Great Big Beautiful Life
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK ∙ AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping novel from Emily Henry. As featured in The New York Times...
- Pages
- 433
- First published
- May 28, 2025
- Language
- English
- Edition
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Shelved by 14 Litcadians
Reviews
Finished May 8, 2025
Finished July 15, 2026
Emily Henry has done it again. I absolutely loved Great Big Beautiful Life. The gorgeous island setting, the character development, the secrets slowly revealing themselves—it all worked for me. I especially loved having two stories unfolding at once: Margaret’s complicated history alongside Alice and Hayden’s growing relationship. Somehow, both plots kept stealing the spotlight from each other, and I happily allowed it. Margaret’s story had all the family secrets, glamour, tragedy, and questionable decisions I could possibly want, while Alice and Hayden provided the romance that was to die for honestly. The yearning and tension those two had.....amazing. And WE NEED to talk about that ending. Hayden returning with the letter and asking, “Is it true?” had me fully convinced he meant everything involving Margaret. But no. This man essentially said, “Never mind the enormous story we have spent this entire book uncovering—IS IT TRUE YOU LOVE ME?” I cried. My dignity packed a small suitcase and left the premises. Alice and Hayden both had their own fears, ambitions, and emotional baggage, and watching them slowly understand themselves—and each other—made the relationship feel even more rewarding. This felt bigger and more layered than a straightforward romance, yet it still had everything I love about Emily Henry: wonderful characters, sharp writing, emotional depth, and a love story that waits until the final moment to personally attack me. Five stars. No notes. Just tears, happiness, and the knowledge that I will continue trusting Emily Henry with my emotional stability despite overwhelming evidence that I should not.
I am sitting and waiting patiently. (2025 is too far away). :)
Finished March 10, 2026
I loved this book! The mix of journalism, flash backs, mystery solving and romance is just perfect. I love the characters and what they all had to work through to get to the end. I also enjoyed the ending of the book, I thought it was sweet.
Started April 30, 2025 · Finished May 5, 2025
This is my least favorite of Emily Henrys books so far. I found this kinda dull, having just re-read Beach Read not too long before this, I picked up on a familiar cult theme but it wasn’t exciting, and I thought there was a connection, but there wasn't. The stakes were not there, they were basically interviewing the same person in attempt to win the contract from this person, who wasn’t being entirely honest about her story she was trying to tell… 🌶️2/5 I feel like this would have benefited from multiple POVs, I did not feel any fire between these two.
Started March 14, 2026 · Finished March 15, 2026
Finished June 9, 2025
Finished September 6, 2025
