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emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Car accident
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Borrowed this from Libby twice before actually trying to finish it. I like most of Emily Henry’s books but I could not get into this one at all. The romance lacked and I don’t think the plot was interesting enough on its own. It really gave off similar vibes to “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and it was just disappointing.
Read For
✓ Slow Burn
✓ Summer Read
✓ Contemporary
✓ Rivals to Lovers
✓ Reporter Interview
𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊
Spice Level: 🌶️
Sad Level: 💧
Plot: 2/10
Pace: 2/10
Ending: 4/10
Characters: 3/10
Enjoyability: 2/10
Writing Style: 2/10
Would I Recommend? No
Favorite Character: n/a
Favorite Quote: ❝Just because something doesn’t make money or win awards doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.❞
POV: Duel, First Person
Pages: 432
Format: Audiobook
Language: English
Release Date: 22, April 2025
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Dementia
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
At the broken (and healing) heart of this story are family dynamics and, more specifically, the hidden, tremulous, and deep-seated feeling that you don’t belong — that your family may love you but that they don’t really like you. It’s an awful anxiety, too tender to poke at, and maybe one that we’ve all felt. I know I have. I know my husband has. I know we’ve talked about it and fought about it.
In the words of the poet Philip Larkin, ”They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.” The parents in this short poem are looked at with tenderness as much as blame. And, in the final stanza, he writes that “[misery] deepens like a coastal shelf.”
In the words of the poet Philip Larkin, ”They fuck you up, your mum and dad. / They may not mean to, but they do. / They fill you with the faults they had / And add some extra, just for you.” The parents in this short poem are looked at with tenderness as much as blame. And, in the final stanza, he writes that “[misery] deepens like a coastal shelf.”
It’s almost like Henry used the poem as a template for her novel, given its island setting, and then came to an altogether different conclusion than the droll warning proffered by the poet. Maybe it’s the difference in an American perspective versus a British one. We can’t help our naive optimism despite the *preponderance* of evidence to the contrary. Fortunately, this is the correct stance for a literary romance novel to take.
I know reviews have been mixed for Henry’s latest book but it punched me in the gut, quickened my pulse, and made my heart flutter. I suppose that *is* a mixed reaction…but certainly not an apathetic one.
Small criticisms include: minor pacing problems. The end, in particular, felt rushed. I’m sure she was aware that the book was already longer than her readers expect from her. Also, for a story so concerned with the love between siblings, Alice’s sister & Hayden’s brother (especially, considering…!) were barely wisps on the page. That said, all three main stories — Alice & Hayden’s, Margaret’s, and Alice’s relationship with her parents — were expertly and gracefully balanced, which is quite a feat when so much could have been fumbled.
I’d like to give a special shout-out to the joke about Cosmo going from being “the poor man’s Elvis” to “the rich man’s Elvis” after he married into the Ives’ family fortune. Very witty, Emily. Top notch. ;) And it was very sexy, of course, per usual!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Dementia
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As a longtime Emily Henry fan, I was excited to pick up her latest novel.
“Great Big Beautiful Life” follows Alice Scott, a bright, young woman who is determined to put her name on the map by writing a biography for the elusive Margaret Ives, an heiress who has been in hiding for years. There is only one thing standing between Alice’s once-in-a-lifetime chance: Pulitzer Prize winning Hayden Anderson. Margaret has requested Alice and Hayden both compete to be the author of her biography by interviewing and getting to know her individually for a month. But Alice’s and Hayden’s attraction towards one another might be difficult for them to ignore, and a writing competition is not helping.
I picked this up not fully knowing the synopsis because it was Emily Henry, which is something I do like doing with authors I have historically enjoyed in the past. I do think the premise of this story would have intrigued me on its own if I just stumbled across this novel in the wild.
There was something incredibly off putting to me about Alice. I felt like her character was almost too resilient. Alice’s mother is not supportive of her career and is actually quite critical that Alice does not “do more”. This has lit a fire under Alice to write more and work harder. I think this is great, but I wish I saw more anger or grief from Alice that her family is so unsupportive of a really great life she is creating. Additionally, Alice is the type of character that can hear “no” a hundred times and she will still show up with a smile and a positive attitude thinking and believing today is the day you will finally say “yes”. I think resilience is important, and a really admirable quality, but there was something that felt too much to me.
Alice and Hayden definitely have some chemistry and a common interest, but I did not feel like their relationship was one hundred percent believable. Something about their situation felt too insta-lovey to me.
The story arch with Margaret went in a direction I was not expecting that I actually did enjoy. Margaret has a lifetime of secrets and I was on the edge of my seat learning them all. I feel like this story would have been better for me if it was a contemporary fiction that focused more on the Margaret plot line rather than a romance between Alice and Hayden.
I will still read Emily Henry in the future, and I would recommend this novel to someone with the right expectations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Dementia
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual content, Car accident, Pregnancy
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Car accident
Minor: Misogyny
emotional
lighthearted
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
oh this book was so lovely. i enjoyed every minute reading this (even the moments when it made me cry!) but i wholeheartedly loved it.
this is only the second emily henry book ive read but it’s immediately become my favourite. i loved the premise, i loved the characters, i loved the storytelling- i just loved it.
alice was immediately likeable. i wanted to be her friend, she felt so real with all of her feelings about the world and her relationships with her parents. how she could see the world with so much joy and didn’t want to focus on the negatives because that wasn’t was life was about. she wanted to focus on the here and now because life is short. i related to that a lot.
hayden was also lovely; im glad it wasn’t a enemies to lovers thing- that wouldn’t have been right. and whilst their relationship did develop quickly, i didn’t mind that. in most ways it felt right. they were both investigating this story and stuck on the same island, why wouldn’t they become friends and then lovers? the pacing felt natural at most points and i felt myself loving them too.
whilst there were a number of characters to follow (most in the present, some in the past) none of them felt undeveloped. i felt like i knew all of them and loved/liked them all individually.
i only had a couple of issues with the book (i didn’t love the final pages, but that’s my issue) and i felt too many words were in italics (again that’s my issue) but not enough of an issue for me to rate it lower. i loved reading this and found myself thinking about it when i wasn’t reading it. i’m not surprised i read it so quickly; it was very readable and un-put-downable.
it does have very similar vibes to seven husbands of evelyn hugo so if you’re a fan of that (which i am!) then this book is for you!
this is only the second emily henry book ive read but it’s immediately become my favourite. i loved the premise, i loved the characters, i loved the storytelling- i just loved it.
alice was immediately likeable. i wanted to be her friend, she felt so real with all of her feelings about the world and her relationships with her parents. how she could see the world with so much joy and didn’t want to focus on the negatives because that wasn’t was life was about. she wanted to focus on the here and now because life is short. i related to that a lot.
hayden was also lovely; im glad it wasn’t a enemies to lovers thing- that wouldn’t have been right. and whilst their relationship did develop quickly, i didn’t mind that. in most ways it felt right. they were both investigating this story and stuck on the same island, why wouldn’t they become friends and then lovers? the pacing felt natural at most points and i felt myself loving them too.
whilst there were a number of characters to follow (most in the present, some in the past) none of them felt undeveloped. i felt like i knew all of them and loved/liked them all individually.
i only had a couple of issues with the book (i didn’t love the final pages, but that’s my issue) and i felt too many words were in italics (again that’s my issue) but not enough of an issue for me to rate it lower. i loved reading this and found myself thinking about it when i wasn’t reading it. i’m not surprised i read it so quickly; it was very readable and un-put-downable.
it does have very similar vibes to seven husbands of evelyn hugo so if you’re a fan of that (which i am!) then this book is for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Car accident
Minor: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Alcohol
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Emily Henry’s best romance so far. The epilogue is bad and unnecessary and some of the dialogue and logic is clunky, but overall better than almost all other romances. The characters and their motivations seem real and relatable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Car accident
Minor: Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy