“Life is so complicated. And I think it’s human nature to try to untangle those complications. We want everything to make sense. And that’s okay. It’s a worthy pursuit.”

Great Big Beautiful Life, by Emily Henry

Summary

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 new novel from Emily Henry.

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 20th 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.

My Thoughts

Dear God, this book was amazing. I binged it as quickly as I could, though it still took me a couple of days in between the finals for my classes, and it was totally worth it. I will preface this review by saying that this book felt far more like contemporary fiction/women’s fiction than just a romance novel, and that is part of the reason why I loved it so much. I will also say that I fully understand the comparisons between this book and Taylor Jenkin Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but having read both, I can confidently say that they are quite different. Apart from the similarity of interviewing famous women, there is almost nothing they share, so don’t discount it for that reason. This structure is simple: it is told from Alice’s perspective, with interspersed chapters that are meant to be from her writing drafts that tell the story of Margaret Ives as it is laid out. Throughout the novel there is a sense of mystery, because Margaret isn’t telling the full truth, and as a journalist, Alice is trying to discover said truth. This is the first Emily Henry book that I would say has true mystery elements, and she does it well, interspersing small details in the beginning of the book that become very relevant near the end, as everything comes together. There are two stories being told:one of the sprawling family history and legacy of Margaret Ives, full of family love, heartbreak, drama, and jealousy—and one a love story between Hayden Anderson and Alice Scott. The two stories aren’t separate, however; they mirror each other, and with every piece of Margaret’s story that is revealed, Alice learns more about herself.

I love our main characters. Alice Scott is tall, optimistic, and empathetic, viewing this project as her “big break” away from her current focus celebrity journalism and into something more poignant like a memoir. Hayden Anderson is a quiet Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, carefully revealing to Alice that “I don’t like people looking at me,” but “Not you.” This was absolutely adorable and really underpins the romance between the two; a slow build over the course of a month as they fall in love, but always with tension between them. The two are competing for the job with Margaret, and know that despite their mutual attraction, they cannot commit until one of them wins and gets the job, and the other comes to terms with the loss. It’s an incredibly well done, plot based reason for the two to stay away, and even as they are drawn closer and closer to each other near the second half of the book, with occasional spicy scenes and more intimate moments, there is the ever present knowledge that both are keeping a huge part of their life from the other: their interviews with Margaret. A lot of people say that Emily Henry’s men tend to blend together, and while Hayden does have similarities to Augustus from Beach Read (and maybe one or two to Charlie from Book Lovers) he still stands apart, not only being part of a very strong narrative, but having his own history that has shaped him differently from the other two. The tension between them is well done, with good-feeling chemistry and almost the opposite of an insta-love. Alice’s forceful cheerfulness and determination to make friends with Hayden clash with his reserved nature and suspicion that she wants something from him, since they are competitors, and it takes them time to truly get to know each other.

The big theme underpinning the novel is one of love: Margaret Ives story is all about her love for her baby sister, Laura, for her husband Cosmo Sinclair, and the sacrifices necessary to protect her loved ones. She knows that love is powerful, but it comes with sacrifice, and believes that if you love someone, you do anything you can for them. This theme connects well to the big twist at the end of the book, and aligns well with her character motivations. I’ve seen a lot of reviews say that the mystery at the end comes out of nowhere, but I think that only happens if you don’t pay attention. Our characters notice from the beginning that Margaret is keeping things from them, and are on a quest to figure it out without spooking her, since this is essentially a job interview for them. We know something is missing, we just have to figure out what. And the more we learn about Margaret, the more it all comes together. The story of love aligns well with Alice’s history. She is always looking on the bright side of things, with an older sister who had many health issues in her childhood that forced Alice to come to terms with death early, but who made it out. Now, Alice is struggling with the death of her father, and her distance from her mother. Margaret’s story pushes Alice to comes to terms with her own family struggles, which intertwines the narratives quite well, and the catharsis at the end between Alice and her mother is gorgeous.

Are there a few problems with pacing? Absolutely: Alice and Hayden spend a bit too much time with “over the clothes” action, and writing spice is not Henry’s strong suite, but apart from that it is built up very well. The biggest problem isn’t Henry’s writing, it’s the marketing. This book shouldn’t be marketed as a romance because romance is more of a B-plot to the women’s literature plot. It’s a bit of a mystery, and kind of gives Taylor Swift’s Last Great American Dynasty vibes. None of this takes away from the overall novel, however, and I think this is tied with Book Lovers as her best book, in my opinion.

Review: ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

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