In Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, When journalist Alice Scott began tracking down leads about heiress Margaret Ives–who’s been out of the public 
eye for a couple of decades–she wasn’t sure she’d actually find her. But sure enough, off the coast of Georgia on Little Crescent Island is a woman in her mid-to-late eighties who certainly appears to be Margaret. And she offers Alice the chance of a lifetime: to write her biography. Something she’s dreamed of ever since her father introduced her to the legend of the Ives family when she was a kid. But she gets a rude awakening when she arrives on the island and finds she’s not the only one vying for the job. Alice’s competition is Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer-prize winning music journalist who doesn’t seem to like her right from their first meeting. Something that could make the next month on Little Crescent seem like an eternity if she can’t win him over.
“I think it’s only fair that I get to know you and Hayden too, if I’m going to be trotting out the family’s map to all the buried bodies.”
“And just to clarify,” I say, “when you say ‘buried bodies,’ are we talking literal or metaphorical here?”
Her laugh is damp, but when she speaks, her voice is sure, clear, and bright again. “Why not both?”
It’s clear to Alice–and likely to Hayden as well–that Margaret is just as charming and whip-smart as the tabloids always made her out to be. But as she’s telling the story of her family, which was in many ways considered to be American royalty, it’s also clear that Margaret is holding back. Whether she’s lying or just skipping over parts, Alice isn’t sure. And as she digs deep into the archives, she learns there was a lot of Margaret’s life that never made it to the press. Some of it good, some outright heartbreaking. It leaves Alice to wonder what the true cost was of being born into that famous family and if Margaret every truly felt seen or loved by anyone, perhaps not even by the love of her life, rock star Cosmo Sinclair. As Alice researches the Ives, she also gets to spend time with Hayden. Not that he seems happy about it at first–and not just because their NDAs forbid them from comparing notes. But soon the pair are inseparable. And they both know it will make things awkward when Margaret chooses who she wants to write her book, and they have to part ways.
“Do you believe that? That your family is cursed?”
“No, honey.” The flash of a smile doesn’t reach her once-sparkling blue eyes. “My family *is* the curse.”
GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE was an intriguing page-turner that spanned a little over a century with its story-within-a-story plot, thread of romance, and a full-on family saga that came full circle with Emily Henry’s emotional ending.
“When you love someone, you do anything to give them what they need. You unmake the world and build a new one.”
CW: View Spoiler »
GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE was every bit as insightful as I would expect from Emily Henry but instead of a rom-com or straight up contemporary romance, this was a mix of romance, and an epic family story. And it was quite introspective as well. While our heroine Alice conducted interviews of heiress Margaret Ives and spent time with the octogenarian at her island home off the coast of Georgia, being back in the state where Alice grew up brought her past and all the emotions that went along with it front and center. She reflected on what she’d lost. She contemplated her relationship with her mother. And through it all, her competitor for the writing gig, Hayden, was there at every turn making her heart flutter and leaving Alice wanting things that might never happen.
While Emily Henry of course has her own unique writing voice, the complex background she created around Margaret’s uber famous family to me had hints of Taylor Jenkins Reid–and the mix of Southern locale along with the romance between Alice and Hayden reminded me of Kristy Woodson Harvey. And it was a great combination. Once I got a grasp on who the main characters were as well as the issues they were facing, I flew through the pages.
Told from Alice’s POV, I was as interested as she was in the scandals, gossip, deceit, grand loves, and supposed Ives family curse in Margaret’s past. It was like a puzzle, piecing together all the names and dates. But by the end, Henry’s attention to detail and the way she wove everything together made for a compelling, deeply emotional story.
The relationship that slowly grew between Hayden and Alice was a game changer for them both. I’ll be honest that Hayden was a bit hard to understand at first. I wasn’t sure if he was a cinnamon roll hero or if he really was as grumpy and standoffish as he first appeared. But as Hayden and Alice began to open up to each other and we learned of his background, my appreciation for him grew until I was fully cheering on a matchup between them. It took until the final chapter for everything to come together. But wow was it worth the wait–and happy tears.
QOTD: Are you a fan of biographies or memoirs (written or TV documentaries)? If so, have a favorite to recommend?
Book Info:
Publication: Published: April 22nd, 2025 | Berkley |
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 new 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 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.
Banana cake
I like watching biographies on tv or audiobooks.