Andie’s Book Club: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry is a novel full of heart, healing, and unforgettable storytelling. The ‘beach read’ of 2025.
Have you ever met someone who feels like sunshine? The kind of person whose presence makes the world a little brighter? Someone who reminds you of the good? That was my first impression of Alice Scott in Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. She. Is. Sunshine.
If you’re the kind of reader who yearns to fall in love with the characters - to feel like you know them, like you could sit across from them in a coffee shop and talk for hours - this book is for you. Alice, Hayden, and Margaret aren’t just well-developed; they feel real. Their personalities are vivid and distinct, but it’s the way they evolve together, challenge each other, and reveal their vulnerabilities that makes spending time with them so compelling. This, to me, is one of Great Big Beautiful Life's greatest strengths. Its ability to create a fictional world that feels completely lived-in.
Great Big Beautiful Life - the Story
The story centers on Alice and Hayden, two writers brought together in a quiet Georgia town, both vying for the rare opportunity to write the biography of Margaret, a once-famous, now fiercely private woman with a past as complex as her present is guarded. What begins as a professional rivalry unfolds into something far more intricate and tender, exploring not just ambition and creativity, but healing, connection, and the courage it takes to be truly known.
As always, Emily Henry brings her signature warmth and humor to the page. But Great Big Beautiful Life digs a little deeper. The emotional resonance here feels richer, more reflective. It's as though Henry peeled back another layer of her storytelling to reach something more profound. There are moments of real heartbreak, quiet revelations, and even some romance that makes you wonder how she knows exactly how you feel in those exhilarating moments.
But it's Really About ...
This novel isn’t just about falling in love; it’s about finding your place in the world again after you thought you’d lost it. It’s about legacy, chosen family, and the big, messy, beautiful business of being alive.
Whether you’re a longtime Emily Henry fan or new to her work, Great Big Beautiful Life is a vibrant, breathtaking read that lingers long after the final page.
I think you'll also like this pick from Andie's Book Club: The Wedding People by Alison Espach.
