Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
(This review contains mild spoilers.)
I have just experienced something very strange. I’ve read a good book by Emily ‘The Emily Henry’ Henry.
Great Big Beautiful Life is more than one book. An infamous socialite, now a recluse, Margaret Ives is tracked down by two biographers, both of whom want to learn her real story. In order to decide which of them is going to write it, she gives them both a trial period of one month, as they meet up with her on alternating days. They also unsurprisingly start a hot romance, which is weird, because – I thought this only happened in movies with mismatched actors – Alice and Hayden have the chemistry of a birthday cake and a wooden plank.
Ives’ story is the more interesting one out of the two being told. It is also – let’s say an homage (rather than rip-off) to the great Judith Krantz. There are films being made, lots of money, there is much glamour, horrible car accidents, and even a character called Gigi (Scruples says hello). Margaret’s story is told in flashbacks, which gave me a weird feeling of reading a lengthy synopsis – which, to be fair, is probably what Henry aimed for. Despite this, those characters are much more fleshed out and interesting than the actual two protagonists.
There was something that I didn’t like. Okay, Alice finds Hayden hot – judging by how he’s described, so would I, at least from the neck down and as long as he kept quiet. But Alice also has a sort-of-kind-of relationship. While there is no actual full-on sex between Alice and Hayden until Theo has completely faded out of the picture, it made me… not entirely cheer for Alice and her questionable morals. I’m not sure whether Theo was in the book as a potential alternative ending – I’m not sure whether he needed to be in the book at all – but it would have done everyone involved much good if he weren’t.
I love Emily Henry’s books, which is probably why I’m more harsh on Great Big Beautiful Life than I would be if there was a different name on the cover. This is an author who can do better and proved that many times. In Great Big Beautiful Life, I got a crossover between Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Judith Krantz, and an excruciatingly predictable and somewhat forced romance between two characters that frankly didn’t fit even in an ‘opposites attract’ way. This is not to say the book was bad or that I wish I DNFed. It was good. But Emily Henry can do great.
(6/10 or 3/5 for Goodreads)
My ratings:
5* = this book changed my life
4* = very good
3* = good
2* = I should have DNFed
1* = actively hostile towards the reader*
I have just experienced something very strange. I’ve read a good book by Emily ‘The Emily Henry’ Henry.
Great Big Beautiful Life is more than one book. An infamous socialite, now a recluse, Margaret Ives is tracked down by two biographers, both of whom want to learn her real story. In order to decide which of them is going to write it, she gives them both a trial period of one month, as they meet up with her on alternating days. They also unsurprisingly start a hot romance, which is weird, because – I thought this only happened in movies with mismatched actors – Alice and Hayden have the chemistry of a birthday cake and a wooden plank.
Ives’ story is the more interesting one out of the two being told. It is also – let’s say an homage (rather than rip-off) to the great Judith Krantz. There are films being made, lots of money, there is much glamour, horrible car accidents, and even a character called Gigi (Scruples says hello). Margaret’s story is told in flashbacks, which gave me a weird feeling of reading a lengthy synopsis – which, to be fair, is probably what Henry aimed for. Despite this, those characters are much more fleshed out and interesting than the actual two protagonists.
There was something that I didn’t like. Okay, Alice finds Hayden hot – judging by how he’s described, so would I, at least from the neck down and as long as he kept quiet. But Alice also has a sort-of-kind-of relationship. While there is no actual full-on sex between Alice and Hayden until Theo has completely faded out of the picture, it made me… not entirely cheer for Alice and her questionable morals. I’m not sure whether Theo was in the book as a potential alternative ending – I’m not sure whether he needed to be in the book at all – but it would have done everyone involved much good if he weren’t.
I love Emily Henry’s books, which is probably why I’m more harsh on Great Big Beautiful Life than I would be if there was a different name on the cover. This is an author who can do better and proved that many times. In Great Big Beautiful Life, I got a crossover between Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Judith Krantz, and an excruciatingly predictable and somewhat forced romance between two characters that frankly didn’t fit even in an ‘opposites attract’ way. This is not to say the book was bad or that I wish I DNFed. It was good. But Emily Henry can do great.
(6/10 or 3/5 for Goodreads)
My ratings:
5* = this book changed my life
4* = very good
3* = good
2* = I should have DNFed
1* = actively hostile towards the reader*
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
A touching tribute to the art of writing, the power of love, and the joy of a great, big, beautiful life.
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
inspiring
mysterious
I think this is now one of my favourite Emily Henry books, and one I am incredibly excited to revisit on audio. After not loving Funny Story and then seeing a lot of mixed reviews I went in with lower expectations which may have been to the benefit of this one.
I adored the intertwining stories. I am baffled by people saying this lacks romance because I felt like we got twice as much through Alice & Hayden and then through Margaret. I also loved all of that history we got and the way it built into a phenomenal mystery I could not wait to keep reading. I also loved the way difficult family relationships and grief were weaved through these stories.
I loved Hayden & Alice’s connection but I also loved that there were moments she needed to be able to stand on her own to see what could come next. Gorgeous book, will be rereading asap.