Great Big Beautiful Life

By: Emily Henry

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

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.

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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.

©2025 Emily Henry (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Her best-selling romances have made her a new standard-bearer of the genre."—The New York Times

“Readers can count on Em-Hen to transport them to a kinder, sunnier, and funnier galaxy where happy endings can be counted on . . . Henry’s magic elixir, it seems, is to return again and again to a simple boy-meets-girl formula while writing textured novels populated with vivid characters that never feel formulaic: she takes us back to a time when we believed, with all our being, that love conquers all.”—The Boston Globe

“A sweeping love story about the choices we make and the threads that knit us together. Thoughtful, moving, and deliciously tender. Emily Henry is as captivating as ever. I love everything she does.”—B.K. Borison, New York Times bestselling author of First Time Caller

So Good

So I’ve always enjoyed Emily Henry’s books, she’s a great writer but this book is just wow. I was born and raised in northern MI, and live in Traverse City (even in an orange house,) reading Funny Story was so fun. The depth of this book was incredible, her best yet in my opinion!

Put me off croissants

This book was fine. I actually enjoy a mystery and if there’s romance thrown in even better. I read several reviews on Audible and goodreads and I disagree that this story doesn’t belong in the romance genre. I thought Alice’s and Hayden’s relationship was convincing and, while a bit fast tracked, they were in a fairly unique situation- two good looking people with a career in common who are isolated in a small town with no other friends and they’ve signed NDAs that made talking about the one other thing going on in their lives impossible. If we can all suspend belief that any of these storybook main characters are single, then I can certainly believe these two opposites would be attracted to each other given the intense conditions.

I have listened twice this week and I still don’t understand the title. Did I miss a reference to it earlier in the story? I certainly heard the last sentence but there’s a disconnect for me between the story (stories) and the title. Something like “The Whole Truth” seems more apropos to me and might have given all the haters a heads up that there was more to the story than just two people canoodling and sleeping together for 35 chapters.

The main reason I am bothering to leave a review is in the off chance that EH or JW bother to read their reviews, I’ll thank them to never write or say the word, “croissant” ever again. None of these characters were French. It does not take place in France. There was no value added to the story by making the pronunciation of the word “French” - quotation marks are intentional because I can’t imagine any French person appreciating it either. As the kids say, can you not?

I expect the rights to this story have already been purchased and I’ll look forward to seeing the story come to life. I like mid-century Hollywood glamour and the bulk of the story within a story takes place during that era. Just please, no croissants.

So so good

Couldn’t put it down. One of her best yet! And Julia is one of my favorites. Exceptional writing and narration.

Amazing

I rarely feel so deeply for characters in a book but the descriptive technique of the writer was INCREDIBLE.

Emily & Julia knock it Out of the Park!

I was smiling the entire time I listened to this beautiful, funny, emotional journey. Wow! I know I can’t just love on to another story so I will listen to it again. Emily, thank you sooooo much for this beautiful story and Julia, your narration is unparalleled. ❤️

Different but good different

The story is not as deep and engaging but the love story makes it ohhh so so so good

I love Alice, the main character.

Alice reminds me of my best friend. Always perky, optimistic, and generally kind in every way. Then she meets Hayden who is the complete OPPOSITE of perky. And Margaret. The former daily tabloid victim, and burned by society throughout her earlier life, a recluse about to tell her story to the winner of the privilege of getting the story. She keeps them both at arms length. Refuses to allow them to compare notes. And also gives both just enough information to leave them to constantly unsure which of the two WILL get the story. That’s just one layer. The surface layer. The life story is deeper if she’ll only allow someone in to finally hear her truth. It’s a good read.

Written and narrated super well. I enjoyed the story

I liked that there was a mystery within the romcom story. I tried to leave the audiobook several times to get back to life, but instead, I listened until it was done.

Emily Henry, the woman you are

This book broke me then put me back together in all the right ways. While I should’ve been writing a research paper on postmodern therapy, I was in bed ranting to the love of my life about the mysteries and wonders of this book. It irritated me, it made me pause the audiobook to THINK, it made me giggle while listening to it in the car. I don’t care what the consensus about Great Big Beautiful Life is: Emily Henry, I will be reading more of you, and thank you for writing this lovely exploration on love.

Immensely entertaining at every turn. Worth the $/credit. Emily Henry does it again.

Loved it. Great character development. Likeable characters, interesting storyline and an amazing narrator who doesn’t screw jt all up.