Play Book Tag discussion

Hello Beautiful chronicles the life of William Waters and how he becomes intertwined with the lives of the Padavano sisters - Julia, Sylvie, Emeline, and Cecelia. It follows them through love and losses over the course of 25 years.

There wasn't a traditional plot to follow. Driving this generational family saga is a strong sense of familial love. In this modernized take on "Little Women", Sylvie has Jo’s love of books and reading; Cecelia is an artist like Amy; and William clearly is the orphaned Laurie taken in by the Padavano/March family. But it also includes quite a few unexpected twists.

Glancing at the reviews, I got the impression that this is a "love it or hate it" story. I enjoyed living with the Padavano family and seeing them grow up, together and apart, over the decades. I was drawn to how the author wrote the family dynamics of the Padavano family.

I found "Hello Beautiful" to be an incredibly moving story, and when it was over, I felt their loss. I really wanted to see how the Padavano family continued on. I felt grateful for my own relationship with my sister. I'm really going to miss William and the sisters.

I enjoyed reliving the experience of reading the book through your review, Lynda. I'm in the "Love It" camp. I think you're right about the wide split in readers' reviews. Glad you found it to be a moving story.