Review copy was received from Libro.fm, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Narrator: Julia Whelan
Published by Penguin Audio on April 22, 2025
Genres: Life Fiction
Length: 12 hours, 2 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Libro.fm, Publisher
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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 20th 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.
Emily Henry and Julia Whelan are favorites and really bring characters and worlds to life. Great Big Beautiful Life in a way similar to other books is a character growth and love story.
Alice goes to see a wealthy woman who she found after she disappeared 20 years ago after her husband died. The husband was a famous musician who Alice loved because her father loved him. When she goes to meet with the woman, Margaret, there is a biographer there, Hayden who won a Pulitzer for his recent work. They are both surprised to see the other.
Margaret tells them she will spend a month with them, meeting and telling stories. At the end of the month they will give her a proposal and a few sample pages and she will decide which of them gets to write her book. Hayden and Alice divide it up into every other day with Sundays off for both of them. Margaret is paying their expenses for this month.
With them both being new to the area, Hayden and Alice spend some time together and become close. They agree early on not to discuss Margaret or the book deal. They both agree she is lying to them though. Hayden gets a key photograph but Alice is the one who figures things out in the end. Despite their best efforts, they fall for each other. Hayden is worried if he gets the job, Alice will dump him. Alice isn’t worried. She expects it is more likely Hayden will get it.
Alice is the sunshine to Hayden’s grumpy and they really make a great couple. They both have family issues and are able to help each other in the end with resolving them. I loved their honesty and care for each other. Emily Henry‘s books always has characters who feel very realistic. The situation may be a bit unbelievable but if people found themselves in the situation their actions and reactions make sense.
Narration:
Julia Whelan is a favorite narrator because she has a strong ability to infuse emotion into her performance. I felt these terrific characters and their personalities. Her voices for both male and female characters feels comfortable. With a small number of characters, it was easy to distinguish who each voice was. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Julia Whelan
Julia Whelan is a screenwriter, life-long actor, and award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and Creative Writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. While in England, her flirtation with tea blossomed into a full-blown love affair, culminating in her eventual certification as a tea master. When not writing her own books, you can find her reading other people’s out loud into a microphone.
About Emily Henry
Emily Henry writes stories about love and family for both teens and adults. She studied creative writing at Hope College and the now-defunct New York Center for Art & Media Studies, and now spends most of her time in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the part of Kentucky just beneath it.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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- 🎧 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry #EmilyHenry @justjuliawhelan @penguinaudio.bsky.social @libro.fm#LoveAudiobooks @BerkleyRomance @BerkleyPub@PRHAudio - April 22, 2025
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 25-Audio
- 25-COYER
This sounds really good! I need to read an Emily Henry book one day.
I’ve loved her books and Julia Whelan makes them even better.
I read one Emily Henry book and wasn’t too crazy about it but this one sounds good.
I’ll highly recommend the audio versions with Julia Whelan if you try another.
Love a good grumpy character!! 😀 And Emily Henry is fun. 😀
Her books are fun!
Neat how they seem to treat it as normal rather than getting super competitive and hostile.
yes they are competitors but friendly competitors.
Happy to see you loved it. I’ll get to it soon.