I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is a lovely, angsty contemporary novel of love and family.
The Padavano family consists of four daughters (Julia, Sylvie, and the twins Cecelia and Emeline). Their father, Charlie, is a dreaming sort of man who is kindness incarnate, but who never manages to make enough money to get ahead and relies on his wife, Rose, for all practical matters. Rose is determined that her daughters will be college-educated, self-reliant, and well-married. (The best laid plans...)
William Waters was a wounded child who grows up to be a depressed young man. A talented (but not talented enough) basketball player, he plays for his college team until sidelined by injuries. Also in college, he meets Julia, falls in love, and is absorbed into the family.
The Padavano daughters are all very different, but live interconnected lives. Julia has her whole life planned out and it will be one of financial success, one where she can continue to structure her sisters’ lives for success as well. She chooses William to be her husband and tries to mold him into the shape of the husband she wants. When he realizes he cannot be enough for her, or for their infant daughter, the depression he has barely kept at bay all his life consumes him, shattering the Padavano women in the process.
This is a tear-jerker of a novel about a family torn apart and put back together again. It is a quiet, beautiful book.
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