4.0 (1 rating)
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 ∙ Rolling Stone ∙ People ∙ Good Morning America ∙ NPR ∙ Vogue ∙ The Los Angeles Times ∙ The Cut ∙ USA Today ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Glamour ∙ ELLE ∙ E! Online ∙ The New York Post ∙ Bustle ∙ Reader's Digest ∙ BBC ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Paste ∙ and more!
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.
As featured in The New York Times ∙ Rolling Stone ∙ People ∙ Good Morning America ∙ NPR ∙ Vogue ∙ The Los Angeles Times ∙ The Cut ∙ USA Today ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Glamour ∙ ELLE ∙ E! Online ∙ The New York Post ∙ Bustle ∙ Reader's Digest ∙ BBC ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Paste ∙ and more!
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.
Published: April 22, 2025
Pages: 432
ISBN: 9780593441299
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Available in: Hardcover
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4.0
1 rating
Chelsey H.
Sep 27, 2026
✨ Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry ✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)
Short Description:
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 one to tell her story—it’s a high-stakes race filled with secrets, tension, and a slow-burning connection neither Alice nor Hayden saw coming.
⸻
My Thoughts:
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t sure this was going to be a high-rating read for me at first. The pacing was a little slower, and the story was layered in a way that felt a bit hard to keep up with at times. But then… the last 20% hit, and suddenly I was hooked. I could not stop reading.
Alice was hands-down my favorite character. I loved her heart, her hopefulness, and her ability to connect with people. She made the story feel warm and alive, even in its messiest moments. Hayden, on the other hand, was harder for me to connect with. He was so closed off that I felt like I never fully got him until later in the book—and even then, I wanted more from him emotionally.
And Margaret? Let’s just say… I was suspicious of her from the very beginning. She’s one of those characters who keeps you second-guessing everything, and I didn’t know if I wanted to hug her or shake her by the shoulders. 😂
Still, Emily Henry did what she does best—she tied it all together. The ending felt like a puzzle clicking into place, and it left me with that satisfied, emotional exhale I always hope for in a good book.
While it wasn’t a full 5-star for me, the ending definitely earned all the stars, and I would absolutely recommend this one to my friends. If you love a story with emotional depth, layered characters, slow-burn tension, and a touch of mystery, this one’s worth the read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)
Short Description:
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 one to tell her story—it’s a high-stakes race filled with secrets, tension, and a slow-burning connection neither Alice nor Hayden saw coming.
⸻
My Thoughts:
I’ll be honest—I wasn’t sure this was going to be a high-rating read for me at first. The pacing was a little slower, and the story was layered in a way that felt a bit hard to keep up with at times. But then… the last 20% hit, and suddenly I was hooked. I could not stop reading.
Alice was hands-down my favorite character. I loved her heart, her hopefulness, and her ability to connect with people. She made the story feel warm and alive, even in its messiest moments. Hayden, on the other hand, was harder for me to connect with. He was so closed off that I felt like I never fully got him until later in the book—and even then, I wanted more from him emotionally.
And Margaret? Let’s just say… I was suspicious of her from the very beginning. She’s one of those characters who keeps you second-guessing everything, and I didn’t know if I wanted to hug her or shake her by the shoulders. 😂
Still, Emily Henry did what she does best—she tied it all together. The ending felt like a puzzle clicking into place, and it left me with that satisfied, emotional exhale I always hope for in a good book.
While it wasn’t a full 5-star for me, the ending definitely earned all the stars, and I would absolutely recommend this one to my friends. If you love a story with emotional depth, layered characters, slow-burn tension, and a touch of mystery, this one’s worth the read.