Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry | Book Review
- dessimalakov
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
A Quietly Powerful Story of Love, Loss, and Legacy
Author: Emily Henry
Release Date: April, 22nd 2025
Genre: Romance
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Official Description:
When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication.
The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing.
The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story.
The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t 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.
First Thoughts great big beautiful life emily henry review
This book caught me off guard—in a good way, but also in a slightly melancholic way. Great Big Beautiful Life isn’t the kind of swoony, fast-paced romance I had been in the mood for, but rather something more layered, a little heavier, and full of quiet emotional depth. It surprised me. Not just because of where the focus of the story lies, but also in how it navigates love, ambition, and the weight of personal history. I went in expecting a certain type of book and got something very different. Once I adjusted my expectations, I could appreciate the beauty and complexity of what Emily Henry crafted here.
Character & Plot
At its heart, Great Big Beautiful Life is less about falling in love and more about what shapes the stories we tell—about ourselves, about others, and about the people we’ve lost. Alicia and Hayden are both writers, each hoping to be selected to ghostwrite the memoir of Margaret Kingsley, a reclusive and iconic filmmaker who’s finally ready to tell her life story. Their assignment is simple: spend time with Margaret, get to know her, and pitch their vision for the book. But, of course, nothing about it is simple.
The romance between Alicia and Hayden blooms in the quiet moments—shared interviews, late-night walks, the unspoken understanding between two people who really see each other. Their interest in one another is immediate, refreshingly honest, and unburdened by the usual will-they-won’t-they games. They don’t fall into typical romantic tropes, which I found both surprising and oddly comforting. There’s a real emotional maturity to their dynamic—two people who know what they want, but also know that timing, circumstances, and their own ambitions might get in the way.
Still, I found myself wishing they had more space to breathe. Their story often takes a backseat to Margaret’s, whose past is filled with loss, secrets, and the echoes of a love that never fully healed. And rightly so—Margaret’s story is powerful. It spans decades of grief, loneliness, and resilience, and as Alicia and Hayden peel back the layers of her carefully guarded life, they’re forced to confront their own vulnerabilities in the process. It’s in these moments—interviews laced with unspoken pain, offhanded comments that reveal deep regret—that the novel becomes more than just a romance. It becomes a meditation on legacy, storytelling, and what we choose to hold onto.
The book also tackles the idea of professional rivalry, but not in the cutthroat way you might expect. There’s a mutual respect between Alicia and Hayden, even as they compete for the same opportunity. You can sense how high the stakes are—not just in terms of career, but in what it would mean to each of them personally to be chosen. And when you add the long-distance complication (she’s in LA, he’s in NYC), the odds aren’t exactly in their favor. But their connection feels genuine, even inevitable. They’re two puzzle pieces that just fit—her hopefulness to his pragmatism, her softness to his steady calm.
Final Thoughts
This might be Emily Henry’s most introspective and emotionally rich novel yet. It’s not exactly “lighthearted,” but it’s still full of life, love, and that slow, quiet unraveling of truth that she does so well. It reads more like literary fiction than a rom-com, and I think that’s important to know going in.
For me, the romance took a bit too much of a backseat, and the overall tone was heavier than I expected. There’s a lot of sadness here—generational grief, lost love, the weight of untold stories—and while it’s beautifully written, it didn’t quite deliver the kind of emotional payoff I was hoping for. But that’s less a flaw in the book and more about managing expectations. If you’re looking for something breezy and charming, this might not be it. But if you’re open to something quieter, deeper, and a little more bittersweet, you’ll find a lot to appreciate here.
It’s a different kind of Emily Henry novel—not less good, just different. And once I let go of what I thought it would be, I was able to really see the heart of it. It’s a story about stories, and the love that lingers in the spaces between them.
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Disclaimer: I have added an affiliate link for your convenience so you can directly purchase the book if you are intrigued. This also means that I will receive small commission. This does not affect inclusion in my reviews or the overall rating of the book.
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