Liz's Reviews > Hello Beautiful

Hello Beautiful is a big, emotional, heart wrenching family drama. It encompasses the Padavano family of four sisters and the broken young man who marries into the family.
“Hello Beautiful” is the greeting Charlie Padavano gives each of his daughters. “Charlie had seen and loved each of them for who they were..the greeting was nice enough to make them want to leave the room and come in all over again.” He might have been a bit of a drunk, but he was the tie that kept the family together. It was his unconditional love. Their mother Rose is a force of nature, but when a daughter disobeys the one condition Rose has placed on them all, a fracture occurs. As time goes on, more fractures occur.
Napolitano has created a cast of characters that felt totally real. I’m just like Julia, wanting a life that’s mapped out and organized, but my heart went out to William and Sylvie. The sisters are meant to mirror the sisters in Little Women. Here again, the sisters have to find ways to be themselves within a close family setting. There are some important points made about independence and dealing with the expectations of others, especially family. But it’s also about depression and the mistakes we make when we try to save those we love. I will admit to having tears rolling down my face for the final chapters of the book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House- Dial Press for an advance copy of this book.