👩👩1/2
HELLO BEAUTIFUL
Ann Napolitano
Random House Publishing Group | The Dial Press
Publication Date: March 14th, 2023
400 Pages
Goodreads | Amazon
I read and loved Dear Edward a few years ago, it was my first foray into this author’s work and it was brilliant. This title left me a little disappointed. I do like a slow burn but this book was way too slow for my liking, especially the beginning. I will also say this took me four days to read and that is saying something coming from one who devours books. I almost did not finish it but decided to persist. It did get better. I am surprised I didn’t like it more because this is Ann Napolitano’s version of Little Women and that is one of my favourite books. This one had a soap opera feel to it.
I liked that the book deals with issues of mental health in a realistic way and I felt for William, but I had trouble connecting to any of the characters other than feeling bad for them I felt nothing else. I did like that William found the strength to fight his demons. This is a very character-driven story and when you don’t connect with the characters in any way it makes it a slog to get through. I think part of the problem was William’s basketball playing didn’t interest me at all. As much as I think that Napolitano is a beautiful writer this one just didn’t do much for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
Marion Hernandez
I think the writing is this is just plain bad. No beautiful phrases or interesting turns of description, no metaphors, just the basics about at the level of a first year composition class. Also, there is no setting? Didn’t readers notice this? The characters are so self obsessed that their place, indoors makes no difference to them. Outdoors? makes no difference either so that is what you can say about language and setting. that is why there is no description! Plus the author describes events that have just happened and are finished, as opposed to putting the actual exchanges into a narrative that unfolds. Terrible writing. I am baffled as to how readers could be taken in. Claustrophobic…. boring characters who never get out or have anything else to say other than to pursue their their relationships.