Hello Beautiful

by Ann Napolitano

Hello Beautiful is less Little Women and more The Young and the Restless—a family drama with plenty of twists, but not quite the tearjerker it’s been hyped up to be. The story is solid and the writing is undeniably good, but let’s slow the roll. The NPR-level praise of it being the "great American novel is a reach. It’s a well-crafted narrative, full of emotional moments and rich family dynamics, but it’s more of a satisfying read than a literary revelation. Good, but not earth-shattering.