Many thanks to my friends at @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook.  

 

Radiant. Poignant.  Striking.  

 

Hello Beautiful is a journey through heart and soul.  Something so beautiful and so special.  Honest and raw.  An emotional exploration that captures very essence of the human spirit.  

 

Born into tragedy, William Waters had never known genuine love until meeting Julia and the Padavanos.  And while love abounded within the family, it was also ripe with conflict and flaws.  

 

As the decades unfold, we are met with a captivating unpacking of time:  the choices (some egregious), the sorrows, the arguments, the loneliness, the paths not taken, the regrets… but in the end and most importantly… there’s a vein of love and hope that persists.    

 

Hello Beautiful captures the very essence of messy family dynamics and how those bonds mold who we become.  The push and pull.  The complicated nature of the sibling bond.  The thin line between individuality and cohesiveness.  

 

I found myself completely swept away by Napolitono’s tender prose.  A story of redemption rife with complex characters always feeds my soul.  But this one felt even more dear.  It was moving and immersive.  It was brimming with love, even in the most complex of situations.  Full of sentiment yet tinged with deep pain.  

 

This story felt so very intimate and real.  Maybe, in the end, it was the exploration of the flaws that drew me in closer to this family, the humanity and growth rooting in my soul.  

 

This book was made for discussion, and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation had with my friends @bookmarked.by.becky @chicagobooklover and @thats.one.for.the.books.  

 

🎧 There is no right or wrong way format for enjoying this book.  The writing is lyrical and beautiful and a feast for the eyes.  Plus, I found the need to annotate and tab my book often.  But the narration by Maura Tierney was impeccably executed.  Her quiet tone pulled me in and held me completely captive.