Ann Napolitano has done it again!! No one delves into complex family relationships better than the author. I literally fell in love with every McLaughlin family member except for Kellly. Ugh. I really liked her husband a lot. He carried so much guilt on his shoulders. I loved Catherine's relationship with Gracie. Because the ending was open-ended, I am wondering and hoping for a sequel. Everything from the gorgeous cover to the incredible writing and multidimensional characters was perfection.

There is an overwhelming amount of drama with this story of an Irish Catholic family. Ann Napolitano is known for bringing her characters to life and she gets the reader involved quickly.

Growing up in the 60s, I remember a lot of Catholic families to be large. It was no surprise that the mother, Catharine, in this book had nine pregnancies. Six children survived. Fortunately, Patrick McLaughlin, the father was a successful lawyer and gave his family the means for a good quality life.

After he passed, it was up to Catharine, the mother and grandmother, to hold her family together. She believed the key was to have gatherings during the year at holiday times. Multiple characters shared their secrets which kept me engaged with the story until the last part when it started to slow down. Let’s just say the sisters and adult grandchildren didn’t necessarily have text-book relationships. As I raced to discover how everything would be resolved, I found the ending to be not as expected.

My thanks to The Dial Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book with an expected release of April 30, 2024.

Another book by Ann Napolitano, one of my favorite authors. I expected it to be one full of really deep and powerful characters and indeed it is. This is an early work by this author and her talent is very much in view. I loved reading both “Dear Edward” and “Hello Beautiful” which are her later novels. This was a much slower read for me and I found I had to put it down often as it deals with very difficult family dynamics within several generations of a Catholic family. Perhaps it is just hard for me to read. I did enjoy the book but did not love it.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishers – Dial Press for allowing me to read a copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions

I really enjoyed this messy family drama. The author writes such layered characters that draw you in. This is definitely an earlier piece of her work but still a worthy read.

In her afterword, Ann Napolitano talks about how Within Arm's Reach almost didn't get published at all. It's found a second life thanks to the success of her tremendous Hello Beautiful, which was one of my favorite books of 2023. It's hard to believe Napolitano's writing didn't find champions 20 years ago when WAR first hit shelves, but I'm grateful it has now. She writes families like few can. I especially liked how we can tell which narrators are more reliable than others. She is a masterful observer of familial dynamics.

This was the only novel I didn't read from Ann Napolitano; I loved the others, and I was happy to have the opportunity to read her debut book.
I loved it, like Hello Beautiful is a family story and the author is a good storyteller. I like how she described the development of the characters when faced with new emotions or their life changes.
I want to thank NetGalley and the editor for the opportunity to have an ARC of the novel.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved how it was told through perspectives of the three generations in the family. It was quite engaging and told a nice family story.

Families. Oh families. They leave so much room for laughter, tears, criticism and confusion. This multi-generational family is filled with reminders of why we walk a fine line with what we share, how we share and how we chose to share the most intimate details of our lives. This generational story of love and heartbreak will certainly keep your attention and have you eager to learn how everything works out .. or does it?

This is a multigenerational family saga reissued from about 20 years ago. I appreciated the strong dialogues, and for that matter the strong monologues when characters were talking to themselves! The ending is very satisfying, as Napolitano fans have come to expect with her more recent novels. I look forward to whatever comes next from her. I was privileged to receive an ARC from NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dial Press for this ARC. After completing Hello Beautiful, which I loved, I had to read another work by Ann Napolitano. I was excited to read this story about a multi-generation Irish family, which was written years prior to Hello Beautiful Even though there are multiple main characters in the book I did not find it as confusing as other multi-generation novels can be. I don't think it's unfair to state it's about a dysfunctional family and how they interact with each other, In spite of the ongoing angst one can still develop a sense of caring about them. I enjoy books that are character driven and Within Arm's Reach certainly is. I found it a little slow to start but got increasingly interested as the characters evolved. I can't say I enjoyed this as much as Hello Beautiful but it's clear that Ann Napolitano is a skilled writer!

After reading Hello Beautiful and though I didn’t really enjoy it, I decided to give Within Arm’s Reach a chance. I found the book frustrating, too much family dysfunction going on. I enjoyed the parts told by Catherine, the matriarch of this Irish family, but even she was not a warm and fuzzy person. Her six surviving children all had their problems and it seems a lot of them stemmed from their father, now passed. Failed marriages, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, sibling rivalry and unwanted occupations fill this book with depressing storylines.
Perhaps my mood wasn’t conducive to reading this book and perhaps the storyline was too young for me….not sure. It may resonate with other readers and I’m sure they’ll give it good reviews. For me, not so much. Too much family drama for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for my eARC and the publisher for the read. Sorry I couldn’t be more positive about it.

Within Arm's Reach is Ann Napolitano's debut novel, being reissued following the successes of her two most recent novels. I was offered an opportunity to review this book by the publisher prior to the republication date, and I only hesitated for a few moments before agreeing to review it. I very much enjoyed Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful and was hopeful that I would enjoy Within Arm's Reach as well.
This book is a multi-generational domestic drama, primarily about how a family deals with the unplanned pregnancy of Gracie, the oldest grandchild in an Irish American family. As such, it deals with multiple narrators, including the family matriarch and Gracie's grandmother, Catherine, as well as Gracie's mother and father, and her sister, and a handful of other characters. Initially, this seemed like a book that I should enjoy. Ann's writing is lovely as always and I have no criticism in her execution of the concept, beyond that I felt like the overall plot was somewhat lacking. The time period was indeterminate and none of the characters are particularly sympathetic, except for maybe Lila. I just didn't really care about this family, with its unhealthy relationship and dynamics. Honestly maybe it was a bit triggering for me because I have a large family and often feel forced to participate in family events for similar reasons as some of the characters in this novel.
All that said, this was a decent debut from an author I know grows as a writer in her later works.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I will recommend this to readers of Hello Beautiful or Dear Edward. It isn’t the strongest of the three, but it was worth the read. It’s the story of a large Irish family that has quite a bit of sibling rivalry in their grown up years. What is the right, acceptable way to live and how to push standards on each other are running through the story, as does the mom’s role as she approaches her final years. Note: If you set the book down for a few days, you may be grateful for the family tree at the beginning!

The novel is about three generations of an Irish family. Catherine, the matriarch is at the end of her life and would like to see her children and grandchildren happy and finding their place in life. The story is told by six characters ‘ point of view, each struggling with relationships. Gracie is pregnant out of wedlock by a boyfriend, she considers not significant. Her sister, Lila is struggles between medical school and a lover she keeps going back to.. Their mother, Kelly is not happy in her marriage with Louis and looks for satisfaction elsewhere. Catherine’s other children also have their own struggles. I found the story told by the different characters seamless, Catherine’s musings between fantasy and reality were often confusing, that’s why I took of one star. Overall a good read, would be a great book club novel.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

Within Arm's Reach
by Ann Napolitano
April 30, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
A tender and perceptive novel about three generations of an Irish American family jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy—from the bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano is one of my favorites, but I struggled with this one.

Each member of the extended family is dysfunctional in their own way, but somehow this one event seems to be the main trigger for causing strife.

At times funny, at times sad, and at times emotional, but this just didn’t work for me. I give it 3 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Reissue of author's first book after recent stunning successes. This was well written but plotted awkwardly. her growth is wonderful. Enjoyed this very much. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Dial Press for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on April 30, 2024.

I am so happy to have come across Ann Napolitano’s first book, Within Arm’s Reach. As a fan of her later work (Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful) I fully expected to be mesmerized by Within Arm’s Reach. I was not disappointed.
I loved the McLaughlin family, especially Gram/Catharine, the aging matriarch. I laughed out loud a few times at Gram’s matter-of-fact and brutally honest way of communicating!
A wonderful multi-generational family saga, full of the messiness of life and love and family. Loved every word of it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

So, this is where it began. This was Ann Napolitano’s first step toward literary success. Initially, Within Arm's Reach did not create much hype; perhaps now, with its re-release, that will change. I was not oohing and aahing in the early going. I found the flipping among six different perspectives to be confusing, and I had trouble keeping the relationships straight, even though I took notes.

Eventually, however, the story takes shape. It centers around the McLaughlin family matriarch, Catharine and granddaughters, Gracie and Lila. Catharine – Gram, to the third generation, is concerned about keeping the family together, as she was when she raised her family. The reader gets a picture of her as an oft-pregnant wife who lost children, a handicapped son, a husband who drank too much, and now in her later years has a dysfunctional family from top to bottom. When Gracie needs someone, it is Gram who is there for her.

Gracie struggles. Lila, who is in medical school but is a misanthrope, struggles as well. As for their parents – yes, their marriage is in trouble. I think their father Louis may be the one character I liked the best. His heart wanted to care for everyone, except maybe for doing what he needed to do for himself and his marriage and daughters.

Ms. Napolitano bites off a lot in this book, and she does some things that we’ve come to see in subsequent novels. If you’ve read Dear Edward and/or Hello Beautiful, you may know what I mean. Glimpses of the past that come back in the present, as with Noreen Ballen. She also dives into family dynamics and dysfunction. Three generations of going along with traditions that no longer work just to keep up appearances and get along. There are other themes too. Religion, sexuality, mental health, aging, privacy. It’s a commendable first novel.

The conclusion is chaotic, abrupt in a way, and while the outcome can perhaps be assumed, it felt incomplete in a way. It seems to want for more.

I received a digital copy of Within Arm's Reach as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Ann Napolitano.

3.5 stars rounded up

I want to thank PenguinRandomHouse for allowing me to read and review the re-release of Within Arm’s Reach by author Ann Napolitano.. She is best known for her book, Dear Edward.
In her notes Ms. Napolitano writes “Each character in the novel is wrestling with their own heartbreak and deep desires”.
The novel is about a large dysfunctional Irish family in New Jersey (FYI where I grew up) held together by Catherine, the matriarch. Chapters are headed by the characters. Most are very unhappy for various reasons. One hates school, another has many affairs and can’t seem to be able to love. Another feels guilty over a fatal accident he wasn’t responsible for.
I like the family and hope they will somehow come together. Hence the title, Within Arm’s Reach.
This book will especially appeal to women. It republishes 05/28/2024, many years after it was first written.