Within arms reach is Anne Napalitono debut novel written 20 years ago and rereleased after much success with her other more recent novels.
I had no idea this was the case but as I listened to the Multigenerational story of the McLaughlin family- I could tell the writing just was not nearly as polished and protected as Anne’s current novels(I’m looking at you Hello Beautiful)
The story is about Catherine McLaughlin, Queen Irish reigning grandmother and her grown children and grandchildren and all their inadequacies and quirks they carry in their lives.
We have an unplanned pregnancy that rocks the family, an affair, and a very sad and depressive husband who feels guilty over a coworkers death but they just skim the surface of these areas. There is very little expansion. Other than that, this story is fairly mundane and boring.
I feel bad saying this but I would definitely read Anne’s newer novels and skip this one. The ending comes fast and furious and leaves the reader with questions. I would definitely tell you that I didn’t feel connected or like I knew any of these characters after 10 + hours of listening. Onto the next.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of my reading goals for the next year is to become an expert on an author or two, getting familiar with their entire body of work. I want to see where writers started and how they developed. For this reason, I was excited to read WITHIN ARM’S REACH by Ann Napolitano, author of one of my favorite books of last year. At the end of the novel, Napolitano explains its origins as her first book published a

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. I did start and stop this one a few times due to life... and being in a reading slump. Wasn't my typical style of book to read but in the end I did enjoy it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I adore Ann Napolitano's recent work, and I recognize this is an early novel of hers, but I could not get past the early pages. I did not connect with the story and I also thought the beginning was too graphic for me.

Ann Napolitano's book Hello Beautiful was one of my favorite books last year so I was excited for a chance to read her newest. Within Arm's Reach did not disappoint at all. I love messy family dramas and this story has tons of it. The McLaughlin family is big, dramatic and wonderful. I loved that the history was told through the eyes of several female characters. There are so many characters it was a bit hard to keep everyone straight but I quickly started to track who was who. This book addresses so many heavy topics but in a way that feels warm instead of harsh. The ending is not a neat, tidy bow but instead a bit of an open end. I personally liked how real that felt. I was very sad to reach the end and say goodbye to these characters. I cannot wait to read the author's next work! Thanks to Ann Napolitano, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Within Arm's Reach is a family drama focusing on a large Irish Catholic family living in New Jersey whose world is turned upside down with an unexpected pregnancy.

I love family dramas and although this one didn't flow as well or as quickly as I would have liked, there were certainly elements and character traits that resonated with me. The matriarch of the family, Catherine, at times, reminded me of my own grandmother--stern, reserved, and a little scary. I appreciated the relationship between the sisters, Lila and Gracie and found their stories the most interesting. I would have liked a little more depth to their characters.

The writing felt choppy and unfortunately, at times, too slow. Certain storylines felt like they ended abruptly and I would have loved to have seen some relationships play out a bit more. But overall I was compelled to continue reading and enjoyed the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the digital copy of this book.

My rating: 3.5 Stars

I typically love this author, this book was just ok. Seemed like I had to try and keep
Up with whose story I was on. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy. I did enjoy it just not as much as I hoped I would have.

I really enjoyed the authors previous book but this one was a bit slow going. The characters and story were interesting and the writing was engaging... Just not as good as Hello Beautiful

What a beautiful, heartbreaking, honest look at what it means to be a family. Ann Napolitano is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors - her writing is just so fantastic and sincere.

I loved Napolitano's Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward, so when I saw this one on NetGalley, I jumped on it without realizing it was a reissue of her debut novel. The result was that I did not want to like this one as much as I did! I wasn't mentally prepared for how drawn in I became to this family drama. It helped that every single character was engaging in their own way, even if you didn't quite relate to their struggles. Highly recommend!

Last year, I read Ann Napolitano's novel, "Hello Beautiful" which was a loose adaptation of "Little Women." It was a fantastic novel in my opinion. Ann is able to write about big, dysfunctional families and she does it well!

"Within Arm's Reach" is actually Ann's debut novel which was originally published in 2004 and was just re-released. A reader who has read "Hello Beautiful" may find similarities in this novel as this novel is also about a large, dysfunctional novel. "Within Arm's Reach" is about an Irish-Catholic family, the McLaughlins and their dramas. This novel is told from the viewpoint of 6 different characters. Five of them are family members. Once I began this novel, I could not put it down. I just wanted to see what would become of the characters. I also enjoyed the setting--this book takes place in NJ, in an area I'm very familiar with.

All in all, I think this was a well-written debut novel. If you're interested in reading about large, dysfunctional family dramas, you'll like this one. I only wish the ending tied things up a bit more. It left things very open-ended.

Thank you to the publisher for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Beautiful writing and a poignant storyline. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and, although there were some slow moments, this was a rewarding read.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203019737

A reissue of Ann Napolitano's first novel, Within Arm's Reach tells of a sprawling Irish-American family, told mostly through the inner lives of its women. Each character is given a distinct voice, and the fact that Napolitano made use of her own family's history gives authenticity.

As a huge fan of Ann Napolitano, I was excited to read her debut.

This book had a lot of elements that I really enjoy it a book. It is told from multiple POV and mostly deals with family dynamics. While I did like it- I didn’t love it.

I somehow just felt like I had a hard time connecting to the characters. I do think the author is a very talented writer and I did really enjoy her writing style throughout the book. I would have enjoyed a bit of a deeper dive into some of the characters or a bit more resolution at the end.

Overall, if you like character driven novels with a lot of family dynamics, I think this is one you will enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

When I first requested this book, I thought it was a new novel from Ann Napolitano and I was very surprised, because I remembered reading somewhere that she typically spends an entire year just *thinking* about a story before taking pen to paper. (I wish I could find that interview…it really stuck with me as a lesson in spending time in your story’s world before beginning to write). Anyway, since Hello, Beautiful came out in March 2023, it seemed like super, super quick time between books! Everything made much more sense when I realized that Within Arm’s Reach is a re-release of a novel originally published in 2004, which had been out of print. Ann Napolitano is amazing at character and this novel vividly paints the various members of sprawling Irish-American Catholic family and the rifts that occur when the youngest daughter becomes pregnant outside of marriage. I enjoyed the book and I could certainly see glimmers of Hello, Beautiful in it. I wouldn’t put it on *quite* the same level as that book, but I do think fans of Ann Napolitano should pick this up. And as writer, it’s truly fascinating and wonderful to see how an already-amazing writer’s talents grow from first book to most recent book. I am so curious about what story she’s planning now and I can’t wait to read!

Thanks so much to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy!

Release date: April 30, 2024 🗓️

If you like a family drama that's heavy on the drama, this book is for you. There was a lot going on here, and a lot of very unhappy people, but it felt so real. At times I wish we dove more into some of the older sister's lives, but there was already enough that it might have overwhelmed the storyline. There were people that my heart broke for, and people I just wanted to shake some sense into.

After reading Napolitano's Hello Beautiful last year, I was excited to get a copy of her new release. Written in similar style as her 2023 release, the book is narrated by the McLaughlin family. Catherine the matriarch, her daughter Kelly and her husband Louis as well as their two daughters, Lyla and Gracie are the main narrators. All dealing with their own issues and problems

Napolitano's character development is superb. However the plot felt unfinished to me. Almost like we read the middle of a book. Things just ended without resolve. I felt like we missed growth in characters or change. I would love to see her continue this story, maybe a sequel to follow.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

Within Arm’s Reach by Ann Napolitano, author of the acclaimed Hello Beautiful, embeds the reader in a chaotic Irish Catholic family that avoids anything unpleasant. Told from the points of view of six family members beginning with grandmother Catharine who sees ghosts including those of her dead children. When her single granddaughter Gracie, an advice columnist who hasn’t a clue about her own life, becomes pregnant, the family tries to intervene. This is a rerelease of Napolitano’s first novel published in 2004. While not as polished as her later novels, Within Arm’s Reach features a carefully constructed cast of characters coping with loss, identity, and hope. It brilliantly shows sibling rivalry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC.
3 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book. I started off loving it, and read it super quickly until probably around 60%. After that, it started to drag a little and I also started to get really annoyed by the characters. From reading Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful, I know that she does an amazing job writing these intense family/character studies, and I really enjoy that. However, this one felt like it could've used just a tiny bit more plot, or maybe more time spent with fewer characters. For example, there were some character arcs that I really liked, such as Lila's, and I would've liked more time with her; on the other hand, I really disliked Kelly's chapters and while I understand why she was included, I don't think I needed as much time with her. But this being said, I still want to give appreciation to Ann Napolitano for her amazing work with developing these flawed characters and presenting their stories with empathy. I just think it was a little too long for me, and tried to do a little bit too much.

I would recommend this book to anyone to enjoys books about family, books written from multiple points of view, and books that are more character driven versus plot driven. There's some really wonderful growth shown in this book, I just found it a little too lengthy personally.

Ann Napolitano has such a knack for writing about family dynamics. This story, although definitely not plotless, is a heavily character driven novel. I absolutely loved getting to know all of these family members and felt like they were so relatable. If Ann writes it...I'm going to read it.