Great Big Beautiful Life - Emily Henry

A Battle of Words—and Hearts

In “Great Big Beautiful Life,” bestselling author Emily Henry delivers a sweeping, heart-fluttering story that blends literary ambition with simmering chemistry. Set on the secluded and sun-drenched Little Crescent Island, two writers are thrown into a high-stakes competition to uncover the scandalous truth about a reclusive heiress—and earn the right to tell her story.

Alice Scott, an eternal optimist desperate for a breakthrough, sees this as her big chance. So does Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer-winning cynic and literary force. Their task: spend a month on the island, unearth the truth behind Margaret Ives’ legacy, and earn her final approval. But with strict NDAs and a magnetic tension between them, unraveling Margaret’s life may mean unraveling their own.

As secrets surface and rivalry gives way to reluctant admiration, what started as a professional challenge becomes a messy, romantic, and soul-searching journey—for both the story they’re chasing and the one they’re writing together.

Main Themes of the Book

• The intersection of love and ambition
• The blurred lines between fiction and truth
• Rivalry, ego, and emotional vulnerability
• Power, legacy, and personal reinvention
• The transformative power of storytelling

Why You Should Read This Book by Emily Henry

• From the author of Beach Read, Book Lovers, and Happy Place
• Combines enemies-to-lovers romance with a literary mystery
• Set on a lush, atmospheric island ideal for summer reading
• Smart, character-driven, and full of Emily Henry’s signature wit
• A meta-narrative about who owns a story and how we tell it

“Great Big Beautiful Life” is a bold, big-hearted novel that explores what happens when the story you want to tell collides with the one you didn’t expect to live. Romantic, emotional, and rich with insight, this is Emily Henry at her very best—a celebration of love, art, and the beautifully messy lives we lead when we stop chasing perfection and start embracing the plot twists.