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Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Dementia, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Classism
And that’s just what GBBL is, aptly named. Although not your typical EmHen romcom, I really loved this new foray into more of a solid contemporary fiction with romance elements. I don’t think it should really be considered a mystery, as some marketing suggested. Of course I would’ve been okay with more of said romance (I adored Alice and Hayden) but at the same time, I don’t think the story-within-the-story really took away from that, either. Margaret’s life story (and her family secrets) was really interesting to me and essentially, it did link everything in the book together. You couldn’t have Alice and Hayden’s romance without what brought them together on that little Georgia island. And come on—an EmHen book where one or both of the protagonists are writers? I’m sold before I’ve even finished reading the synopsis.
This book did remind me a lot of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”, which others have pointed out. I love both, independent of each other, though they do share some similarities. But at the end of the day, this still reads like an EmHen book, and, dare I say… that’s one of my favorite things to witness in this great big beautiful life.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Abortion, Gaslighting
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Pregnancy
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Terminal illness, Medical content, Pregnancy
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy
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.
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
This book is a bit of a different vibe than her previous books but is no less lovely and enjoyable. I loved the dynamics between the main characters, and it was so interesting to have the two storylines going simultaneously and to see how they weave together at the end.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content, Terminal illness, Dementia