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dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A sweeping Old Hollywood love story that would dazzle fans of Evelyn Hugo, nestled within a frame narrative about what it's like to fall in love and give only half of yourself, Great Big Beautiful Life is a sprawling look at all the types of family dysfunction you could possibly have, and all the different kinds of love that come out of it. You think you've guessed right and you haven't. GBBL is also a damning portrayal of celebrity culture and the way obsession can cost lives. But it's still a love story, I promise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Sexism, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
emotional
funny
inspiring
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: Sexual content, Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
emotional
lighthearted
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
What to say about this! I went into this book with low expectations despite loving Emily Henry as an author, because I'd heard some mixed reviews from other folks. I did like it, but I definitley liked it less than her others. It feels unfair to compare newer books to her holy trinity (Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation and Book Lovers) but this felt like there were too many different pieces going on at once, which made all of it feel pretty rushed.
This felt like it was trying to be three stories in one... a drama about traumatic family relationships, a mystery about the life of an older celebrity woman who is surrounded by secrets, and an Emily Henry romance with cute banter and fun characters. And it had pieces of all of those, but I wish we had committed to one or even two of those plotlines. Alice's mom sucked and maybe it's because of my own mommy issues but I just have trouble believing that every problem she had with her mom was solved after one emotional confession. I did like the two main characters, but I felt like they were underdeveloped. It was pretty instalovey and overall just felt very rushed. I wish we had spent more time getting to know them. Again it feels unfair to compare it to Emily Henry's past books but sue me, I'm doing that. And the whole Margaret story just felt so much like Evelyn Hugo, PLUS with Julia Whelan narrating? Girl I was waiting for Mick Riva to show up.
It's still a 3.5ish. And I'll continue to read every book she writes so really no harm done 🙂↕️
This felt like it was trying to be three stories in one... a drama about traumatic family relationships, a mystery about the life of an older celebrity woman who is surrounded by secrets, and an Emily Henry romance with cute banter and fun characters. And it had pieces of all of those, but I wish we had committed to one or even two of those plotlines. Alice's mom sucked and maybe it's because of my own mommy issues but I just have trouble believing that every problem she had with her mom was solved after one emotional confession. I did like the two main characters, but I felt like they were underdeveloped. It was pretty instalovey and overall just felt very rushed. I wish we had spent more time getting to know them. Again it feels unfair to compare it to Emily Henry's past books but sue me, I'm doing that. And the whole Margaret story just felt so much like Evelyn Hugo, PLUS with Julia Whelan narrating? Girl I was waiting for Mick Riva to show up.
It's still a 3.5ish. And I'll continue to read every book she writes so really no harm done 🙂↕️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Car accident
Minor: Mental illness, Dementia, Pregnancy
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
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3 - 3.5 stars. I didn't dislike this book, but I had a hard time getting into some parts of the story (specifically, the biography portions of the story...especially in the beginning). I realized the twist very early on in the story, but it wasn't enough to get me to stop reading. To me, this book has more family type drama than it does romance. So if you are into a biography/family drama/family dynamics with a bit of romance sprinkled in, you'll love this book. I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it. 😕
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy
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