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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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Two writers. One story. A twist to beat them all…

Get ready to fall in love with the emotional new slow-burn romance from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Happy Place, Funny Story and People We Meet on Vacation.

THE INSTANT No.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER!
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK


When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island to write her life story, Alice knows this is it: her big break.

The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, has been invited there for the exact same reason.

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

But Margaret isn’t telling them everything, only giving each of them pieces of a past filled with scandal, wealth and heartbreak. 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.

But the truth about Margaret Ives is only part of the story.

And depending on who tells it, this could be a mystery, a tragedy… or a love story.

A love story like the all-time greats’ -- Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

‘Captivating, meaningful, and absolutely dazzling - Emily Henry didn’t just write a book, she delivered a literary hug with a twist of intrigue.’ ? ? ? ? ?

Nobody writes chemistry like Emily Henry’ Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flat Share

© Emily Henry 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Contemporary Editors Select Family Life Friendship Genre Fiction Romantic Comedy
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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)
All stars
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Ok a bit cliched and cheese wouldn’t recommend . Under lying story quite good got a bit bored probably won’t finish

A bit too Mills and Boon for my liking

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Loved this book and Julia Whelan just made it perfect! Both very talented at telling a story.

Just wonderful didn’t want it to end! Julia Whelan strikes again!

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Such a good read/listen. Amazing book, deep characters that feel real, amazing twists. Loveeed it.

Best book i’ve read in 2025

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Absolutely loved it! My new favourite of Emily Henry! She is a writing queen! The narrator was fantastic too!

SUBLIME

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I’m pretty sure I cried because of the emotion in the voice of the narrator

The narrator is incredible

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