Hello Beautiful

by Ann Napolitano

In Hello Beautiful, Ann Napolitano’s latest novel, readers are invited into the intricate world of the Padavano family, where love, loyalty, and the resilience of the human spirit take center stage. Set against a backdrop of tragedy, trauma, and redemption, this emotionally layered and engrossing narrative weaves together the lives of its characters in a compelling exploration of the power of human connection and the ties that bind us together.

At the heart of the story is William Waters, a young man whose upbringing was marked by sorrow, rejection, and isolation. His journey takes a transformative turn when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, offering an escape from the shadows of his past in which his parents felt they had only one child and it wasn’t him.  It is at Northwestern that he encounters Julia Padavano, a vibrant, self-directed, ambitious young woman whose family becomes his haven.

Julia, the eldest of the four Padavano sisters, introduces William to a world of warmth and total acceptance in her family that he never experienced in his own home.  Alongside Sylvie the romantic, bookish dreamer, Cecelia the free-spirited artist, and Emeline the compassionate caretaker, the Padavano sisters and their parents Rose and Charlie form a tight-knit family whose bonds seem unbreakable -- until William's past resurfaces with his attempted suicide and its aftermath, threatening to unravel the fabric holding them together.  The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes each of their lives. 

Hello Beautiful is more than just an intricately crafted and deeply moving story about family -- it is an engrossing exploration of what it means to be human. It reminds us that, despite the pain, challenges, and heartache we may endure and no matter how broken we may feel, love has the remarkable ability to heal and transform and reconnect us in ways we never thought possible.

--Jessie von Hippel