WOW.An extraordinary read and everything I could ever want in a book!Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry has officially stolen my heart and is now one of my all-time favorite reads!

The writing itself is brilliant—fun and beautifully lyrical, yet grounded and full of raw honesty and her ability to craft such real, relatable characters is nothing short of extraordinary. Emily Henry knows how to make you laugh, cry, and experience a whirlwind of emotions all in one chapter. And the themes of self-discovery, love, and the beauty of living fully are woven through every page, making it impossible not to feel inspired.

This book is a true gem that blends laughter, heartache, hope, and beauty in such a way that I couldn’t stop reading until the very last page.It's one of those books that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. It’s emotional and absolutely full of heart!

Emily Henry’s writing is pure magic. Her characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and real, and their journeys are full of warmth, humor, and vulnerability. From the very beginning, I felt connected to the protagonist—her struggles, dreams, and growth had me rooting for her through every twist and turn.

What I loved most about this book is how it makes you reflect on life, love, and everything in between. The way Emily Henry weaves these deep, meaningful themes into such a rich and entertaining narrative is absolutely incredible. Every chapter had me laughing, tearing up, and feeling a whirlwind of emotions in the best way possible.

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves stories that stay with you long after you turn the last page. It’s a reminder that even in the messiest parts of life, there’s so much beauty to be found.Absolutely brilliant .Infinite stars!

I’m not really a romance reader but I tend to make an exception for Emily Henry as her books are so well written and make the perfect holiday reads. I was actually really excited for this one as I’d heard comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is one of my favourite authors but unfortunately this fell a bit flat for me.

I really struggled to find any connection to the characters and the Margaret’s story, which is the main focus of the book just didn’t excite me in the way that Evelyn Hugo’s did and the premise is so similar that you can’t help but compare.

It was very readable, and as always with Henry’s exceptionally vivid writing I could see every scene happening around me but it’s not one I would read again.

I was veering towards a serious book slump but EmHen struck again and whisked me away into Alice, Hayden, and Margaret's story. I don't think this a new favourite, but I do really appreciate her trying new things and pushing herself to make her books interesting when it would be so easy to rely on the trusty old romance formula. It was cute, I found it engrossing and the hours slipped away whilst I was reading.

Few things in life are certain, but one is that if there's a new Emily Henry book coming out, I will be the first in line to buy it. So when I saw the announcement for Great Big Beautiful Life, I was extremely excited.

A romance between two rival writers set on an island? Sign me up.

The novel opens with writer Alice on the verge of her big break as she is invited to Crescent Island to interview reclusive heiress Margaret Ives for her upcoming memoir. There's just one problem; Alice isn't the only person in the running for the job.

Hayden, a Pulitzer-winning writer with one beloved memoir already under his belt, is also on the island, with Margaret pitching them against each other for the role. They each get a month to live on the island and take it on turns interviewing Margaret, before she picks her favourite to write her story.

Let me start by saying this is a good book, I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it to other people. The problem for me was it didn't deliver the fundamental thing I look for in any romance book: romance.

Margaret's life was fascinating, even heart-breaking at times, but it came at the expense of the romantic element of the book. I was expecting to fall in love with Alice and Hayden, but I came away feeling rather lukewarm about them.

I think they just felt a little bland compared to the author's usual characters. When I think of Alice, all that comes to mind is her unfailing optimism and a preference for skirts over trousers. That's it.

Because of how much time is spent telling Margaret's story, there isn't much room for full love story between our main characters, and they ended up feeling more like secondary characters with more of a forced connection to me.

Speaking of secondary characters, one or two were memorable but, for the most part, they weren't of any consequence.

If you liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, this could be your next favourite read, but if, like me, you like Emily Henry's books for the romantic plot, it might not be the one for you.

Overall, I would give Great Big Beautiful Life 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't what I was after from this particular novel and Funny Story will remain on top as my current favourite Emily Henry read.

Great Big Beautiful Life will be released on April 24, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books, who provided an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

Great Big Beautiful life was enjoyable in the sense that it is very different from Emily Henry's previous novels. It's very plot based instead of relationship, and although this is refreshing it wasn't what I expected.

The reason this book didn't get a five stars rating from me is because the first 30% was hard to get into, it was very slow to start unlike Emily Henry's other novels, and the story aspects throughout weren't incredibly interesting for me.

I was more interested in the brewing relationship between Alice and Hayden. Another reason would be that the relationship just felt so fast, yes this story is based over a month (give or take) but we don't really see that much interaction between the two MCs before they are professing love for each other.

Overall, a great read but I felt like it was lacking something somewhere.

I adored this book. Alice and Hayden are amazing characters and I really enjoyed seeing how Margaret's story intertwined with Alice's to help her to come to terms with herself.

This book was so enjoyable to read and almost impossible to put down, I already can't wait to read it again!

Emily Henry does it again! I try to make her books last me longer than 2 days but I just can't. Her novels are so enjoyable and compelling, I don't read a tonne of romance but I will always pick up the new Emily Henry because I know it will hit so good. I really enjoyed that this novel felt like a slight shift for Henry, the romance was obviously still there and still strong but what I fell in love with was the story of Margaret Ives. Her tragic but beautiful tale of love, heart-break and the perils of fame had me hooked. Yes it is reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Seven Husbands, however I think this really plays to Henry's strong suits when it comes to the bonds between people. I loved that we got, not just Margaret Ives' story but also the people trying to interview her (and don't get me started on the twists, I adored trying to predicted those).

This was such an emotional roller coaster and definitely felt like Henry sidestepping into a new literary space. Not completely away from the romance, but just delving more into the complex relationships we have with each other and that we have with ourselves.

As usual, Emily Henry’s new release is beautifully written wifh tenderness. I loved that the book is more about Margaret who is a fascinating character. I’d love to read a spin-off about her younger self and I imagine it to be like Evelyn Hugo! Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by romance between the main leads. I was not keen about the male lead in particular. And I felt a disconnect with the chemistry between them. But again I’m glad I enjoyed the story Margaret.

Emily Henry’s ‘Great Big Beautiful Life’ is an utterly immersive tale, part love story, part family mystery, and completely unputdownable. Set on a secluded island, it follows journalists Alice and Hayden as they compete to capture the life of the elusive Margaret Ives, only to find their own walls crumbling in the process. Emotional, beautifully written, and brimming with longing, it’s a story that lingers long after the final page. #bigbeautifullife #emilyhenry #slowburnromance #booklover #mustread

what do you get if you cross a classic emily henry with a classic taylor jenkins reid? a great big beautiful life.

i really enjoyed this - the balance between the present day romance & the story of margaret ives' family was delicate but well done. that shift of focus cleverly allowed both stories to keep a good pace and complement one another. this is her strongest book yet in my opinion.

What a great, big, beautiful novel! Great Big Beautiful Life is both a historical family saga – couldn’t get enough of the Ives family! – and a contemporary tale of two writers competing for the same job. There is also romance – in the past and in present time – intriguing plot twists, secrets hidden and revealed, great Emily Henry banter, and wonderful character growth. Once again, Emily Henry delivers – and even though this novel might be quite different from what her readers have gotten used to I enjoyed this whole journey immensely!

I never thought about Beach Read and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – my two absolute favorites – having a baby but if they did this would be it. Then again, I don’t think that all the inevitable comparisons to those two books will do this book justice because this one is firmly standing on its own two feet and not even a huge Georgian thunderstorm could knock it down! I wish all of the characters in this book were real so that I could read more about them!

Thank you so much Penguin UK books/Viking for the advanced copy of this beautiful book!

This book had me sobbing at 2:30am, unable to put it down with only 4 hours until I had to be up again… AKA, a brilliant read!

It wasn’t like any other EmHen, but I still loved it, the romance was quintessentially her style and so so beautiful. I loved Hayden and Alice, their quirks and personalities jumped right out of the page and they felt so so real. My only grumble is that I would have loved to see more of them! They had so much chemistry, a few more benign falling scenes would have been perfection.

I found Margaret’s story hard at first, it felt blocky and I really didn’t care about her Great Grandfather so to be removed from the romance for that was frustrating- it could have been weaved more subtly at the start maybe? But by the end I was fully invested, I had so many theories (none of them right!) and was rooting for her to gain those treasures she was looking for.

The very very end was the thing that got me, Alice’s relationship with her mum and everything that followed was immaculate! I can relate so hard to how she felt her mum saw her and it really got me in the feels 🥺

EmHen is going to remain a staple on my bookshelf!

5 stars

I had high hopes for Great Big Beautiful Life, especially given how much I have loved all of Emily Henry's previous books, but this book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

The plot was predictable and the characters were underdeveloped. This book didn't seem to know what it wanted to be, a summer romance or biography style family drama, and it ultimately failed to deliver on both parts.

The main couple was bland and I could not find myself to be interested in their lukewarm romance. I believe the relationship suffered from a 'tell not show' writing style. We barely witnessed any real chemistry between the characters, and instead, we're simply told that love is blossoming.

To put it bluntly, the biography plotline was boring. The story skims over any sort of development, and instead we get decades of family history, relationships, heartbreak and loss summarised into quick fire bullet points. There is not space to feel any sort of connection to any of the characters and, by the end, after all was finally revealed, I felt indifferent rather than captivated.

The story simply did not have any sort of impact on me and I think if it were not Emily Henry I would not have attempted to finish it. I understand she was taking a risk with this book and I guess I'm just not the target audience. Although it didn't resonate with me as much, I would still encourage others to pick it up and see if it has a greater impact on them.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

Great Big Beautiful Life is the story of two journalists who meet in the pursuit of landing the chance to write icon Grace Ives’s biography. Feelings and relationships become entangled and complicated, and secrets are exposed along the way that may jeopardise their goal.

I savoured this. We tend to only get one Emily Henry a year, and there’s something about
those little bits of magic she puts in her writing. The words zing out emotion.

I trust her so much with my time and my heart that the Illumicrate special edition was ordered within seconds of it hitting my inbox despite my having received an advanced review copy (thank you Penguin!)

I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by this and I was page turning to not only see how the romance panned out but to hear Margaret’s life story unravel. Every single character Henry writes is a deep pool of complicated experiences and emotions. And she is utterly brilliant at making you fall in love with them - even the minor ones!

Alice’s story felt so genuine and well rounded. I loved that it wasn’t all about a romantic relationship. It was about her connections with friends and family, grief, love and her future.

Emily Henry does it again!

Expertly crafted, great characters, and a world to get lost in. Some vibes from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a sprinkling of Daisy Jones and the Six, but still a story that felt original and interesting.

I'm never missing anything Emily Henry writes!

This gave me all the feels. Great Big Beautiful life is split into two stories: the first is of Alice and Hayden who find themselves both auditioning to write the biography of a famous, now-reclusive, socialite: Margaret St Ives.

The story then splits into two timelines, one giving us Alice’s and Hayden’s romance, and the other tracking the family history of the socialite Margaret St Ives as Alice and Hayden try to understand what made her a recluse.

It took me a while to warm to the story of Margaret St Ives - desperate to get back to the blossoming romance of Alice and Hayden which had all the tension - but as the stakes rose in the St Ives story I found them to be more evenly balanced and by midway I was enjoying both stories equally and not dashing back to the romance!

I was reading an arc on my kindle and there were so many beautiful passages and phrases that I found myself wanting to highlight and remember - I might have to buy myself a finished copy - they look like they are going to be gorgeous.

Overall: A beautiful story of the lengths that people go to for love.

Every time I pick up an Emily Henry book it becomes my new favourite and this is just perfection! It’s really two stories in one as Alice and Hayden are competing against each other to write the story of Margaret the famous reclusive heiress. This is a magnificent romance with all the feelings and a mysterious heiress who might be telling the truth about her family's scandalous past - or might not! I loved every word, it was delicious right from the start.

emily henry said ‘family saga, mystery, career crisis, and romance in one book,’ and i said ‘say less.’ the pacing is somehow fast and slow, the love story simmers while margaret’s past unravels, and i was racing through the last chapters like my life depended on it. a slightly new direction for henry, but i ate it up.

the long version:

great big beautiful life takes emily henry in a slightly new direction—less rom-com, more family saga, with a sprinkle of mystery, and i was hooked. the ives family history unfolds with all the drama and intrigue of a long lost biography i desperately need on my shelf. the romance? a fast and slow burn (speed run romance strikes again), and somehow, it works. alice and hayden are stuck on an island for a month, so of course, the tension is immaculate, but it’s their quiet, meaningful conversations that sold me.

the month-long timeline struck the perfect balance (for me, unsure if everyone will feel the same, ofc)—fast but not overwhelming, and my usually fleeting romance attention span was thriving. but then i hit 97%, and it felt like i was being yanked back to reality way too soon. was it rushed? kind of, but also not really. the way margaret’s story was woven in made total sense for her character, but i was so deep in this family saga that i felt like i was flipping invisible pages, willing there to be more. honestly, if emily henry ever wants to write a full fictional biography of margaret ives, i’d pre-order it yesterday.

at the end of the day, great big beautiful life left me feeling like i just witnessed the start of something new for emily. it’s not just a romance; it straddles contemporary fiction, and it's exciting, and i am here for it. as always, i loved how she blended heartfelt moments with her signature steamy vibes, creating something that time after time still feels fresh and new.

as for my rating? honestly, i’m on the fence about giving it five stars. part of me thinks it felt a bit rushed toward the end—maybe because i was just so invested in the ives family that i wasn’t ready to say goodbye. but four stars doesn’t do justice (at all) to the incredible growth Emily has shown in this book. my lit-fic girly heart is thrilled to see her venturing into new territory, and i enjoyed it so much that i just wanted more, let's be real, i had a blast! emily is doing what she does best: delivering fresh, exciting stories while evolving as a writer. am i envious? maybe a little, but mostly, i’m just happy to be here.

huge thanks to penguin uk/viking for the advanced copy—i appreciate you more than you know!

Emily Henry doing more of what Emily Henry does best! The romance between Hayden and Alice was delightful, and the glamour of Margaret's story was so much fun, though peppered with EmHen's usual poignancy and depth. Definitely one for your summer reading lists!

A classic Emily Henry. Romance, literary leading characters, forced proximity, intriguing sub plot. I will say it took me like half the book to care about the subplot with Margaret Ives, I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the sections between Hayden and Alice. Second half though, with Cosmo and the family mystery, v much enjoyed equally. A lovely easy read.