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Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Car accident
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Stalking, Gaslighting
I absolutely devoured this book; I picked it up and could barely do anything else, including sleep. I think Hayden is one of my favorite EH love interests. I adored him from the moment he accidentally drank Alice's too-sweet iced latte and he never disappointed me. Something about him is just so good. It did not take any convincing for me to like them as a couple. There was something so fulfilling about seeing them come together over something not completely centered on their work; it felt like a genuine, real connection.
I enjoyed the plot and especially the element of mystery, of piecing together the story alongside Alice. I would've liked a bit more at the end, after some of the character revelations. I wanted to revisit the relationships with
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent
And that’s just what GBBL is, aptly named. Although not your typical EmHen romcom, I really loved this new foray into more of a solid contemporary fiction with romance elements. I don’t think it should really be considered a mystery, as some marketing suggested. Of course I would’ve been okay with more of said romance (I adored Alice and Hayden) but at the same time, I don’t think the story-within-the-story really took away from that, either. Margaret’s life story (and her family secrets) was really interesting to me and essentially, it did link everything in the book together. You couldn’t have Alice and Hayden’s romance without what brought them together on that little Georgia island. And come on—an EmHen book where one or both of the protagonists are writers? I’m sold before I’ve even finished reading the synopsis.
This book did remind me a lot of “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”, which others have pointed out. I love both, independent of each other, though they do share some similarities. But at the end of the day, this still reads like an EmHen book, and, dare I say… that’s one of my favorite things to witness in this great big beautiful life.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Abortion, Gaslighting
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Pregnancy, Abandonment
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child death, Panic attacks/disorders
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Car accident
Minor: Pregnancy
This story really sunk itself into my heart and didn't let go. I generally find her books fast, compelling, easy reads that I can binge quickly, but I truly would have finished this in one setting if I didn't need to also see to basic human functions like eating and sleeping. As soon as I put it down, I wanted to pick it back up again - I was absolutely gripped in a way that I typically am not with just a straight up romcom.
I honestly was so impressed with how Henry wove together the stories of our two characters in present day, Alice and Hayden, who are journalists competing to write the life story of Margaret, the now elderly heiress to a media fortune who is ready to tell her side of things - the fame, the fortune, and tragedy alike. This book really reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six (which I mean as a compliment) - this is most clearly felt in the way that there are interview segments with flashbacks and then moments in the present day coming together to form a coherent, sprawling tale of a full life.
I honestly think there are plenty of thriller writers who could take a lesson from Emily Henry in this book - the way she dropped clues and built suspense to the finale was really impressive and was part of what made it so compelling for me. There generally aren't any big reveals in a romcom, but this blending of genres worked well. Not everyone has the talent to pull this off, but Henry certainly does.
We do have plenty of those classic Sleepless in Seattle-like moments, though, so if you're a lover of the OG romcoms, there are still these themes and elements throughout. I love a competitors-turned-lovers, and I think no matter what part of the story you show up for, you'll be satisfied. In this novel, Henry gives her readers exactly the sort of tension needed to craft a complex story while keeping that secret sauce that makes a romance feel magical.
Bravo to the queen, long may she reign!
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Trafficking