Not a fanThis book did not work. And the trouble for me is this book was very clearly rushed. I don't think it succeeds particularly well at any of the three.
Review 1 of 2
Great Big Beautiful Life (2025)
Others: Leaning negative Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century. When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game. One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over. Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication. Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition. But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to 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.
- ISBN:
- 9780241739860
- Length:
- 418 pages
Genres: romance
Lists: …
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Not a fan
Not a fanThis is the first Emily Henry book I have not given a five star to. I adore Emily Henry. And I just found it boring honestly. I did not care. Even the romance I was not invested in.
Review 1 of 7
Loved itThe two books I read by her this year were Funny Story and Great Big Beautiful Life. Both of which I really loved.
Not a fanI tend to love Emily Henry, but this one was such a dud. I think Emily Henry was trying to do something different and it didn't go well because so much of her reader base is based in keeping things very similar.
Not a fanI have nominated here great big beautiful life Emily Henry. If you're gonna try to be Taylor Jenkins Reed, at least try to take as much time as she does with writing her books instead of pumping out a mediocre celebrity romance a year after your last publication.
Review 1 of 3
Mixedthis book was good. Like I appreciated it, and I thought the writing was just so stunning as it always is. There was just too much going on.
Review 1 of 2
Not a fanI found this to be incredibly dull. I didn't care about the romance, and when you take away half, like normally her books are all romance, of that got taken away and put into a different storyline that I thought was really boring.
Review 1 of 5
Loved itI love this one so much I've already read it twice... Highly recommend.
MixedThis is a situation where I didn't dislike this book, but I did feel a bit underwhelmed, especially in the context of like Emily Henry's other stories. And I would say this is by far my least favorite of her releases.
Review 1 of 6
Not a fanThis was fine. This was just fine. forgettable character soup, too much going on.
Review 1 of 3
NeutralGreat big beautiful life is about two writers who are in a bit of a competition to secure this once in a career once in a lifetime opportunity to write the life story of this woman who was like an ays a tabloid princess back in the day and then just like disappeared from the face of the earth for decades.
NeutralI did read A Great Big Beautiful Life. I guess I could have included this for disappointment as well, but it wasn't that disappointing. Like I just thought it was okay.