This was such a beautiful, complicated family story about what it means to be strong vs. weak and the toll it takes to keep emotions in check. I started reading this on Saturday and have not stopped thinking about it since, finding every spare moment I could to read and be with these characters. It ended with some things unresolved but I was happy to imagine my own (happy-ish) endings for the characters. This is the first book I've read by Ann Napolitano and I'm so excited to move to her later works after reading this republished debut. Absolutely read the author's note - it is extraordinary. Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. This is the third book of Ann Napolitano I have read, I really like her writing and stories. Life is complicated and family is the one constant in our lives. Set in modern day the story is told from different characters point of view. A traditional family and how they rely on or avoid each other and their relationships. We are all molded by trying to live our lives by approval even when we don't realize we are doing it. Definitely recommend!!

I initially had some trouble getting into this book in print so I decided to listen to it on audio and I’m really glad I gave it a chance. Within Arm’s Reach is a reissue of Ann Napolitano’s debut novel that was originally written 20 years ago. It is a lovely story of an Irish American family in suburban New Jersey told from the perspectives of many of the family members. I especially enjoyed the perspectives of Catharine, the grandmother, her daughter Kelly and her son-in-law Louis. The characters of the younger generation, Gracie and Lila, worked less well.
If you like a family story (like The Most Fun we ever Had by Claire Lombardo or Hello Beautiful by Napolitano herself) than this book is definitely worth reading. Thank you to Dial Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After the success of Ann Napolitano's books 'Hello Beautiful' and 'Dear Edward,' it only makes sense that the publishing world would endorse some of her earliest writing. 'Within Arm's Reach' was written over 20 years ago. I enjoyed reading the book from this perspective and seeing how Napolitano has evolved as an author. It did take me a while to get into the book. It dragged in the beginning, but about halfway through, I started to invest more in the characters. I found much of the family dynamics and dysfunction reminiscent of her later works. The ending was a bit disappointing (without revealing any spoilers!), not for what happens but for what remains unsaid. I felt there could have been another few chapters to fully complete each character's arc. Regardless, it is a wonderfully well-thought-out portrayal of the generational issues at play for women and how future generations perceive the past in making their own mark in their family's history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

This is a story about an Irish Catholic American family who live in New Jersey. There are several people in the family and initially I had to revert to the family tree at the beginning of the book. The characters were all different and I found myself wanting to find out how they were going to handle certain situations that were moral or ethical dilemmas. An out of wedlock pregnancy, addiction, sex, and grief are some of the issues.
How each family member responded depended on how they viewed their religion and upbringing and whether or not they were aligned with these values or rebelling against them. This debut novel was very compelling and would be a great read for book clubs.

I love that 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗥𝗠'𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 has its own story outside the plot of the book. Ann Napolitano had huge success with her third and fourth books, 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗘𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 and 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹, so her publisher rereleased her first novel and I am so glad they did!

This multigenerational family drama about the Irish Catholic McLaughlins featured complicated characters and, as in Napolitano's other books, beautifully examines the challenging dynamics of family relationships. The alternating POVs reveal so much about each person and their experiences as a McLaughlin that you really come to care for them, giant flaws and all. Hearing in the author's note that the story was based on her family made it resonate with me even more.

Clearly I need to read more of my favorite writers' backlists!

Thank you to Dial Press for the copy to review.

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for the ARC!

I am a big fan of Ann Napolitano's work. That said, I think this book was extremely hard to read given where I am in my life. I have an 18 month old daughter with an incredibly rough pregnancy with many scares. This book affected me deeply and skewed my perspective of it. I think this book should come with a trigger warning; as someone with a healthy baby, it still bothered me so many times with the graphic detail.

Thank you again for the ARC!

3.5 stars
Ann Napolitano’s writing is immersive and incisive. She always creates these fully fleshed memorable characters, whether we actually like them or not- which makes the writing authentic in a sea of other books with contrived characters and predictable plots. This is a multi-generational tale that keeps us guessing until the end about what happens next for everyone!
Thanks to NetGalleh and Madison at Random House for the advance copy for review!

Not my favourite from Napolitano, but I absolutely love her writing. She never disappoints in that regard. Her sentence structure and word choice always immediately places me right in the center of a scene.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Within Arm's Reach follows the 3 generations of an Irish American family, with Catherine, the matriarch/grandmother. Tragedy strikes this family throughout the years, and the story is told in alternating voices: Catherine, Kelly (her daughter), and son-in-law Louis, and their two daughters, Gracie and Lila.

Gracie ends up single and pregnant, with the father not being involved. Lila is a doctor, who doesn't have great beside manners. Kelly feels very disconnected from her family. And Louis just kinda puts up with it all.

While I did end up finishing, this book by this author fell a bit flat for me. I loved Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful and I had high hopes for this one, but ti was just "ok".

“Within Arms Reach” is a story about a multigenerational Irish Catholic family primarily focused on the dynamic female relationships in a large family. A rerelease of Napolitano’s first publish novel (written in 2004) “Within Arms Reach”, similar to her best seller “Hello Beautiful”, focuses on her own family’s story, one of trying and failing to love someone the way they need and of silently enduring tragedy.
There’s several characters and the story is told from a multitude of perspectives. I found all of them to be authentically flawed and understandable. I found so much of my own family’s story in this novel.
“I’m not sure any child really wants to know their parent, or vice versa.” As Catherine, the matriarch of the family, struggles with failing health, her mother haunts her and her oldest daughter hovers. She’s looking forward to the next generation of her family and hoping she’s built a legacy of love that will last once she’s gone. “The past and present are each important. They share equal weight, don’t they?”

Within Arm's Reach is Ann Napolitano's debut novel, published after her first two novels (which are some of my favorite books of all time), Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful.

In Within Arm's Reach, Napolitano does what she does best- richly creating a vast cast of characters that are authentic and relatable. Gracie, one of the characters at the center of the story, has a complicated relationship with her family and is always searching for love. When her latest conquest proves to not hold her attention, she decides to go ahead and have his baby without him.

Gracie's decision turns her tight-knit but dysfunctional Irish American family into turmoil. As Gracie's pregnancy progresses, the family will have to come to terms with not being able to control Gracie's decisions and will need to learn to love eachother despite differing opinions and lifestyles.

Within Arms Reach was a good book, but definitley not my favorite. Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

The story delves into the complexities of three generations of an Irish American family jarred by an unexpected pregnancy. Napolitano explores themes of guilt, loyalty, and the inextricable bonds that tie families together. I will say Hello Beautiful remains my favorite!

A very realistic portrait of family and the concept that sometimes we don’t like them all. The interwoven drama of patterned behavior and decades old trauma impacted the storyline in a meaningful way.

This Irish family drama sucked me in from the beginning. I really enjoyed getting different characters perspectives. Just enjoyed.

i enjoyed this family saga! Napolitano has a way of telling stories that fully immerse you and take you through a rollercoaster of emotions. highly recommend!

WITHIN ARMS REACH
Ann Napolitano

When you share a secret, do you share in the shame?

Gracie comes from a tight-knit conservative family. And she has a secret that is going to change everyone’s life forever. It’s complicated and confusing and the thing she needs the most from her family right now may be the last thing she is going to get.

We follow along as Gracie’s secret is exposed and each member of her family responds. WITHIN ARMS REACH is an exploration of how carrying secrets affects us and those who love us.

Napolitano constructs her most vivid characters in an interesting way. She introduces them first in terms of what they do not have. We are first introduced to the things they are not instead of the things they are.

Instead of a gradual revealing of negative attributes, it is the opposite. And in the case of Gracie in WITHIN ARMS REACH, there is a slow revealing of her positive attributes. Instead of diving in an ocean looking for sharks we are swimming with the sharks and looking for dolphins.

I am a fan of Napolitano’s writing however this is not my favorite of hers by far. Unfortunately, the story is still pertinent today if not more than it was twenty years ago. It’s available now and I’m glad they have rereleased it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced copy!

WITHIN ARMS REACH…⭐⭐⭐

Hello Beautiful is one of my favorite books of all-time. This one was not as good, but it was still enjoyable. This book is a re-release of her first book. It has been compared to The Connelly's of County Down, and I agree when it comes to family dynamics and Irish American culture, it is similar. What was missing for me was a strong throughline other than in tough times family sticks together. There were a lot of people to follow (ok def Irish), but I didn't find any to be particularly lovable despite their faults. It took me some time to finish this which is not my usual reading style.

Within Arm’s Reach is a character-driven novel focusing on three generations of women of an Irish-American family and the struggles they face.
Normally I love a novel exploring the layers involved in family dynamics and coming of age, however I felt none of the characters were likeable, and I was not rooting for any of them. After reading both of the author’s more popular novels, I had expected more from this one and felt disappointed at the end.

I read the whole book because I was committed. I did not love this and had to oush myself to finish. Too many characters, many storyline not wrapped up

Very disappointed