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Sign up todayGreat Big Beautiful Life: Reese's Book Club
Narrator
Julia Whelan
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
12 hours 2 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“This book and its narration by Julia Whelan left me as a great big beautiful sobbing mess. ”
— Sabrina • McNally Robinson Booksellers
Bookseller recommendation
“This was not what I expected from Emily Henry. Yes, it is a slow burn grumpy meets sunshine trope that has writers Hayden and Alice vying for the chance to be the author of Margaret’s biography. But Margaret’s story is a big part of the book. Her story is a mystery filled with twists and surprises. It intertwines with Hayden and Alice’s storyline and makes this book part mystery and part rom com and definitely worth the read. ”
— Kristen • Dragon Tale Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Emily Henry is only capable of writing stunning, deeply reaching and deeply felt novels, and this is no exception. Ending my listening experience in tears and will be reflecting on everything this story meant for a long time. This was so different than her other books, with elements of mystery and what feels like historical fiction alongside the romance plot. All of it connects in such a beautiful way. Loved it. ”
— Amy • Book Ends
Bookseller recommendation
“Emily Henry has mastered the art of building tension, and stretching it like taffy. Knowing someone is into you and you are into them is often just an acknowledgement before the main event, and luxuriating in the sensation is truly a treat. This whole book is dessert. Not to sneak diss, but in a world of predictably structured wide open door, smash cut, fade to blinding neon light, no build up, immediately resolved sexual tension, and then subsequent plot based on and around unpacking and DTR convos, this felt extremely refreshing. Also, Julia Whelan crushed it on the audiobook, my god. As usual, I need to cast this movie (limited series probably i mean let's get real), and it does seem that Jacob Elordi and Elizabeth Debicki could pull this off height wise, though I actually think if we go full unkowns it would hit harder, while casting a well known celeb a la Meryl or Patricia Clarkson (!!) to play Margaret would work well. ”
— Nyawira • Page 158 Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Super enjoyable vacation worthy book.”
— Melissia • Viewpoint Books
Bookseller recommendation
“My favorite Emily Henry book yet! Romance, comedy, mystery, and tabloids all rolled into one. The chemistry between Alice and Hayden is electric in this opposites attract/enemies-lovers story as they navigate the competition to be able to tell Margaret's story. I loved how we got two versions of every story in Margaret's past - Margaret's version and the press's version, but we never get the third version: what actually happened. I couldn't put this book down.”
— Kelli • The Novel Narwhal
Bookseller recommendation
“This was my first Emily Henry adventure and I was so pleasantly surprised! With not typically being a romance reader I wasn’t sure what to expect but everything from the characters, the plot and writing had me smiling while simultaneously tearing up at times. This was a beautiful exploration of love, life, and discovering what truly matters. Witty, and full of emotion, Great Big Beautiful Life kept me on the edge of thinking I knew what was coming next and then not being totally sure. I honestly loved every second of it. ”
— Carli • Folklore & Fable Booksellers, LLC
Bookseller recommendation
“Just finished Emily Henry’s Great Big Beautiful Life, and wow—I loved the story within the story. It added such a thoughtful layer of complexity to the main plot. The characters felt so vivid and real, and every thread of the narrative was beautifully woven together. Another hit from Emily Henry! ”
— Jessica • Books by the Bay
Bookseller recommendation
“As long as you go into this knowing that it is not like her usual books, you will still love it. This one has a different vibe and I loved it! ”
— Jen • The Book Shelf
Bookseller recommendation
“Fantastic love story with a cute plot twist... Beautifully written!! I am ready to find my very own Cosmo in this world. Amazing tension building love story between the 2 competing writers, but I fell in love with Margaret and Cosmo's story even more. This left me walking around with hearts in my eyes.”
— Sarah • Front Street Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Emily Henry's best one yet! I loved the mystery alongside the romance! I couldn't stop listening!”
— Harper • Mystery to Me
Bookseller recommendation
“Great Big Beautiful Life is a radiant, heart-tugging journey that captures the messy magic of storytelling and finding love in unexpected places. With her signature wit and emotional depth, Henry delivers characters so vivid, you feel like you’ve known them forever. It’s a story that wraps around your heart and reminds you how beautiful life can be—even when it’s far from perfect.”
— Beatrice • The Common Good
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.
As featured in The New York Times ∙ Rolling Stone ∙ People ∙ Good Morning America ∙ NPR ∙ Vogue ∙ The Cut ∙ USA Today ∙ Cosmopolitan ∙ Harper's Bazaar ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Glamour ∙ ELLE ∙ E! Online ∙ The New York Post ∙ Bustle ∙ Reader's Digest ∙ BBC ∙ PopSugar ∙ SheReads ∙ Paste ∙ and more!
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.
Emily Henry is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Great Big Beautiful Life, Funny Story, Happy Place, Book Lovers, People We Meet on Vacation, and Beach Read. She studied creative writing at Hope College, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.
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Audiobook details
Author:
Emily Henry
Narrator:
Julia Whelan
ISBN:
9798217063987
Length:
12 hours 2 minutes
Language:
English
Publisher:
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Publication date:
April 22, 2025
Edition:
Unabridged
Libro.fm rank:
#1 Overall
Genre rank:
#1 in Humor
Reviews
"Her best-selling romances have made her a new standard-bearer of the genre."—The New York Times“Readers can count on Em-Hen to transport them to a kinder, sunnier, and funnier galaxy where happy endings can be counted on . . . Henry’s magic elixir, it seems, is to return again and again to a simple boy-meets-girl formula while writing textured novels populated with vivid characters that never feel formulaic: she takes us back to a time when we believed, with all our being, that love conquers all.”—The Boston Globe
“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, New York Times bestselling author of First Time Caller
“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, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time
“Emily Henry spoils us with this one, giving readers not one but two gorgeous stories. Great Big Beautiful Life plays with truth, story-telling, family, and the things we do for love. 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, USA Today bestselling author of The Pumpkin Spice Cafe
"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, international bestselling author of Swept Away
“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 . . . This is a stunner.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Both longtime Henry fans and new romance readers will devour this rivals-to-lovers slow burn, one of Henry’s best to date. Also good for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.”—Library Journal (starred review)
"Henry (Funny Story, 2024) continues to burnish her reputation for fashioning sublimely satisfying love stories with another perfectly calibrated, delectably witty tale featuring endearingly quirky, thoughtfully nuanced characters."—Booklist (starred review)
“Alice and Hayden’s romance is a delightful slow burn and Henry, as always, shines when exploring family drama . . . Both a steamy romance and a moving look at the sacrifices people make for love.”—Kirkus Expand reviews
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