From the publisher:
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.
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.Named a Most Anticipated book by The New York Times ∙ Rolling Stone ∙ People ∙ USA Today ∙ Harper’s Bazaar ∙ Marie Claire ∙ E! Online ∙ The New York Post ∙ Bustle ∙ Reader’s Digest ∙ BBC ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Paste ∙ and more!
“What begins as a charming if standard rom-com evolves into a hauntingly beautiful meditation on what makes a life well lived in the latest showstopper from Henry . . . This is a stunner.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Both longtime Henry fans and new romance readers will devour this rivals-to-lovers slow burn, one of Henry’s best to date.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Henry continues to burnish her reputation for fashioning sublimely satisfying love stories with another perfectly calibrated, delectably witty tale featuring endearingly quirky, thoughtfully nuanced characters.”—Booklist (starred review)
I didn’t love this book as much as all the critics, or even as much as Henry’s other books. Actually, it is my least favorite of all her books. All that said, it is a good read, and I ripped through it in a day.
There are a lot of characters here, but the main protagonists are Hayden and Alice, and Margaret. Margaret is a recluse from a very famous, uber-wealthy family. She is living on a small island off the Georgia coast, and Alice had received a message telling her to look there for this mysterious woman. Once she confirms who she is, Margaret invites her to visit. Unbeknownst to Alice, Margaret has also invited Hayden to visit.
Hayden is a Pulitzer prize-winning biographer, and Alice loved his last book. When they both show up at Margaret’s home, she gets right to the point. She is ready to tell her life story, but she isn’t sure who she will allow to write it. She is giving them both a one month audition, so to speak – at the end of the month, they’ll give her their proposals and she will decide who will write her biography. It is sure to be a bestseller no matter who writes it, and Alice thinks this could be her big break. She has been writing celebrity gossip for an online magazine, so this would be a big step up for her. But how to compete with Hayden is weighing on her.
They arrange a schedule with each of them getting to spend three days a week with Margaret. Alice is the friendly, outgoing type, while Hayden is much more reserved. But Alice breaks through his reserve and they start sharing coffee in the morning then dinner at night. Before long, they have to come up with some ground rules – no talking about anything Margaret tells them. Besides which, she has them both sign strict NDAs. But they can’t help but compare from time to time, nothing specific, just gut feelings that Margaret is lying to them at times.
The book moves between their experiences with Margaret and their spending time together. Alice quickly realizes she is falling for Hayden, but he is keeping her at arm’s length, until that is no longer possible. They know it is going to be difficult at the end; whoever is chosen to write the book, the other will definitely have feelings about it that could, and most likely will, creep into their relationship. This dilemma follows them almost until the very end, when truths come out, but of course, the ending is a happy one.
I found it difficult at times to follow all the actors in this story. Margaret’s family is a cast of many, not to mention Alice’s and Hayden’s family have their stories as well. This is a slow burn romance of the slowest kind, but there are several twists along the way that keep the story interesting and moving along. I liked it, I just didn’t love it.
5/2025 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE by Emily Henry. Berkley (April 22, 2025). ISBN: 978-0593441299. 432p.
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