Penguin Random House Books
From ‘Book Lovers’ to ‘Happy Place,’ Emily Henry’s novels all share unforgettable characters and heart-touching moments, and Henry’s newest book, ‘Great Big Beautiful Life,’ is no different. The novel, released on April 22, continues to follow in the footsteps of her previous works, while also creating its own path in the romance genre. The book is charming, although the pacing is off in a few spots, and with the intriguing mystery subplot to complement the more mellow main action, Henry manages to tug on the heartstrings of readers.
The story follows journalist Alice Scott as she travels to Georgia in search of famous recluse Margaret Ives, who disappeared 20 years ago. Alice offers to write Margaret’s autobiography, to tell her story of love and loss in her own voice, but Margaret has something else in mind. Pulitzer-winning author and fellow journalist, Hayden Smith, is also after Margaret’s story, so the woman proposes that the two hotshot writers stay in the small coastal Georgia town for six weeks, take turns interviewing the woman, and give their story pitch at the end of the set time. As the weeks go by, the line between competitors and something more begins to blur for Alice and Hayden, while the facts in Margaret’s story start to do the same. Margaret isn’t telling the entire truth to either writer, and the real ending of her story is one that neither is ready to hear.
From the beginning, it’s obvious that Alice is a sweet, outgoing and complex character. Henry didn’t just plaster a smile on her face and make her happy-go-lucky; she created layers in her character and backed up her emotional responses with solid justification. To say the least, she is a lovable lead in this story. Her enemy, to friend, to lover, Hayden, is also a well-written character. His person definitely could have been focused on more, but at the same time, one can appreciate that the relationship wasn’t the only thing focused on this time around. The two have a very grumpy versus sunny relationship, leading to lots of fun banter throughout the novel.
Another thing the novel proved is that Henry is reliable. In every novel, she creates a specific atmosphere, usually based on where the plot takes place. Since ‘Great Big Beautiful Life’ takes place in a tiny coastal Georgia town, there are lots of beautiful descriptions of the beach, the sunset and also the small restaurants and cafés Alice visits during her time there. It creates the feeling of actually being with her while she navigates her budding relationship and the ongoing interviews with Margaret.
The experience of reading Alice’s story unfolds alongside Margaret’s is very different but a brilliant idea of keeping the reader engaged. If anything, Margaret’s story of her family and what it was like to grow up and fall in love in the spotlight is more gripping than Alice and Hayden’s relationship.
The only thing lacking in this story is the ending. It felt very rushed because Henry had huge plot points happen in the last ten pages and just glossed over them without really addressing how certain things from earlier in the book affected Alice, Hayden and Margaret. The novel still ended on a high note with everything tying together nicely, but the pacing at the end wasn’t some of her best work.
Overall, the memorable characters and special moments throughout the book really brought it to life, and this reporter is happy to say that she is eagerly awaiting the announcement of Henry’s next enchanting novel.