Great Big Beautiful Life: Reese's Book Club

With the two story lines, it took me a bit to really get engrossed in this one. But once I did, I enjoyed it. There was a little more unnecessary tension and crossed communications between the love interest than I typically care for.

This is the second book I’ve read by Emily Henry and I have thoroughly enjoyed both! She is definitely one of my favorite authors thus far especially in the romance versus romantisy categories. I typically always lean towards romantic fantasy but these last two times I’ve needed a pallet cleanser, both The Beach Read and this book were fantastic! I just love how she spins worlds together without having to be overly descriptive or take several chapters to develop the world and the characters. I am somehow easily sucked in immediately every single time! I will be reading more of her books for sure! This book was fun because it’s a bit of a mystery along with fun characters, quirky characters and the most fantastic 'tie it all together' ending imo. I would read it again and I don’t say that about many things!

Loved this book a lot!! The twist was pretty good too the characters were amazing! It's pretty spicy, though, and not really something you could skip without missing anything, unfortunately. Definitely like a 5 on spice!

Julia Whelan top tier audiobook narrator. Good story overall. Not my most favorite of Emily Henry but still good.

What a heartbreaking beautiful story so magical. I love this book and author.

A beautiful story about love and how to treasure who you have in your life.

Great book and fantastic narration. Emily Henry kills it every time!

This books was amazing. Emily Henry does it again. What a great big beautiful story!

So good! A must-read. Emily Henry is an auto-buy author sure!

Another great Emily Henry book! Loved the characters and story!

Endearing characters. Beautiful story. I absolutely love the way this story was weaved together.

Love EH but this one was not for me. Reminded me too much of Evelyn Hugo and I DNF’d that. Too many characters to keep track of, too.

Heart wrenchingly beautiful. So different from her other work but also so similar? We get the humor, witty banter, and beautiful love story. We also get the gut punches that life has to give. I found myself crying at so many different points. Wow. 5 stars

It was Excellent. I could not stop listening to the book.

First, and last, Emily Henry book I have read. Typical, predictable romance dribble with some hot sexy descriptions here and there. If you like a sappy love story, you will love this novel.

Emily Henry noted at the end of this book that it was a different write for her and hoped we would enjoy it as much as her other books. There was no doubt I would stick with it, it was perfectly enjoyable and I couldn't wait for the end to see how things twisted and turned out!

The romance of this Emily Henry novel resonates a bit less than in her other books, and that's because in many ways it's not the central story. The richest elements of this story are about family, caring for ourselves and others, vulnerability and loss. As always, Henry's characters are generously written, open to the world and to change and to love.

Enjoyable book. However, the love story did not really work for me. Margaret saved the book. Interesting twists.

This book was incredible. The narration was beautiful. The stories were so well written. The ending was just what it should have been. Overall, I haven’t listened to a book this amazing in a long time.

And she does it again!!! What a beautiful storyline- I didn’t want it to end!

Great book! Loved the characters & what a great story!

Charming, and sometimes even erudite - a fun "beach read" about two professional writers, one a published, Pulitzer Prize winning author, Hayden Anderson, and Alice Scott, a digital magazine writer, both who are vying to get the biography/memoir job of a lifetime. After years of seclusion, Margaret Ives Sinclair, well known celebrity girl from fantastically wealthy Ives tycoon (Hearst-like) family, who was married to rock n roll legend Cosmo Sinclair, wants to set the record straight. The two writers are given a month to interview Margaret, test out a working relationship, and at the end of the "trial period" Margaret will choose a biographer between the two of them. Intercalary chapters tell the story of the Ives family, from the great grandfather's start, all the way to the parents of Margaret & Laura, her shy sister, and Margaret herself - legendary society darling- including her whirlwind romance & marriage to one of the most famous rock n roll icons, Cosmo Sinclair, before his untimely death. It's clear to Alice that Margaret still holds many secrets after decades in hiding in a small island town in Georgia. For the most part, the dual narrative works, although the huge historical Ives chunks of the book feels a bit ponderous at times. Emily Henry is able to invest a lot of zing in her two young writers, Alice's almost chirpy good natured attitude & curiosity contrasted with Hayden's glowering, reserved demeanor. She elevates above that a bit with the addition of thoughtful treatment of family issues - these adult professionals are wrestling with their own ability to breach the divide between themselves and one or more family members - A major couple of plot twists, a coastal storm, and a warm ending help make this a compelling read. Heads up for some fairly steamy sex scenes.

Another fun book from Emily Henry which held my interest. Two authors are competing to write the memoir of Margaret Ives, a wealthy heiress who disappeared twenty years ago. Hayden, a memoir author and Alice, a journalist are our two writers who are being tested for a month by Margaret. They both had to sign NDAs which come into play as they start to get to know each other on this small beach town in Georgia.

This is by far my favorite Emily Henry book. Loved it so much!

Story had flow but no substance it would be a good beach read

How do you not compare this to Evelyn Hugo? It's a tiny Emily Henry book smooshed into the memoir writing of an old famous lady hiding something connected to one of the writers. This is fine, but not my favorite of hers.

I really struggled with this one at first. I love Emily Henry for easy, fun and emotional stories, she's my comfort author, and this didn't feel like her normal story. By the end of it all though, I think this is by far my favorite. It feel like so much more than romance in the way her other novels do to me. I felt so much more moved by the love of family, sisterhood and parenthood, it felt like learning all a heart could give. I love this book.

I am going to side line reading any more Emily Henry novels, just a reminder to self. Entertaining yes, but little substance and very predictable girl meets boy and of course there is a problem and this problem was they were both looking to impress a reclusive celebrity into telling them her exclusive story but it becomes more than that. I skimmed a lot to get to the tasty denouement.

The storyline is good, but not great. The dual storylines feel over explained and mostly unnecessary. However, the narrator is so skilled at capturing the essential emotions of the different characters that it takes a pretty good book and makes it an outstanding AudioBook.