I, for one, have never considered myself much of a reader. If you asked me a year ago the last book that I read front to back, I probably wouldn’t have an answer for you. (I survived all of AP Lang without picking up more than two of our “required” books from the library.) I couldn’t give much of a reason why besides that I found reading boring and I am far too distracted to stare at black and white pages for hours on end. However, that answer changed as soon as I picked up Anne Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful.
This wonderfully crafted book rose quickly in popularity on BookTok in 2023. This book follows the life story of William and the four Padavano sisters, Cecelia, Emeline, Sylvie and Julia. When William, an only child from a broken home, meets the opportunity driven “Rocketship,” Julia. The two fall in love quickly, but that is only the beginning. From there, the book follows the trajectory of all the characters’ lives and is told from the perspective of three different characters. In Hello Beautiful, Napolitano does an incredible job describing the characters, to the point that you can feel their presence through the pages. This book is warm, eye opening, gut wrenching and everything in between.
When I first picked up Hello Beautiful, I thought it might be too slow of a read for me. At the same time, I was absolutely captivated and couldn’t put it down. Napolitano really goes into depth on all of the characters’ actions and emotions, which is what makes you feel so connected to the characters. As a self-proclaimed slow reader, I had finished this nearly 400-page book in less than a week (which is quite an accomplishment for me). Since publication, it has made its way to the New York Time’s Bestseller list and over one million copies have been sold.
If you haven’t gotten around to reading this book yet, read it. If you have read it, read it again. This homage to Little Women truly changed my perspective on so many things I thought I understood. I am so glad I picked it up, and I hope you do too.