Audiobook Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

 

Genre: Audiobook/Romance

Pub. Date: April 22, 2025

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Source: Personal Copy

Other Books By Author: Beach Read, 

Book Lovers, Funny Story, Happy Place, and 

People We Meet on Vacation

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "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.

 

 

Alice Scott is a writer eager to make her mark in the literary world. When she gets the chance to interview Margaret Ives—an heiress and a member of one of America's most famous families, practically considered American royalty—she leaps at the opportunity. However, Margaret has been a recluse for the past twenty years, and Alice has discovered her hiding out on Little Crescent Island in Georgia. Things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, though, as Alice faces stiff competition from another writer: Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Both writers have one month to interview Margaret and pitch their ideas to her for the job. As Alice spends more time on Little Crescent Island, she becomes increasingly immersed in Margaret's world and the enchanting Georgia summer. During this time, she also gets to know Hayden better, and despite being rivals, there's an undeniable connection between them. As the days pass, Margaret shares stories about her family, but Alice begins to notice inconsistencies in these narratives. Hayden feels the same way, which leads both of them to reflect on their own lives while delving into the complexities of Margaret's family history. Emily Henry's Great Big Beautiful Life blends contemporary romance with historical fiction. While I generally prefer Henry's contemporary romances, this novel is a solid venture into historical fiction, infused with many of the romantic elements that her readers have come to love. Julia Whelan’s excellent narration further enhances the experience.

Henry does a good job making Alice a well-rounded, complex character in Great Big Beautiful Life. She has an interesting past of her own and brings some baggage with her to Little Crescent Island. Just a tabloid writer, she hopes to make her big break here by scoring this incredible job, but Hayden, a more seasoned writer, is in her way. At first, they don't hit it off, but after spending more time together, they realize they have more in common than not. Sparks fly! I enjoyed their blossoming romance. On the other hand, the more Alice and Hayden dive into Margaret's story, the more she realizes something isn't quite right and slowly Alice puts together the missing pieces. 

I will say that Henry's parallel story line of Margaret's past was not my favorite aspect of Great Big Beautiful Life. While I love historical fiction, I felt like Henry really didn't excel in this area. It was more of an information dump, as Margaret is sharing all this information with Alice orally, so it didn't fell well developed. I kind of wish it was delved into deeper instead of all just surface level. I get why Henry portrayed it this way as it's from Margaret's mouth to Alice's pen, but it didn't suck me in as much as I was hoping.

Nonetheless, Julia Whelan's narration hit it out of the park in Great Big Beautiful Life. She is one of my favorite audio book narrators and did a great job portraying not only Alice and Hayden, but Margaret, too. This isn't not my favorite of Henry's novels (I am partial to her beachy romances); however,  I appreciate that she stepped out of her comfort zone and tried something new. 

In the comments below tell me if you have read Great Big Beautiful Life and if you are a fan of Emily Henry.