There’s something about an Emily Henry book that is so much more than just a romance. The way she explores and navigates every type of relationship from parents, friends, siblings, the platonic and romantic, is always so raw and utterly human. I would argue that the way EmHen portrays relationships is unrivalled. I’ve found myself profoundly moved by her character’s interactions on more than one occasion - the imperfect, fervent scenes being close to home.

Great Big Beautiful Life was one of my most anticipated releases for 2025 because I truly cannot fault EmHen’s writing. However, it felt a little more like a great, big, beautiful disappointment, and I’m so sad to say it, but I have to be honest. The book was a mash up of Hayden and Alice’s story (two ‘rival’ journalists competing for the same story) and a biopic of Margaret (a fictional celebrity lost to time who wants to tell her story). Sadly, the combination just didn’t work for me. I was invested in Hayden and Alice’s storyline, but found myself caring very little for Margret’s chapters, especially as she started her story way back when with her grandparents’ lives - characters who had very little relevance to the story.

Despite loving Hayden’s character, I felt his relationship with Alice was shallow and underdeveloped. Which pains me to say, as relationships is what EmHen does best, but it isn’t all that surprising really considering less than half the book is dedicated to exploring their relationship. Their chapters are few and far between, squeezed between Margaret’s as she recites her family’s history. There is a twist at the end that links the two stories together, but until then I just felt very jolted, going back and forth between the two stories and I did find myself sighing with predisposed boredom when I reached Margaret’s chapters.

I do have to point out though that the relationship between Alice and her Mum was very EmHen coded and I adored the depth to which that was explored. It was wholesome, imperfect and ardent. The majority of the stars I’m awarding this book are due to the raw exploration of this relationship.

I wanted to shout from the rooftops about this book because I truly am a huge EmHen fan, I recommend her books to everyone. But this left a lot to be desired and would not be a title I recommend to new readers who are yet to experience the joy of an EmHen book. I’d definitely direct new readers to one of her previous titles.

I feel my rating is a little more generous than I’d usually give, purely because it’s EmHen. The writing is smooth and the relationship between Alice and her Mum was beautiful, but the rest was not EmHen’s best so I have to award it a humble 3 stars.

I am exceptionally grateful to Penguin for the early review copy because I truly do adore Emily Henry and would recommend her other titles, but this one just wasn’t quite my cup of tea. I’m still very eager to discover her future titles as I’m sure they’ll be incredible!

4.5 stars

Another great read from Emily Henry, loved the secondary story line going through it and did not expect the little twist towards the end!

Strong 4☆

Whilst not my favourite of EmHen's, it's not my least favourite either. I loved the similarities to Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and also Beach Read to an extent - Greay Big Beautiful Life is a really engaging read which keeps you enthralled. I read it in two sittings, I just had to know how it was going to end.

I loved Alice and Hayden, Margaret was certainly an unreliable narrator but I couldn't help but love her too. A fantastic read that kept me gripped and guessing and one I'd highly recommend.

Dive into the family history of Margaret, and her quest to share her story...the truth behind the headlines. Full of secrets, jealously and love. A wonderful and different read following the story behind the headlines everyone believes true. Love Emily's books... this did not disappoint.

I have loved and followed Emily Henry since the beginning and this is her best work yet.
I loved the layers of stories that built in each timeline. The characters were all flawed yet loveable. The MC tied everything together with her hope - it's something we could all use more of.
I will be reccomending this to everyone I know.
Thank you so much.

WOW.An extraordinary read and everything I could ever want in a book!Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry has officially stolen my heart and is now one of my all-time favorite reads!

The writing itself is brilliant—fun and beautifully lyrical, yet grounded and full of raw honesty and her ability to craft such real, relatable characters is nothing short of extraordinary. Emily Henry knows how to make you laugh, cry, and experience a whirlwind of emotions all in one chapter. And the themes of self-discovery, love, and the beauty of living fully are woven through every page, making it impossible not to feel inspired.

This book is a true gem that blends laughter, heartache, hope, and beauty in such a way that I couldn’t stop reading until the very last page.It's one of those books that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. It’s emotional and absolutely full of heart!

Emily Henry’s writing is pure magic. Her characters are so wonderfully fleshed out and real, and their journeys are full of warmth, humor, and vulnerability. From the very beginning, I felt connected to the protagonist—her struggles, dreams, and growth had me rooting for her through every twist and turn.

What I loved most about this book is how it makes you reflect on life, love, and everything in between. The way Emily Henry weaves these deep, meaningful themes into such a rich and entertaining narrative is absolutely incredible. Every chapter had me laughing, tearing up, and feeling a whirlwind of emotions in the best way possible.

This book is an absolute must-read for anyone who loves stories that stay with you long after you turn the last page. It’s a reminder that even in the messiest parts of life, there’s so much beauty to be found.Absolutely brilliant .Infinite stars!

I’m not really a romance reader but I tend to make an exception for Emily Henry as her books are so well written and make the perfect holiday reads. I was actually really excited for this one as I’d heard comparisons to Taylor Jenkins Reid, who is one of my favourite authors but unfortunately this fell a bit flat for me.

I really struggled to find any connection to the characters and the Margaret’s story, which is the main focus of the book just didn’t excite me in the way that Evelyn Hugo’s did and the premise is so similar that you can’t help but compare.

It was very readable, and as always with Henry’s exceptionally vivid writing I could see every scene happening around me but it’s not one I would read again.

I was veering towards a serious book slump but EmHen struck again and whisked me away into Alice, Hayden, and Margaret's story. I don't think this a new favourite, but I do really appreciate her trying new things and pushing herself to make her books interesting when it would be so easy to rely on the trusty old romance formula. It was cute, I found it engrossing and the hours slipped away whilst I was reading.

Few things in life are certain, but one is that if there's a new Emily Henry book coming out, I will be the first in line to buy it. So when I saw the announcement for Great Big Beautiful Life, I was extremely excited.

A romance between two rival writers set on an island? Sign me up.

The novel opens with writer Alice on the verge of her big break as she is invited to Crescent Island to interview reclusive heiress Margaret Ives for her upcoming memoir. There's just one problem; Alice isn't the only person in the running for the job.

Hayden, a Pulitzer-winning writer with one beloved memoir already under his belt, is also on the island, with Margaret pitching them against each other for the role. They each get a month to live on the island and take it on turns interviewing Margaret, before she picks her favourite to write her story.

Let me start by saying this is a good book, I enjoyed reading it and I would recommend it to other people. The problem for me was it didn't deliver the fundamental thing I look for in any romance book: romance.

Margaret's life was fascinating, even heart-breaking at times, but it came at the expense of the romantic element of the book. I was expecting to fall in love with Alice and Hayden, but I came away feeling rather lukewarm about them.

I think they just felt a little bland compared to the author's usual characters. When I think of Alice, all that comes to mind is her unfailing optimism and a preference for skirts over trousers. That's it.

Because of how much time is spent telling Margaret's story, there isn't much room for full love story between our main characters, and they ended up feeling more like secondary characters with more of a forced connection to me.

Speaking of secondary characters, one or two were memorable but, for the most part, they weren't of any consequence.

If you liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, this could be your next favourite read, but if, like me, you like Emily Henry's books for the romantic plot, it might not be the one for you.

Overall, I would give Great Big Beautiful Life 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't what I was after from this particular novel and Funny Story will remain on top as my current favourite Emily Henry read.

Great Big Beautiful Life will be released on April 24, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books, who provided an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up.

Great Big Beautiful life was enjoyable in the sense that it is very different from Emily Henry's previous novels. It's very plot based instead of relationship, and although this is refreshing it wasn't what I expected.

The reason this book didn't get a five stars rating from me is because the first 30% was hard to get into, it was very slow to start unlike Emily Henry's other novels, and the story aspects throughout weren't incredibly interesting for me.

I was more interested in the brewing relationship between Alice and Hayden. Another reason would be that the relationship just felt so fast, yes this story is based over a month (give or take) but we don't really see that much interaction between the two MCs before they are professing love for each other.

Overall, a great read but I felt like it was lacking something somewhere.

I adored this book. Alice and Hayden are amazing characters and I really enjoyed seeing how Margaret's story intertwined with Alice's to help her to come to terms with herself.

This book was so enjoyable to read and almost impossible to put down, I already can't wait to read it again!

Emily Henry does it again! I try to make her books last me longer than 2 days but I just can't. Her novels are so enjoyable and compelling, I don't read a tonne of romance but I will always pick up the new Emily Henry because I know it will hit so good. I really enjoyed that this novel felt like a slight shift for Henry, the romance was obviously still there and still strong but what I fell in love with was the story of Margaret Ives. Her tragic but beautiful tale of love, heart-break and the perils of fame had me hooked. Yes it is reminiscent of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Seven Husbands, however I think this really plays to Henry's strong suits when it comes to the bonds between people. I loved that we got, not just Margaret Ives' story but also the people trying to interview her (and don't get me started on the twists, I adored trying to predicted those).

This was such an emotional roller coaster and definitely felt like Henry sidestepping into a new literary space. Not completely away from the romance, but just delving more into the complex relationships we have with each other and that we have with ourselves.

As usual, Emily Henry’s new release is beautifully written wifh tenderness. I loved that the book is more about Margaret who is a fascinating character. I’d love to read a spin-off about her younger self and I imagine it to be like Evelyn Hugo! Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by romance between the main leads. I was not keen about the male lead in particular. And I felt a disconnect with the chemistry between them. But again I’m glad I enjoyed the story Margaret.

Emily Henry’s ‘Great Big Beautiful Life’ is an utterly immersive tale, part love story, part family mystery, and completely unputdownable. Set on a secluded island, it follows journalists Alice and Hayden as they compete to capture the life of the elusive Margaret Ives, only to find their own walls crumbling in the process. Emotional, beautifully written, and brimming with longing, it’s a story that lingers long after the final page. #bigbeautifullife #emilyhenry #slowburnromance #booklover #mustread

what do you get if you cross a classic emily henry with a classic taylor jenkins reid? a great big beautiful life.

i really enjoyed this - the balance between the present day romance & the story of margaret ives' family was delicate but well done. that shift of focus cleverly allowed both stories to keep a good pace and complement one another. this is her strongest book yet in my opinion.

What a great, big, beautiful novel! Great Big Beautiful Life is both a historical family saga – couldn’t get enough of the Ives family! – and a contemporary tale of two writers competing for the same job. There is also romance – in the past and in present time – intriguing plot twists, secrets hidden and revealed, great Emily Henry banter, and wonderful character growth. Once again, Emily Henry delivers – and even though this novel might be quite different from what her readers have gotten used to I enjoyed this whole journey immensely!

I never thought about Beach Read and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – my two absolute favorites – having a baby but if they did this would be it. Then again, I don’t think that all the inevitable comparisons to those two books will do this book justice because this one is firmly standing on its own two feet and not even a huge Georgian thunderstorm could knock it down! I wish all of the characters in this book were real so that I could read more about them!

Thank you so much Penguin UK books/Viking for the advanced copy of this beautiful book!

This book had me sobbing at 2:30am, unable to put it down with only 4 hours until I had to be up again… AKA, a brilliant read!

It wasn’t like any other EmHen, but I still loved it, the romance was quintessentially her style and so so beautiful. I loved Hayden and Alice, their quirks and personalities jumped right out of the page and they felt so so real. My only grumble is that I would have loved to see more of them! They had so much chemistry, a few more benign falling scenes would have been perfection.

I found Margaret’s story hard at first, it felt blocky and I really didn’t care about her Great Grandfather so to be removed from the romance for that was frustrating- it could have been weaved more subtly at the start maybe? But by the end I was fully invested, I had so many theories (none of them right!) and was rooting for her to gain those treasures she was looking for.

The very very end was the thing that got me, Alice’s relationship with her mum and everything that followed was immaculate! I can relate so hard to how she felt her mum saw her and it really got me in the feels 🥺

EmHen is going to remain a staple on my bookshelf!

5 stars

I had high hopes for Great Big Beautiful Life, especially given how much I have loved all of Emily Henry's previous books, but this book just didn’t hit the mark for me.

The plot was predictable and the characters were underdeveloped. This book didn't seem to know what it wanted to be, a summer romance or biography style family drama, and it ultimately failed to deliver on both parts.

The main couple was bland and I could not find myself to be interested in their lukewarm romance. I believe the relationship suffered from a 'tell not show' writing style. We barely witnessed any real chemistry between the characters, and instead, we're simply told that love is blossoming.

To put it bluntly, the biography plotline was boring. The story skims over any sort of development, and instead we get decades of family history, relationships, heartbreak and loss summarised into quick fire bullet points. There is not space to feel any sort of connection to any of the characters and, by the end, after all was finally revealed, I felt indifferent rather than captivated.

The story simply did not have any sort of impact on me and I think if it were not Emily Henry I would not have attempted to finish it. I understand she was taking a risk with this book and I guess I'm just not the target audience. Although it didn't resonate with me as much, I would still encourage others to pick it up and see if it has a greater impact on them.

*Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

Great Big Beautiful Life is the story of two journalists who meet in the pursuit of landing the chance to write icon Grace Ives’s biography. Feelings and relationships become entangled and complicated, and secrets are exposed along the way that may jeopardise their goal.

I savoured this. We tend to only get one Emily Henry a year, and there’s something about
those little bits of magic she puts in her writing. The words zing out emotion.

I trust her so much with my time and my heart that the Illumicrate special edition was ordered within seconds of it hitting my inbox despite my having received an advanced review copy (thank you Penguin!)

I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by this and I was page turning to not only see how the romance panned out but to hear Margaret’s life story unravel. Every single character Henry writes is a deep pool of complicated experiences and emotions. And she is utterly brilliant at making you fall in love with them - even the minor ones!

Alice’s story felt so genuine and well rounded. I loved that it wasn’t all about a romantic relationship. It was about her connections with friends and family, grief, love and her future.

Emily Henry does it again!

Expertly crafted, great characters, and a world to get lost in. Some vibes from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a sprinkling of Daisy Jones and the Six, but still a story that felt original and interesting.

I'm never missing anything Emily Henry writes!