Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is outstanding!  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started working at the bookstore in Oconomowoc, Books & Company, just over a year ago and in the last year I have read a lot, my family may say basically non stop. Having endless access to books is a dream come true.  Yes, I know we can all have that through a Kindle, but I promise you books from an independent bookstore are way better in so many ways. I especially enjoy the free advance reader copies that are accessible to booksellers. I love the idea of reading a book before it becomes a bestseller. The book, Remarkably Bright Creatures was like that. Many of the booksellers at Books & Company fell in love with that book long before it made it to the bestseller list.

I almost didn’t read Hello Beautiful because it launched right to the bestseller list and I figure those books are going to sell anyway, they don’t need me. I am glad it’s success didn’t keep me from reading it.

Hello Beautiful is the best book I have read in a long time. I say that carefully and purposefully as one of my fears as a bookseller is over-selling a book and the reader is disappointed with it. I will be clear that this book is not an easy summer read. It is a heavy meaningful book that draws you in right from the start through multiple points of view and lyrical writing. I especially appreciate the portrayal of depression and mental health in the book. There is an honesty in the writing that makes you feel a part of the family and lucky to be told the story. I hope it inspires conversations about mental health, the need for honesty and the power of forgiveness.

And now apparently I am hooked on bestsellers as I just started The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. What are you reading?