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Emily Henry ’s later book , Great Big Beautiful Life , is a great , big , beautiful love story , but it may not appeal to all Henry rooter because it ’s a routine of a going from the author ’s usual style , with two love stories sharing equal outer space ( and only one that keep an eye on the rules of romance as a genre ) .
Since 2020,Henry has been one of the biggest names in romance , and with her 6th Scripture in 5 age , she shows no star sign of slowing down . However , just as her style evolved from YA to Romance between 2016 and 2019 , it feels as thoughGreat Big Beautiful Lifemay be hail another shift — whether that is in her attack to romance or toward another literary genre remains to be seen .
Every Emily Henry Book ( Including YA )
The Love That carve up The man
2016
YA
A Million Junes
2017
When The Sky Fell On Splendor
2019
Hello Girls
Beach Read
Custom image by Ana Nieves
2020
love story
People We Meet On Vacation
Aspiring journalist Alice Scott and Pulitzer-winning biographer Hayden Anderson are invited to Little Crescent Island to compete for the chance to pen the memoir of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives. As they delve into Margaret’s enigmatic past, uncovering secrets and scandals, a slow-burning romance ignites between them.
2021
Book Lovers
2022
Happy Place
2023
Funny Story
Aspiring journalist Alice Scott and Pulitzer-winning biographer Hayden Anderson are invited to Little Crescent Island to compete for the chance to pen the memoir of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives. As they delve into Margaret’s enigmatic past, uncovering secrets and scandals, a slow-burning romance ignites between them.
2024
Great openhanded Beautiful living
2025
slap-up Big Beautiful Lifefollows two writers over a month , as they interview the famous Margaret Ives ( assumed lose for years ) in an attempt to win the right to save the story of her life . As such , her own story take up as much of the novel as that of Alice and Hayden ’s rivals - to - lovers romance .
In many slipway , this match with Henry ’s MO . Writing about writers is something of a signature for her , and an interesting set - up to some classic tropes and excellent give-and-take . But as Margaret ’s story becomes liberal and bigger , at times it can find as though it pushes Alice and Hayden to the side . astonishingly , that does n’t finger like a spoilt matter .
The Heart Of It All: This Rivals-To-Friends Romance Is All About Delicious Tension
Alice & Hayden’s Story Is One For Fans Of The Slow Burn
Henry is a master of every trope she diddle with , andGreat Big Beautiful Lifeis no different . Alice and Hayden have no prior chronicle ( although they are aware of each other as author ) , and from the first chapter , they are a authoritative sunshine / grump duo . What works so well about it , though , is how that first picture change throughout the ledger as their personal history are revealed . Alice ’s less - than - sunny minute come through just as she is in peril of becoming annoyingly chirpy , and watching her get closer to Hayden and pop out to defend his parky exterior is everything this should be .
The tensity that build between them is absolutely beautiful , too . Henry ’s signature banter is in every interaction , and their reason for being ineffective to hop directly into bed is a secure one . It ’s endorse by their personal romanticist histories , leaving plenty of room for yearning and the push - pull of their desire against their fears .
My only issues with the cardinal romance come toward the last of the story . They move into prospect that are everything but sexual practice , which at time left me wondering why insight was the line they decide to draw in the gumption . When they do eventually take things to their inevitable close , they do n’t wait for the test to be over , as agree .
This would be fine if it were a dam - bursting moment , but it feels a little more like a slow slide ( although who does n’t love a hurricane to up the bet and drench a romantic hero ? ) . Their final breakup and constitution also feel a midget bit rushed , although this is admittedly a very minor complaint in an otherwise perfect romance .
Great Big Beautiful Life Does Something Very Different For Emily Henry
Margaret’s Story Is Just As Important As The Central Romance
While it ’s not unusual for Henry ’s books to give weight to the tale of the secondary characters , especially in 2023’sHappy Place , with its ensemble feel , this is the first time that one of her book feels like it ’s really about another character altogether . Margaret Ives ' family history , dynasty , and life in Hollywood reminded me strongly ofTaylor Jenkins Reid’sThe Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo — and was just as compelling .
Margaret ’s floor feels rooted in substantial Hollywood history . While she is not right away based on any one renown figure , component and characters clearly are . It ’s not just that Cosmo is plain an Elvis stand - in ( to the point that Elvis and their similarities are cite directly ) , but his concert - turned - riot is based on a real event , paparazzi involvement in a car crash celebrity dying connects to Princess Diana ’s story , and Laura ’s sentence in a cultus has multiple line of latitude to the Branch Davidians . It ’s done incredibly well , and makes Margaret ’s story feel like it could stand on its own , even without Alice and Hayden .
Great Big Beautiful Life Is A Beautifully Layered Pair Of Romances
Is Emily Henry Moving Toward Contemporary Fiction?
Great Big Beautiful Lifeis , unsurprisingly , a beautiful , superimposed love story ( that would make an excellent film ! ) , but it ’s difficult to say which of the two story is the main focal point — and only one is guaranteed a Happily Ever After . If Margaret ’s tortuous family saga is the virtuoso , then this read more like contemporary fable , but if it ’s Alice and Hayden , there ’s no doubt that it ’s romance . For the book itself , it does n’t matter , of course . It ’s a Bible to go through in a undivided sitting , to love the wearisome - burn mark and theme for Alice and Hayden to realize they ’re fall in love , already !
It ’s a leger to devour in a single sitting , to have it off the slow burn and root for Alice and Hayden to realize that they are falling in passion , already !
But it does go away me with a bigger question about what this mean for Emily Henry ’s direction as an source . Fans of her more straightforward romances may discover it thwarting to have the main character sharing the limelight with a entirely different type of lovemaking story , but it also suggests that she is propel toward more complex , less well defined novels . If that is the case , though , I ca n’t hold off to read what she comes out with next .
Aspiring diarist Alice Scott and Pulitzer - winning biographer Hayden Anderson are invited to Little Crescent Island to compete for the chance to pen the memoir of reclusive heiress Margaret Ives . As they delve into Margaret ’s enigmatic past times , uncovering secret and outrage , a slow - combust romance ignites between them .
