Having read all of Emily Henry's books, I was eagerly anticipating this release. Henry takes a big step in a new direction from her more classic romance writing with Great Big Beautiful Life. Playing with the narrative format to intergrate a more interactive experience with the main character's passion and plotline for writing, Henry creates a novel that is moving and interesting. The romance between the lead couple is as strong as ever and was a thoroughly enjoyable comforting read all whilst maintaining a strong air of mystery that makes you want to continue reading for more than the romance aspects.

Every Emily Henry book is better than the last and this is no exception ! I loved it and was hooked .
Two writers are competing for a chance to be the one to write an exclusive book on the biography of Margaret Ives who had an amazing glamourous life but hasn’t been seen for years .
I loved this story – it wasn’t just a romance but also an intriguing mystery that swept me away and I couldn’t wait to read about the life that Margaret led and how she got to where she was now. Plus some surprising twists that I loved - This would be the perfect summers read!

Every time I think I can’t love an Emily Henry novel more than her last, she goes and writes another beautiful novel.

Great Big Beautiful Life draws two journalists to a small island, to interview the heir to an illustrious media dynasty and former socialite, Margaret Ives, whose sudden withdrawal from the public sphere decades prior caused much speculation and further infamy. Margaret has decided to finally tell her tale - a once in a lifetime opportunity for Ives fan Alice and experienced biographer Hayden. As they both vie for the opportunity to be the one she selects to finally tell her story, romance begins to spark (cue my utter delight).

This is not EH’s typical romance; it is like a lovely, cosy complimentary side to the grand and rich tapestry of Margaret’s opulent and tragic life and the Ives legacy. The story weaves across multiple family members, tracing back to when the Ives struck their fortune and through Margaret’s life, documenting the highs and lows of the family and detailing how Margaret chose to make some significant decisions in life. However, not everything seems as clear as Margaret implies, opening a further mystery for Alice to pursue.

I am a very big Emily Henry fan and for me to say that I loved the romance element goes without saying frankly; it’s my bread and butter and she writes characters so perfectly nuanced and fanciable and fun and with great depth and superb dialogue (SO hard to find in a good romance these days).

But for me to say that what hooked me in this book was the Ives story and not the Alice/Hayden romance is a big deal - and I love Henry all the more for trying something new and being daring to step ever so slightly away when she has such a large fan base who clamour for the next perfect romantic read upon each release.

The Ives family story was like being privy to the deliciously off limits stories we wish we knew about celebrities but with the dramatic, heartbreaking, uncomfortable, tragic moments and very human flaws on full display. I looked forward to reading Margaret’s accounts as much, if not more, than Alice’s story.

Alice herself though is a hugely interesting main character whose own background and personality carries the story perfectly. Her own family relationships are examined and she, like Margaret, has some unresolved issues to address.

I adored it. The perfect blend of historical fiction, romance and intrigue as Margaret’s full story slowly comes to light, revealing many twists that illustrate the complex portrait of the Ives family dynasty, while a gorgeously touching and playful (and yes, sexy) romance keeps pace as it unfurls around the reader in the modern day plot.

Layers and layers and layers of story - a readers’s dream of a novel. It is truly a perfect Emily Henry story and arguably her best yet.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I absolutely loved this book.

The story alternated between Alice and Hayden and then it slowly open up with the House of Ives.

The mystery element which was throughout the story, I really loved and had me guessing until towards the end.

It was well written and had me hooked from the beginning.

I highly recommend this book.

I am nothing but a sentimental, romantic fool. I love this book.

Emily Henry strikes again. Henry has an uncanny ability to write and release a book at a time when I need it most. I’m going through a lot at the moment, and the way Henry uses this book as a vehicle to discuss memory, legacy, regrets and generational love really resonated with me.

As well as relating to this book and all the introspection it led me to have, this book was greatly entertaining and thrilling. I was so invested in Margaret’s story, and I loved seeing the main character, Alice, work through the tale. It was mysterious, tense and heartbreaking. I also loved how Henry took a look at the impact of the media, particularly with the harmful impact of catchy headlines, and not only the mentions and emotional danger of the press, but the physical too. I like how the book took a look at manipulation, memory and storytelling, and how there are many sides and versions of a story…and what’s the truth? How do we get there? I think this is all particularly important in today’s political climate, given how the news can manipulate the truth — or emit it — to make the audience believe a certain way. This is not to mention bias.

I did put quite a few of the puzzle pieces together of Margaret’s story, and I was so excited to see when I was right! I really would love Emily Henry to write a mystery/thriller genre book.

I really liked the romance between Alice and Hayden, and I thought they were both great characters who complimented each other well, despite all their vast differences. I will say this isn’t my favourite Emily Henry romantic couple, and sometimes I often wanted their scenes to end to get back to Margaret’s story, I was that invested…

All in all this was a beautiful book and I absolutely love how the last line pulled it together. I don’t think I could quite accurately put in to words how this book resonated with me.

Emily Henry has done it again! There's heart, humour and beautful romance. Honestly could not put it down once I started reading...this could be one of my favourites of hers.

I may have squealed when Great Big Beautiful Life landed in my inbox. This was fantastic and has managed to beat out Book Lovers as my new favourite Emily Henry. Straight off the bat this was very reminiscent of a TJR novel stylistically - I loved the jumps between present and past, and how we slowly unravelled the layers of Margaret's past and how everything brought her - and both Alice and Hayden - together in present day.

I loved the stylistic choices in how the plot was built, as well as the characters, and the quaint and lovely small-town setting - everything was tied together beautifully. The only minor note is that I felt the final scene felt a tad bit rushed and maybe jumped a bit too quickly for me to process.

Overall though, highly recommend, the romantic/comedy/mystery was very gripping!

Emily Henry supremacy - forever and always! I just love everything she writes. It’s so full of heart and humour and the longing to be understood.l, and Great Big Beautiful Life had it all in buckets. Alice and Hayden were truly polar opposites in every sense of the world. Grumpy / sunshine to the max. I loved seeing them slowly start to trust each other and open up even with the competition between them, and how that mirrored Margaret’s slowly unraveling story. This had a different flavour to it compared to Emily’s other works. It felt closer to contemporary fiction or women’s fiction than romance, which wasn’t to my particular taste, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. Ultimately, I really would’ve loved to see more focus on Alice and Hayden and less on Margaret’s backstory as I found it a bit hard to focus sometimes. But overall, I absolutely devoured GBBL like all of Emily Henry’s works and, needless to say, I’ll be devouring the next one, too!!

I love me a romance where the primary cause of the miscommunication trope is that the characters care for each other so much that they’re trying to protect each other. It sort of reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo x Beach Read. The perfect bank holiday read, I blitzed through it. So so grateful to Penguin for sending me a proof copy.

Headlines:
Family saga
Contemporary and historical
Smoke and mirrors

Emily Henry did something different with Great Big Beautiful Life and it worked. This story of two journalists vying for the chance to write the biography of a famous affluent but now reclusive woman was all the more interesting for the two storylines that emerged. In the present, we had Alice and Hayden, the two journalists slowly connecting. In the past, was Margaret's story that was steeped in family drama that became compelling.

Alice was bright, bubbly and enthusiastic, to the point of annoying her new rival Hayden. Hayden was quietly arrogant, uncommunicative (at first) and seemed a bit of a stick in the mud. Alice wanted to befriend Hayden and she slowly wormed her way in. These two had a very interesting dynamic. Hayden revealed a soft centre, concern for Alice and a willingness to emerge from routines and habits along the way. Their pact of not talking about the project, made it frustrating for them and sometimes the reader.

The past storyline held all the secrets, some of which were unimaginable and some which when the penny dropped, changed my whole understanding of both stories; that element was so clever. I found the first half a bit pacey, wanting to be in the contemporary rather than the past. As the second half built up speed and got closer to Margaret's life, I got more and more absorbed by the past timeline. I still don't really understand the need to know Margarets more distant family stories if I'm being honest.

Overall, this was a great read. It reminded me a little of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in tone and approach, so if you're a fan of that book, you'll probably love this.

Thank you to Viking Books for the review copy.

This was a solid 4 star read for me! I really enjoyed Happy Place by the same author and found this book actually quite different to her previous books.

If you're looking for a romance only plot then maybe this book is not for you. its not the most romantic book of hers but there is defiantly a subplot of romance that is to die for! I loved Hayden!! I just wish there was more of the romance which is what Emily Henry is known for, it did feel very rushed but I was there for the vibes and didn't think to much into it.

the two different plot lines was quite well thought out and I loved how they merge at the end. It did feel a little bit rushed nearer the end (last 10%) but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the uniqueness of all the characters. I also loved Alices' and her mums relationship nearer the end.

Thank you very much for an arc for this, this was a fab read!

That was kind of emotional and I think I loved it. The way the story of the Margaret and the Ives was woven throughout everything was great. I found myself lost in the love , loss, pain and tragedy of this family and the mystery of Margaret.

Hayden and Alice were everything I love in a romantic pairing. It started off slow, they wormed their way under each other’s skin and then it just built kept building into this beautiful, solid intimate thing.

What I also really liked about this book was it wasn’t just about Hayden and Alice’s love story being told there were all these mini love stories we were introduced to as we got to know them and as Margaret told her tale and each of them was emotional, captivating and heartbreaking, and made me feel everything. 5 🌟

I have really enjoyed reading Great Big Beautiful Life. The dual time line felt like a new direction for Emily Henry and I was invested in both story lines.
I didn’t feel the connection between Alice and Hayden immediately but I loved how it developed and their interactions became more believable as the book went on.
I very much enjoyed the setting too, I like the small town vibes and you almost feel like Hayden and Alice are on holiday as they are in unfamiliar territory.
Thanks for letting me review.

I definitely seem to be in the minority when it comes to this book. I had the idea that it would be a rivals to lovers story, with the story of Margaret being a side story. However, it was the Margaret show, with a love story thrown in that didn't belong and had zero growth or chemistry. This unfortunately felt like a carbon copy of a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, but without the addictive grab hers has. Really disappointed :(

Emily Henry comes up trumps again. Another addictive, romantic story that's impossible to put down as rival journalists Alice and Hayden compete to win the chance to write the biography of the reclusive Margaret Ives. Loved it

As a HUGE longtime Emily Henry fan, Great Big Beautiful Life was my most anticipated read of the year. I read the ARC back in March, but I’ve been sitting with it since then, trying to figure out exactly how I feel. This was such a big difference to her usual style that it took a bit longer to draw me in.

The dual POV was interesting, though I found myself less engaged with Margaret’s chapters initially. It wasn’t until she began opening up about her own past that I started to really enjoy her chapters. The romance, while sweet, felt a little underdeveloped compared to Henry’s previous works.. I definitely missed some of that signature EmHen slow-burn.

That said, I loved the setting, and the side characters were great. One of the things I always appreciate about Emily Henry is how she writes about relationships—not just the romantic ones, but the full spectrum: family, friendship, sibling bonds, the complicated love between parents and children. That was definitely present in this one with Alice and her mom, but again I just wanted a little bit more depth.

Though it hasn’t become my new favourite EmHen, I still very much enjoyed it, I think she clearly tried something new with this book and I appreciate that. Emily Henry will forever remain an auto-buy author for me, I will gladly read anything she writes and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

3.75⭐️ rounded up to 4⭐️

This might be my favourite Emily Henry book to date! I absolutely loved the small beach town setting with the cute cafes and I felt like we got to know the side characters quite well too.

The romance was well paced and not too rushed and they had a lot of chemistry. My favourite part of the book by far was Margaret Ives and her back story. It felt like I was reading a Taylor Jenkins Reid story (who is my other favourite author) and there was so much involved in her part of the story. I was constantly guessing throughout at what would happen next and the ending was amazing!! It made me laugh and cry, 5 stars!

Two writers compete for the chance to write an heiress's tell-all memoir and end up finding more than just their next job. This might be Henry's best book yet - full of her trademark romance style, but with a powerful and engaging secondary story that supports Hayden and Alice's romance. A must read.

After an anonymous tip-off, journalist Alice has tracked down heiress Margaret Ives who disappeared from the public eye two decades earlier. Alice wants to write the memoir about her life and the secrets behind her scandalous family.
But Margaret reveals she will be pitting Alice against another award-winning writer, Hayden, and they both have a month to interview her but they cannot exchange information with one another. Only one will win the contract.
Emily Henry often relies on a set formula. Writers (or some near-related occupation). Rivalry. Romance. This book shakes it up somewhat with the interviewing of Margaret about her complicated family tale. This was the part which kept me turning the pages, while I had little interest in the chapters focused on the relationship between Alice and Hayden beyond their tepid professional rivalry. Because of that, in terms of hit or miss, this one unfortunately goes in the miss pile.

I absolutely adored this book and I can confidently say this is my favourite by Emily Henry.
It wasn't at all what I was expecting, and it feels very different from her previous books (in the best possible way).

The novel switches between two stories, that of Alice and Hayden (who are so loveable and relatable) and the story that gradually unfolds surrounding the House of Ives. I loved this structure and the mystery that ran through the entire novel quite literally had me wondering up until the final few pages.

At its core, this is a book about love in every form and Emily Henry has captured it perfectly. I'm SO excited for everyone to read this and I can't wait to make it my entire personality from now on.