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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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
funny
hopeful
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: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great Big Beautiful Life is Book Lovers meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the best way imaginable, and y’all aren’t ready. Emily Henry has done it again.
I love Henry’s books for her round characters in deeply believable, seemingly unreconcilable circumstances. This delivers on that front, with journalists (sunshine) Alice Scott and (grumpy) Hayden Anderson competing for the chance to write the celebrity memoir of a woman named Margaret Ives who disappeared from the public eye years before. As we watch Alice and Hayden get to know each other better (and wonder what will happen to their budding attraction when one of them beats out the other for the dream job), we also get Margaret’s family story in bits and pieces — but why is Margaret still withholding information even though Alice is under a strict NDA?
I absolutely loved the structure and mystery of this one; I was totally sucked in. Alice and Hayden have a sizzling chemistry, and the way everything fell apart (and then came back together, since this IS a romance novel) in the end had me tearing up. As always, that’s largely thanks Julia Whelan’s excellent performance of the audiobook — she brings out the emotion in me every time.
I think Happy Place is still my favorite (as an OTP girlie, I’m a sucker for second chance), but this one is definitely up there toward the top!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Kidnapping, Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, this is a tricky one. There was a lot I loved about this book. Emily Henry did say that this book would be a little different from her previous ones, and she was certainly right—and while I think she wrote a fantastic story here, I don't think it came together perfectly as a romance.
In the story, Alice and Hayden are competing to get to write the biography of the eccentric and elusive Margaret Ives. Over the course of the book, they fall in love, as would happen in any romance novel, and that part of the story felt very much like any other EmHen romance.
However, that was not actually the main story. At least half the book is Margaret's story—not just in interview format, but directly telling her story and her family's story in narration. Even parts that weren't in narration were still Alice interviewing Margaret, and as a result, Margaret felt much more like the main character than Alice, and MUCH more central to the story than Hayden.
Because we had so little time with Hayden, it really didn't feel earned for her to be falling in love with him. Their time together is definitely cute, but I kept sort of forgetting about him and Alice during the fully half of the book that was just Margaret's story. It doesn't feel like a romance novel. I think I would have absolutely loved it if Emily Henry hadn't pushed in the falling in love part.
The sex scenes actually really didn't work for me, because they felt forced in when I actually just wanted more of Margaret's story and to figure out the underlying mystery that made this particular book so fun.
Also, because we had so little time with him, his whole "mayor's son" thing felt extremely unimportant. It becomes slightly more important at the end, but during the story, it felt like a bit of a random add-in. A lot of his and Alice's childhood baggage felt forced in to make them more complete characters, rather than focusing on what's going on for them in the moment while they're together.
We got way more about Margaret's little sister Laura and her time in a cult than we ever did about Hayden, ostensibly a main character, or about Alice's sister Audrey and her childhood illness and heart surgeries. Again, these things all do tie in at the end, but it felt like pretty much all of the character development for Alice (and the tiny bit we get for Hayden) happen at the very end of the story.
I did really love the way she handled the third-act conflict in this one, and I thought the Margaret arc tied together so well. The themes of family and motherhood were unexpected and well done, even if they mostly came together all at the end of the story.
On the whole, I thought that too much of the character work of the story happened in the last quarter. Alice and Hayden's personal arcs felt very contained in the end of the book, which meant that their love story earlier felt somewhat unearned beyond a few sweet moments.
Ultimately, this was Margaret's story. I loved Margaret and her fascinating life, and when I think back on this book, Margaret is who I'll remember. I would still highly recommend this book, but I'd suggest going into it as a drama rather than a romance, because on this occasion, I think the romance let Emily Henry down.
In the story, Alice and Hayden are competing to get to write the biography of the eccentric and elusive Margaret Ives. Over the course of the book, they fall in love, as would happen in any romance novel, and that part of the story felt very much like any other EmHen romance.
However, that was not actually the main story. At least half the book is Margaret's story—not just in interview format, but directly telling her story and her family's story in narration. Even parts that weren't in narration were still Alice interviewing Margaret, and as a result, Margaret felt much more like the main character than Alice, and MUCH more central to the story than Hayden.
Because we had so little time with Hayden, it really didn't feel earned for her to be falling in love with him. Their time together is definitely cute, but I kept sort of forgetting about him and Alice during the fully half of the book that was just Margaret's story. It doesn't feel like a romance novel. I think I would have absolutely loved it if Emily Henry hadn't pushed in the falling in love part.
The sex scenes actually really didn't work for me, because they felt forced in when I actually just wanted more of Margaret's story and to figure out the underlying mystery that made this particular book so fun.
Also, because we had so little time with him, his whole "mayor's son" thing felt extremely unimportant. It becomes slightly more important at the end, but during the story, it felt like a bit of a random add-in. A lot of his and Alice's childhood baggage felt forced in to make them more complete characters, rather than focusing on what's going on for them in the moment while they're together.
We got way more about Margaret's little sister Laura and her time in a cult than we ever did about Hayden, ostensibly a main character, or about Alice's sister Audrey and her childhood illness and heart surgeries. Again, these things all do tie in at the end, but it felt like pretty much all of the character development for Alice (and the tiny bit we get for Hayden) happen at the very end of the story.
I did really love the way she handled the third-act conflict in this one, and I thought the Margaret arc tied together so well. The themes of family and motherhood were unexpected and well done, even if they mostly came together all at the end of the story.
On the whole, I thought that too much of the character work of the story happened in the last quarter. Alice and Hayden's personal arcs felt very contained in the end of the book, which meant that their love story earlier felt somewhat unearned beyond a few sweet moments.
Ultimately, this was Margaret's story. I loved Margaret and her fascinating life, and when I think back on this book, Margaret is who I'll remember. I would still highly recommend this book, but I'd suggest going into it as a drama rather than a romance, because on this occasion, I think the romance let Emily Henry down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
emotional
mysterious
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
This is basically Emily Henry’s version of Evelyn Hugo but I love Emily Henry’s storytelling and writing so I’m fine with that.
ALC from libro.fm and penguin.
ALC from libro.fm and penguin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I appreciate Emily Henry trying something new with this being part romance, part celebrity memoir, but it just didn’t really work. I didn’t care much about the celebrity storyline and didn’t get enough time to click with the love interest. I did like the two main characters though, they were lovely together. Would have loved more time with them for a more tense build up of the romance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Alice Scott must compete with fellow writer Hayden Anderson for a chance to write the life story of mysterious heiress Margaret Ives—but there may be much more going on than either of them understand.
I loved this book SO much. I definitely went into it expecting something a bit different from past EmHen contemporary romances, and I think setting my expectations that way helped—but this book is also right up my alley and I’m positive I would have adored it regardless. The dual timeline and historical fiction elements were so well done, and I was so interested in the mystery aspects while simultaneously so invested in the relationship, which was heart-meltingly beautiful (as EmHen relationships always are).
This reminded me of a bit of Taylor Jenkins Reid meets Ashley Poston (meets Emily Henry herself) and since I adore all of those authors this was the perfect mix. I can’t wait until everyone gets to read this one in a few weeks!
CW: Death/death of parent; grief; car accident; mental illness
Rating: 5/5 stars
Alice Scott must compete with fellow writer Hayden Anderson for a chance to write the life story of mysterious heiress Margaret Ives—but there may be much more going on than either of them understand.
I loved this book SO much. I definitely went into it expecting something a bit different from past EmHen contemporary romances, and I think setting my expectations that way helped—but this book is also right up my alley and I’m positive I would have adored it regardless. The dual timeline and historical fiction elements were so well done, and I was so interested in the mystery aspects while simultaneously so invested in the relationship, which was heart-meltingly beautiful (as EmHen relationships always are).
This reminded me of a bit of Taylor Jenkins Reid meets Ashley Poston (meets Emily Henry herself) and since I adore all of those authors this was the perfect mix. I can’t wait until everyone gets to read this one in a few weeks!
CW: Death/death of parent; grief; car accident; mental illness
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
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
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Car accident
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Great Big Beautiful Life" is a great big beautiful read! Thank you, Berkley, for sending an early copy my way.
I have so many feelings about Emily Henry's newest book. I went in knowing that she had mentioned it would be unlike anything she's written before, so I was prepared for that.
The dual timeline drew me in right away, as I've always been a fan of novels with this structure. While the plot starts off a bit slow, it picks up more than halfway through, which is when everything begins to come together. Henry is a puzzle master, assembling pieces that I didn't even realize matched until they were revealed—and this is coming from someone who can usually see every plot twist coming!
Be aware that the women's fiction elements shine more than the romance between Hayden and Alice. There's nothing wrong with this in the slightest, and there are still some swoon-worthy moments, but I found Margaret's backstory and Alice's struggles to connect with her mother to be the true highlights of the novel.
If you're a fan of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "One Last Stop", you'll fall in love with "Great Big Beautiful Life"!
I have so many feelings about Emily Henry's newest book. I went in knowing that she had mentioned it would be unlike anything she's written before, so I was prepared for that.
The dual timeline drew me in right away, as I've always been a fan of novels with this structure. While the plot starts off a bit slow, it picks up more than halfway through, which is when everything begins to come together. Henry is a puzzle master, assembling pieces that I didn't even realize matched until they were revealed—and this is coming from someone who can usually see every plot twist coming!
Be aware that the women's fiction elements shine more than the romance between Hayden and Alice. There's nothing wrong with this in the slightest, and there are still some swoon-worthy moments, but I found Margaret's backstory and Alice's struggles to connect with her mother to be the true highlights of the novel.
If you're a fan of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "One Last Stop", you'll fall in love with "Great Big Beautiful Life"!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Minor: Pregnancy