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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Hello beautiful! It's a stunning love story between sisters, and it’s one between Julie and Sylvie mostly. I just don’t understand why Sylvie couldn’t bring herself to tell Julie herself or to try and get her to understand about William. And with all this faff about the sister’s love for each other, I just didn’t believe in Sylvie and William’s love for each other. It didn’t read big enough to be the rift that destroys this close knit family. And Sylvie just picking William over her sister - it just wasn’t believable that she wouldn’t even try to explain to Julie??? I read a review that the twins were indistinguishable from eachother and I agree! Maybe I would have liked if more time was spent with them too! Also William being abandoned by his parents but there being no real explanation or exploration of his childhood or any interaction with his parents??? Like im not saying its not believable but a more deeper look into his family life would have been great to understand him and his depression more! I will read her other book dear edward tho!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
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
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A confession: I have not read "Little Women" before, but I do know the outline of the story. Honestly, I always avoided it because of Beth. To know a character's fate before you even know the character . . . but I went into "Hello Beautiful" without knowing which sister was going to be Beth. So I had to keep reading, and it's worth it to join this family even as the inevitable draws nearer. Life is messy, but it's still nice to wake up and think, "hello, beautiful."
Perhaps, it's time to read the original.
(January 2025)
Perhaps, it's time to read the original.
(January 2025)
I was drawn to this book because it has been compared to Little Women (and makes reference to Little Women throughout) and I love a story about sisters. But it ended up being so much more; it is about family, grief, vulnerability, depression, forgiving others, forgiving yourself… allowing yourself to lean on others and receive help. It’s told over a 40 year or so time frame, and the chapters often overlap events, so you get the events from multiple perspectives. It’s so well-done. The neighbourhood comes to life and the characters have my heart. It’s just a book about people, living their lives, usually trying their best, and I found everything about it achingly truthful. I borrowed it from the library but I will definitely be getting my own copy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, Death of parent