A review by jackiepreston
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

emotional funny 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? No

3.5

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think this book would have been better without the romance. Hayden never felt like more than a cardboard cutout of a character, so I never cared about the romance and whether one of them getting this writing job over the other would affect their relationship. 

Now the story of Alice and Margaret learning to trust each other, and Margaret's mostly-true stories, were a major highlight. I enjoyed Alice as a main character, even if I couldn't relate to her overly-sunny disposition. If more of the story could have been these two interacting (maybe with more Jodi too?) I would have liked this more.

I also didn't care for the choice to make Hayden the secret grandchild here. Because I didn't connect to him at all throughout this book, and how we got a single conversation about his mom, it felt like a let down for that relationship (or lack thereof) to be the catalyst of the book. Either make it connected to Alice or flesh out both Hayden and his mother more.
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