Reviews - Great Big Beautiful Life

29.1k reviews for:

Great Big Beautiful Life

Emily Henry

4.07 AVERAGE

tatabex's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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

itsbexrex's review against another edition

2.75

This had a lot of potential, but it just didn't quite mesh into something cohesive. There were beautiful moments. But they were just moments. I can't quite articulate what it was exactly that didn't work. Maybe it was the comparison to another book that I couldn't help myself from making. Maybe it was the twist that felt random and rushed. Or maybe this was just trying to be too many things at once. On top of that, Hayden & Alice fell instantly in love with each other and then had a random, last second conflict (with little set up) to keep them apart. Plus he reminded me a lot of Charlie (from Book Lovers), just in a different suit (physical description). Also,

Emily Henry, oral sex is sex, babes.

Plot: 0.5
Characters: 1
Setting: 1
Writing Style: 0.5
Pacing: 0.5
Themes: 0.5
Originality: 0
Emotional Impact: 0.5
Overall Enjoyment: 0.5
Ending: 0.5
Total: 5.5/10 (⭐️⭐️.75)
Spice Level: 🌶🌶🌶.5

bluejay1997's review against another edition

4.0

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

chelsn99's review against another edition

4.25

emotional 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: Yes

I honestly thought this was one of Emily Henry's better books in recent times. It had more depth than usual interspersed with lighter aspects. A lot of people are comparing this book to the 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I can kind of see. Yes, this is set in the context of a celebrity biography with two parallel plots: one within the celeb's past life and one in the present day, affecting the interviewer/writer.

Alice is a celebrity journalist who travels to a small town in Georgia to meet the mysterious Margaret Ives, whom everyone believes to be deceased. Margaret was a big socialite/celeb in the 1900s, whose life was filled with scandal and riches. This will be her first time telling her story fully. Alice soon learns that she isn't the only writer being considered for the job. Hayden is a Pulitzer winning writer whose last memoir was a huge hit and he is a more than formidable opponent. Both writers interview Margaret for the next month, hoping to give her the better pitch for their respective books about her life. Both past and present timelines weave together as Alice uncovers Margaret's full family story and the secrets that come with it.

This is a very different book from what Emily Henry has previously written. Margaret's story is tragic and at times devastating, dealing with all manners of heartbreak starting from her great-grandfather. We know how this story ends, so uncovering the parts inbetween doesn't bode well. Alice's/Hayden's story on the other hand reads much more like a typical Emily Henry book--lighthearted and steamy for the most part with some inklings of troubled family life. I actually found the two perspectives (past and present) worked well together and personally did not yearn to return to either perspective while I was reading (and I was flying through this book).

The ending is a bit predictable. The big question is: why is Margaret planning to release her tell-all now of times and why did she pick these two writers to duke it out in the first place? Well, it takes 95% of the book to set up the twist. I think I would have liked more out of how the ending wrapped up (far too fast for my tastes).