Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry was a bit of a surprise to me. Two writers, Alice and Hayden, are competing to write the biography of the elusive heiress, Margaret Ives. Alice and Hayden will spend a month living on the little island that Margaret calls home, interviewing her. At the end of the month, they will present a proposal to her and Margaret will decide which of them will write her book. Things are not as they seem with Margaret, and Alice and Hayden’s budding relationship is put in jeopardy by her lies. I really wanted to love this book. I had seen that people who normally love Emily Henry didn’t enjoy this one, but I was determined to be an outlier. I am sad to report that I did not love it. I found Margaret’s stories to be boring, and they are a large portion of the book. I wanted more between Alice and Hayden. I felt like the ending was rushed. It was not what I expect going into an Emily Henry book, and it was a let down, in a way. It is more of a literary fiction, less of a romance. Which is fine, if you know that going into it. This is not my favorite Emily Henry book, unfortunately. 3/5 stars.
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Margaret Ives, aged socialite heiress and widow of feted musician Cosmo Sinclair, wants her biography written and recruits two writers, music journalist Hayden Anderson and celebrity writer Alice Scott, on a month's trial basis, before she decides who gets the gig. But what is her real motivation?
This is brilliantly written and I enjoyed the story very much. It is about love - romantic love, love between siblings, between parents and children etc. There are two storylines - Margaret's life story and as a frame around it, Alice and Hayden's romance. I liked most of the characters but Alice is the only main character who gets a first person POV, and everything seems to revolve around her. She has friends and a mother to deal with. In contrast, Hayden feels underdeveloped - does he even have any friends? His childhood is also just touched upon.
The book feels too long, and by trying to tell two stories, Margaret's isn't getting the attention it deserves. However, the twists are good and I liked Alice's side story with her mother. The sultry Louisiana atmosphere is described vividly, but, this being American, they drink too many weird iced drinks and eat too much weird local food I have never heard of. One time, Hayden, Alice and her mother prepare food and there is talk of a salad, roasted carrots, kale and an Alfredo pasta sauce and then her mother says: Soup is ready. What kind of soup is this? Where is the pasta? Anyway, those are minor niggles in an intelligently plotted book using names like Cosmo, Nicollet and Cyril.
This is brilliantly written and I enjoyed the story very much. It is about love - romantic love, love between siblings, between parents and children etc. There are two storylines - Margaret's life story and as a frame around it, Alice and Hayden's romance. I liked most of the characters but Alice is the only main character who gets a first person POV, and everything seems to revolve around her. She has friends and a mother to deal with. In contrast, Hayden feels underdeveloped - does he even have any friends? His childhood is also just touched upon.
The book feels too long, and by trying to tell two stories, Margaret's isn't getting the attention it deserves. However, the twists are good and I liked Alice's side story with her mother. The sultry Louisiana atmosphere is described vividly, but, this being American, they drink too many weird iced drinks and eat too much weird local food I have never heard of. One time, Hayden, Alice and her mother prepare food and there is talk of a salad, roasted carrots, kale and an Alfredo pasta sauce and then her mother says: Soup is ready. What kind of soup is this? Where is the pasta? Anyway, those are minor niggles in an intelligently plotted book using names like Cosmo, Nicollet and Cyril.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Emily Henry, I really do, and I really sped through and enjoyed reading this book, but I can’t really give it four stars or more when it feels like I’ll forget what it was about in two months. A good summer read, classic stupid miscommunication subplot at the climax , but I teared up a few times.