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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
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:
No
✍️ Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry ✍️
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Alice and Hayden, two writers are invited to a remote island to compete for the life story of a reclusive heiress. Bound by NDAs and unexpected chemistry, they discover Margaret’s past—and their own future—may be more tangled than either imagined.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but I did really enjoy it! I continue to love Emily Henry’s writing, and this book wasn’t any different. I did wish for more chemistry and romance between Hayden and Alice as I thought some parts were quick or we didn’t get to see the lead up to them. I also didn’t find anything super significant about Margaret’s story, though I did enjoy those parts. It felt very similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and definitely wasn’t my favourite, but wasn’t bad. I did enjoy the narrators of the audiobook as well!
Read this if you like:
- stories within a story
- rivals to lovers
Vibes: ✍️🌊📚🏯👵🏼🧡
Song that matches the vibe: Ankles by Lucy Dacus
Full review including content warnings on my StoryGraph.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy
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
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
reflective
relaxing
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
emotional
funny
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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident
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
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Death of parent