My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this novel.

The character who quite simply reigns over this story is the indomitable Catherine, matriarch of the large, unruly Irish-American McLaughlin family. She has borne nine children, of whom six have survived to adulthood, all of whom live fairly close to their childhood small town New Jersey home. When the story opens, Catherine has been widowed for nearly 30 years and lives in an upscale seniors’ residence where she remains resolutely, fiercely, independent.
Her age and growing physical and mental deterioration—of which she is more aware than anyone, but the McLaughlins are always ‘fine’—do not stop her from dominating her adult children’s lives. She is especially close to her ‘now eldest’ daughter Kelly (her eldest died as a toddler), Kelly’s husband Louis Leary, and their twenty-something daughters, Gracie and Lila. The gentle and kind Louis had never won his hard-drinking hard-driving father-in-law’s approval. Perhaps to compensate, he is more compassionate with Catherine than are her own children. Gram dotes on Gracie and Lila, and they are very attached to her. They only half-jokingly describe her as ‘the iron glove.’

As there would be in a multigenerational saga about a sprawling Irish-Catholic family, the principal cast is huge, and so is the secondary roster of characters who flit in and out with memorable parts to play. Most of these are the siblings and their children, but each of the Learys—the story’s focus—draws in a particular ‘outsider’ who exerts significant influence on them and the larger clan. And especially on their self development. Catherine, the Learys, and their daughters each present their point of view. We get a strong sense of just how alike they are even while they so often fail to understand each other.

That’s already a lot of POVs for a novel of less than 300 pages. The introduction of a sixth point of view, that of nurse Noreen Ballin, especially so late in the novel, seems unnecessary, though Noreen is important. All the characters have their human fallibilities, but the family as a group, with Kelly maintaining loudly that she has ‘carried’ them since the patriarch’s death, is too often just obnoxious—repressed, quick to judgment, selfish, childish and plain nasty. And for all their professed closeness, the girls and their grandmother manipulate and use each other, for attention and money. There are many times none of these people related by blood and marriage seem to like each other, but they are always wailing and worrying. This is not untrue of many real families. But there’s not much to explain why they are like this when they, and Catherine, lament how things have changed since their happy closeness as children. Yet neither Catherine nor the late patriarch were warm affectionate parents, nor did they believe it was their job to be that way. They wanted their kids to be tough. Ironically, they are all very fragile.

I was surprised to learn that this is an unaltered reissue of one of Napolitano’s early works, now out of print. It is an honorable precursor to her recent bestseller, Hello Beautiful, also about an Irish American family and the sisters’ relationships. The echoes are not surprising, though, given that she draws from her own family background; in her epilogue, she explains how Catherine is based very closely on her grandmother, who was a force in her childhood. This novel deserved much better than the lukewarm reception she says it received on its first publication. Like the subsequent bestsellers, it is beautifully written, and comes to a satisfying conclusion that may not be that ‘true’ but nonetheless makes for a good story.

Ann Napolitano’s reissued debut novel Within Arm’s Reach touches our hearts in unexpected ways as did her more recent books, Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward. This story centers around three generations of the Irish American Catholic McLaughlin family. It is told from five different viewpoints and personalities. At first it was difficult to keep the characters straight in my mind, but as I read more, it became easier. Catherine, the grandmother and matriarch of this family, has insights about her daughter Kelly, Kelly’s husband Louis, and her two granddaughters, Gracie and Lila. In turn each character shares their reactions to each other as only family members can. The unmarried and pregnant Gracie is somehow a catalyst in the family’s drama. Some of the themes in this book include generational challenges, acceptance of other people’s differences, and personal heartbreak. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy Ann Napolitano’s ability to write from the heart. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for the ARC of Within Arm's Reach. I was so excited about reading this novel after Hello Beautiful was one of my favorite reads of 2023, but I was sadly disappointed. I was unaware this is a rerelease of Napolitano's first novel from 2007 and not a new work, and honestly, I think it shows. This one definitely reads slower than I anticipated and I did not connect with the characters as much I anticipated. While the writing is beautiful, this one was not for me. I will definitely read more from Napolitano, just wouldn't recommend this one.

This is a re-release of Anne’s first novel from 2007. I think it’s great to see some of her work again but as a reader you notice that her skill has improved.

Personally, I struggled to get into this story. The writing felt choppy and some of the family history was darker than I was expecting.

This one wasn’t for me, unfortunately.

Thank you NetGalley and Dial Press for this advanced copy!

I can’t fault the writing of this book and I’m guessing that it will be very popular because people today seem to like melodramas about unhappy people and this book has that in spades. It’s a giant soap opera about the generally dysfunctional relationships within a large, ethnically Irish, Catholic family and all the ways the individuals seem bent on making themselves and their loved ones even more miserable. It is told from six viewpoints — Catherine, the matriarch; her eldest daughter Kelly; Kelly’s husband Louis; their two children Gracie and Lila; and the nurse who attends Catherine after a fall (who has other unexpected connections to the family). I was hoping the end would either be uplifting or teach me something but I got … nada. There was also a pattern of emotional women being “saved” by decent, well-grounded, men. While there is honestly nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t seem like something to aim for.

I really loved Napolitano’s “Hello Beautiful”, and heard wonderful things about “Dear Edward” (I could not bring myself to read that book because it sounded so depressing), but while the writing was good and the characters well-drawn, the only characters I liked at all were the ones that had tied themselves voluntarily to this troubled family and I honestly couldn’t figure out why they ever would have done that…

Some quotes that I think illustrate my point:

“… there’s little point in drawing all of my brothers and sisters and their families together. What you get when we are all in the same room is not love. It is a potent combination of our childhood, my father‘s anger, and my mother’s deliberate silence and pointless, barbed comments. It is the long, thin, thorny end of the rose.”

“Why would I be working hard? And for what? For Gram? That isn’t enough of a reason. Life isn’t supposed to be hard. F*** that. Gram is wrong. I’ll end up like uncle Pat, sitting like a popsicle on the edge of a folding chair, feeling nothing. And Gram wouldn’t want that. I picture Weber’s face, bright with happiness.”

“She has the ability to make a decision and then inflate her emotions like a bicycle tire until they back up the decision with no wiggle room.”

This one was difficult for me to get into. There were a lot of POVs to follow and I found my mind wandering as I read. I will say that Napolitano’s more recent works are outstanding.

I sure wanted to enjoy this book. Since reading and enjoying Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful, I've worked my way through all of Napolitano's work. Within Arm's Reach is a reissued novel with the first iteration being published in the 90s. To sum up my feelings about Within Arms Reach: I hate the McLaughlins...all of them. They're whiney, self-centered, lazy, entitled. The only character in the book with any redemptive qualities is Eddie and he's dead (and not a McLaughlin). I kept reading in the hopes that there would be a twist that made it all worth it - there wasn't.

I actually ended up listening to the audio and WOW- what a cast of narrators! I'm a huge Ann Napolitano fan but I was hesitant about this one because of the low ratings on goodreads. After reading, I can see that Ann was a bit ahead of her time in regards to a family drama. I feel as though these types of family drama are in their prime right now, making it a no brainer to re-publish this. I felt that the drama was REAL. As with HELLO BEAUTIFUL, I could feel this drama on another level, as someone who lives with this type of family. If you don't, you may not connect as much. I felt that this one was strong for the first 50-75% and then I did think it fell off a bit, but the audio really kept me engaged.

shame on me for not being more careful but this this not a new book by the great author Ann Napolitano....this is a reprint to match the branding of Hello Beautiful. This is disappointing

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. This is actually a re-release of Ann Napolitano's debut novel. The story is about three generations of one family all trying to find something that is missing or unsettled in their lives. I felt that the writing was beautiful. This is definitely a character driven story. There is no real plot, you simply follow the various characters throughout their lives as they grapple with things such as loss, romantic relationships, affairs, new babies, religion, career choices, and ultimately finding peace. I thought this was an easy read and I found myself wanting to find out more about the characters. Each chapter is narrated by someone else in the story, and I did feel like there were a few too many perspectives. In addition, the book ended fairly abruptly without some of the story lines fully wrapping up. Overall, I thought it was a lovely story and I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this book but I wasn't in love with it. For a debut novel, the writing is strong and while there were a lot of characters (narrating), I liked quite a few. I still think Dear Edward is my favorite book by her!

Within Arm’s Reach is a rerelease of Ann Napolitano’s first book, which I surprisingly had not heard of. I loved Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward so I was excited to read this one and hear another one of her multigenerational family tales. This one centers around an Irish Catholic family that’s had their share of struggles. I enjoyed the multiple POV and especially liked the grandmother. Ann is a pro at creating realistically flawed characters and I especially liked the grandmother. I didn’t agree with many of the characters but I was always rooting for the family to come together again.

This was too slow for me and I did not finish the entire book. I read about 60% and skipped to the last couple of chapters. What I read was a good story, but it was too descriptive in a way that didn't add to the story enough for me to care to read it all.

A large dysfunctional family of Irish descent is at the center of the story. The elder, Catherine, is an aging widow who was pregnant nine times and lost three children. The exit of the twins bothered me and was the first thing to sour me on the story. Catherine most likely learned from growing up herself that talking about the dead wasn't done so she kept that pain inside forever. A strong woman she was to raise all these children, but she gave up herself to do that.

Gracie, her eldest and favorite grandchild is newly pregnant and newly single; this does not go over well with Catherine, yet she steps up to make sure Gracie will be able to handle it financially. Gracie's sister Lila is having a really hard time in medical school, but not with the learning part. Lila does not have the empathy or ability to relate to the patients and is being spoken to about it. They are roommates and are opposites in their thinking which isn't the best way to be when you both need support.

Other family members are brought in and of course all have issues.

This book was a rerelease from the early 2000's now that the author has several well known books. Her followers might like this, but it was not for me. Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. I offer my honest opinion. which is freely given.

•Plot: 2/5 (…nothing really happens. I guess if I had to sum it up, an unplanned pregnancy meets end of life care?)

•Characters: 2/5 (There’s so many characters. And I had a hard time connecting with any of them.)

•Writing: 2/5 (This book is written in present first person narration. It makes everything seem super choppy and I think it’s part of the reason none of the characters really landed for me. One of my favorite things about Napolitano’s books is the heart that she writes with…unfortunately, it just didn’t come through for me on this one.)

•Ending: 1/5

I love Ann Napolitano and was so excited to receive this ARC. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. I still highly recommend this author, but I’d definitely recommend some of her other titles first. Special thanks to Random House for the ARC.

A multi-generational family saga about a traditional Irish-Catholic family and several events that turn everyone's lives upside down.

This is Napolitano's first novel that is being republished due to the success of her most recent two. I actually enjoyed this a little more than <u>Hello, Beautiful</u>. It's told in a similar vein, but to me, this story had more enjoyably flawed characters with better development. I wasn't a huge fan of the abrupt ending though and the long chapters made the pacing a little slower than it could have been.

Having read and loved Napolitano's two other books (Dear Edward and Hello, Beautiful), I was overjoyed to get the opportunity to read the re-release of her first novel, Within Arm's Reach. I've always loved her style of writing, how she can craft such a beautiful and emotional story with characters you can relate to and care for. This book was more in the vein of Hello, Beautiful in that it explored the deep but extremely flawed relationships of a large family. I really enjoyed that the POV changed as we moved from chapter to chapter and it allowed for the layers of each character to peel away as we came to know them more intimately. While none of the characters I especially liked, I still was drawn in to the story and was intrigued by where things would lead and how it would end. I found it interesting to hear how the members of the family thought of each other and what they assumed was happening to another character (who we, the reader, were privy to the truth). I thoroughly enjoyed the complexity among Gracie and Lila, two girls who reminded me so very much of my own two young daughters; not close but learning to come together as adults. I loved how Catherine, the strong matriarch of the family, came to realize how critical her role was in the family as she came to terms not only with the knowledge of her own mortality, but also as she reflected on how she could have dealt with her immense traumas which seemed to pile on and on. Overall I was very pleased by this book and had I not known otherwise, I would have assumed this was her third published book, not her first. The stunning manner with which she gives her characters life is certainly a strength of this author and one of the reasons why I will auto buy her work going forward. What a great family literary journey. I'd recommend this for any reader who enjoys a slow burn family drama the likes of Mary Beth Keene or Ann Patchett. I'd especially recommend if you enjoyed Hello, Beautiful.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book with my unbiased and honest opinions.

Since I loved Ann's recent book, Hello beautiful, I quickly requested this book. I thought it was a new book when, in fact, it was her first book written and her agent had it rereleased.so that more people could enjoy it. Her writing has improved greatly since she wrote this book and it has similar family dynamics to Hello Beautiful. I loved exploring the relationships of three generations of this Irish family. It is a very enjoyable book. Thanks to @Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

Ann Napolitano, author of the highly-acclaimed novels Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful, has a new book coming out this spring. Within Arm’s Reach promises to be another beautiful tribute to family love, loyalty and triumph. Ms. Napolitano has a gift for creating families that are interesting, smart and filled with drama, and this book is definitely no exception. While Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward stand out to me as my two favorite Napolitano books, I enjoyed this latest title and will definitely recommend it this spring and summer.

I was really excited to read this book because I loved Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward. Just like these two books, Within Arms Reach was pretty sad. The difference is the other two books had happier endings. It wasn’t that Within Arms Reach had a sad ending, it just felt unfinished. I really want an epilogue to this book. However, Within Arms Reach was beautifully written and I was really drawn into the characters. Honestly, I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading it. I just wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly. I wish Ann Napolitano had added more to the ending before rereleasing it again. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

WITHIN ARM’S REACH ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. This book revolves around a traditional Jersey Irish Catholic family, whose beliefs of putting on a front of faith & perfection is deep from that. Told from multiple POVs, when a granddaughter is unwed and pregnant, the families trauma comes to a fore front. So, unfortunately I just didn’t really connect with this book and therefore it had a hard time keeping my attention. The best part to me was the description of New Jersey (specifically Bergen County where I live). I didn’t like any of the characters, or the ending. I see how many who love contemporary fiction will love this book, just wasn’t for me. I felt when I finished it, that nothing was accomplished.