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emotional
reflective
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
Everyone out here giving this book 1-2 stars is kwazyyyy! Even if this isn't your favorite of Emily's books, or it wasn't as romance-focused as her past books, or it wasn't what you were expecting - IT IS STILL OBJECTIVELY A WELL WRITTEN BOOK! I actually cannot with people giving it such low ratings just because she deviated a bit from what she's written in the past.
I personally was eating up the main plot of the story, the interviews etc - I was fascinated by Margaret's family and her life, and that's what kept me reading. At it's core it is still very much an Emily Henry book - and I personally would love for Emily to write more literary/general fiction books! Her ability to tell a deep and complex story is clearly showcased in GBBL!!
Is insta-love/attraction my personal favorite trope? no. Did I wish there was a bit more development of the romance? Yes. The present day romance (cause let's be honest Margaret has a romance story being told here too!) between Alice and Hayden could've been more developed, and honestly I would've even read a longer book to allow for this. But the core of this book is the mystery of Margaret's life being unraveled as it's told to Alice. I was near-tears at the ending with Alice's own family development. Lots of parallels to be drawn to Taylor Swift songs (which we all know Emily is a stan) here.
Margaret did make me mad at the ending when she wrote off Hayden saying 'he doesn't like her' but I mostly forgave her for righting it in the end.
I personally was eating up the main plot of the story, the interviews etc - I was fascinated by Margaret's family and her life, and that's what kept me reading. At it's core it is still very much an Emily Henry book - and I personally would love for Emily to write more literary/general fiction books! Her ability to tell a deep and complex story is clearly showcased in GBBL!!
Is insta-love/attraction my personal favorite trope? no. Did I wish there was a bit more development of the romance? Yes. The present day romance (cause let's be honest Margaret has a romance story being told here too!) between Alice and Hayden could've been more developed, and honestly I would've even read a longer book to allow for this. But the core of this book is the mystery of Margaret's life being unraveled as it's told to Alice. I was near-tears at the ending with Alice's own family development. Lots of parallels to be drawn to Taylor Swift songs (which we all know Emily is a stan) here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Car accident, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
Not quite enemies to lovers but more of semi-forbidden love??? Lots of similarities to “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” but I appreciated the competition of the writers and their fated love story. There was a lot personal growth in all the main characters too and I liked feeling that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
no one talk to me for 3-5 work days I'm processing (also recovering from crying) (a lot)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Forced institutionalization
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great Big Beautiful Life is only the second Emily Henry book I’ve read—my first was Funny Story—and this one definitely feels like a departure from her usual style. It leans more into women’s fiction, and I absolutely enjoyed the shift.
Margaret’s story was both beautiful and heartbreaking, and I was completely drawn in. That twist at the end genuinely caught me off guard, even though some parts were a bit predictable. I liked not always knowing where the story would lead.
There is a romance plot which is between Alice and Hayden, who are competing to write Margaret’s story, but I felt like their chemistry could’ve been explored a bit more deeply. Still, the emotional weight of the book more than made up for it.
Overall, this was a emotionally rich read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in seeing a different, refreshing side of Emily Henry’s storytelling.
Margaret’s story was both beautiful and heartbreaking, and I was completely drawn in. That twist at the end genuinely caught me off guard, even though some parts were a bit predictable. I liked not always knowing where the story would lead.
There is a romance plot which is between Alice and Hayden, who are competing to write Margaret’s story, but I felt like their chemistry could’ve been explored a bit more deeply. Still, the emotional weight of the book more than made up for it.
Overall, this was a emotionally rich read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in seeing a different, refreshing side of Emily Henry’s storytelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Dementia, Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Eating disorder, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Pregnancy
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
nooooo🥲 she tried something different - less romance, more women’s fiction - but it reads like it was supposed to be a romance and the interview parts got carried away.
it also reads like (i hate to say) a rip off of Evelyn Hugo. the writing is juvenile, big plot points happen abruptly, the whole biography is just stereotypes of old hollywood (do we need more “woe is me” celebrity stories!?), and the romance is shallow if not unbelievable thanks to its being sidelined.
at least her writing is still compulsively readable and i dug the romance and family conflicts.
it also reads like (i hate to say) a rip off of Evelyn Hugo. the writing is juvenile, big plot points happen abruptly, the whole biography is just stereotypes of old hollywood (do we need more “woe is me” celebrity stories!?), and the romance is shallow if not unbelievable thanks to its being sidelined.
at least her writing is still compulsively readable and i dug the romance and family conflicts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Eating disorder, Abandonment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
the love interest has some disordered eating thinking/orthorexic habits
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/
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/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident
Moderate: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
While I definitely enjoyed this, I’m sad and rather shocked that I didn’t love it. It had a different vibe from Emily Henry’s other work and while that’s not a bad thing, I felt it lacked her usual magic.
Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining reading and one I flew through in two sittings but I can’t say I felt all too much for it. The romance took a back seat to Margaret’s story and whilst that’s not a bad thing as I really enjoyed learning about her life, it left me wanting more from Alice, Hayden and their love story. I enjoyed both of their characters but I just didn’t feel as though they got enough time to fully develop and shine and main characters. Their relationship felt rushed and incomplete and I just craved the depth and sparkle of Emily’s previous romances.
All that being said, I did enjoy my time with this book. It just sadly didn’t quite give me the high of Emily’s previous work.
Don’t get me wrong, it was an entertaining reading and one I flew through in two sittings but I can’t say I felt all too much for it. The romance took a back seat to Margaret’s story and whilst that’s not a bad thing as I really enjoyed learning about her life, it left me wanting more from Alice, Hayden and their love story. I enjoyed both of their characters but I just didn’t feel as though they got enough time to fully develop and shine and main characters. Their relationship felt rushed and incomplete and I just craved the depth and sparkle of Emily’s previous romances.
All that being said, I did enjoy my time with this book. It just sadly didn’t quite give me the high of Emily’s previous work.
Content Warnings
Minor: Eating disorder