Review: Somewhat Great Big Beautiful Life

Warning: This blog post DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS! Please do not read if you are wanting/currently reading this book.

As I sat down to plan my 2025 new release TBR list, Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry was within the top five reads for the year. After reading Funny Story, I was hooked on Henry's work. This long awaited anticipated book had readers--including me--waiting for her release.

I ran to my local bookstore and purchased this book, giddy with excitement. Once I find a new author, buying a newly released book is thrilling. I cracked this book open in the start of May but only to be slightly disappointed.

Henry's book left me feeling many emotions-- hooked, settled, confused, questioning, re-reading, rushed, and most importantly-- feeling flat after the read. While there are many aspects of this book that I enjoyed, there were some things that I simply felt as if it needed more.

Reading Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry at the beach.

Romance

Let's chat about the romance. While there was some romance within, most of the book was just a somewhat mystery novel disguised as a romance book. I love the the start of two strangers who are set on a mission who eventually fall in love. That alone creates so much tension between the characters but also the anticipation for the readers. However, as I kept reading, it felt as if I was missing parts of the romance, a.k.a. the background romance, a.k.a. why do we love Hayden Anderson?

I found their romance to be rushed, almost as if there was no time for them to know one another besides working on this book together, running into one another on the island, and simply knowing only one another. Though, I did find "opposites attract" trope to work well with their romance. He had the typical tall built, though I like his touch of awkwardness, and Alice had her quirky but idealistic side.

Some of the ~spicy~ scenes of the book were cringe to read and it felt as if the writing loses its luster in those portions of the novel. Some of the word choices and descriptions felt... odd. Though, I feel as if I only had this feeling about the ~spicy~ scenes was because 1) not a lot of romance development 2) not a lot of character development (especially for Hayden) and 3) Hayden came off more as a horny man and not a man in love.

In simple terms, I wish the romance was fleshed out on the pages instead of feeling so rushed. Yes, I do understand that they only have one month to fall in love but, a lot can happen during that time and I wish it was there.

Hayden Anderson

While I could see where Hayden's character was going, he was almost... predictable. I did love that, he too, was a journalist and Henry made him to be the more "credible" writer between both Alice and him, his character fell a little flat. While I only know the basic things about him, it felt like Alice only knew those things too.

Where was the backstory of Hayden? What does he love about Alice?

I kept asking myself this while I was reading because I wish I had more of Hayden besides that he is from a political family and he won a Pulitzer prize. Too, it felt like Alice didn't know much about him either, which was clearly shown in the letter at the end of the book. The only time readers ever got a sense of why he loved Alice was when she had moments of optimism and to hold him. His character went from too closed off to spewing trauma and his past at random moments. It felt as Alice, too, was confused by his weird emotional un-regulation.

Though, while Hayden's character seemed to be basic, if the story was fleshed out more and it wasn't cringe, his character would be a good one. He simply was rushed and he was almost too lustful in some parts that it felt like Alice herself was confused at where all of this was coming from.

Dear Alice Scott, You and I are alike.

Once I started reading this book, I quickly realized how fast I related to her character. She is a journalist who is simply trying to make a name for herself in world where it feels like everyone doesn't support you. Henry's writing of Alice this way made her feel realistic and not the typical main female love interest. I appreciated her personality, her thoughtfulness, and most importantly, her witty humor when she was around Hayden. I loved how she kept to her passion and didn't lose her focus when she was with Hayden. In reality, she did the opposite of most female leads in romance novels.

The romance between her and Hayden, obviously from her point of view, was quiet nice. She managed to describe the feelings of being embarrassed, manipulated, and overall emotional. Again, the romance between her and Hayden felt basic and lacked the depth that it needed.

Her relationship with Margaret Ives was an interesting one but, that is how it is in the journalism world-- experiencing human emotions but having to remain neutral. From the start, I could tell that Alice was an honest character but not the gullible kind (much appreciated in a romance book). The ending of the story showed Alice's human emotions in professional settings which I admired even more. Alice's character was a good one, reminded me a bit of Poppy a bit from People We Meet On Vacation.

The relationship between Alice and her mother was simply-- beautiful. Of all of the relationships that were in this book, this one felt complete. Their relationship was rocky and explained a lot of behavior of Alice but, it helps readers understand Alice more. I loved the small trip back to home with the addition of text messages too. It showed their growth over a course of time but also their separation. The ending, simply, just shows that sometimes it is okay to start over.

One aspect that I feel that almost felt irrelevant was the friend group that Alice had throughout the book. I can see why Henry would want to include outsiders to show that Alice has a good career and social standing but some parts felt... irrelevant.

The Plot

From the start, it was a genius idea to have two journalist compete for their spot to write a novel for a sensationalized famous star. Immediately, I could foresee how some aspects of the book would end but I was not expecting the ending with Margaret Ives. From the start, I could tell Margaret was an interesting character. I fell in love with her and wanted to know more about her but I actually hated her at the end of the book. In general, the last six chapters felt like a bad case of whiplash and Margaret didn't make it better.

Speaking of the ending, I was left with so many unanswered questions because simply-- it was rushed. One moment I was reading about how Hayden and Alice were together to then... having a baby...? What happened between the moment of both admitting that they loved each other to now? So many details were missed and it solidified my feelings of plot holes throughout the book. The last page of the book almost felt like It Ends with Us as Alice wrote a book to keep their stories alive but for her daughter. It was a little vague and I wish there was more detail at the end about specifically why.

Final Notes

Rating: ★★★

If you are new to Emily Henry, I would highly suggest picking up Funny Story over this book any day. While Great Big Beautiful Life did offer many funny moments and a good subplot, the overall book didn't stick with me as much as I wish it did. The romance of the book was dull and it felt more like reading a mystery novel with a touch of romance.

I did admire the majority of Henry's writing as she wrote some scenes beautifully along with the style of the book too. Instead of boring Q&A style, it was more so as if you were reading the book that would have been written. As someone who does love a good musician biography, I appreciate this aspect.

Overall, this book felt like speed running a month long relationship, blacking out, and waking up to them having a child while trying to interview a mysterious woman who is trying to get their family back together. While I did appreciate the read, it left me asking more questions and feeling a bit uneasy.