Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry is a heartfelt and uplifting story that reminds us to embrace both the magic and messiness of living fully. Henry’s writing is warm, funny, and deeply human, filled with characters who linger long after the last page. The themes of love, friendship, and second chances are handled with honesty and charm, making this book a true delight to read. I was drawn in from the very beginning and left feeling hopeful and inspired. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this beautiful novel.

Oh, how I always love Emily Henry novels! This one was pretty different from the others, with echoes of Evelyn Hugo by TRJ, one of my absolute favorite books, and I couldn’t love it more! The characters, the atmosphere, the clash of personality between Alice and Hayden… and do we want to get me started about Hayden? A freaking music journalist, my dream job? I just love love love him. Such a beautiful book but one of my very favorite artists! Thanks so much to Viking Books UK for allowing me to read this little masterpiece in advance!

This book was the love child of Emily Henry’s books and T.J.R’s Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The romance aspect of the book took a significant step back, while the main focus of the story was on Margaret Ives and her spectacular (and scandalous) life and family. It had a different feel compared to other books of hers and unfortunately I wasn’t the biggest fan of that. However, still a fascinating and compelling story, just less focused on the other aspects of her writing that I so dearly love. Would recommend everyone reads it!

She's a stunner.

Another fabulous Emily Henry romance - I adore the way writing and books are woven into the plot, I loved the characters and how they slowly become rounded and break the expectations of a typical romcom couple and it's always just so much fun.

Emily Henry is only on an upwards trajectory, slowing no signs of slowing down. Dominating spring after spring with her classic-to-be romcoms and GBBL is Exhibit A. It was a bit reminiscent of Beach Read which is contrary to everyone else, not my favorite EmHem novel but this one leaned more into the book within a book aspect as we got to see a 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-esque storyline play out in the background! It was interesting but didn’t feel different enough from her previous works! Still excited for what’s to come next from the queen of bookish romcoms!

As with everything Emily Henry, I was enthralled from day one.

This gave major TJR vibes, which is absolutely a complement. To me it shows a development of Henry (not that she needed it) where her depiction of characters and settings has reached a new level.

And of course, I fell for every character and each evolution of their story. I'm a big fan of switching timeframes, where the secondary narration, of a story within a story, was both gripping and seamless.

Overall, I'd highly recommend- an unputdownable page turner.

I really enjoyed this book! Emily Henry is always to good at capturing love! However, I did find it hard to pick up the book after a while because the story within the story was so long and complicated! I had to keep re-reading!

This was a little different from previous books by Emily Henry in that it was a mystery and romance combined, but I loved that about it. It still has plenty of the banter that EH does so well, and also the depth of characterisation which makes every character feel so real. One of my favourites!

As someone who loves Emily Henry I was so excited for this, however it unfortunately fell flat. It felt like a copy of Evelyn Hugo but worse? Hardly any relationship development or chemistry, no depth to the story or characters.

This really wasn’t for me! Had to DNF unfortunately. I love Emily Henry but this book felt more like women’s fiction than romance which wasn’t what I expected.

I love Emily Henry, specifically Beach Read, Book Lovers and Happy Place. I feel that the spark wasn’t there on this one as much as those. I enjoyed this book but I felt like it wasn’t written as a book, but instead a plot for a movie. I would still recommend this novel as Emily Henry couldn’t write a bad book in my mind. I enjoyed the characters and the overall story but they were a little more fleshed out.

I didn't really enjoy this one as much. Emily has been a real hit or miss for me and unfortunately this was a mis. Alice just really wasn't that interesting for me. Hayden intriguied me in the beginning but he dissapointed me. I liked the setting of the book but for some reason the story didn't get to me.

Emily Henry just gets better and better with every new release. Great Big Beautiful Life is an epic family saga filled with intrigue and passion.

Writers Alice and Hayden are both pitching to write the story of Margaret Ives life. Alice and Hayden have signed NDAs so they can't discuss their individual experiences of interviewing the elusive subject. They must both spend time with her and then she will select one of them to pen her biography.

Being thrown together they do spend time getting to know one another and despite being very different in their approach, they find themselves irrestibly drawn to one another.

When Alice pieces the clues together and realises she is in an impossible situation, she has no choice but to leave the potential job behind, and to break her own heart by leaving Hayden.

But that is not the end of their story, in fact, it is just the beginning.

Beautifully crafted with intricate detail, this feels like Emily Henry's most ambitious book to date. It has a more serious feeling that I loved and I was completely absorbed in the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I loved Funny Story and Book Lovers, so I was highly anticipating Great Big Beautiful Life. The synopsis sounded fascinating, and reminiscent of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. However, while I did enjoy the story, it fell a little flat for me. The premise was very ambitious, and I think this maybe took away somewhat from the character development which is what I had enjoyed so much in the previous books I’d read. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between Alice and Hayden, so their romance didn’t feel very believable. Although the big reveal at the end of the book was interesting, it felt very contrived to me. I think on balance, I prefer Emily Henry’s smaller scale stories, where there is time and space for the little details that really immerse you in the book.

Emily Henry has a knack for writing stories that feel like conversations with an old friend—honest, funny, and quietly profound—and Great Big Beautiful Life is no exception. This book gently nudges you to laugh & reflect.

Henry’s writing is warm and witty, balancing emotional depth with just the right amount of levity. One moment you’re smiling at a clever line, and the next you’re pausing to sit with a truth that quietly hits home. It’s not flashy, but it’s deeply felt.

If you’re looking for a story that feels like sunlight through leaves—bright, comforting, and a little bit bittersweet—this book is worth the read.

I’m yet to read an EmHen book that I don’t looove 🫶🏻 Great Big Beautiful Life is definitely a different vibe than her other novels - a little less romance, a little more intricate plot - but I still devoured it!

I was a big fan of the premise before picking this book up: two journalists, Alice and Hayden, both offered a month to spend with the legendary Margaret Ives with the hope that one of them will secure a book deal with her to tell her much anticipated story. The story goes so much deeper beyond that initial glimpse of the plot, there is an abundance of surprises and secrets which fused together to make this a read that I couldn’t put down.

Oh how I love a slow burn romance and we all know Emily is the queen of penning a love story that begins with the thickest of tension. Alice and Hayden were excellent characters in their own right, but together 😮‍💨🔥 I was a big fan.

This wasn’t my favourite of Emily’s books (mainly because it is very hard to beat my unending adoration for both Book Lovers & Happy Place) but it is obviously still a wonderfully written book with the familiar engaging style and perfect blend of emotional depth, beautiful descriptions and sprinkles of humour that I have come to know and love.

I absolutely loved this book🥺 you have done it again! Every book from Emily Henry I have adored and this was no different!

The perfect holiday read! I absolutely adored - from the plot to the characters to the spice level, total perfection from Em Hen!

How does EmHen do it?? Every time I read one of her books I'm sure there's no way she could top her previous one, and then I'm blown away yet again. I loved the romance, humour and storytelling of Great Big Beautiful Life, and I really liked the structure of the two stories from past and present unfolding simultaneously. A good amount of spice too, but it didn't take away at all from the more serious/emotional elements of the book. A swoon-worthy, stunning story from a writer at the height of her powers.

As a longtime Emily Henry fan, I found her latest release to be a familiar and comforting read, with her trademark wit and relatable characters. However, GBBL may be her weakest adult romance to date.

The pacing felt sluggish, the romance lacked depth, and the plot struggled to hold my interest. While I respect Henry’s attempt to step outside her usual formula, I’m not convinced it paid off. If you’ve read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, GBBL treads such similar ground that it may feel redundant.

I remain excited for whatever Henry writes next, but this one just didn’t land for me.