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emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Car accident, Alcohol
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I flew through this one! It was really well done. I cared about the romance and “the story”. The rivals aspect worked well. The side story was interesting. The ending was a bit of a letdown but overall it was good. I would try another by this author especially on audio. The narrator was great.
Plot: Two writers compete for a chance to write the memoir of an heiress who disappeared decades before.
Overall Rating: 4/5
TW: cursing, sexual content (3 M/F open door scenes that can be skipped easy enough), alcohol
Plot: Two writers compete for a chance to write the memoir of an heiress who disappeared decades before.
Overall Rating: 4/5
TW: cursing, sexual content (3 M/F open door scenes that can be skipped easy enough), alcohol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cursing, Death
Minor: Drug use, Kidnapping, Alcohol
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
This is my second Emily Henry book and while I really did not enjoy Beach Read, I love this. It was sad and emotional. It was hard to follow the family tree at times, that was a bit difficult. I often tell my sister I wish books would all have the character explanations in the front of the book like the original American Girl books.
I enjoyed the main love interests and how they actively worked through problems and worked to understand and apologize with each other. Their issues seemed more grounded in logic versus narrative contrivances. They were not able to talk to each other about certain things due tothe NDA's they sign. They penultimate issue again being afraid of legal threat and also not telling a love one something like that would destroy the relationship slowly over years.
I was also quite moved by the parental relationship with the main female character and her mother. I loathed the mother. She made me so angry.Then I actually forgave her. Her reasons were not great and she screwed up but they made sense in some way versus actually being apathetic to your child's passions and work.
Margaret and the story she told were so interesting and heartbreaking.I genuinely convinced myself there would be a happy ending for her. I get upset thinking about how there really wasn't one. You can have all the money in the world but be barred away from love and happiness by that same money.
And Julia Wheylan, when she read Margaret in a moment of seething anger, her voice gave me chills. She sounded genuinely scary. She did a great job on the audiobook.
I enjoyed the main love interests and how they actively worked through problems and worked to understand and apologize with each other. Their issues seemed more grounded in logic versus narrative contrivances. They were not able to talk to each other about certain things due to
I was also quite moved by the parental relationship with the main female character and her mother. I loathed the mother. She made me so angry.
Margaret and the story she told were so interesting and heartbreaking.
And Julia Wheylan, when she read Margaret in a moment of seething anger, her voice gave me chills. She sounded genuinely scary. She did a great job on the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
“The only way to get a person's full, unfiltered story is to let them tell it to you when and how they want. The best stories are born when the words slip effortlessly from a subject's lips, rather than being painfully cranked out of them bit by bit.“
This book was a delight! I’d argue that Great Big Beautiful Life is best categorized as literary fiction with elements of mystery and romance. (Which is everything I want in a good story!). This book follows Alice and Hayden- both journalists who are competing for a chance to write a new elusive biography about a famous socialite who hasn’t been seen in years.
I fell in love with the characters in here. Alice is bubbly and fun and wins the heart of everyone she runs into. Hayden is a bit tough to crack in the beginning, but he’s super endearing once you get to know him. Margaret is whimsical and quirky and you can’t help but fall in love with her too. I was really invested in all the mysterious elements in this. It feels like you’re uncovering the story and the truth alongside these characters which is really fun. And then of course we get the signature Emily Henry romance, which feels just like the icing on the cake. Despite Alice and Hayden’s story taking the back-burner to Margaret’s, I still felt it had great development and made perfect sense to me. The tension and the will they/won’t they is scrumptious. There’s actually several love stories being told throughout this story and they’re all beautiful in their own ways.
Some of the parts telling Margaret’s story felt a little slow and dragged out, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this! My second favorite EH, as the current ranking stands.
"I think you live in a world that's more interesting than the one most people live in," he says, and just as my heart starts to sink with disappointment, with a kind of loneliness, he adds, "and I wish I could live in it too."
This book was a delight! I’d argue that Great Big Beautiful Life is best categorized as literary fiction with elements of mystery and romance. (Which is everything I want in a good story!). This book follows Alice and Hayden- both journalists who are competing for a chance to write a new elusive biography about a famous socialite who hasn’t been seen in years.
I fell in love with the characters in here. Alice is bubbly and fun and wins the heart of everyone she runs into. Hayden is a bit tough to crack in the beginning, but he’s super endearing once you get to know him. Margaret is whimsical and quirky and you can’t help but fall in love with her too. I was really invested in all the mysterious elements in this. It feels like you’re uncovering the story and the truth alongside these characters which is really fun. And then of course we get the signature Emily Henry romance, which feels just like the icing on the cake. Despite Alice and Hayden’s story taking the back-burner to Margaret’s, I still felt it had great development and made perfect sense to me. The tension and the will they/won’t they is scrumptious. There’s actually several love stories being told throughout this story and they’re all beautiful in their own ways.
Some of the parts telling Margaret’s story felt a little slow and dragged out, but other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this! My second favorite EH, as the current ranking stands.
"I think you live in a world that's more interesting than the one most people live in," he says, and just as my heart starts to sink with disappointment, with a kind of loneliness, he adds, "and I wish I could live in it too."
I feel myself beaming. "I'll take you sometime."
"I'd like that," he says.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Mental illness, Dementia
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
☀️Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry☀️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Emily Henry has done it again - this time with a sun-drenched island, a reclusive icon, and two writers who have absolutely no business catching feelings. And yet. 😏
We meet Alice Scott, an endearing chaos muppet of a writer, and Hayden Anderson, her thundercloud of a rival, as they go head-to-head for the job of a lifetime: telling the story of the elusive (and possibly myth-level fabulous) Margaret Ives. Think Gatsby meets Grey Gardens with a dash of slow-burn tension and you’ll have a taste of the vibes. 🍸📖🌴
The plot unfolds like a treasure hunt in heels - Margaret only gives them fragments of her past, and thanks to ironclad NDAs, there’s no note-passing allowed. Meanwhile, Alice and Hayden keep brushing against each other with all the chemistry of a matchbook in a bonfire.
I loved the layered storytelling, the glamorous-yet-haunted feel of Margaret’s world, and the way Henry lets the romance simmer instead of boil over. And Alice? She’s the kind of protagonist you want to get drinks with and root for - smart, warm, and quietly gutsy.
My one teeny critique? The ending tied up a little too quickly for a story that took its time unfolding. I wouldn’t have minded a few extra chapters to luxuriate in the resolution. But hey, that’s just a sign I didn’t want to leave the island.
All in all, Great Big Beautiful Life is an escapist treat with heart, heat, and a few secrets you won’t see coming. Highly recommend packing it in your beach bag. ☀️📝💕
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Emily Henry has done it again - this time with a sun-drenched island, a reclusive icon, and two writers who have absolutely no business catching feelings. And yet. 😏
We meet Alice Scott, an endearing chaos muppet of a writer, and Hayden Anderson, her thundercloud of a rival, as they go head-to-head for the job of a lifetime: telling the story of the elusive (and possibly myth-level fabulous) Margaret Ives. Think Gatsby meets Grey Gardens with a dash of slow-burn tension and you’ll have a taste of the vibes. 🍸📖🌴
The plot unfolds like a treasure hunt in heels - Margaret only gives them fragments of her past, and thanks to ironclad NDAs, there’s no note-passing allowed. Meanwhile, Alice and Hayden keep brushing against each other with all the chemistry of a matchbook in a bonfire.
I loved the layered storytelling, the glamorous-yet-haunted feel of Margaret’s world, and the way Henry lets the romance simmer instead of boil over. And Alice? She’s the kind of protagonist you want to get drinks with and root for - smart, warm, and quietly gutsy.
My one teeny critique? The ending tied up a little too quickly for a story that took its time unfolding. I wouldn’t have minded a few extra chapters to luxuriate in the resolution. But hey, that’s just a sign I didn’t want to leave the island.
All in all, Great Big Beautiful Life is an escapist treat with heart, heat, and a few secrets you won’t see coming. Highly recommend packing it in your beach bag. ☀️📝💕
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Car accident, Pregnancy
Here’s the deal. I loved this book, but, and it’s a big one, I kind of had to tell myself that I was not reading an Emily Henry title. Why? The banter was just not bantering right away. I didn’t feel the chemistry right away. The story within the story was so different from her other books right away. However, when I detached myself a bit from my expectations based on past experience, I was able to dive in and appreciate it.
I actually found myself more invested in the story of Margaret Ives and her family than in Alice and Hayden. I liked the bit of mystery and intrigue surrounding Margaret’s past, but the twists and turns didn’t take me by surprise.
As far as romance goes, Alice and Hayden develop a friendship and catch feelings over time, but the attraction is immediate. The book spans only a month or two, so it’s still pretty instantaneous. And again, the romance is there, but it almost feels like a subplot.
I think that the way this book was marketed as a rom-com and a mystery was poor. I don’t know what Reese’s book club should have said instead, but I think those labels will set the audience up with false expectations.
All of this makes it sound like I should be giving this a “meh,” mid-level, three-star review, but this one actually is in my top 3 of EmHen’s adult novels.
Emily Henry has a way of writing about grief and loss that connects for me. Alice’s relationship with her parents was complicated and beautiful. And there was a scene that just broke me; the words, “it’s not too late” had me sobbing thinking about my own life and family.
This one also sparked some creativity, bravery, and confidence in me with Hayden’s encouragement to Alice to write what needs to be written even if no one else reads it or likes it. The work is worth it on its own. A message I needed.
Overall, after I jumped my expectation-hurdles, I still laughed and cried and felt as involved as every other book by Emily Henry, if not more so.
I actually found myself more invested in the story of Margaret Ives and her family than in Alice and Hayden. I liked the bit of mystery and intrigue surrounding Margaret’s past, but the twists and turns didn’t take me by surprise.
As far as romance goes, Alice and Hayden develop a friendship and catch feelings over time, but the attraction is immediate. The book spans only a month or two, so it’s still pretty instantaneous. And again, the romance is there, but it almost feels like a subplot.
I think that the way this book was marketed as a rom-com and a mystery was poor. I don’t know what Reese’s book club should have said instead, but I think those labels will set the audience up with false expectations.
All of this makes it sound like I should be giving this a “meh,” mid-level, three-star review, but this one actually is in my top 3 of EmHen’s adult novels.
Emily Henry has a way of writing about grief and loss that connects for me. Alice’s relationship with her parents was complicated and beautiful. And there was a scene that just broke me; the words, “it’s not too late” had me sobbing thinking about my own life and family.
This one also sparked some creativity, bravery, and confidence in me with Hayden’s encouragement to Alice to write what needs to be written even if no one else reads it or likes it. The work is worth it on its own. A message I needed.
Overall, after I jumped my expectation-hurdles, I still laughed and cried and felt as involved as every other book by Emily Henry, if not more so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
The concept was super intriguing but I felt I didn’t really like the characters as much as I wanted to. Felt too drawn out at parts but all in all not a bad book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Car accident, Pregnancy