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A review by abooknomad
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.25
It’s been a while since I’ve gulped down a book in less than a week and, for that, Hello Beautiful was what I was looking for and needed. It pierced through my reading slump and glued me to the page. This wasn’t exactly a surprise since this is my kind of book: character-driven, dramatic in its portrayal of (familial) relationships, and following a multigenerational timeline. From page 2, I knew that I would enjoy it and I did.
The first half of the book was captivating. The Padanovo family and William seemed to jump off the page and the writing was as eloquent and addictive as the story required it to be. The second half, however, wasn't as fascinating. The writing and character traits started to get repetitive, and I ended the book feeling like the full potential of the story hadn’t been fully explored. Themes surrounding mental health, grudges, bitterness and family rifts were commented on in an interesting way, but their exploration and resolution felt rushed and brushed over, with more time spent on providing details that had already been mentioned before rather than adding more to the characters' layers.
As I was reading the first half, I was sure this was going to be a 5-star, but the stagnation in the second half morphed this number into a 4 -4.25 star-ish.
A good and addictive 4-star.
The first half of the book was captivating. The Padanovo family and William seemed to jump off the page and the writing was as eloquent and addictive as the story required it to be. The second half, however, wasn't as fascinating. The writing and character traits started to get repetitive, and I ended the book feeling like the full potential of the story hadn’t been fully explored. Themes surrounding mental health, grudges, bitterness and family rifts were commented on in an interesting way, but their exploration and resolution felt rushed and brushed over, with more time spent on providing details that had already been mentioned before rather than adding more to the characters' layers.
As I was reading the first half, I was sure this was going to be a 5-star, but the stagnation in the second half morphed this number into a 4 -4.25 star-ish.
A good and addictive 4-star.