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goodkaren 's review for:
Hello Beautiful
by Ann Napolitano
Some hints at spoilers
My latest read is Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The main characters are the Padavano family of four sisters, a father who is loved but not ambitious, a mother who is strict but not loving, and a BIL (William) who is depressed and manipulated. It’s a family drama that follows traumas of these people as they cut each other out of their lives and survive without each other. It shows how easily things fall apart, and how difficult it is to mend walls.
That being said, in my opinion… There was potential here for greatness, but it fell flat. The characters weren’t likable, though three of the eight or nine were fully developed. I understand that William is depressed, but does he have to be so weak and frail? Couldn’t his recovery have been more climactic and empowering? Then there’s Julia, who is a manipulative, egomaniacal bitch. If that’s her character, why does she come off as insipid and wishy wash. Sylvie starts off as a breath of fresh air. Then, she’s reduced to William’s cheerleader and a sick lady. The other sisters are side notes. One is a lesbian and one is an artist, but they play uninspired, boring roles that are little more than a footnote in the story. And the mom! She’s the least likable of all, and she gets off Scott free! Nobody every challenges her. Finally, the father is the fallen hero of the story. I find it offensive that in a book full of female characters, of course they chose to worship the do-nothing dad who bought formula for a new mom. He did the bare minimum of being a decent human, and gets all the glory. I know thousands of people LOVED this book. My question is why? 2 out of 5 simply for potential and writing style. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #book #books #booklover #booknerdforlife #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrec #bookreview #bookaddict #read #readmorebooks #readmore #reading #readingtime
My latest read is Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. The main characters are the Padavano family of four sisters, a father who is loved but not ambitious, a mother who is strict but not loving, and a BIL (William) who is depressed and manipulated. It’s a family drama that follows traumas of these people as they cut each other out of their lives and survive without each other. It shows how easily things fall apart, and how difficult it is to mend walls.
That being said, in my opinion… There was potential here for greatness, but it fell flat. The characters weren’t likable, though three of the eight or nine were fully developed. I understand that William is depressed, but does he have to be so weak and frail? Couldn’t his recovery have been more climactic and empowering? Then there’s Julia, who is a manipulative, egomaniacal bitch. If that’s her character, why does she come off as insipid and wishy wash. Sylvie starts off as a breath of fresh air. Then, she’s reduced to William’s cheerleader and a sick lady. The other sisters are side notes. One is a lesbian and one is an artist, but they play uninspired, boring roles that are little more than a footnote in the story. And the mom! She’s the least likable of all, and she gets off Scott free! Nobody every challenges her. Finally, the father is the fallen hero of the story. I find it offensive that in a book full of female characters, of course they chose to worship the do-nothing dad who bought formula for a new mom. He did the bare minimum of being a decent human, and gets all the glory. I know thousands of people LOVED this book. My question is why? 2 out of 5 simply for potential and writing style. #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #book #books #booklover #booknerdforlife #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrec #bookreview #bookaddict #read #readmorebooks #readmore #reading #readingtime