Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

83 reviews

casira'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Lesbophobia, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

ariana3's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I just don't think I was really in the mood for this book. And it felt soooooo long for no reason. About a family and the complicated dynamics within.

4 sisters, who practically are attached at the hip, sort of drift apart in adulthood, after their father dies and their brother-in-law tries to commit suicide (who then divorces one sister then another sister falls in love with him and they get married).

What love, loss, guilt, and grudges can do to an entire family and their community. Good, just not my vibe right now. And just felt so so so long.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Mental illness

Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

ggiralte's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

i have a lot of thoughts. but i think i’ll start with the first one which is my thought at the end. i liked and disliked the ending

(bc it was sad).

i think the ending tied it up in a bow even if not all the ribbon was there. 

time for honesty. i hated julia as a character. her pov through the first half of the book had me close to hitting my head with the book. i was so frustrated with her, and that only continued. i could see part of myself in her, with how she was a planner, but she never thought to look at her “plans” with a different lens. she thought she was high and mighty. i don’t pity her. she did it to herself. 

at first i didn’t like the whole

sylvie and william thing. i thought it was a little odd. but as it went on, i realized how perfectly they fit. and it was really wholesome, so incredibly sad at the end when she passed. i’m proud of their character developments, sylvie with herself and william with alice/caroline.

i would’ve liked an epilogue to see a little taste of the future but i’m ok with how it ended. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, and Suicide

jenga049's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

Hello emotionally devastating book. 
Personally haven’t read little women in about 10 years but I wholeheartedly believe this is 20th century little women 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts

rachel101's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Cancer, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

kalaser'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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Abandonment, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts

siobhansample's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Torture, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

lesbianlis'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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was so beautiful!!! I really enjoyed it. I think it was a teensy bit heavy-handed in its references to Little Women, however, it handled it really well. The shifts in perspective through time were really useful. At first, I thought that an omnipresent narrator would've sufficed but I enjoyed the shifting perspectives of each event. I come from a large family, no sisters, but still a family with myths and legends passed down, and considering that through the ending chapters of this book made me sob. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Homophobia and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy

goodin10tions's review against another edition

dark 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

5.0

 Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano with Maura Tierney (Narrator)

This is a very long (15 hours/400 pgs) story about family, forgiveness and generational trauma. 

Because of the multiple POV of the same event, it can feel repetitive. However, that touches a personal favorite topic of mine which is how the same thing can happen to multiple people but they all remember it differently.

What this book is not is a page turner. I am seeing critiques about it being boring and long. If you aren’t comfortable spending 15 hours on a book, skip this one.

The book is described as an exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women. I can vouch for this, the characters also compare themselves to the March sisters.

In short, if you loved Little Women, you’ll probably love the Padavano sisters.

If you are going to read them together, I’d recommend Little Women first.

If you are doing the 52 BookClub 2024 reading challenge this book meets: four POV, grieving character, a plot similar to another book, the OTHER book, includes a wedding, and chapters have dates.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, and Bullying