Well I will read anything by Ann Napolitano! I loved Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful is one of my favorite books of all time. I was excited to find that Within Arms Reach is being rereleased and presented to us again 20 years after it was first published.

Thank you to Net Galley for the eARC.

I really loved this story. A multi generational story of a big Irish family told mostly from the women’s perspectives, Catherine, our matriarch is looking back at everything her family has been and looking forward to all it will become after she’s left. This is character driven and had some slow parts. But I enjoyed the depth they were written. Lila’s story and growth/change was my favorite. The ending makes you feel nostalgia and a desire to be more present in your own life and to not take it all for granted. I love stories like this.

Ann Napolitano is a master at writing compelling family dramas. I love anything she writes and this was no exception.

Within Arm's Reach is a re-release of Ann Napolitano's debut novel. It's a wonderful family drama with three generations of the Irish Catholic McLaughlin family. There are lots of secrets and lots of keeping up appearances. But how sustainable is that in a small town where everyone knows everyone's business?

Ann Napolitano is excellent at weaving multiple characters through a story and capturing tiny poignant moments with beautiful phrasing.

I really enjoyed the story being told by several points of view especially around the same event.
I was fascinated to learn that some of the family structure was based on her own mother's experience.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

Classic Napolitano. This is a beautifully written story with deeply flawed characters who navigate a dysfunctional family dynamic that is heartbreaking in its sincerity. Six characters will have their turn at narration, painting the broad strokes of the family dynamic and judging it with idiosyncratic eyes. The whole created by these narratives is available only to the reader who shares Napolitano’s omniscient eye. The family will not be better for it. The reader might gain insight or just admire the art of a writer who is at the top of her craft. Either way, this is a compelling read but not a book to walk away from with warm fuzzies.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing the eARC.

This was an ok read. It is definitely not my favorite by the author. It is a rewrite of her first novel and it is obvious how her talent has grown in 20 plus years.

This is a reprint of one of Napolitano's earliest works, getting new light and love. I found it extremely difficult to engage with. The writing did not flow well and was challenging to read. Napolitano has clearly grown as a writer which is great to see, but putting this back in the spotlight doesn't serve her particularly well... I look forward to reading new material from her!

Ann Napolitano does a wonderful job taking the most mundane details of everyday life and turning them into a beautiful story. Within Arms Reach is a story about three generations of women who all have very different stories to tell. They are strong, Irish women. However, when the going gets tough, they still depend on each other (as much as they claim otherwise). It’s a story about grief and the bond of sisterhood. I will say I did enjoy reading the book, however it did feel unsatisfying at the end. There were many facets of the book that I would have felt better with some closure. Overall though it was a pleasant read, and those who enjoy contemporary fiction will probably enjoy it!

I enjoyed this book. Maybe not as much as Napolitano's Hello Beautiful, but it was still a good solid read.

This revolves around a large Irish American family and all their dysfunctional messiness. Lots of issues to explore here...pregnancies, mental health, physical disabilities, alcoholism, abuse (both physical/emotional), sibling rivalries, sex and its meaning and use to individual family members, etc. But I found the overriding theme of an emotionally closed-off family to be the source of most of the dysfunction.

The matriarch, Catharine, is living in an assisted living facility and facing her final years. She decides that she would like to "fix" her family's emotional distance before she dies. But this distance is something she's been guilty of herself, and the reader is shown her past (alcoholic/controlling husband, constant pregnancies, heartbreaking losses) to shine a light on her fortitude if not always her emotional presence.

While this focuses mostly on Catharine, her oldest daughter and that daughter's two daughters, it is a melding of generations that is both loving but stunted, close but at a distance, hopeful but at a loss of how to find joy in their lives.

I found this story, while incredibly frustrating at times, to be both sad and uplifting at the same time. There was not a definitive ending, no epilogue to ease the reader's mind. But I felt with this family that was the right fit. I did not necessarily need to know what futures looked like as the author conveyed the sense that whatever would come, the family would muddle through together.

Well done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Random House/Dial Press for providing the free arc of Within Arm's Reach for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Ann Napolitano’s novel, “Within Arms Reach” deals with generations of dysfunctional family dynamics. The matriarch of this Irish-Catholic clan is haunted by past loss and trauma as she comes to the end of her life, and her children and grandchildren are flailing in all kids of creative ways. The book is plagued by a meandering plot and an ensemble of unmemorable characters. In addition, the story is choppy and lacks focus. I found this book underwhelming — nothing like Napolitano’s wonderful “Dear Edward” and “Hello Beautiful."

A reissue of Ann Napolitano's first book, published in 2004, and it has wonderful connections with her most recent book, Hello Beautiful. I actually read these two books back-to-back, and both center on tight-knit families dealing with secrets and they make a beautiful pair of books to read together. I highly recommend Within Arm's Reach for any Ann Napolitano fan who hasn't read it yet.

I read nearly half of this book and decided not to finish it. It started very strong but then I just didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. I lost interest and started to feel like I was forcing myself to read it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. I really enjoyed this family story. I think the author did a great job of building depth in all three generations of the McLaughlin family. This book at its core is about generational trauma and the ways that families are just individual people who don’t always have the strongest ties. I really enjoyed that each chapter was the perspective of a different family member. With a family this large I was worried it would be confusing, but the author pulled it off well. My only complaint would be that the ending was just a little too abrupt and while I think I understand what the author was going for it still felt slightly unfinished to me.

I didn’t realize this is Ann Napolitano’s earlier book as a re-release.

I love Dear Edward and enjoyed Hello Beautiful, but not sure how I feel about Within Arm’s Reach. I like a good multi-generational dysfunctional family story but this one felt a bit disjointed and kind of left me wondering what the point of the whole story was.

3.5 ⭐️

Ann Napolitano has a way of creating characters both endearing and flawed. This story of the McLaughlin family of New Jersey, told from six points of view, examines the way the strict Irish Catholic upbringing clashes with the actual way lives are lived. The characters love fiercely but have trouble understanding their love. Assisted by ghosts of their ancestors and a tight knit community, both the older generation and the youngest one explore what it means to be part of a family, and how they fit in.

This was actually Napolitano’s debut novel, re-released after the success of Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random house for the review copy. The novel was re-released on April 30, 2024

I didn’t realize this was Ann’s debut novel. A beautiful story of love and loss and life. You can see her growth when you compare it to her two later novels but overall a beautiful first book.

Three generations of Irish American women go through the ups and downs of relationships, motherhood, time and family drama. Love the conclusion giving a beautiful picture of motherhood, family, change and forgiveness.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. o one does family drama quite like Ann Napolitano. And to know this was her 1st book ever written rereleased made my heart so happy,

A treat for the many, many reades who loved Hello, Beautiful, this is apparently the author's first novel, and it has all the same appeal! Three generations of an Irish American family share their challenges, struggles and victories. Heartfelt and engaging, this is one you will be happy to hand to readers.

I had never heard of Ann Napolitano, but I am going to be looking into her other books. Wow! This one was incredible! The setting, the characters, and the storyline were so beautifully put together. I was engulfed from the beginning. It was such a beautifully written story.

Becky, once a respected police officer, sees her life crumble after exposing her husband, John, for a serious crime. However, John faces no repercussions and continues serving in the force. Determined to hold John accountable, Becky embarks on a journey to gather evidence, uncovering shocking truths about her former partner.

Reaching out for help from ex-colleagues Hannah and Charlie, Becky remains steadfast in her pursuit of justice, even in the face of skepticism. As the gripping story unravels, some might feel Becky's recounting of events becomes repetitive, leaving them longing for a swifter momentum.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!