This book tore me apart, and then somehow, put me back together.

I was hooked from the beginning, engaged in a journey through a complex family story spanning generations. Inspired by the four sisters in “Little Women,” “Hello Beautiful” tells the story of a group of Chicago sisters who eventually become intertwined in the life of one boy: William Waters. However, you find that the boy matters much less than the bonds built between the sisters and their kin.

This book is for the girls, the young women who are constantly pulled between self-preservation and desire, love and hurt. We all seek acceptance — an identity associated with a group. When you read this book, you become a part of this group of sisters, finding parts of yourself in each of these beautifully built characters.

You even find yourself in Waters, who is deeply flawed yet recognizes the depth and beauty of Julia Padavano and her sisters. You find yourself in Julia Padavano, who is the eldest daughter of the family. She is deeply ambitious and driven, yet guarded and often unemotional. Slyvie Padavano is quite the opposite, deeply empathetic and a dreamer, sometimes to her detriment. The twins, Cecelia and Emeline Padavano, bring together the family through their energy and emotion, fearless in their thoughts and expressions and nurturing and attentive in their actions.

There is a sort of intentionality that each sister possesses for the other, and a deep love that can be felt beyond the pages of the book.

One scene of the book finds Sylvie and Julia Padavano sleeping on a couch together, melting into one as their breathing syncs and their bodies relax completely. These moments within this book remind me of times when I lay with my mother at night, telling her the most minuscule details of my day.

While reading, I was constantly reminded of my mother’s grace, elegance and ambition exemplified by Julia Padavano, and her deep empathy and optimism occupied within the pages by Sylvie Padavano. I was reminded by the twins of my mother’s nurturing nature and — for fear of spoiling the entire book — the sacrifices each character makes for each other and their children.

I hope that you read this book and find yourself and others around you in these deeply stunning, yet flawed characters. We are human after all, and we are such complex beings — especially the type of woman who finds identity and comfort within this novel. Emotions are complicated, relationships are strange and people are hard to understand sometimes.

Yet, it is the learning about another’s life, their feelings, how they think, what they love and hate, and seeing how they grow that ends up being some of the best parts of your life. We all deserve companionship as deep as what these sisters find in each other, and we deserve to be loved so intentionally.

However, we have to let ourselves love another first. This book shows that eventually, we will find that it’s these relationships we’ve built with each other that matter the most. Things will happen, people will hurt you, but this is the essence of living a life that is worth it.

So reach out, be intentional, appreciate the good in others, and allow yourself to feel deeply and love even deeper.

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