Great Big Beautiful Life: Reese's Book Club
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4.4 • 399 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK ∙ AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ∙ Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping novel from Emily Henry.
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Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to 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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Share in the romance and the revelations as an enemies-to-lovers affair plays out between two journalists in this charming novel by the author of Funny Story. Mega-perky Alice Scott thinks she’s found her chance to finally break out as a writer when she’s invited to meet with Margaret Ives, the elderly scion of a notorious media dynasty, who’s finally willing to share her story with the right person. But super-surly and Pulitzer-winning journalist Hayden Anderson is also determined to get the scoop on the Ives family. Unfortunately for them both, Margaret intends for them to compete for the privilege of writing her biography. As she tells each of them select—but different—parts of her life over the next month, they’ll have to prove themselves worthy of getting the whole story. Meanwhile, what begins as a fierce rivalry between these two journalists starts to transform into something equally as passionate. We loved the contemporary drama set against the past spectacle of Margaret Ives’ own thrilling and heartbreaking family history, which spans major events in 19th- and 20th-century America.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
What begins as a charming if standard rom-com evolves into a hauntingly beautiful meditation on what makes a life well lived in the latest showstopper from Henry (Funny Story). Thirty-something entertainment journalist Alice Scott jumps at the chance to interview an octogenarian claiming to be the infamous Margaret Ives, descendant of American media royalty and a "Tabloid Princess" of yore. Alice heads to Little Crescent Island, a small coastal Georgia town, with dreams of Margaret's biography being her big break. She's not the only one vying for the job, though: Pulitzer winner Hayden Anderson is also in the running. They have a month to each separately interview Margaret then pitch their proposals. But Margaret's stories don't quite add up, leading Hayden and Alice toward each other as they search for answers. Flashbacks to Margaret's glamorous past are threaded throughout the contemporary narrative, offering a candid glimpse into loves and lives lost and serving as a poignant counterpoint to the romance between Hayden and Alice. There's also plenty of Henry's trademark wit and even a hint of mystery as the sparring hearts probe the veracity of Margaret's tales. This is a stunner.
Customer Reviews
Different from her usual
EH departs from her usual rom-com style in this more novelistic, women’s-fic love story. I commend her for pushing the boundary of her typical genre but it just fell short. I found myself more interested in the story within the story than in the main characters themselves. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid may enjoy more than fans of Abby Jiminez, Ali hazelwood, and Christina Lauren.
Great Big Beautiful Life
I am such an Emily Henry fan! From the flawed characters to the heart of her stories, they always hit a home run with perfectly imperfect endings. This book is no exception and the story was woven incredibly well with lovable characters and build-up and intrigue that keeps you reading far longer than you should. My only wish is that I hadn’t predicted a plot-line so quickly and been right about it (but it still didn’t take away from the joy in my reading experience).
Great Big Beautiful Life
I laughed and cried through this book. Emily is a master storyteller. I felt like I shared all the hopes, dreams and disappointments of all the people in this story. Fabulous book!