Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.

One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.

Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication

Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.

But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Adult, Chick Lit, Book Club

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 22, 2025

About the author

Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read, as well as the forthcoming Happy Place. She lives and writes in Cincinnati and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.

Find her on Instagram @EmilyHenryWrites.

Reviews

[Clace]

Secured the arc 🙂‍↕️ I still can't believe 😭
___
That time of the year where I check my house to see where Emily Henry has installed cameras because SHE CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH WRITING RELATABLE CHARACTERS-

GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE 🙂‍↕️ I think im getting used to the title.

It's gonna be linked to the last great American dynasty 😔 (Buket I won't forgive you for this one)

[B.K. Borison · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a point when I was reading this where I had to put the book down and physically pace but I was on an airplane, so I walked up and down the aisle like a caged animal. HAYDEN!!!! ALICE!!!!! I love them.

[emma]

life is just the great big beautiful wait between emily henry releases

(thank you to libro.fm for the alc!!!)

[Emmy Rosam · Rating 5 out of 5]

(official rtc)but I am spiralling after reading this. The setting and descriptions are sooo classic EmHen but this was so different to her other books (80% plot, 20% romance) and I low key ate it up. Personally loved it. Potentially one of my favourites???

[Lala BooksandLala · Rating 2 out of 5]

...oh

[chan ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

jesus this was not my cup of tea. not romantic AT ALL and the story within a story was so so boring. it had TJR vibes but again, the interview bits were dull 🥲

also if this wins the choice award this year, i will never forgive yall

[ଘRory · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★

“𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹, 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝗯𝗶𝘁.”
I just finished reading this masterpiece, and I am not the same girl at all. I have such mixed feelings, a weird emotion I've never felt before when writing a book review. Emily Henry somehow pulled me inside the story, making it feel like a puzzle. Sometimes it was blurry, other times crystal clear, but when you finish, you take a long inhale because the puzzle you followed is a masterpiece. It’s not just one story, but two. The first is a huge, sprawling narrative about Margaret Ives' family and her love life. It was a heavy story, and I felt everything—boredom, excitement, shock, and a sadness that shattered my heart into pieces. The second is a beautiful love story between the protagonists, Hayden Anderson and Alice Scott, a story that made my heart flutter with butterflies. These two stories aren’t separate; they’re like the sky and the sea, mirroring each other perfectly.

“𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺: 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵.”
This adage perfectly encapsulates the interwoven narratives of Hayden and Alice, two journalists tasked with writing a book about the legendary Margaret Ives, a project that is also a critical job opportunity. Her life, a sweeping saga from her influential father to her marriage to the enigmatic Cosmos Sinclair, is a story within a story, laced with a mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The author skillfully builds suspense, leading to two shocking revelations at the end, while simultaneously crafting a palpable chemistry between Hayden and Alice.
Hayden, a skeptical journalist and freelancer, initially views the Margaret Ives project as a means to secure his next job. However, his protective streak and keen observational skills soon draw him into the story, and into Alice’s orbit. He's a refreshing departure from typical romantic heroes, and I particularly loved the dynamic between him and Alice; both tall, intelligent, and completely complementing each other, a welcome change from the "tiny woman, big man" trope so prevalent in romance. The electric tension between them was undeniable, especially in moments like their table encounter.

Alice, an optimistic and empathetic soul, is equally invested in the project, seeing it as a chance to prove herself. Her genuine curiosity about Hayden and her quiet victories whenever he spoke her name, or revealed his emotions, were beautifully rendered. Their connection is punctuated by poignant moments, like when Hayden reveals his feelings with a simple, “Tell me something no one knows about you,” followed by, “I’m in love with you.” Or, the vulnerable moment when he admits, “I think I don’t like people looking at me,” only to clarify, with his eyes fixed on her, “Not you.” These moments are raw and real, highlighting the depth of their connection, and are made more impactful by the stakes of their job opportunity.

“𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿.”
This sentiment echoes throughout "Great Big Beautiful Life," a novel where love, sacrifice, and the search for truth intertwine. Emily Henry masterfully develops the tension between Hayden and Alice, a slow burn that captivated my heart, even if it required a touch of patience at the beginning. This deliberate pacing, while initially testing my attention, ultimately proved rewarding, allowing the characters' connection to deepen organically.
The narrative unfolds as a dual story, each with its own distinct emotional weight. Margaret Ives emerges as a hero in her own right, her life a testament to sacrifice and resilience. The saga of her wealthy family, steeped in intrigue, and her legendary love story with the famous singer, Cosmos Sinclair, is a tale worthy of being passed down through generations. This narrative, rich in historical depth and emotional complexity, serves as a compelling backdrop for Hayden and Alice's present-day investigation.
Emily's skillful navigation between these two timelines is a testament to her storytelling prowess. The mystery surrounding Margaret Ives' life, slowly unraveled by Hayden and Alice, creates a constant sense of suspense, driving the plot forward. The revelations at the end, while shocking, are meticulously foreshadowed, making them feel both surprising and inevitable. The slow, deliberate development of Hayden and Alice's relationship, contrasted with the sweeping drama of Margaret's life, creates a dynamic tension that keeps the reader engaged. The initial moments of boredom were replaced with a deep investment in both narratives.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱, 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁?
The power of truth, the enduring nature of love, and the fragile beauty of trust are the cornerstones of "Great Big Beautiful Life." Emily Henry weaves these themes into the very fabric of her narrative, exploring their complexities through the lives of her characters. For Hayden and Alice, the search for the truth about Margaret Ives becomes a journey of self-discovery, where trust is both hard-won and essential.
The theme of loss, particularly the loss of a father, is handled with delicate sensitivity. As someone who lost their own father at a young age, I felt a deep connection to Alice's relationship with her late father. The quiet understanding and unspoken bond they shared, as you described, echoed my own experience, bringing tears to my eyes. This portrayal of grief is not melodramatic, but rather a poignant exploration of the enduring impact of loss and the quiet strength it can foster.

𝗣.𝗦. The writing style in is undeniably engaging, drawing the reader into the story with a seamless blend of wit, emotional depth, and vivid description. The fresh, vibrant atmosphere of the small island setting provided the perfect backdrop for a love story intertwined with a compelling detective narrative. Emily's ability to create a palpable sense of place allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story, feeling the island's gentle breezes and experiencing the characters' emotional journeys as if they were my own.

my new bookstagram
💌roryepistolary@gmail.com


Pre_read:
*I'm taking a leap of faith with this one,my hopes are hanging by a thread.(And I'm not a fan of these kind of covers! Where have the cover designers been lately?)

[Paige (semi-hiatus)]

Em girl, do your thing 🫴

——

🚨 teaser quotes:

“I feel like you’re mine. Like you’re mine in a way no one else ever has been.”

“Love isn’t something you can cup in your hands, and I have to believe that means it’s something that can’t ever be lost.”

I need this book like air 😩

——


6 is my lucky number so I guess this will change my life? It’s folklore coded too (my fave album) 🤝😭

[Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

➸ 2.5 stars.

“Love isn't something you can cup in your hands, and I have to believe that means it's something that can't ever be lost.”

— the last great american dynasty by Taylor swift. 🎧

nothing—and I mean nothing—could have prepared me for how much of a disappointment this book turned out to be.
great big beautiful life? more like great big ugly disaster.

i don’t know what kind of delusion had me putting emily henry on a pedestal in my head, but somehow, I did because I thought she can do no wrong. in the first 50%, when I was posting updates about how I was actually enjoying the book, I thought, maybe she’s going to prove me wrong. Maybe she’ll balance out the doubts I had from the very beginning. she never did. not even on the last page.

➸ back in early 2024, I read my first Emily Henry book, Beach Read. I gave it 3.5 stars—not because I didn’t like it, but because of a very specific issue: (mis-genrizing) I had heard nothing but praise about how her books were these beautifully written, deeply emotional romances with stunning prose. now when I read Beach Read, that was what exactly I got. but Instead of pure perfect romance, it felt more like women’s fiction with a romance subplot.

"I think you live in a world that's more interesting than the one most people live in, and I wish I could live in it too."

don’t get me wrong—I still enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the writing, and everything about the book on its own. but mislabeling the genre? that threw me off. mishandling tropes is fine, that happens. but mislabeling the entire genre that’s meant to draw readers in makes the whole book feel shaky even if it’s actually good. and that’s my opinion.

so going into this one, I was prepared. I told myself, If it leans toward women’s fiction again, don’t be put off. Just accept it for what it is. what I wasn’t prepared for was the romance making up, at best, 10% of the book—while the rest was just straight-up literary fiction.

it had a very interesting premise—but it didn’t hit like I thought it would. the setup was too good to be true, but the execution was uneven, and the elements that were supposed to shine fell too flat.

➸ alice, is a classic “quirky but determined” journalist, but she doesn’t have much personality beyond her job and her endless inner monologue. She’s meant to be funny and relatable, but she mostly comes off as awkward in a way that feels forced. the mmc, hayden, is the brooding, silent type—and at the start I was so into that since quite men are my type. but then his character development is almost nonexistent. the characters felt more like ideas of people rather than real, fleshed-out individuals.

"When I let myself dream," he murmurs against my ear, "or it all comes crashing down-it's Alice, Alice on my mind. Alice all the time."

her writing and quotes are always majestic 🥹

at first, I was actually excited. the main characters, alice and hayden, had great interactions right from the start. their dynamic had so much potential—two rival journalists competing to write the biography of the famously reclusive heiress margaret Ives—I was sold. Hayden was grumpy yet subtly protective of Alice, and those early moments between them had me hooked. I really thought this was going to be at least 4 if not 5 stars.

I was interested in Margaret’s life. I was curious about how alice and hayden would navigate writing about such an enigmatic woman with such family and media scrutiny. but did I want that storyline to completely take over the book? absolutely not. this is marketed as romance.
that’s what I signed up for.

and yet, that’s exactly what happened. the entire book revolved around Margaret: her past, her parents’ past, her great-grandparents’ past—literally her entire lineage. meanwhile, the romance got completely buried.

they were supposed to have some sort of rivalry-turned-romance dynamic, but there was absolutely no chemistry. their interactions were stiff, repetitive, and not engaging enough to make me root for them. there was no spark, no tension—just a lot of dry conversations and LOTS LOTS of dry humping.

➸ and when we did get small glimpses of romance, they were done so poorly. In the beginning, alice and hayden had some really nice moments. but because the book was so hyper-focused on margaret, their relationship had zero natural progression. then, out of nowhere, at 50%, alice suddenly claims she’s fallen in love with hayden. and I was just sitting there like, HOW? When? Where was I? did I miss something? because as far as I could tell, they had barely even interacted.

I’ll give credit where it’s due. the prose was beautiful. engaging. addictive. I tore through all 400 pages in one sitting because I simply could not put the book down. that’s how compelling Henry’s writing is. I loved it and I think I’ll always will. I could read her books for the writing just.

but then came the ending. and oh, boy.

➸ after spending the entire book acting like women’s fiction and completely sidelining the romance, the story suddenly decided it wanted to be a full-blown mystery novel. out of nowhere, alice starts investigating inconsistencies in Margaret’s story, uncovering hidden secrets, and making these ridiculous, over-the-top connections. and I just sat there thinking, “What am I reading?” nothing about this sudden mystery twist added anything to the story—it just made it feel even more absurd. that particular familia connection that happened at the end made me wanna bang my head on a wall from how ridiculous it was.

competing to be Margaret’s biographer—had potential, so much potential it hurts but it was bogged down by unnecessary details and odd pacing. the book kept hinting at some big, dramatic revelation about margaret’s past, but when the reveal finally came, it was underwhelming. the story dragged, built up to a weak climax, and wasn’t engaging enough to make me care. the competition between them felt artificial—there were no real stakes of rivalry at all.

and that’s the frustrating part. the characters had so much potential. they were funny, layered, and genuinely interesting. but all of that was front-loaded in the beginning, but the book just threw them to the side to focus entirely on Margaret.

the romance was 100% nonexistent. I don’t care what anyone says—it was not there. I didn’t feel it, I didn’t connect to it, and because the book was so consumed by Margaret’s story, the author had to rush the romance in a way that felt completely unrealistic and literally laughable. you cannot convince me that two people who barely interacted for most of the book are suddenly in love. It doesn’t work like that.

➸ It leaned excessively Into women’s fiction when that Is not the Genre the book Is marketed as. its marketed as a mix of contemporary romance/humorous fiction/domestic fiction, but it leaned way too far into women’s fiction territory. It spent a lot of time on Margaret’s whole life and also alice’s personal thoughts, her anxieties, and her career struggles, but not in a way that added depth—just in a way that made the story feel slow and unfocused. It should have either committed to being a true women’s fiction novel or stuck to the romance/drama it was marketed as. and hayden got blended into the wall from how the author never cared for his character. If this was meant to have romance, it was barely there. the book would have been exactly the same without it.

The great big beautiful life of Margaret Ives with Alice and Hayden’s romance no where to be found.
that sums up the whole book if you’re interested in reading it.

now I’m gonna go and actually sob because this had the potential to be best romance book in the history of forever with the setting that it had but it ended up being this…



➵ ARC provided by the publisher—penguin general UK—in exchange for an honest review.

━━━━━━━━━━ ♡ ━━━━━━━━━━

˚୨୧⋆ pre-review updates •°. *
words can’t describe how much of a disappointment this was.
rtc later bc I’m too mad now.
───
oh my poor heart I got the ARC 😭 screaming, throwing up, pinch and punch me all together!!!

[Maren’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Scott dreams of one day being a celebrated writer. Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Hayden Anderson already is. When the two compete for the chance to write the history of celebrity heiress Margaret Ives, a woman who has been missing for decades, they have no idea the repercussions Margaret, her story, and the competition will have on their own lives.

I admit that when I started this book, I felt completely thrown off by how different it is from EmHen’s previous books. I went in expecting a romcom that would grab me immediately and never let me go. What I ended up getting was very different. And yet, by the time I reached the final page, I loved it all the same.

This book is described as contemporary fiction; however, I would argue it is way more in line with historical fiction. As we learn about Margaret Ives and her family, alongside journalist Alice, we view them through the eyes of their historical context, from the very beginnings of their economic origin story through to the present. It’s rich in character detail, emotion, and connections, a classic aspect of the HF novel, as well as the twists that will catch you completely off guard. If you are a fan of character-driven, historical fiction novels, this book will appeal to you.

And yet, as Henry is so well known for, the underlying romance woven in throughout the story, both in the past and present, is as swoon-worthy as it gets. I find myself enamored with each and every MMC, and while Alex (from the People We Meet on Vacation) will always be my favorite of her heroes, Hayden sure does come close.

The push and pull between our present-day MCs only helped to up the ante, and the angst, as the ending began to draw near, with any possible future together so much in doubt. The chemistry between Hayden and Alice was smoking hot, with so many amazing scenes between the two, and yet the romance never does overshadow Margaret’s story, which is really the heart of the story. Instead, it serves as a perfect juxtaposition to the ghosts from the past - mistakes made that could never be undone.

As the story reached its inevitable conclusion, I was thoroughly impressed with how well Henry brought every single aspect of the story full circle. Although everything is not wrapped up into the most perfect bow (historical fiction novels rarely do), we are treated to the happy ending these characters deserved, in true romance fashion.

🎧 Julia Whelan narrates, need I say more? While I started out reading this one solely with my eyes, I found myself preferring a fully immersive read (listening to the audio, while reading along with the ebook). This allowed me to experience JW bringing the characters fully to life, while not missing a single precious detail. I highly recommend doing an immersive read of this book if you are able to.

Read if you like:
▪️historical Fiction
▪️genre mashups
▪️multigenerational family sagas
▪️books about books
▪️competing journalists
▪️past/present timeline
▪️Evelyn Hugo (TJR)

✨ 2025 Favorites

Thank you Berkley Pub, PRH Audio, and Libro.fm for the advanced copies.

[elle]

it's that time of the year where i desperately on my knees beg for the emily henry arc

[Roxy]

The covers are so beautifulll im conflicted on which one to order!!
__
A 5 stars confirmed ( hopefully don’t jinx it )

Emily....I’m gonna hold your hand when I say this. why that name ._. ILLICIT AFFAIRS WAS RIGHT THERE

I’m holding on to the last threads of my patience because I need another Emily Henry book in my hands. ( I just got to know about this ) Emily’s gifting me my big 20 bday gift by releasing this book near it hehehe CANT WAITTT and I heard the ti tiles based on folklore??? Illicit affairs? Orrrr invisible string theory?? doesn’t matter ik I’ll love every bit of it <3

[♥︎ Heather ⚔(Semi-Hiatus)]

Alright, I'll read it - but I'm forcing Bruna my bestie to read it with me 😅 This should be fun.

[leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

one thing i’ve always enjoyed about emily henry’s romances is that they are not strictly romances. in each of her books, she weaves in an equally as compelling story between the main romance plot.

in great big beautiful life, this takes the form of margaret ives, a once so-called ‘tabloid princess’ turned reclusive octogenarian who’s finally ready to divulge the secrets of the rich and famous ives family. our protagonist alice scott finds herself on a small island in georgia with the hope of being the writer to pen the book about margaret’s life, only to realise she’s not the only writer chasing the story.

great big beautiful life takes a step in a slightly different direction from henry’s previous work: the narrative structure is very different to her other books, it’s somewhat of a family saga, and even brings in an element of mystery towards the end. i was practically racing through the last few chapters to find out what would happen, which made it all the more exciting. the sections which unfold the ives’ family history are also evidence of henry’s constantly evolving writing, and it was refreshing to read her trying something a little different with this book.

the pacing of the romance does feel quite fast, which might be because the novel isn’t entirely focused on their budding relationship; we spend a lot of time between their scenes unravelling margaret’s story. but then again, alice and hayden are stuck on an island for a month with no one else to hang out with, so maybe it speaks to that.

overall, great big beautiful life is compulsive and incredibly touching - perhaps her most heartfelt yet - with emily henry’s trademark penchant for writing a sexy, tension-filled, and emotional romance. i had a blast reading it.

(i also don’t like to compare books, but if i said it has subtle vibes of beach read meets the seven husbands of evelyn hugo…..then what)

thank you so much penguin uk books / viking for the advanced copy!! great big beautiful life comes out in the uk on 24 april

—————————

i got the arc!! it arrived at my door this morning and now my weekend plans are sorted

[manas]

i will not apologize for the person i will become when this comes out.

[naz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝑰’𝒎 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒔,” 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒚, 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏. “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒊𝒔����𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒔, “𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐.” 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈. “𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆.” “𝑰’𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔.

It made me cry which means 5 stars, period. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ That's my review, thanks for coming 😭✨

Obviously, this review is hard to write because even though it’s been almost a week since I read it, I can easily say this was such an emotional book for me. First off, I do want to say yes, it is a romance because it has all the elements, but definitely do not go in with the same expectations as other Emily Henry books. Please be advised that it leans a bit more toward women’s fiction instead of full-blown romance.

As a romance reader myself, I was nervous going in because me and women’s fiction have a hit-or-miss relationship... but boy, this one did not miss...it was a direct hit. And that target? My heart. LMAO 💘

Alice and Hayden are both writers competing for the same job: to write the biography of Margaret Ives. That’s the core storyline, and readers get Alice’s POV through her meetings with Margaret, going into her past timeline that adds so much depth to Margaret's current situation and eventually ties up with Alice as well.

Not only do you uncover who the real Margaret is, but through her story, you also watch Alice and Hayden’s relationship unfold. Their rivals to lovers tension, slowly falling for each other while still being in competition? UGH. So, so good ❤️‍🔥 I can easily say it had a bit of slow burn as well!!

𝑨𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒕, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

Why 5 stars? I cried. That RARELY happens. And the way Emily Henry wove every part of the story together into one cohesive, heartbreaking, beautiful narrative? I’m so impressed. 🥹🌟 The book is definitely romantic, do not get me wrong. Alice & Hayden go through it all: the tension, the hugs, the hand kisses, and even the "I was worried about you." It may not be the main attraction, but you will definitely still be giddy throughout the entire book for those two.

“𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏?” 𝑰 𝒂𝒔𝒌. 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓, 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔, “𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒋𝒐𝒃, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕.”

I personally loved that the main focus was being on Alice’s way of thinking and how she approached each interview it gave so much more depth to her character development and how it unfolds the rest of the story.

If you're a fan of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, TRUST ME 🙂‍↕️ you will loveee this SO FREAKING MUCH. And if you’re not a fan? I still think you will enjoy it. Personally, I didn’t love that book, but the way this story is written made it so much easier for me to get immersed and truly connect with what was happening something I struggled with previously.

ANYWAYYYY EMILY HENRY, once again I can say you slaaayed. It was such a different way of writing compared to her previous books, but I can easily say this book took the #1 spot for me as top Emily Henry book (Beach Read was my previous #1) 💫🧡

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ the time is now.

as soon as I finish one of my CR this one is NEXT! so grateful to have an eARC from Berkley!

[sonia]

OKAYYY it’s timeeee 🙂‍↕️

Pre-read ✧:･ﾟ
Just received a physical arc of this from work 2 days before I go on my holiday. This great big beautiful life has great big beautiful timing ☀️

[April (catching up)]

The cover is so gorgeous 😍
Two writers compete! April 2025 can't come fast enough 😩🧡

[Destiney Bomberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in fact a mess rn but this was everything to me! More thoughts to come after I’ve stopped crying over this book!! EMILY WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME!!

[Lilyya ♡]

🚨they dropped the cover
~
the title is giving ✨after a-mid-life-crisis kind of phase✨
~
i just read the entire Grocery List WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT’S Folklore CODED ????
THIS BETTER SLAPS RIGHT & LEFT!!

[Robin]

maybe this will fix me

[manju ♡]

THE COVERRRRR

wtaf is this title 😭 i guess it makes sense her streak of impeccable two word titles had to come to an end sometime :/

[s.penkevich]

WE HAVE A COVER!!
Can't wait

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Libro.fm

:( everyone is going to say this is a lesser version of evelyn hugo (and i hate comparing books like that but... they are 100% right) mini review to come soon <3

blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon

♡ Beach Read ★★★★
♡ Happy Place ★★★
♡ Funny Story ★★★★

[Sabrina]

So.. Great Big Beautiful life?

Idk how I feel about it. "great and big" sound entirely synonymous to each other.
-
This is gonna be so relatable and complex in true EH fashion lol can’t wait for it

[Ri ♡]

RIVALS TO LOVERS??? MOTHER IS MOTHERING AGAIN 🧎🏽‍♀️

FOLKLORE CODED?? this book will either ruin me or heal me irrevocably and i am so ready for it.

[summer⁎ ˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

is emily henry in her flop era???? (that is a joke) but i still i hope she never writes a book like this ever again

thank you Berkley for the arc.

my thoughts while reading this consisted of:
- This is an Evelyn Hugo knock off, but worse
- Emily Henry didn’t write this
- Am I rating it as high as I am because it’s Emily Henry?
- I would have dnf'ed this at 50% if it wasn't an arc or one of my most anticipated books of the year.
- 3 stars is still a good rating, yes, but I was supremely bored.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I will not lie in saying that it was great. I am truly disappointed and nobody is more saddened by that more than I am. Was it a bad book? No. Was I bored the entire time? Yes. Did I squeal the first 25%, expecting it to go somewhere before it went the way it did? Yes. (Genuinely, the start of this was so strong, and I had such high hopes.) Did I feel a connection to any of the characters? No. Was the story unique? No. Was it even well written? The jury’s still out on that one.

I can see the vision for the book, but I think it was executed poorly. I really couldn't connect to any part of the story or any of the characters. There was zero character development for Alice and she was as bland and one dimensional as a piece of paper. There was no excitement, yearning, or tension. There was no magic. Hayden, the quintessential grumpy MMC, who didn’t want to tell Alice anything, just dumps hoards—and I mean HOARDS—of himself, his feelings, his thoughts, in chunky paragraphs, randomly, in a chapter. It always feels unwarranted and Alice is never really a driving force in any of these conversations. I understand she’s the bubbly sunshine and that he wants to tell her these things (he feels safe with her, doesn’t feel like she'll laugh at him, whatever), but for me, it lacks reason and intent that, while reading, it just feels like a random trauma dump. It goes against the grain of the slow build Emily Henry makes us want in her novels. I have nothing against Hayden whatsoever but he definitely did not come alive for me in this book. I feel like the sporadic trauma dumping was used in a last-ditch effort to make us empathize with this strange character we otherwise spend hardly any time with.

With this sort of story, there is so much emphasis on Margaret—the woman whose book they’re writing—so sure, there’s not a lot of time for anything else. And that’s fine! Im glad she’s writing a new-ish style book and is branching out! At least try to do it well However the character development for both Alice and Hayden took a plunge in comparison to her previous heros and heroins. Sure, not every character will be Gus or Charlie or Miles, or Daphne, January, or Nora, nor do all of her MC’s have to follow the archetype that she carved for us in her previous novels. It just makes it harder to connect with them (him, her), and thus, with the story and their romance.

Listen, I can appreciate the characters who find solace and comfort in each other without a lot of other meddling. I can acknowledge the significance that this sort of experience might have on the characters. But the romance in this book was severely lacking--not because it wasn't there, but because it was there too much and done badly. However, when you do still have a primarily present romantic plot line, and it’s executed … not poorly, but not tightly, either, then what even is the point? I felt like they were barely speaking or spending any time together to warrant this sort of familiarity. Everything just kind of comes out of left field and I feel like it’s because there’s not enough time in between when she’s focusing on Margaret’s story that she needs to rush their interactions at 2x speed. It was like each chapter it was trying to focus on it not being a romance, and then a romance, and then scrambling to fill in the gaps for this weird historical not historical fiction story going on. The entire book felt like a then/now chapter, but we just went back and forth between Margaret and then Alice and Hayden's vanilla ass story.

Truthfully, I wasn’t even rooting for Hayden and Alice. As I said, the romance seemed to sprout randomly, and at once they’re obsessed, and Hayden is saying weird proclamations about wanting her so badly when they’d barely spent any time together. Alice even says that she thinks she loves him, but hardly knows him. Excuse me what??? So you admit that you have barely put these two characters together and have barely had any meaningful connection and all of a sudden they’re just in love? It was so lackluster. And let me tell you something. I have NEVER skipped a spice scene in any of her novels. I had to skip theirs. It was so cringey, so weird, so awkward. They really just didn’t work for me at all. If Emily had kept true to her word and made this less romance like we were all expecting, would it have fared better? No, because the other half of the book was about Margaret Ives and her family, and that was also lackluster. It felt like every time they were together I was like OH THEYRE KISSING AGAIN IDK WHY!!!! Because it really really didn’t make sense to me at all. And Hayden was saying all the right things… but there was really no reason why when they literally KNEW NOTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER!!! I just didn’t get it. there were some cute moments, I will admit!!! but it wasn't anything I cared about.

The whole plot with Margaret was all so predictable. There was absolutely nothing unique about it whatsoever. I felt like every chapter would end with some ominous, cryptic sentence to hint at what the “story” would be, and it would be incredibly boring that I’d have to put it down and do something else to avoid falling asleep. That this plot line WAS SO BORING. If you think you’re getting Evelyn Hugo when you start this book, think again!!!!! This was absolutely the worst parts of the book. It was so bland and stale. There were secrets and lies and mysteries—sure. But I was not blown away by any of it. And it's sadly the dominant part of the book! I just think the information dumping method did not work in the book's favor. Had it been told in a more immersive way (like Evelyn hugo--where we feel transported to this place in time) instead of just a summarization of what happened in the most boring way. I felt like I was in a history lecture with this american pioneer bs story. It's written in the way I guess Alice would've written the biography but would've loved to see how Hayden would have written it.

The writing for this took a plunge. It felt so opposite of EH’s normal magical writing that, again, I wondered if I was even reading an EH book. It felt juvenile and there was a lot of telling and not showing. Touching upon character development again, I also felt a huge disconnect from Alice and pretty much every single character. Small snippets would get dumped here and there but she wasn’t really present throughout the entire story. And the weird thing with her sister… her sister literally is never even in the book? And her friends live in texts until the last act. And usually, I love when her main character has some festering conflict with the parent, but again, it was so obvious the mom’s reason why she acted that way that it sucked me out of the story and YET AGAIN felt like some last-ditch effort that EH remembered Alice has a mom with whom she has a weird relationship with!! And there must be a reason why!!! It felt rushed. Everything felt rushed (but also dragged at a snails pace at the same time?)

With all that being said, I still don’t think this book is horrible. It is definitely my least favorite of hers by far, and in my opinion is her worst. But it’s not inherently bad. It just did not live up to the expectations I had. I had to cancel my preorder because I was so disappointed.

cute moments i guess:
-ran to her during a storm because she wouldn't answer her phone and he was worried sick
-Is afraid of snakes?
-him crying while holding their daughter was so sweet

My overall ranking:
1) Beach read
2) Book lovers
3) Funny story
5) Happy Place
6) PWMOV
7) Gbbl

[beril ❦]

omg another book being released in 2025, ALSO BY EMILY HENRY? eeee i’m so ready 😙 can’t wait to see the title and the cover!!

update #1 (09.09.2024): omg i just realized we have the title of the book now AAAAA 🗣️

update #2 (17.10.2024): I JUST SAW THE COVER— IT’S GORGEOUS OH MY GOD. *chef’s kiss* 🤌🏻

[Haley Jean]

wake up babe new em hen cover dropped

[Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride)]

Ok I have SO MANY thoughts and feelings on this one. Ahhh! Proper review to come. And maybe a video because like I said, so many thoughts and feelings 😂


Thank you to Libro.fm for the influencer copy!


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