I love Emily Henry and always enjoy recommending her to store customers! I really enjoyed her newest work and will definitely recommend this one

This was an interesting one - it took a little while for the plot to diverge from what was essentially a Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo rerun but I'm glad I stuck with it! Once the romance really takes off the book becomes it's own story and it was worth it to get to the twisty ending. I did preempt some of the plot beforehand as breadcrumbs get dropped throughout but it was still a satisfying read. I found the romance a little on the insta-love side but it was believable for the characters and it really helped to bring their POVs to life. This is something I felt was really missing from Seven Husbands - although there was a backstory for the interviewer it didn't really weave in until the end. It was fun to follow the FMC and MMC outside of Margaret's memories and see how the interviews were changing them and their perspective. If I'd read this first it would've scored higher but as it's a bit too close to the Seven Husbands plot it kind of fell a little flat so it lost some points there but still highly recomend for a contemporary summer read with a drop of spice!

Reaaaaaally loved this story. Two rival journalists writing about a reclusive heiress but so much more. I love that Henry writes writers in her books. Emosh by the end.

Simply gorgeous - EmHen at her best reliable self, delivering swoon and story in equal measures. Perfect Summer read!

This book tells two stories - the romance of two writers falling for each other, but also the history of a celebrity who has hidden away from the public eye as she finally tells her story to these two writers.

While pieces of this book were intriguing, including both of these types of stories in one novel at times made it feel unfocused without time for growth. It was a fine read but not a strong or lasting one.

A gorgeous tale of the lengths people go to for love, and all the different facets of love that exist.

Another Emily Henry masterpiece! I loved the characters and I loved unraveling the story within the story!

I’ve enjoyed Emily Henry’s previous books - though I’m not as obsessed with her as many romance fans seem to be - but I saw this one being compared to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and so moved it to the top of my tbr.

There are definite similarities. Not least that, like Evelyn Hugo, Great Big Beautiful Life feels more mature, more… I don’t want to say literary, but I guess that’s probably the word, than Emily Henry’s previous books.

Having said that, it’s still a romance. Still features a charming MC and hot love interest. It’s still funny and sexy with a delightful setting. There’s just another storyline running alongside and I really enjoyed it. Plus the last line - and the title - are perfect.

Very interested to see what EmHen does next!

Emily Henry continues to be one of my favorite authors. This book was so different from her usual writing but also had that same warm feeling that all her other books gave me.

The flashbacks add to the backstory and history and every look at their history had me more obsessed with them. They are imperfectly perfect.

Emily Henry never fails to write a story that has you understanding the characters on a personal level.

Another great read from Emily Henry, I was excited to read this as I have read a few of her other books. This definitely did not disappoint. The story had so many different layers and relationships and kept me hooked until the end. This would make an amazing mini series or film. Looking forward to the next book.

A somewhat more complex and grownup feeling to this novel compared to Emily Henry's earlier ones. The historical fiction portions, the 'great bib beautiful life', really were beautiful, and actually captivated me more than Alice and Hayden's story, although the two narratives gelled well together. Overall another compelling read from one of my favourite authors.

I'm yet to read an Emily Henry book that I haven't enjoyed. I'd say this one is definitely one of her best. The story-within-a-story is so great just on its own, but throw in the storyline of Hayden and Alice and it's perfection. LOVED it!!

*3.5 stars.

Emily Henry is one of my instant-buy authors, I will read anything she writes, but unfortunately I personally didn't enjoy this one as much as her other work. This story is a little different as it focuses less on the romance and more on the literary/mystery elements. I found the main story to be dull until the last 15% of the book, and the romance that was there didn't feel too exciting due to the instant-love nature of it.

Still a great read that I would recommend but not as a romance.

Emily Henry has released yet another fantastic read. Great Big Beautiful Life follows the two MCs, Alice and Hayden, as they compete for the opportunity of a lifetime: writing the story of Margaret Ives, a former tabloid princess, daughter of one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, and a tragic heiress.

Margaret invites them both for a month-long trial so she can decide who she wants to write her story. And for Alice, this is the opportunity to really prove herself. There are just two issues.

One: Hayden Anderson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and rival for getting Margaret's story.

Two: Margaret seems to only be giving snippets of her story, which they can't compare due to her NDA, and refuses to delve deeper or answer any of their questions.

I really enjoyed learning more about Alice and Hayden as the story progressed. I love the sunshine and grump trope, and that's exactly what you get in Great Big Beautiful Life. Alice is the epitome of sunshine, always positive and wanting to befriend everyone. In comparison, Hayden is a grump, coming off as cold, distant, and less inclined to want to make friends with the locals (or Alice).

Together, these two characters were great! Despite the short timeframe, their relationship progressed naturally thanks to their chemistry.

I'll admit I wasn't as much of a fan of Margaret's parts. The random pieces of her history that she relayed to Alice occasionally threw me out of the story because she was being intentionally vague and "mysterious". Also, her personality very much reminded me of someone who was used to having people cater to their every whim (i.e., spoiled), so I struggled to connect with or like her character.

But she was still central to the story, so despite how much I wanted to get back to Alice and Hayden's story, I appreciated how Margaret's parts all wrapped up and made sense at the end.

Overall, I'd recommend this story to anyone who enjoys romance mixed with historical intrigue, as Great Big Beautiful Life is equal parts contemporary romance and uncovering old, infamous secrets.

I've enjoyed a good few Emily Henry novels and in this one I felt she really upped her game by effectively including a whole second storyline. Alice is a celebrity journalist who's won the chance to pitch for writing reclusive heiress Margaret's story. But what's this, a Pulitzer-prize winning Proper Biographer is in the running, too? Alice breaks down Hayden's reserve and the sparks fly in all sorts of ways, and there's another running theme with both writers having families they don't quite fit into, but what's interesting is that Henry works in how Alice decides she'll write the book, looking at media speculation then the real story for a number of episodes, as a major section of the book. What I really loved is how right she gets it around celebrity ghost-writing, from the trying to get to the truth to interviewing someone with background noise knowing it's going to be hard to transcribe (Alice does all her own transcribing and it takes time, which is also accurate!). Other details are covered nicely, from diner descriptions to what happens when a storm comes in. It all gets quite racy in parts but it's a good read and well done, and Henry's work only seems to be increasing in depth and complexity.

Reviewed on my blog 28 April: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/04/28/fun-light-reads-emily-henry-great-big-beautiful-life-and-jane-linfoot-the-cosy-croissant-cafe/

This is a great big beautiful book. I really enjoyed reading it. Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson find themselves competing for the approval to write the celebrity biography to end all. Reclusive former socialite Margaret Ives from the media mogul family has agreed to speak to both of them for a month and then decide who gets the job. As Alice and Hayden develop a friendship, frustratingly they can't discuss the project owing to NDAs. Bot are left wondering if Margaret is telling the truth. As they discover more bits and pieces of the story, the jigsaw is no nearer completion. Margaret's story is fascinating, the developing one between the two writers even more so. Family relationships are highlighted and healing occurs. A funny, hot, satisfying read. #netgalley #greatbigbeautifullife

This is a slightly different direction for Emily Henry, but I loved it! Margaret's story interwoven with Hayden and Alice's budding romance was so well done and really beautiful. The set-up was perfect and I loved Hayden's stony silences and Alice's unbridled optimism. They were a gorgeous pairing.
My only reason for deducting a star is that I just didn't fall as head over heels in love with Alice and Hayden as I have with previous Emily Henry protagonists (which is probably holding this book to a very high standard), and I felt as though the ending was a little rushed. I would have loved to have seen more of the fallout after THAT reveal. That being said, I breezed through this and found it to be so compulsively readable. I would definitely recommend.

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry has been all over my feed. #EmHen has a lot of fans. I recently read a number of her previous titles (some I really liked, others not so much). This one? Mixed feelings.

I’m a sucker for a historical Hollywood figure finally telling their truth, especially when it involves a love story, so I really liked all the Margaret parts. The parties, the family lore etc. I also enjoyed the relationship between Alice and her mother, and the descriptions of their family home. Her relationship with her father.

What didn’t work for me as effectively was the central love story between Alice and Hayden. There wasn’t enough tension for me or if not tension then enough of a slow burn. It felt kind of rushed or like scenes had been sacrificed in the editing stage to allow for more of the Margaret scenes. It felt a little underdone at times.

It’s interesting, this felt like a move away from Henry’s previous works. It really reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid - in particular Daisy Jones & the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. So I’ll be interested to see where she goes next.

📖

GBBL:

When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication.

The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing.

The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story.

The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it.

📖

I read an advance copy from NetGalley and Penguin UK Books - my thanks to them.

#GreatBigBeautifulLife #EmilyHenry

Emily Henry never fails to deliver, so I saved this one to read on holiday and I was far from disappointed.

The premise of the story is that two journalists, Alice and Hayden, are competing for the opportunity to write the life story/biography of Margaret Ives, who is a famed heiress that has disappeared from public life and lives as a recluse.

The attraction between Hayden and Alice is palpable from early on in the book which was not a surprise to me, and I did wonder how the author would keep the will they/won't they relationship going. However, this book is very much two stories. One is the full character development of flawed humans and their attraction to each other (Alice and Hayden), which is compelling and beautifully told; however, there is a bigger story behind the character of Margaret Ives, which was unexpected to me and as her tale slowly unravelled i found myself being sucked in even deeper.

Part love story, part mystery - this is a spectacular read which keep me gripped from beginning to end. Henry's characters are complex and as deep as ever! Do not miss this read!

“The best stories are born when the words slip effortlessly from a subject's lips, rather than being painfully cranked out of them bit by bit."

♾️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

book: great big beautiful life
author: emily henry

oh my GOD, THIS BOOK!!! i finished this around a month ago and have thought about it every single day since finishing it. i stayed up until 4am reading on my kindle in the dark and absolutely bawled my eyes out.

emily henry never misses and her talent astounds me with every new release, in my opinion this is emily henry’s best work yet, but, coming from somebody who has the seven husbands of evelyn hugo in my top 3 books of all time and folklore is my favourite taylor swift album, it isn’t shocking that i have a bias for this one. i needed to let the hype i created around this book die down before i reviewed it to see if i still feel the same way, and i do, like i said, this is her best work.

alice, hayden and margaret are all such complex, beautiful, yet flawed, characters. emhen has a way of creating the most lovable characters with so many layers they rival me in winter. they feel real to me. i have thought about them daily and would have HAPPILY read 500 more pages about them.

read if you enjoy:
🧡 rivals to lovers
🧡 small town
🧡 past/present timeline
🧡 romance with plot
🧡 books about books
🧡 family drama
🧡 the last great american dynasty

(thank you to much to ellie/teamEmHen at @vikingbooksuk for the EARC! i’m so grateful 🧡)