Emily Henry's Great Big Beautiful Life is everything and more. It holds more than Emily Henry's normal phenomenal writing style. One might even say an element of mystery. The balance between Alice and Hadyen's real life in a small-town island in Georgia juxtaposed with Margaret Ives's family history makes for a compelling read for both romance lovers and fiction (or even perhaps historical fiction) lovers too. There have been rumors to Taylor Swift's The Last Great American Dynasty from the title, but other than sharing the word great, Henry's doesn't seem to be the same kind of story (Rebecca threw major parties, and Margaret moreso attended parties). Love a good tie-in to the title at the end (not saying more than that because no spoilers). There are definitely similarities to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (but better!). This might be Emily's best book yet. We definitely need to re-read it soon. Perfection.

I always wonder if there'll be an EmHen book that I don't like, but once again she has knocked it out of the park with this one. It took me a little while to get into because of *life* but once I was in deep I absolutely loved it. It was different to her others yet so familiar at the same time. I can't wait to give this a re-read as soon as it's out!

This book is BEAUTIFUL. Like genuinely, heart-wrenchingly incredible. Favourite Emily Henry book to date (which I say about all of them, but THIS ONE, gosh).

I fell in love with the characters. We had two stories worth of characters in the one book, and I was completely invested in all of them. Alice and Hayden are both so flawed, which makes them perfect. Perfect to relate to, and perfect for each other. Margaret is a bit difficult to like, but as the pieces start unravelling and we learn more and more, you don't just like her, you also understand her.

There's some romance mixed amongst the story, but it isn't the main focus. The romance more lends towards the understanding of how we'd do anything for those that we love, which ties into Margaret's story as well.

This book is just beautiful, and I know this is one that will stay with me.

A very big thank you to Penguin and Viking for providing me with an eARC.

Emily Henry does it again! Another romance novel full of the swoon-factor as well as reflections on life, family relationships, finding your calling and the perpetual feeling of being on holiday - how does she do that? This one adds an intriguing story of glamour, fame and tragedy woven through it, to it's heart-wrenching ending. I loved Alice and the portrayal of her relationship with Hayden as they fell for each other. It did feel like the ending was quite sudden but possibly, I just didn't want it to end. I would also have loved having Hayden's point of view but that would have taken away some of the mystery element from them not being able to discuss their respective time with Margaret. I didn't need the ticking clock of their allotted month with her to keep me turning pages, but it definitely added to the feeling of stakes being raised, particularly as they fell harder for each other. Another wonderful book!

Emily Henry has done it again. I have JUST finished the book, and the last couple of chapters were so Emily-Henryesque that I have to write this all down RIGHT AWAY.

First of all, to answer the long-awaited question: yes, this book is different from the other EH books. There are two parallel stories to follow, with a solid mix of mystery and romance, and often the stories are literary fiction-adjacent. The good news is that it's all delightful. This quality of EH books doesn't change: it's a pageturner, endearing characters you immediately root for, and the payoff for the reader is enormous towards the end, with callbacks aplenty.

In many ways, I also think Great Big Beautiful Life had the most realistic characters. And that these characters drive the plot so beautifully. Their dilemmas were realistic, too. Hayden and Alice are very likeable MCs...their quirks and idiosyncrasies believable, their life trajectories sensible. (Did I smell a Grumpy x Sunshine trope? Maybe)

On the parallel, we had the story of Margaret Ives, former Tabloid Princess who is now living a life of obscurity. We are taken through her story in her own words — which begs the question, is she an unreliable narrator? — and the story spans at least 3 generations before her. (It was reminiscent of Nathan Hill's Wellness and the history of Elizabeth's family we were told there, except this was a celebrity in the public eye, similar to Taylor Jenkins Reid's Evelyn Hugo)

When you're reading the last act, go with an open mind: the romance genre tropes make things slightly predictable, but the literary and celebrity fabric demands you to read between the lines. I am glad EH ventured into this form of writing; it is a very heartwarming story, even when there's a certain chance that the reader's guesses and the easter eggs decryption land in the vicinity of — if not on — the big reveal).

If you enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels and Taylor Swift's music, you are in for a treat. If you've been an Emily Henry fan (without these two other things added to the mix) be a good egg and join in as she takes us on a multi-genre journey, adding a dash of mystery to her romance outfit.

"God, Alice, we'd be so good together."

Rating: 4.25/5

- small town
- grumpy (him) x sunshine (her)
- rival journalists to lovers
- slow burn
- 🌶️.5/5
- single pov

Premise: You and a rival journalist have one month to start writing a book on an elusive ex-socialite.

This is something unique from Emily Henry. While it isn't a new favourite, I still enjoyed diving deep into the mystery of Margaret's iconic family. Told through interviews and story excerpts, this storyline sometimes takes precedence over the romance.

"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?"

For me, the romance is a subplot. Alice is sunshine and optimism personified, juxtaposed perfectly with Hayden's grumpiness. It's definitely a slow burn, but things pick up around the 40% mark.

There's a lot of tension as they struggle to keep it platonic and not mention Margaret for the month they're essentially competing against each other. There's also a beautiful undertone of trust and vulnerability, as they slowly open up to one another.

"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." >>> the way he sees her 🥹.

Emily loves a complex family dynamic and this is no exception. Another subplot weaving its way through the story is Alice's grief journey after losing her dad years ago and her fragile relationship with her mother.

I love the plot twists at the end of Margaret's story, although the ending stressed me, with so much to be resolved in such a short time. It felt a little rushed. But overall, I know EmHen fans will eat up this new offering of hers.

Thank you to Viking Books UK for the early copy!

Alice & Hayden are rival writers that are competing with the chance to write a biography of the elusive Margret Ives, the old Hollywood media heiress, and finally tell the true story of her larger than life family.
Hayden & Alice have a month to impress Margret & gain her trust to be selected in winning this career defining job, but is Margret the one who can be trusted? With an NDA stopping the two writers being able to discuss their conflicting sessions, Alice & Hayden are torn between finding the truth about the Ives family and keeping their dream job.

I absolutely loved this book but I’m not the first to say that this one feels slightly different to her previous books, but please don’t let that put you off! It still has the EmHen romance magic that we all love but there is a deep storyline too that really captured my heart.

The yearning of Alice & Hayden was perfect but for me it was the chunks of Margaret’s story that had me captivated. I always hate to compare but if you liked the sweeping story and vivid characters of Evelyn Hugo you will love this!

I loved the way she seamlessly wove the romance between Alice & Hayden between such a big family history plot, I was unsure if one would out do the other at first, but when the slow burn finally peaked it was a treat, EmHen writes such great spice!

All in all it was a perfect book for me, more substance than a traditional romance but still all the romance tropes and scenes that I love too!
Have I found the contender for book of the year already?? I think so!

Emily Henry does not miss! Both the stories in this novel - Alice and Hayden's love story, and Margaret's life story - captivated me, keeping me hooked and unable to put the book down. There are comparisons to be made to Taylor Jenkins Reid in terms of the formatting and the celebrity tell-all memoir plot, which certainly isn't a bad thing. With the additional premise that the two writers must compete for the chance to win the opportunity to write the memoir, and where each of them are only being told parts of the story, Emily Henry gives a new perspective to the trope. The novel also contains a lovely exploration of grief and a complicated mother-daughter relationship. Overall, I loved this one a lot and am happy to see Emily remaining consistent in her work!

Just when I think the last Emily Henry book was my favourite, she comes out with another one even better!

I loved Alice and Hayden's story. The setting of a small town, without meeting too many characters, was lovely and it really allowed us the space to get to know Alice and Hayden. They're thrown together when a they're both in the running to write maybe the best book they'll ever write and although they should be against one another, they keep finding themselves together.

Not only did I enjoy the romance aspect of it, and the slower timeline made it realistic, what I really loved was hearing Margaret's story. Getting to hear about her past, how her family started and all of the things they'd been through was so interesting.

Great Big Beautiful Life had so much going for it. Romance, humour, mystery. What's not to love.

I loved Great Big Beautiful Life, a story about two writers trying to get an heiress to choose them to write her life story. Alice and Hayden were great characters, highly recommend.

Always a fan of an EmHen! This is the perfect summer read. Focused on two writers, it is great for anyone thinking being a writer is their dream career - fun to live through Alice and Hayden!

Easy 5 star read, definitely recommend.

Two writers battle it out to get the biography scoop of a lifetime: the infamous story of Margaret Ives. An heiress the media loved to hate.

Split in two timelines, this novel follows journalist Alice as she spends time in Georgia getting to understand the life and story of Margaret, and then Alice telling Margaret’s story.

Both storylines are about more than just romance, but the love of family and security of (or lack thereof) of just trying to be yourself.

Fans of Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones and the six will enjoy this. It has very TJR vibes.

Personally, I would’ve like more Alice and Hayden as they were my faves and their romance was just classic EH!

This book will make perfect summer beach reading!

Thank you Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Emily Henry does it again - another book about quirky writers falling in love.

I LOVED IT.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

To receive an ARC of the new Emily Henry novel on Valentine’s Day was the best gift ever. Emily Henry is a must read author for me. Great Big Beautiful Life is told in a slightly different style to her previous novels. The protagonist, Alice, is a journalist who has tracked down a mysterious socialite Margaret Ives, and wishes to write her memoir. Except….a gorgeous man called Hayden is also in the running for the job and Margaret wants to give each of them a month’s trial so she can decide who should get the job. Cue to the two of them constantly running into each other in the small town they are camped out in. If this followed the style of previous Henry novels, the rest of the story would simply be concerned with the ‘Will they, won’t they?’ between Alice and Hayden. Instead we are also treated to the story of Margaret Ives, her complicated family history and issues and her love story with Cosmo Sinclair. Fans of ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ will love these sections of the story as Margaret was a glamorous socialite constantly dealing with the press and the reader is regularly transported back to her life as she tells her story to Alice. Ultimately this is a story of how to live a fulfilling life, the cost of wealth, the impact of miscommunication and fear and the power of honesty. I absolutely loved the sections between Alice and Margaret and can’t wait to see what Emily Henry does next.

Is this Emily Henry or Taylor Jenkins Reid??? Either way, Emily has knocked it out of the park again.

The same romance we know and love but written in such a different style! This story follows two journalists pitching for the same biography, who can’t seem to stay away from each other… 👀

This book is an easy 5 star read for me, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I encounter for the next year.

I was THRILLED to get an early preview via Netgalley and couldn’t wait to dive in. As always with Emily, her characters are well rounded, leaning just enough into the classic romance tropes whilst winking at the reader knowingly. The storyline is well paced and focuses on two talented writers who are competing to ghost-write the memoir of a mysterious and enigmatic icon who is living her later years incognito. The sizzle is palpable and the payoff is very satisfying. Emily Henry fans won’t be disappointed, this is another smash.

Marvellous. I loved it.

Funny, romantic, a plot to keep you guessing, great characters. Everything I want from a book.

I want to live in an Emily Henry book. She writes so beautifully. Pink really is the giddy part of a sunrise.

‘There is a moment when everything’s just all pink. Pink-lemonade pink. And it feels almost silly. Like the sky is playing.’

I really warmed to Alice Scott. She desperately wants to write the biography of Margaret Ives. Margaret has lived life in the spotlight and much has been reported about her family. Alice has to compete with Hayden Anderson for who will get to write Margaret’s story. What a story it is!

Hayden is a a snake phobic, green tea drinking, trousers wearing, heartthrob. Of course Alice is going to fall for him. They made me melt! I just love Alice’s thoughts on why tall men like short women; of course it’s because there will be more room in the cave.

‘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.’

My brain was racing with theories of what Margaret’s story would reveal. I was breathless and completely hooked. I want to re-examine my relationship with my parents and with my kids. Did I tell them I loved them enough? Emily Henry made me take stock.

Without a shadow of a doubt her best book yet! I have enjoyed her books in the past but this absolutely knocks it out of the park. This book has me gasping and laughing and kicking my feet for these characters. I binge read this in a day because I could not put it down. Wow!

Great Big Beautiful Book.

This book strikes a different cord to Henry's previous romance books. Though you can see threads of Henry's previous work, Great Big Beautiful Life definitely leans more to literary fiction than her other work.

Great Big Beautiful Life is about the love that makes and shapes us, and the world. The decision to tackle love and its truths, ugly and beautiful, was executed beautifully into such an atmospheric and tender beach read. The two narratives informed each other really well with the former acting as a cautionary tale. You could feel the fractures growing and feel yourself grasping for the edge whilst bracing for the inevitable. Both storylines executed with such tenderness and attention to detail. Henry's writing never fails to make me feel like she is cradling me between her pages.

The overarching theme of this book was gorgeous and the round-off was superb. Yes, what a great big beautiful life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one but Im afraid I just didn't. I found the whole story too self-indulgent - the main characters were so introspective and analysed everything over and over, I just wanted them to hurry up and get on with it. The slow burn romance was so drawn out, I was bored with waiting for them to finally get together. A rare Emily Henry miss for me, sorry.