Emily Henry does it again - another book about quirky writers falling in love.

I LOVED IT.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

To receive an ARC of the new Emily Henry novel on Valentine’s Day was the best gift ever. Emily Henry is a must read author for me. Great Big Beautiful Life is told in a slightly different style to her previous novels. The protagonist, Alice, is a journalist who has tracked down a mysterious socialite Margaret Ives, and wishes to write her memoir. Except….a gorgeous man called Hayden is also in the running for the job and Margaret wants to give each of them a month’s trial so she can decide who should get the job. Cue to the two of them constantly running into each other in the small town they are camped out in. If this followed the style of previous Henry novels, the rest of the story would simply be concerned with the ‘Will they, won’t they?’ between Alice and Hayden. Instead we are also treated to the story of Margaret Ives, her complicated family history and issues and her love story with Cosmo Sinclair. Fans of ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ will love these sections of the story as Margaret was a glamorous socialite constantly dealing with the press and the reader is regularly transported back to her life as she tells her story to Alice. Ultimately this is a story of how to live a fulfilling life, the cost of wealth, the impact of miscommunication and fear and the power of honesty. I absolutely loved the sections between Alice and Margaret and can’t wait to see what Emily Henry does next.

Is this Emily Henry or Taylor Jenkins Reid??? Either way, Emily has knocked it out of the park again.

The same romance we know and love but written in such a different style! This story follows two journalists pitching for the same biography, who can’t seem to stay away from each other… 👀

This book is an easy 5 star read for me, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I encounter for the next year.

I was THRILLED to get an early preview via Netgalley and couldn’t wait to dive in. As always with Emily, her characters are well rounded, leaning just enough into the classic romance tropes whilst winking at the reader knowingly. The storyline is well paced and focuses on two talented writers who are competing to ghost-write the memoir of a mysterious and enigmatic icon who is living her later years incognito. The sizzle is palpable and the payoff is very satisfying. Emily Henry fans won’t be disappointed, this is another smash.

Marvellous. I loved it.

Funny, romantic, a plot to keep you guessing, great characters. Everything I want from a book.

I want to live in an Emily Henry book. She writes so beautifully. Pink really is the giddy part of a sunrise.

‘There is a moment when everything’s just all pink. Pink-lemonade pink. And it feels almost silly. Like the sky is playing.’

I really warmed to Alice Scott. She desperately wants to write the biography of Margaret Ives. Margaret has lived life in the spotlight and much has been reported about her family. Alice has to compete with Hayden Anderson for who will get to write Margaret’s story. What a story it is!

Hayden is a a snake phobic, green tea drinking, trousers wearing, heartthrob. Of course Alice is going to fall for him. They made me melt! I just love Alice’s thoughts on why tall men like short women; of course it’s because there will be more room in the cave.

‘Love isn’t something you can cup in your hands, and I have to believe that means it’s something that can’t ever be lost.’

My brain was racing with theories of what Margaret’s story would reveal. I was breathless and completely hooked. I want to re-examine my relationship with my parents and with my kids. Did I tell them I loved them enough? Emily Henry made me take stock.

Without a shadow of a doubt her best book yet! I have enjoyed her books in the past but this absolutely knocks it out of the park. This book has me gasping and laughing and kicking my feet for these characters. I binge read this in a day because I could not put it down. Wow!

Great Big Beautiful Book.

This book strikes a different cord to Henry's previous romance books. Though you can see threads of Henry's previous work, Great Big Beautiful Life definitely leans more to literary fiction than her other work.

Great Big Beautiful Life is about the love that makes and shapes us, and the world. The decision to tackle love and its truths, ugly and beautiful, was executed beautifully into such an atmospheric and tender beach read. The two narratives informed each other really well with the former acting as a cautionary tale. You could feel the fractures growing and feel yourself grasping for the edge whilst bracing for the inevitable. Both storylines executed with such tenderness and attention to detail. Henry's writing never fails to make me feel like she is cradling me between her pages.

The overarching theme of this book was gorgeous and the round-off was superb. Yes, what a great big beautiful life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this one but Im afraid I just didn't. I found the whole story too self-indulgent - the main characters were so introspective and analysed everything over and over, I just wanted them to hurry up and get on with it. The slow burn romance was so drawn out, I was bored with waiting for them to finally get together. A rare Emily Henry miss for me, sorry.

This is a very different book from Emily Henry - far more literary fiction than romance, more so than any of her previous works. She also approaches with quite a different narrative structure, providing historical sections as we look back on aspects of the Ives family saga. I think my only gripe with this book is that the romance didn't quite hit for me - because so much of the focus was on Margaret and her story, I feel like we lost out on the chemistry build-up that normally comes with EmHen romances; the romance just felt like it was too fast for me. But I LOVED the parts where we learned about Margaret Ives' story, going all the way back to her great-grandfather - it was very reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo. It's beautifully written (would you expect anything less?), and I was flying through the last few chapters, desperate to learn the secrets that were being unearthed. I can't wait for everyone to read this when it releases and uncover the story of the Ives family!

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Writer Alice is summoned by a reclusive heiress, Margaret, to interview her for one month, uncover family secrets and scandals, then write a book. There's just one problem... she's also invited Pulizter winning writer Hayden to do the same. At the end of the month Margaret will choose whether Alice or Hayden gets to write the book. What could possibly go wrong?

Brilliant! All the usual fabulous Emily Henry elements are here - larger than life characters, witty dialogue, romance and attraction, plus some poignant bits too - but we also get a compelling family mystery. I absolutely loved it and found it unputdownable... and I hadn't guessed the ending either! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

THIS WAS SOOOOOO GOOD.

It was so different than any of Emily Henry's other books but in the BEST way possible. There was so much depth to this one that really made me like the book even more. The premise when I first read it, intrigued me but not as much as her previous books. However, this blew all my expectations out of the water because I absolutely loved it. My one downfall is that I wished it was longer but that is just me being greedy and wanting more from these characters and this world.

Alice, Margaret and Hayden were all brilliantly written characters but Margaret was my favourite. It felt as though I was there in the room, during every session Alice had with her. Her story was so heart wrenching and what a skill it is to write a story within a story that is so detailed but also so different from what you normally write.

I loved loved loved loved this and I expected nothing less because duh it's Emily Henry.

I rated this 5 stars

Alice is determined to prove to her family she is capable of being a serious journalist .Her chance comes when reclusive Margaret Ives ask her to write her biography. She also asks Hayden, a successful biographer and gives them a months trial before deciding who will write the book. Alice slowly uncovers secrets from Margaret's life, she also becomes very attracted to Hayden . Who will be successful and will a romance develop? Emily Henry never fails to please .

EmHen has done it again, and with a little something extra sprinkled on top. Whatever she does, she simply cannot miss in my eyes.

Great Big Beautiful Life follows Alice Scott who is an eternal optimist who goes to Little Crescent Island to write the biography of Margaret Ives. It turns out pessimist, Hayden Anderson who won a Pulitzer-Prize is also there to write the biography. They both have a one month trial period to prove themselves to Margaret and gain her trust. The issue is Margaret only tells Alice and Hayden what she wants to and there is an NDA so Alice and Hayden aren’t supposed to discuss Margaret. The trouble is Alice and Hayden start spending time together and yearning begins. Margaret’s tale is a tragedy but ultimately it will depend on who tells the story.

This book feels very different to Emily Henry’s other books but in a good way. The tone is different and the book is much much about the collective story than the romance. The romance between Alice and Hayden is a focus of the book but there is also a huge focus on Margaret’s story. I really enjoyed reading about Margaret’s life and this gave me vibes of the song The Last Great American Dynasty by Taylor Swift and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This was really good and the ending was so beautiful. I wasn’t sure about this at first but I should have trusted Emily Henry because this was amazing like all her other romance books. I feel bereft after reading this because I loved it and I’m so sad it’s over.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a review copy of this novel. Emily Henry is on my list of top authors I will read without even bothering to know beforehand what it’s about. My faith in her abilities to craft a story that I will love is so strong that it’s never a problem. This novel only underpins that faith. Her novels are always the type that you forget you have to make dinner and just rush through the day so that you can get back to reading it.

Alice Scott, a writer whose experience to date has been publishing articles and essays on celebrities for a magazine, is desperate to have her writing taken seriously by others, especially her family who see her accomplishments not really worthy of the family’s literary reputation. When she tracks down an opportunity to write a full length memoir on one of the most reclusive celebrities in recent history, the octogenarian heiress, Margaret Ives, Alice thinks her opportunity has arrived. But upon meeting up with Margaret on a remote Island off the coast of Georgia she discovers that she must compete for the job with Pulitzer Prize winner Hayden Anderson over the period of one month before Margaret will decide who will write it. As Alice and Hayden spend assigned days with Margaret Alice gets only snippets of Margaret’s life and their exchange is at times puzzling and frustrating. Also frustrating and puzzling is Hayden, whose manner comes across as stiff and guarded, until one day Alice is able to peek underneath the hard exterior and comes to understand more and more the person Hayden is. Through the novel the three of them learn things about themselves and each other that will change their outlook completely.

Emily Henry has a finely honed ability to create characters with depth and compassion that draw the reader to them, despite their frailties. The storylines are fresh, often with unique twists that add to the depth and tension while also creating a compelling and thoughtful novel that is both highly enjoyable and relatable. Another wonderful Emily Henry novel to add to my shelf to reread more than once.

I am a HUGE Emily Henry fan. I really enjoyed the setting and the premise of this, and thought Hayden and Alice were fantastic characters. However, for me it wasn't up there for me with EH's best. I was a lot less interested in the dual narrative of Margaret's story, and so much time was given to that. I wanted more Alice/Hayden time if I'm being totally honest. Would still recommend and will be impatiently waiting for EH's next book, but not my fave.

Patiently waiting for the next Em Hen has literally become my life - absolutely loved this one and the narrative shifting between current and historical times was so beautiful. Did not expect the plot twist at all!

Every time I go to read an Emily Henry book I think, there’s no way that the next book can beat how much I loved the last one, but she truly does keep outdoing herself time and time again.
As expected, I loved and devoured this story. And it didn’t hurt that I was by the beach when I picked it up to read either.
I adored the split between the present, with Alice and Hayden getting to know one another and Margaret’s side of her and her family’s story.
Both sides were just so rich and layered and drew me in fully.
Even though I read a lot of romances, it’s rare for me to truly fall for the male lead. But that’s exactly what happened with Hayden.
Honestly, what a man!
I do have a feeling this will get compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. And while I can see why, as it does follow a similar format, Great Big Beautiful Life was an elevated take on this kind of book.
And as a journalist myself, especially one whose parents don’t really understand or appreciate what I do, I could not have related to Alice more.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for my earc of this book. I love EmHen and was very excited for her latest release. I don’t think it lived up to my expectations and it wasn’t my favourite of hers but I did enjoy it.
I loved the characters and felt like the intertwining stories were interesting.
I think the balance between Alice’s story and Margaret’s was a bit skewed for my interest but it was well done

Emily Henry did it again. She captivated me with a story that is quite different than her others, so this is not your ordinary EmHen romance book. Nonetheless, I am absolutely in love with the story, her writing and also her humor.
We follow 2 stories: Margaret Ives’s story and Alice and Hayden’s story, one that has been going on for a century, while the other one has been going on for a month. Each great, big and beautiful.
At the beginning I wasn’t that into Margaret’s story, but it wasn’t really about her. Once she got involved in it, her story took a turn, and I got immersed in it. At the end it also took a huge turn, and it left me shocked, I didn’t predict the ending it had. Also, my heart broke for Margaret. I also absolutely loved her and Cosmo’s love. It’s something I aim to have; it was beautiful.
Meanwhile Hayden and Alice’s love wasn’t something I was a big fan at the beginning either. But as the story continued, it grew on me. It was love and connection on a deeper level. And of course, Hayden went onto the list of the best book boyfriends. Gotta love men written by Emily.
The book is a mix of The Seven Husbands of Emily Hugo (because of Margaret’s story, it gave 1920s vibes) and Beach Read (mostly because the main characters were writers and something else that I can’t really explain). So, absolutely read it if you want to feel the vibes of those two books, but also The Last Great American Dynasty vibes.