Big fan of Ann Napolitano! A wonderful story and very deep writing. Definitely recommend her books!

Thank you NetGalley and Ann Napolitano!

This story follows the perspective of women in a family of three generations. Each person in the family is going through some sort of crisis and the reader gets an insight into what each person is thinking and feeling.


Oof. This was a rough one to get through. There was not much dialogue and a lot of inner thoughts which made the story drag on. I did not connect with any of the characters, they were pretty awful. I didn’t feel any closure at the end of the book, which I think was intentional, but it felt like a missed opportunity.

I definitely enjoyed Hello Beautiful more and would recommend that over this book!


Thank you NetGalley and The Dial Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

My rating: 3/5 stars

hmm. I loved Ann's last two books and was excited to dive into this one. A re-release of her debut novel and you can certainly tell how much she has grown as a writer since this was originally published. I think I'll stick with the new Napolitano titles.

As a huge fan of Ann Napolitano's work, I will never NOT read anything she publishes and I was delighted to learn that her debut novel would be reintroduced to her newer followers. This is quite a debut and, thanks to the author, I have truly fallen in love with stories of Irish and Irish American families. She writes about family dynamics in a way that is so relatable - I always find myself highlighting so many passages that stop me in my tracks - and so beautiful. I find myself thinking about these characters in between reading sessions and then long after I've finished the book. If you're already a fan of the author's work, be mindful that this is her debut (she addresses this in the updated author's note) and try not to compare it to her latest novels. Either way, I truly enjoyed this one and recommend to anyone who appreciates literary fiction about the complexity of family dynamics and the ways in which we are all shaped by our heritage.

A character-driven multi-generational story | The variety of themes, subplots and personalities kept me engaged | At times, I got lost in the large cast of characters | I had difficulty connecting with the characters as well as I did with Ann Napolitano‘s subsequent novels | The ending left me with many questions | While not as gripping as Dear Edward, I enjoyed the book overall and look forward to future books by the author.

3.5 stars rounded up.

. Ann has such a beautiful writing style. She sure can write a dysfunctional family!

This book centers around a troubled family (we get Gram, Mom, Dad, two daughters) and the dysfunction in their own lives as well as with others. My problem with this book was I kind of didn’t (and still don’t) know what it was about. It’s about a family. Simple as that!

Within Arms Reach was an intense look at the complicated relationships within a family. While I enjoyed parts of it I felt like there were way too many characters to keep track of! The matriarch of the family is definitely the glue holding them somewhat together. It was interesting to see the differences in how she was raised, how she raised her children and and how her children raised their children. I really wished we could have seen how the new baby in the family was raised. Perhaps a new book from Ann? But the lease edit it down to less characters to keep track of this time.

Leaving this unrated as I am setting it aside. Was listening on audio and there are just so many characters, it was hard to keep track of them all. I did get to 25% and maybe it’s my reading mood but I just couldn’t relate to any of these, mostly, unlikeable characters. May pick it up in reading form at a later date, but maybe not. I have loved her other books and will read her next.

This family drama told from 5 points of view - 4 family members and the nurse caretaker of the matriarch- described the issues surrounding 29 year old Gracie's out of wedlock pregnancy and the reactions and interactions of this Irish Catholic family.
The matriarch of the family - Catharine- is the anchor that holds them all together. She is nearing the end of her life and can look at each member with love and understanding.
Gracie decides to keep the child herself, without marrying the father.
Lila her sister is a 3rd year medical student who finally gives it up after repeated instances of lack of empathy for her patients (or anyone else).
Kelly and Louis are in a marriage which is failing; he's depressed and she seeks time alone. Louis has a construction company and one of his men died in a fall from a roof; Louis feels responsible for it and tries to make it up to the man's widow who is a nurse.
Noreen Bellan is the man's widow who Louis hires to care for Catharine after her fall.
It took me forever to get through this book because there was no real plot - actually, it was a series of vignettes which describes the family members dysfunctional lives. Themes of sibling rivalry, sexuality, resentment, guilt ran throughout the story. The characters express very little emotion nor do they support one another. The book ends with the baby shower where all the characters come together...and Gracie is about to deliver the baby.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Random House and was excited to read Ann Napolitano's first novel, but I must say that she has certainly come a long way as I loved her previous 2 novels - Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful where she developed multifaceted characters and compelling stories. I have to rate this one 3.5/5*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I ended up getting this one on audio. It has a full cast of narrators for the characters. It makes the characters and story overall more engaging. This is a character driven novel about family dynamics and relationships. The characters are both beautiful and flawed. I was just not overall invested in them or the story unfolding between them.

DNF @35%. I really enjoyed her novel Hello Beautiful and to my knowledge this is a re-publishing of a novel written before Hello Beautiful. I would say her writing has become more engaging. This is definitely a novel I could re-visit someday but is a DNF for now.

This has been one of my favorite ARCs I have received and its really hard to explain why!
Typically I really struggle with the multiple viewpoints and there are quite a few in this one!
Thankfully Ann really ties them together and it's easy to follow.

Within Arm's Reach doesn't bounce around as much as some books with different POVs. I really enjoyed the storyline. It's about a family, with quite a bit of drama.

To me there wasn't much of a punch for me but everything flowed nicely and I really enjoyed this!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After reading and loving Hello Beautiful, I was so excited to try Ann Napolitano's debut novel. Unfortunately, the writing fell flat for me and it was a struggle to get through.

While there are many seeds here that point to the skilled and delicate story teller Ann Napolitano will eventually become, this is indeed only a glimpse. Admittedly I also tend to be drawn to more plot-driven novels, where this is more of a family character study.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e- copy of Within Arm’s Reach by Anne Napolitano in exchange for a honest review. This is Anne’s debut novel and I was very excited to read this book as I have read many of other books. This book is full of Irish family drama and as a first generation Irish American growing up in Bergen County , New Jersey where this story is set I could relate to many of the places described in this novel . The story centers around Catherine, the matriarch of a large family who is starting to see visions like her husband did all his life. She sees her long dead husband and her children who died young while her children and granddaughters wrestle with unplanned pregnancy, school issues, infidelity and family feuding. This novel has it all . A very enjoyable read!

Let’s chat about Ann Napolitano’s "Within Arm’s Reach." If you’re anything like me, you might have approached this book with a bit of skepticism. My experience with "Hello Beautiful" was somewhat underwhelming, especially when it seemed like everyone else was raving about it. So, my expectations for "Within Arm’s Reach" were set pretty low. But I was pleasantly surprised!

"Within Arm’s Reach" is a family saga that introduces us to a big, intricate family. While the book might not have a driving, overarching plot, it’s filled with the individual journeys of its characters. Each member navigates through love, loss, and all the insecurities that come with being human. It’s a story about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, and yet, I found myself completely intrigued.

I think what really got me was the authenticity of the characters. They’re flawed, they’re relatable, and they’re so well-crafted that you can’t help but see a bit of yourself in them. There’s something incredibly compelling about diving into their everyday lives, experiencing their highs and lows, and realizing that sometimes the most extraordinary stories are the ones that feel the most real.

By the time I finished "Within Arm’s Reach," I was sold on Napolitano as an author. This book has definitely sparked my interest in her other work. If you haven’t yet, give this one a read. It might just surprise you as much as it did me.

Within arms reach is almost akin to a coming of age novel. The author stays true to form from hello beautiful, but the characters in this case don’t compare to her prior books. Regardless, the interwoven stories of pregnancy and crisis make for a page turning novel.

3.5 ⭐️’s
Within Arms Reach is a multigenerational family drama with the story being told by multiple characters. The McLaughlin family is a large Irish clan and as in most family dramas, this one was not lacking in that category. With so many characters it was difficult to keep everyone straight at times and the plot was on the mundane side. This was Napolitano’s debut novel, written many years before Dear Edward and Hello Beautiful. While it shows that Napolitano has talent, it doesn’t compare to her latest novels but does show how far her writing has come. The ending was a bit open ended and leaves us reading between the lines. The story is good, but her newer ones are great! I’m glad she continues to write and I’m looking forward to what’s next! Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I am a HUGE Ann Napolitano fan - Dear Edward was beautiful and emotional and Hello Beautiful is on my list of all-time favorites with characters that I will never ever forget. So I was really excited when I saw this re-release of a backlist book and had to read it!

Just like her other books, Within Arms Reach features a cast of characters that are very well-written and developed. This novel features multiple narrators with alternating chapters and the reader really gets immersed in the dynamics of this Irish-American family.

It's one of those books where not a lot happens, yet a lot happens - if that makes sense. I feel this was almost a first go at the concept of Hello Beautiful - with siblings and parents and the dynamics of each person and how they affect and impact each other. Even with these incredibly developed characters, I just didn't feel the emotional resonance in this novel like I did with Hello Beautiful (which I still think with so much emotion towards the characters!) and Dear Edward.

I am glad I got to see earlier Ann Napolitano to see where she started and how her writing and character/story development have evolved and grown over the years. She is absolutely an autobuy author for me - even if this book didn't hit me in the way her other two novels did.

Early last year, I read Hello Beautiful, and it became not only my favorite book of the year but one of my favorites of all time. So, when I was offered an advanced copy of this book, I could not start it fast enough. Within Arm’s Reach is a poignant family drama following multiple generations of an Irish American family. Each character is masterfully crafted and (at times) frustratingly complex. The characters felt so authentic that despite being incredibly flawed, it was hard not to root for them. I really loved the alternating points of view and the many topics that this book tackled. This book solidified Ann Napolitano as one of my new favorite authors, and I cannot wait to see what she releases next!

I love Ann Napolitano but this one just did not do it for me. All of the characters were so incredibly unlikeable and the plot fell flat for me.