Great Big Beautiful Life

Name: Great Big Beautiful Life
Author: Emily Henry

Emily Henry

Want to read

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3.9

Rating

432

Pages

May 19

Published

Romantic Comedy

Genre

Reese's Book Club Pick

NYT Bestseller

Romantic Comedy · Contemporary Romance · Women's Fiction

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.

Characters

Who you envision for each role

Alice ScottMain CharacterAnya Taylor-Joy

Reader-picked casting for Hayden Anderson

Hayden AndersonAlice's rival biographerNicholas Galitzine

Margaret IvesHeiressSusan Lucci

Reader-picked casting for Cecil Willoughby

Cecil WilloughbyLaura's husbandMichael Sheen

Meet five more characters once you start reading.

Locations

Where the story takes place

Two more places open once you start reading.

Mood

The look and feel of the story

Two more photos open once you start reading.

Reviews

3.9 average· 1 review

Novelust user

Jun 21, 2025

5.0

I put this book off for all of 2025, because the description just didn’t grab me. I’m glad I finally gave it a go (shoutout my friend Sara for the encouragement), and the full read was SO much better than expected. If you loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you’ll enjoy this book.