Hello Beautiful

The most discussed novel of 2023, selling over a million copies. A moving and powerful story about a family centered on one question: can love heal a person completely shattered by grief?

William Waters grew up in a house darkened by tragedy—his parents didn’t love him. So he felt real relief when his basketball talent earned him a scholarship to a university far from home. There he met Julia Padavano, who was nothing like his parents—or like him—an open, energetic, ambitious girl.

She has a wonderful family: loving parents and three sisters—dreamy Sylvia, a creative whirlwind Cecillia, and quiet, caring Emelin. The sisters are very close; they share thoughts, feelings, and dreams with each other. William, unaccustomed to such warm relationships, would be happy to become part of this loving family—until one day his dark past flips their new, already established cozy life upside down, exploding the tender devotion the sisters have for one another. A catastrophic rift tears the family apart, changing the lives of several generations. Can love that once united them be strong enough to unite them again in a difficult moment?

This novel became not only one of the year’s major American bestsellers, the Oprah Winfrey Book Club pick, but also a great favorite of writers Kristin Hannah and Adriana Trigiani.

The touching, deep, tense, and emotionally tangled story “Hello, Beautiful” was narrated by the well-known audiobook voice Aleksey Bagdasarov.

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“This book will make you cry and deeply worry about the characters and their fates. Napolitano encourages us to think about the intricately woven tapestry of family love that, despite grief and loss, still connects us to one another. This love helps us see ourselves—and each other—completely,” — The Washington Post

“This luxurious family saga is one of those rare novels where every character is unique and written so well you feel as if they’re your best friends, and you’re grateful to be in the same orbit with them. Paying tribute to ‘Little Women,’ although the story takes place in Chicago at the end of the 20th century, it will make you deliberately read more slowly, trying to hold back the approaching ending. And when it inevitably happens—get ready for tears,” — Oprah Quarterly