It is an undeniably beautifully written novel. Ann Napolitano’s characters are complex, which allows the reader to relate to them on different levels. That’s my favorite kind of book because I find the characters become like friends to me.  

At the heart of the story is William Waters. Poor William did not have a great childhood, but then he met the Padavano sisters and things seemed to turn around. The sister's family life is much different from what William is used to. They are part of a tightly knit and emotionally volatile family. 

William's story is one of love lost, love found, repeat. There are secrets and tragedies. Successes and failures. Surprises and head-scratching decisions.

For me, the tone of the book is pretty low. One painful moment seems to move right into the next, making it feel to me like I’m struggling through a marathon rather than an escape of my own reality. It’s not that I need every book to be lighthearted or cheerful, but Hello Beautiful seemed to dwell so heavily in sadness that it often felt oppressive. The characters—while deeply human—sometimes feel stuck in cycles of suffering, and the moments of hope and joy came too sparingly to offset the weight of the story.

Listen, I get it. It’s me. I'm the problem. Like I said at the beginning, everyone I know loves this book. But if like me, you like a more balanced journey, this book, while beautifully written, might be tough to get through.