Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

80 reviews

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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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emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No

My least favorite Emily Henry to date. It wasn't terrible, just boring. 

The lead couple and their romance was pretty unconvincing and Margaret's story just wasn't interesting to me. The big reveal was predictable and not worth slogging through all this family history for.

The overall vibe was different enough from previous books that I forgot I was reading a Emily Henry novel.

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

maybe me liking funny story was just a fluke. i appreciate how ambitious henry was with this plot, but it gets all rushed and messy - even contrived - in the last third. disappointing. gorgeous cover though. wished for more focus on alice and her mom.
i absolutely despise an epilogue/last chapter with a pregnancy reveal as a sign of happiness.
banger last line though. i think this is the last emily henry book i’ll read for a few years

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-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: Yes

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challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful mysterious 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: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
emotional funny hopeful 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

Another absolute slam dunk from Emily Henry. I loved it. 

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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.

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emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

What a great, big, beautiful ride Great Big Beautiful Life is. I have shed tears and laughed out loud, kicked my feet in ecstasy and ground my teeth in anticipation. I am floored by Emily Henry again.

I have so many notes to go through, but, for now I will say: this is some of Emily’s most beautiful writing. It is heartfelt and poignant. It is reflective and brutal and honest. It is tragedy and love, humour and regret.

I related to so many of these characters in different ways, from Alice’s insecurity around her mother’s feelings towards her to Hayden’s perfectionism and fear of being himself. Very real fears of me were reflected in this book, the anxiety around bringing children into this world which is cruel and dangerous and difficult. 

There are things I’d love to know more about, particularly surrounding the outcome of the
trial for Dr David
, and Jodi and
her father, including how he came to be the kooky character he is and how much he knows of Hayden and Alice
. I suppose much of that I may only know from the book, if only it were real!

I’m already raring for a reread, and I obviously need to listen to the audiobook but, for now, I leave you with some of my favourite quotes presented with absolutely no context:

“If that’s what I meant, then that’s what I would’ve said.”

“Stone-cold sober and he looks almost as drunk as I feel.”

“What if they have to care for me, for years, after I’ve stopped calling them by their nicknames or telling them I love them?”

“I don’t do this.”
“I do.”
“Fine. I do too.”

“This doesn’t have to be the greatest tragedy to ever befall anyone. It doesn’t even have to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to you.”

“Like I swallowed the sun. Like it’s breaking up every bit of darkness inside me.”

“Maybe every bit of heartbreak in life can be rearranged and used for something beautiful.”

Also, huge shout out to the Pole of Inaccessibility, which is where my heart resides most of the time.

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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: Yes

Okay, listen I didn’t hate it. I did enjoy the book but!
I guessed Hayden being related to Margaret pretty early o ok but I still enjoyed it. I wish we got a little more development in Hayden and Alice’s relationship, especially emotionally from Hayden’s side,  and that we got a more fleshed out happy ending for them. It all felt a bit rushed in the end.

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