Reviews tagging 'Death'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

276 reviews

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Alice Scott must compete with fellow writer Hayden Anderson for a chance to write the life story of mysterious heiress Margaret Ives—but there may be much more going on than either of them understand.

I loved this book SO much. I definitely went into it expecting something a bit different from past EmHen contemporary romances, and I think setting my expectations that way helped—but this book is also right up my alley and I’m positive I would have adored it regardless. The dual timeline and historical fiction elements were so well done, and I was so interested in the mystery aspects while simultaneously so invested in the relationship, which was heart-meltingly beautiful (as EmHen relationships always are).

This reminded me of a bit of Taylor Jenkins Reid meets Ashley Poston (meets Emily Henry herself) and since I adore all of those authors this was the perfect mix. I can’t wait until everyone gets to read this one in a few weeks!

CW: Death/death of parent; grief; car accident; mental illness

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Reminded me a lot of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. 

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emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

 "Great Big Beautiful Life" is a great big beautiful read! Thank you, Berkley, for sending an early copy my way.

I have so many feelings about Emily Henry's newest book. I went in knowing that she had mentioned it would be unlike anything she's written before, so I was prepared for that.

The dual timeline drew me in right away, as I've always been a fan of novels with this structure. While the plot starts off a bit slow, it picks up more than halfway through, which is when everything begins to come together. Henry is a puzzle master, assembling pieces that I didn't even realize matched until they were revealed—and this is coming from someone who can usually see every plot twist coming!

Be aware that the women's fiction elements shine more than the romance between Hayden and Alice. There's nothing wrong with this in the slightest, and there are still some swoon-worthy moments, but I found Margaret's backstory and Alice's struggles to connect with her mother to be the true highlights of the novel.

If you're a fan of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "One Last Stop", you'll fall in love with "Great Big Beautiful Life"! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Contrary to a typical romance novel where there’s tension as to whether both characters will fall in love, the romance is the definite while mystery is kept alive by socialite Margaret’s mysterious past.

It’s that element of mystery that made me truly love this book. I’ve read mysteries about aging people with dangerous pasts and I’ve read romances about two people that are kept about by circumstance, but the combination of the two was inspiring. It’s rare that two completely different aspects of a story can be balanced in a way that isn’t artificial, but Emily Henry did it skillfully.

Read the full review: https://writethroughthenight.com/2025/04/03/review-great-big-beautiful-life-emily-henry/

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Enjoyable but not my favourite of hers. I don’t feel like it flowed as well as it could have, and the balance between Alice’s story and Margaret’s/the interviews was a bit off for me.



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