I liked the multi-generational family dynamic in this novel. The differences between the generations and how they approach life was fascinating. It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters at first but I felt like they were all important to the story. I love that Ann got to publish her first novel after having so much success with her others.

This family drama novel by Ann Napolitano is a perfectly narrated story of a large Irish family. When an unexpected pregnancy shakes a big Catholic family, how will they come together or be torn apart? The characters and voices are unique and relatable. I love this author!

Three generations of an Irish-American family deal with some typical family issues -- petty disagreements, difficult marriages, an aging matriarch, a pregnant granddaughter, and more. If you're into books about family drama, this is a great book. This is Ann Napolitano's first book, reissued in response to her recent success. I enjoyed the book, but her later fiction is much better. The character development is excellent, and she has created some memorable characters. I enjoyed the book, but it's certainly not her best.

With so many pov’s it was hard to keep everyone straight and made it harder to connect to anyone as I’m trying to figure out who they are in the grand scheme of things. Throw in the extra person and I’m out. Overall the story was fine but difficult to read

This book was was okay, but I much preferred Hello Beautiful, it read slow for me.There is beauty in tragedy.

This was a tense family drama, full of unspoken feelings, generational wounds, and more. I did really enjoy Napolitano's writing style; however, I found the story fairly forgettable in a world full of many similar novels.

I enjoyed the grandma's character and her persistence to try and forge togetherness within a family that seems determined to drift apart without her, and there were many moments that spoke beautifully to the complicated feelings that are often at the heart of family structures.

Thank you @netgalley @prhaudio @thedialpress for this gifted ebook and audiobook!

I’ve had a month full of creepy, paranormal and fantasy books , but in true mood reader fashion I picked this one up after it just sort of called from me from my kindle library. I read this with mostly my ears, because @marinireland was one in a full cast of narrators 👏 I’ll literally listen to most anything she narrates.

I don’t read a ton of family dramas, but the ones I’ve loved are among some of my favorite books. As far as this story goes, I was a little underwhelmed. It read pretty quickly and held my attention, but wasn’t unique enough to leave a lasting impression. The characters in this family were all pretty unlikable. While I enjoyed tagging along on their growth journeys, I felt like there were some real loose ends in a unsatisfying way for me.

I think if you enjoy family dramas full of messy characters that are imperfect and love each other imperfectly, this would be worth picking up! I’d definitely do the audio. I’m such a sucker for a full cast.

Also, don’t skip the author’s note at the end. It did really make me appreciate the story more!

🖤 What’s a show you’ve been I to lately? Or a music artist?
Random two throwbacks, but I’ve listened to hours of Lil Wayne this morning bopping around my kitchen and am rewatching season one of Detroiters. I’m obsessed with @tsrobinson23

🖤 🖤 This is the kindle scribe. That’s why it’s huge. What are your thoughts on the new kindle colorsoft? I got the scribe last year and don’t feel any need to replace it for like many many years to come. Posting in b&w on purpose, still cute

🏷️
#annnapolitano #withinarmsreach #kindle #kindlebooks #earc #backlistbooks #netgalley #rsrbcarctober #booksiread #bookblogger #booksandplants #plantmom #momswhoread #arcreader #bookreview

This one is hard for me to rate because the bar was set so high with Hello Beautiful! I enjoyed this, but it didn't come close to the love I felt for Ann's first book.

I love family dynamics and multi generation stories, however this one was a bit slow for me at times--probably should have waited to do the audio. When you listen at 2.5x speed, even the dragging moments of a book fly by.

I didn't realize that this was a reprint of one of the author's first book. I loved Hello Beautiful, so thought I would love this one, too. Not so. Disappointing.

I've liked other novels by Napolitano but I found this one so tedious and difficult to get through. It's the story of 3 generations of the Irish American McLaughlin family, mostly told from the perspective of the women. There are many elements of family expectations, dysfunction, loss and grief. It was painful, it seems like everybody in this family needed love and support and nobody was capable of communicating with anybody else. I'm honestly not sure what the whole point of the novel was other than to peek in on a large and troubled family bound by their religion and generational trauma.

I will 10000% read anything from Ann Napolitano! Her stories of multi-generational family, loss, love, regret, memories, heartbreak and finding strength in your family - all told by different viewpoints -just speaks to me. Her writing is simply perfection. You can visual every character and action they take. Its spellbinding. It's on my re-read list just so I can enjoy it again! No one does family like Ann! Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

I really enjoyed this read. The book covered a multi-generational catholic family and all their thorns. I really appreciated that the pov changes and you get the different viewpoints throughout. There is so much going on within the members of this family and it is almost an implosion for all the characters as they deal with their strife and try to come out on the other side. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

"Within Arm's Reach: Sisters" by Ann Napolitano is a poignant exploration of sisterhood, identity, and the complexities of familial relationships. The narrative delves into the lives of two sisters, intertwining their personal struggles and shared history. The characters are well-developed, each struggling with their own issues while reflecting the deep ties that both connect and divide them. Themes of love, loyalty, and the search for self-acceptance resonate throughout, making it a relatable read for anyone who has navigated complicated family dynamics.

This 2004 book was rereleased after the author’s success with Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. There is something so sweet and redemptive about this book coming to the surface long after the author had probably thought it was all over. I love that.

The story is about a big family, faced with challenges stemming from the decline of the matriarch and an unexpected pregnancy, plus lots of other drama in between. In that way this was similar to a lot of family dramas and nothing especially stood out. The author herself draws a connection between this and Hello Beautiful (in the Author’s Note at the end) and I thought that too as I was reading. I enjoyed the reading experience but this will not be anything super memorable. Dear Edward is clearly (to me, anyway) her best work.

If you know me you know I'm a huge fan of Ann Napolitano, so I was so excited to receive an ARC of her re-published debut novel. Now having read her two most popular books, I knew her debut novel would be very different. You can tell she's trying to figure out what direction to go in and it doesn't feel as complete as some of her other books. However, it is still a very interesting story. I love books surrounding family dynamics and the interwoven stories between generations of families, and that is essentially what you get from this book. I do think it was a tad long, and there wasn't as deep of a connection that you feel when reading Hello Beautiful, but still as a big fan I am glad I picked this up!

I didn’t realize going in that this was a re-release of a much much earlier book. I could see the makings of the robust character study strengths of Hello Beautiful and how much the story telling has evolved. I didn’t love that it felt like elements of the family’s story were left untold but as frustrating as that is for the reader, it mimics the story of life so can’t be too mad at it. This is definitely a slower paced read and not something I would recommend if you like the bow on the end of the narrative.

All things Ann writes is amazing. The depth of her characters are always outstanding. Her books bring out all of the emotions and she is absolutely an auto-buy author for me.

A family drama, primarily following three generations of women.
Catherine the aging matriarch, Kelly her eldest daughter, and Kelly's two daughters Gracie and Lila. All the women are at a crossroads in their lives, struggling with decisions that will affect everything.

I love Napolitano's stories. Her writing draws me in immediately and this book was no different. I loved the intimate look into this family's lives and I worried for them and the decisions they were making. And while I have been known to love an open ending, for me it did not work.
I wished there was a little more closure to this story.