Great Big Beautiful Life

The sweeping new slow-burn love story and Sunday Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read

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Great Big Beautiful Life

By: Emily Henry

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

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Brought to you by Penguin.

A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR & GLOBAL TIK TOK SENSATION, EMILY HENRY

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress with more than a few plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.

When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication.

The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing.

The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story.

The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.

And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story – just like the tale Margaret’s spinning – could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad … depending on who’s telling it.

'Emily Knows how to craft a love story like the all time greats' - Taylor Jenkins Reid

'I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous' - Ali Hazelwood

'Great Big Beautiful Life has everything you love in a classic Emily Henry novel, plus so much more. Nobody writes chemistry like Emily Henry, and you're guaranteed to fall head over heels for Alice and Hayden.' - Beth O'Leary

© Emily Henry 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Contemporary

Editors Select

Family Life

Friendship

Genre Fiction

Romantic Comedy

Contemporary Editors Select Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Romantic Comedy

Editorial Review

It's a wonderful life

Emily Henry is always going to give you more than your typical “boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love in an idyllic location, boy and girl live happily ever after” type of romance. That’s never been more apparent than in her new release, Great Big Beautiful Life. There is, of course, a love story and a dreamy locale—a quaint island off the coast of Georgia—but there’s also so much more: complicated relationships, painful pasts and even a bit of mystery. This heart-wrenching novel follows two competing journalists—my favourite grumpy-sunshine duo Henry has written yet—vying to write the coveted memoir of an aging Hollywood heiress with a scandal-ridden family history. As Henry’s go-to narrator Julia Whelan smoothly takes us from the present to the past and back again, using her abundant vocal range to give a distinct voice to each new character we encounter, this genre-bending masterpiece unfolds in the most gorgeous way. —Margaret H., Audible Editor

Critic Reviews

Emily knows how to craft a love story like the all time greats (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

One of my favourite authors (Colleen Hoover)

I've loved every single one of her books more than the previous (Ali Hazelwood)

My happy place is an Emily Henry book (Carley Fortune)

An expansive, sweeping love story that also feels so intimately tender...it enveloped me from start to finish. Beautiful. (Bolu Babalola)

Great Big Beautiful Life has everything you love in a classic Emily Henry novel, plus so much more. Nobody writes chemistry like Emily Henry, and you're guaranteed to fall head over heels for Alice and Hayden. (Beth O'Leary)

With a delicious slow-burn romance, a perfectly grumpy hero, and a setting that comes to life, this one checked all my boxes. Two compelling stories to move the plot forward meant I couldn't put it down! Emily Henry does it again! (Laurie Gilmore)

A sweeping love story about the choices we make and the threads that knit us together. Thoughtful, moving, and deliciously tender. Emily Henry is as captivating as ever. I love everything she does. (B.K. Borison)

A true joy. Playful, fun, and virtuosically plotted, Great Big Beautiful Life is a novel about life's winding paths and dangerous dead-ends—and the way that love can lead us out of the labyrinth. (Kaliane Bradley)

Great Big Beautiful Life simmers with longing and glitters with secrets and scandal, all set against a hot summer in Georgia. A joy of a book! (Evie Woods)

Most relevant

A completely engrossing tale of love, tragedy, and heartbreak. I couldn't put it down, and that ending had me bawling.
An absolutely beautiful read, and Whelan's performance was phenomenal once again. Still deciding where it sits on my ranking of Emily Henry's books, is it equal or more beloved than Happy Place, or Funny Story? Will it become the sentimental favourite and kick Happy Place from its number 1 position? Time will tell.