Book Review: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

February 20, 2026

Unlike the other Emily Henry books I’ve read romance is not the front and center of this book while there is romance and friendship and art, it’s also about the veins and roots of a family tree, the deep and powerful grip of grief, and  the thing we would give up everything for. I had heard from a couple different book reviews that this was their least favorite Emily Henry book maybe just because it’s so different from her other books, and it could be just that I’m reading it at the perfect time as I just became a new mom, but this book is beautiful and profound and my favorite Emily Henry book yet.

We follow the story of Alice Scott, who is a writer for a publication in LA called the scratch. She goes out of her way to find a Hollywood Scarlet that has long since gone in hiding from decades prior named Margaret Ives much to her surprise she finds her and reaches out to her to see if she would be interested in a memoir and even more surprising yet Margaret says yes upon arriving to the small Georgia island that Margret Ives has been living on, under a different name as an artist, Alice realizes she isn’t the only one up for the job. Hayden Anderson, the author of a deep and moving memoir that recently hit bookshelves, is already there and is apparently competing for Margaret’s attention. His steely demeanor polar to her bright and sunny outlook. Will she win the contract? Will she win over Hayden? Will she win over Margret? And what is she keeping from  both writers that could change the story all together?

Again, I cannot express enough how much I absolutely adored this book. I already want to read it again. Five stars. Would recommend.