First, I need to say that this cover is gorgeous. I want to hang it on my wall. Also, I am a big fan of Ann Napolitano and her work. She can bring forth so many emotions and often makes me reflect on my life and the family I have.

This one isn't my favorite of hers (Hello Beautiful was next level for me and I cherish that book) but it still delivered some great writing and those thought provoking moments that I love to receive from Napolitano's work.

There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which made my enjoyment of the story to draw back a bit. It was just a bit too much for me to focus on and I wish it had been streamlined a bit. Although the characters are well developed, I personally didn't really like or connect with any of them but think Napolitano is talented with her creation of multidimensional characters.

If you're a fan of family dramas and books that center on family, parenting, marriage, and the various hurdles, hard times, and sadness that life throws, then pick this one up!

I really enjoyed this story, and seeing the different aspects of this family. I do wish there were more flashbacks to the past when Catherine's children were growing up, but I understand why that was not included.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of a large Irish catholic family in New Jersey told from 5-6 perspectives. Grandma Catharine is the matriarch watching her children and grandchildren navigate their lives. One grandchild, Gracie, becomes pregnant while unwed and the crux of the story focuses on how the family addresses that event.

This is an extremely well written tale similar to Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. I understand that this is the author's first book published 20 years ago and its clearly a sign of her promising career. If you enjoyed her other books, I encourage you to read this one as it will not disappoint.

In my opinion, this book was a little long. There were so many characters and points of view to follow. I felt like a lot was going on and it was hard to follow. I did not like the ending. after reading that whole book it was just done.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one.

I normally do like a good family drama and Hello Beautiful was one of my favorite books I read in 2023 but this one was just not for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and just couldn’t get into the story. I feel like there were too many characters to follow and I quickly lost interest as there didn’t seem to be a clear plot.

I am sure many will enjoy this book but for me, it missed a mark.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House – Dial Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up. Within Arm’s Reach is the 2004 debut novel by Ann Napolitano that initially went out of print, and is being republished at the end of April 2024. It follows, from six different perspectives, the story of the Irish McLoughlin family, and how one unexpected event affects them all.

I loved Hello Beautiful, and can tell this is earlier work for Napolitano. While she focuses on familial relationships and tensions in this novel, and the characters are well-developed, there were a few ways this didn’t totally hit the mark for me. The six perspectives weren’t different enough from one another in tone, and I sometimes had to flip back to remind myself whose I was reading from. Also, I was shocked when I got to the end that it was the end. There were a lot of threads in the story that didn’t get resolved. I’d love a sequel, honestly.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

I've always heard such amazing things about Ann Napolitano's work—and what better way to dive into her backlist than by starting with her very first novel? WITHIN ARM'S REACH, which was originally published in 2004 and is now being re-released, follows three generations of an Irish American family now residing in New Jersey, all wrestling with their own individual issues and how they fit into the family dynamic as a whole.

I love a good family saga, and WITHIN ARM'S REACH definitely delivered on that front! I appreciated how the story was told through multiple perspectives (primarily those of the family members), and enjoyed following all of the complex relationships throughout (my favorite parts were Lila and Gracie's POVs, and their sisterly dynamic). The story is very character-driven, which I personally loved! I always enjoy a slice-of-life story, and Napolitano does a fantastic job of bringing readers into the McLaughlin family's world. She truly makes each character come alive—sometimes with multiple POV's, it can be difficult to fully "get to know" everyone, or distinguish each different voice from one another, but that was not the case here. None of the characters are necessarily likable, but they all feel so real and fleshed-out, and despite any quibbles you may have with them, you'll be rooting for the whole family to unite again by the end of the book. My one frustration (speaking of the end of the book!) was with the ending. Trying not to be too spoilery, but I felt like the story finished really abruptly, and like no one's story ended in a particularly satisfying way, which was a little disappointing after becoming invested in the characters and wanting a little more closure on what happened with each of them. Regardless, I'd recommend WITHIN ARM'S REACH, especially for fans of quiet, character-driven stories and stories centered around family! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

I really liked Dear Edward (the tv series didn’t do the book justice) by Ann Napolitano. I wanted to read another of her books so when Netgalley gave me her latest novel I was excited. I finished Within Arm’s Reach almost a week ago but I haven’t been able to decide if I liked it or not.

The story follows a large multi-generational family and centres on what keeps them close and what tears them apart. The matriarch of this clan finds out that she is dying and her granddaughter is pregnant. While all the other characters have their own dramas unfolding, the focus is on the ushering out of one generation and the arrival of a new one. There were a lot of characters so it got a little confusing. I also struggled to connect significantly to them.

Allow me to break this down to a pros and cons list.

Pros
• It’s beautifully written
• I cycled through a bunch of emotions

Cons
• The lack of a definitive conclusion bothers me
• It felt a little too long to me, maybe because of the pacing

Give this a read and make up your own mind.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for the eARC!
Ann Napolitano’s debut novel, Within Arm’s Reach, originally published in 2004, has recently been re-released. While it lacks the polish of her later books, it does showcase her talent for exploring complex family dynamics. The story unfolds from six different perspectives, spanning three generations of an Irish Catholic family, each with their own struggles and secrets. However, it all felt too heavy…guilt, misunderstandings, and betrayal! I suggest reading Dear Edward or Hello Beautiful instead!

The story is based on three generations of women in an Irish American family. While there are moments of the brilliance to come, this is a much more mundane story, despite everyone having problems. No one is happy with their current lives and all seemed to be trying to find a way to make a change. Her writing in her more recent books it much better.

I was also disappointed with the ending and it being left so open-ended is why I rated it so low. Feels like it just stopped abrupty without actually ending. Could have used one more chapter or an epilogue.

I thoroughly enjoyed Within Arms Reach, what I thought was a new novel by Ann Neapolitano, only to discover in the ending authors note that this was one of her first works! Originally published in 2004 and now being re-released. I was a fan of Hello Beautiful and this novel shares the same vibe…a family’s life and stories entangled and connected. I also appreciate that the stories of these characters are very normal…not overly dramatic or in crisis, but just common struggles, and that there is no big bow wrapping up the end. I feel like this will sit with me and be in my mind for quite a while.

Amazingly well written and deeply heartfelt, Within Arm’s Reach is a family story that feels like an intimate time capsule of the beginning of a new generation in an Irish American family. I found parts of the story disturbingly honest, raw and almost difficult to read- like eavesdropping on a personal conversation- but the writing itself was exceptional. Ann Napolitano describes her characters as truthfully as possible, without filters to make them more charming, but with extraordinary clarity that still makes them endearing in spite of all their flaws.

I really really wanted to love this book. As a craftsman of characters, world and words, Ann as always is remarkable in this book, however, the story felt dragged out and not half as inspiring as her other books.

I kept wondering if I had a physical copy of the book I could hold the pages in my hand I would connect with the book more like I did with her book. Hello beautiful perhaps my expectations were unreasonably high

This book at its core is about women from different generations, dealing with similar issues of life, but reacting to them very differently. Their reactions to love and loss and relationships are all based on the decade they were born in. These women are strong as hell, and yet deeply flawed, but their flaws are exactly what kept me reading.

I feel that well, so much care is taken into developing the female characters of the story. The men are mere shadows. and while I enjoyed this aspect in her other book,in this one, I found it frustrating

For once I don’t know how to rate this book because I love the skill of this writer, but I did not enjoy this particular book, so make it what you will and decide for yourself whether you want to read it or not.

To know me is to know how much I appreciate a sweeping family saga, and Within Arm's Reach didn't disappoint. This is a rerelease of Napolitano's debut novel, and I'm so glad it popped up on NetGalley! She paints such a clear picture of the McLaughlin family, it felt like I was sitting alongside them at the dining room table.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Within Arm's Reach is Ann Napolitano debut novel brought back at the request of her readers.

I am so glad they did.

This is the compelling story of the McLaughlin family told from the pov of 5 family members.

Catherine is the matriarch of this huge Irish family and like all families there are secrets, there is infighting and there is the glue that will hold them together.

Ann Napolitano does a wonderful job of making all the characters feel real and very relatable and when Catherine/Gram is failing in health the family pulls together.

I quite enjoyed Within Arm's Reach and I will think about the McLaughlin family for days to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for re-releasing this wonderful family drama.

⭐️3
Debut novel before her well-liked book, Hello Beautiful.

This one is a family drama centered around a large, Irish Catholic family. The three main characters that stood out to me were the granddaughters Gracie and Lila and the matriarch Catherine.

This one had too many POV and the plot of the story was lacking. There were extra subplots, but I felt like nothing ever came of them. The ending felt abrupt and left me hanging.

This book didn’t work for me. I think it would interest readers who love to read about family dysfunction and the chaos of unhealthy relationships.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my truthful review.

Publication date: April 30, 2024

This is a rerelease of Ann Napolitano's first book. It focuses on 3 generations of an Irish Catholic family. There is an awful light of angst and everyone seems terribly unhappy with there lives. It was difficult to engage with the characters and I ultimately was frustrated with their decisions.

The only reason I’m not giving this book 5 stars is because the ending felt too abrupt and left me feeling like there should have been more to the story. However, this was a really great book.

Ann Napoolitano is a genius and I will read anything she writes. She has a really beautiful and unique way of writing about the human condition.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was such a disappointing read!! The ending was too abrupt and left so much story just hanging there. The characters and story were great but the ending ruined the whole book for me.