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.

I liked the plot premise and it was well written but found it slow and uneventful. Not the most interesting or likable characters. This is the my least favorite of the author’s books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My review is available on Goodreads.
I read this as an ARC through Netgalley.
Ann Napolitano's 'Hello Beautiful' was one of my favorite books of 2023, and I was excited to read another story by the same author. 'Within Arm's Reach' is a re-release, as the book was originally released in 2004. Ann Napolitano's writing style remains relatively the same. In case you haven't read her work, her writing is gorgeous. She writes fleshed-out characters, and they are not always likable. However, her characters are very relatable. I almost gave this book 3 stars. It felt excessive at times. The dialogue was heavy and negative. Furthermore, I wish it would have a more detailed ending. The author's writing is not spoon-fed, but there was a lot to absorb in the final chapter. The conclusion lacked clarity. It is a 4-star read because the writing is elevated and it feels like an honest portrayal of family dynamics.

I loved Dear Edward and really liked Hello Beautiful, but this novel — Ann Napolitano’s debut — fell a bit flat for me, and I generally like multi-generational, family storylines. This one tells the story of three generations of the McLaughlin family, an Irish-Catholic family that is pretty dysfunctional and has been thrown into somewhat of a tumult because of an unexpected pregnancy. It is told from six different viewpoints, including Grace, who is unmarried and pregnant, and her grandmother, the matriarch who is near death. Although the characters were well-developed and beautifully constructed, the storyline dragged quite a bit. Nonetheless, I found it to be and interesting read, and I look forward to reading more from Ms. Napolitano.

I keep saying I’m going to stop accepting/requesting ARCs, because I have so many unread books on my shelves. And then I get a widget for this one from @randomhouse @thedialpress and ugh…of course I can’t resist. This book came to me at just the right time. I love to get lost in family dramas and this one let me get inside the thoughts of 5 different characters.

A large Irish family with a Grandmother at the heart of this story. The McLaughin family is full of characters that are poor communicators, stuck in their own negative thoughts and oblivious to the vast amounts of love around them- I devoured this one. If you loved Hello Beautiful, I think you’ll love this one too. I actually liked this one more. As an interesting note- this is Napolatino’s first book. In her author’s note she speaks about the failures of her first works. This one flew under the radar, so the publisher reprinted it in paperback after the success of Hello. Lucky for us!!

I loved this story. I loved this family. I loved these characters. I loved how flawed each one was. I loved how interconnected the characters were. I loved hearing about situations from so many different points of view. A word of warning though- if you love a neatly wrapped up ending- you won’t find it here. It almost felt like the story just stopped all of a sudden. But it made me think about how many different ways the core events could turn out. I love a messy family with an open ending so… of course I LOVED this book!

I just can’t say enough about this author’s writing. It’s gorgeous without being too flowery, it’s observational without throwing opinions in your face, and it’s just so emotionally spot on. Whatever she writes, I’m reading it.

Thank you @netgalley @thedialpress and @randomhouse for the ARC to read and review. Available NOW!

Within Arm’s Reach was first published in 2004 — Ann Napolitano’s debut. I am so glad that her publisher decided to re-release the book. I am a huge fan of Hello Beautiful and Within Arm’s Reach really shows you how Ann developed her writing over the years. There is a grain of Hello Beautiful in this book, although it is not as polished as Ann was twenty years younger when she wrote the book.

The book is about the McLaughlin family — Catherine the matriarch of a large Irish family — 5 living children and three dead ones. The book follows Catherine as she begins to decline and follows her four daughters, 4 granddaughters and grandson. The most focus is on Kelly, Catherine’s oldest daughter and her two granddaughters Lila and Grace. Lila is a joyless individual who is in medical school for the wrong reasons — Grace likes sex and ends up pregnant and she decides to keep the baby.

There were many perspectives from different characters in the book, which worked for me until she introduced a perspective near the end from a character who had not been heard from before. I thought that late perspective was odd and didn’t really work.

I appreciated this book and getting to sit with Ann Napolatino’s early works.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Crown Publishing / Random House & NetGalley for the ARC of this re-issue.

This was a tedious book. I learnt that this is the author's debut book and therefore I'm reading it courtesy the re-issue, some 20 years later. While I haven't read other works by the author (Hello Beautiful recently seemed to be everywhere), and therefore not sure if this is her general style of writing (however, the Goodreads ratings for this book vs her others seem to suggest that the others aren't as dull), I did not enjoy this book folks.

I think my issues with this re-issue (ha) were twofold: (1) nobody was likeable in this Irish (immigrant) American family. In fact, calling them unlikeable is being generous - they were completely unrelatable, emotionless and downright detestable. There, that is a much more accurate description. The extreme and disastrous choices they make as adults and the places they emanate from (childhood traumas and familial tragedies) make very little sense and could very well be averted by a couple of sessions of therapy - or really even talking to a friend who is normal. They are unjustifiably unkind to each other, their conversations unnatural and stunted and they may have been inspired by a real-life family but as a reader it was very hard for me to understand why a decently well-off family from New Jersey of all places had so many problems.

(2) Nothing ever happens in this book! Ann Napolitano's writing style is pacey enough but there was absolutely no material here. Nearly nothing unfurls in the first 50% of the story and then the little that does is not enough / doesn't really go anywhere. Unfortunately, a miss for me, and might even be categorized as a colossal waste of time.

Fantastic plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. I am so glad the book has been released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

A multi-generational saga are some of my favorite reads. Within Arm's Reach features a large, strict catholic family, the McLaughlins. The family matriarch is aging, siblings are feuding and a grandchild gives them something special to bring them back together.

Napolitano's writing immediately immerses you into the story and its characters. Like her previous works, this story portrays the ups and downs of families, and what happens when all is forgiven.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback.

I thoroughly enjoyed Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano. I have not read any other books by this author, but I definitely will read them all after this one. This book was actually published in 2004 and is being re-released after the success of her recent novels.

Overall, I thought this was a heavy story of three generations of women in an Irish Catholic family, but the author developed her characters so well that I was drawn in from the very beginning. I read this book within a few days because I needed to learn more about the McLaughlin family.

Here are a few things I enjoyed about Within Arm's Reach: (1) multiple points of view (I love stories with alternating POV), (2) all of the secrets (including infidelity and an unplanned pregnancy) this family held from outsiders and from each other, (3) the relationship between Gracie and her grandmother Catherine and (4) how authentic this story felt as my own mother comes from a very large Catholic family.

I felt the ending was a bit abrupt, but it allows the reader to contemplate their own ending to the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the eARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Family’s are messy and Ann Napolitano has done an amazing job showing how the McLaughlin’s, a large Irish Catholic family interacts with each other while all of them are going through some type of difficult situation.

Catherine is the head of the family. She has faced so much loss. She’s getting older so she tries to pull her family together.

Her family is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, an affair, grief, guilt, depression, an identity crisis, infertility and mental illness. But they are Irish an no one in this family can talk about anything unpleasant or having to do with emotions.

I loved that all of her characters were dealing with a completely different situation. I could tell that this was one of her earlier works republished because it was not as polished as Dear Edward or Hello Beautiful but that did not keep me from being fully invested in the story. My only complaint is that there is not a sequel to find out what happens next. The ending was left so open I was literally screaming “It can’t end like this!!”

Ann Napolitano is an auto buy for me. I love her characters and story lines that are heartbreaking one minute and endearing the next.


I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano and was excited to pick up this previous work by her. I’m glad I did as there were a lot of similarities between the two. Within Arm’s Reach follows three generations of an Irish Catholic family as they learn the oldest girl of the youngest generation is pregnant out of wedlock. The family members all have different reactions to this news and family ties are pushed and pulled as a result.

I love Ann Napolitano’s writing and found this work easy to get lost in. I did find the characters a bit more superficial than I would have liked which led to my investment in their outcomes decreasing. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and the pacing of the novel. The ending is open but in a way that makes sense for the story and is still enjoyable. Overall I had a good time with this work!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Dial Press Trade Paperback for access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review!

This novel is the author’s debut novel, rereleased after the success of her other books. The multigenerational story of a big Irish American family living in New Jersey is layered and intense. Character driven, the focus is on the grandmother Catharine, the mother and daughter Kelly, and Kelly’s daughters, Lila and Gracie. Catharine is at the time of her life when she is reevaluating her relationships with her own parents, her children and grandchildren. Lila is a med student, unsure whether that path is one she chose for herself or a result of expectations. Gracie and Lila have their own complicated relationship, something Catherine would like to fix. Kelly’s marriage is at risk, but she is not ready to face it yet. Love, loyalty, hardships, and more all contribute to this well written absorbing story. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind to read this novel at this time because I could not seem to follow the many characters and became rather lost and found this book did not keep my interest. long enough to finish it..