Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

41 reviews

amy_mhairi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Incredible book. First read of January 2024 and it really started me on the right foot for the year. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness

Minor: Child death

gloriaannwilson's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Better than Dear Edward. But not much.

Loosely resembling Little Women, this is the story of four sisters

and a guy that two of them fall for

.

There's a bit more to it, including depression, neglect, family complications, and lies. I liked the story and some of the characters, but not enough to feel much for any of them or care when I read the last page. This book didn't meet its potential.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism

wonderreads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, and Abandonment

kelly93's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Child death, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Addiction, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Drug abuse, Cursing, and Medical content

sarahflanders's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Death of parent, Cancer, and Grief

ella_gus's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I enjoyed this book, especially the back half. It's a story about love and generational trauma and forgiveness and the flaws that make us human. It's sort of soapy but not enough to disengage me. The author definitely "tells" instead of "shows" but it didn't bother me too much. Overall, I really enjoyed the narrative and I would recommend it to someone looking for an easy read with a little more substance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Child death, and Grief

caitgiam's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Abandonment

Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Alcoholism and Homophobia

lillieb130's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Alcoholism

Minor: Infertility, Car accident, Terminal illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming

msnikkiwilks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book wrecked me in the best way possible. 

I know it's unlikely, but I'd love a companion book following Izzy and Alice. 

Maybe later, I'll find the words to fully capture my feelings about this book, but geez, it was exquisite. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

fifteenthjessica's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

William Waters quickly falls in with love Julia Padavano and her big family, who are in many ways, the opposite of his repressed and sad childhood home that was always in the shadow of the sister that died when he was six days old. However, a family scandal soon is interwoven with a family tragedy, and the family begins to break apart. Meanwhile, William has been struggling with depression, and his relationship with the ambitious Julia--and the Padavano family as a whole--is threatened by his inner sense of listlessness and a growing bond with her closest sister, Sylvie. Can William learn to thrive without accidentally destroying the family he has come to love?

The book is an homage to Little Women, which I have not read (I should), so I cannot speak about how it functions as a homage.

I'm going to be honest, I was hoping the book wouldn't hook me because I was running out of time before my library due date. I found myself spellbound by the characters, who are rich and complex, but Julia can be abrasive due to her bossiness and

once William and Sylvie get together, they are bland and generically nice and not the kind of couple that I enjoy reading about.

Both of these lessened the effect of the novel as a heartwrenching family tragedy for me. It's also a little disappointing that the younger sisters feel a bit sidelined for much of the story.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Child death, Child abuse, and Terminal illness

Minor: Sexual content, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Bullying, and Alcohol

-A major character is depressed, and this is a major focus. Another one might have an anxiety issue. -A major character has a sister that died in childhood. -Some major characters have generational trauma caused by parental neglect. -A major characters' father dies and affects the family. -A few characters get disowned as adults. -A major character is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. -A major character attempts suicide. This is a big plot point. -Major characters' father is an alcoholic. Some mentions of drinking. -Some mentions of a girl getting bullied for being tall. -References to characters having sex and getting pregnant. -Some mentions of two supporting characters facing minor discrimination for being lesbians.