Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
A story about love, legacy, and lost potential—but not every chapter finds its footing.
After absolutely loving Funny Story, I went into Great Big Beautiful Life with high hopes—and unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to them. While Emily Henry still delivers her signature lyrical writing, this novel felt like it was trying to do too much at once. As a result, I found myself disengaging from both the central storylines.
The premise had so much promise: two authors, Alice and Hayden, competing to tell the true story of a forgotten romance between Margaret Yves and Cosmo St-Clair. That historical love story had all the depth, tension, and atmosphere I crave in a novel. One line in particular—“Cosmo St-Clair spots Margaret Yves and the world stops”—perfectly captures the sweeping tone I had hoped the whole book would lean into. I honestly wish the book had focused solely on this thread.
Instead, we’re pulled into a contemporary romance between Alice and Hayden that, for me, never fully landed. It felt like a distraction more than anything else. I kept thinking how much stronger the book might have been without it. Likewise, the added drama surrounding the Yves family history—and the too-quickly-resolved mother-daughter conflict between Alice and her mom—left me feeling like the novel skimmed the surface of issues it could’ve explored more deeply.
There were flashes of emotional resonance. A line like “I think she loves me because I'm her daughter, but not because she likes me” had the potential to anchor an entire arc about complicated familial love. But instead of diving in, the book moved on too quickly, and any catharsis felt rushed. Similarly, a quote like “Love is not something you can cup with your hands so I have to believe that it's not something that can be lost” is deeply moving—but those moments were scattered rather than sustained.
At one point, I jotted in my notes: “I’m not quite sure what the twist is, but I’m not sure that I care.” That about sums it up. The emotional core got lost somewhere between the dual timelines and competing plotlines.
Ultimately, Great Big Beautiful Life had glimmers of brilliance—especially in its more poetic moments and the Margaret/Cosmo story—but they were overshadowed by too many underdeveloped threads. I was hoping for something unforgettable, but by the end, it left me wishing for a more focused, emotionally honest book.
Still, Emily Henry’s writing continues to shine in places: “The most beautiful things never hold up on a screen” feels like a quietly devastating truth. It’s just that in this case, the beauty didn’t hold up quite enough for me.
RATING: 3/5
