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Hello Beautiful (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.

But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?

An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little WomenHello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.

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Published Mar 14, 2023

400 pages

Average rating: 7.42

2,907 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Andrea-The Shelf Life Books
Jul 03, 2025
4/10 stars
** THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS***

I had a very difficult time getting into this book. I eventually had to DNF this one. I don't know is I was not in the right head space for it at this time, but I felt that the characters wallow in self pitty and I had enough after Julia started the whole..." I never needed you. Did you know that?" after she gave birth. I ended my journey of the book on page 134, so I did fairly give its time. Maybe this is one of those books that I can come back to and try again. I did see how others love this book and gave it a high rating. I just couldn't get there.
LTC
Nov 21, 2024
Book #59: Debbie's book choice, discussed via Zoom!
Gingy
Jun 25, 2024
8/10 stars
Interesting dynamics
Julie Lalande
Mar 19, 2024
9/10 stars
What a gift. Such an emotionally intelligent read. The story is plausible yet complicated as many families,and relationships are. So grateful to have read this. I rate this book a 9 out of 10, wondering why it doesn’t earn that one last rating… I fault it to my own impatience, the book starts to grip me at page 56 or at this chapter and maybe it is the “ordinariness” of the characters but it has a true commitment to its characters and richness in describing love. Great read!
Zoe E.
Dec 18, 2023
6/10 stars
Started out thinking I was going to love this book. I was drawn in to the characters and their world. However, by the end I found it a slog to get through. What changed? The characters stopped developing, and acted in ways that felt completely contrary to what we had originally been given to know.

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