Welcome to Litsy!

Left my kindle at home so picked this up at the airport and ended up all but finishing same day. I really liked the main character and the premise of the book. I also thought. It shows great writing skill that so much of the novel is ‘tell‘ vs show because Margaret is narrating her family history but it‘s still compelling. Could have done without the forward love story - Margaret and Alice were enough for me

I‘ll never understand how it‘s possible to suspend disbelief enough to get on board with the ridiculously compressed timelines in the romance genre: meet/initial dislike/sleep together/fall in love/introduce to mom/misunderstanding/conflict/breakup/heartbreak/resolution of conflict/reconciliation/happily-ever-after…in 2-3 weeks. What saves Emily Henry books from being chucked at the wall is the delightful snarkiness of the main character.

Felt more like a TJR than an EH book, but maybe that‘s because I‘d just read a TJR before this one. Loved the hero 💕

I like Emily Henry, and I liked this book. However the love story between the two authors almost took something away from the story. A low pick.

I have plans for a baking spree this morning, but first breakfast and a book. I think I‘ll read the tagged this morning and save Brideshead Revisited for #hyggehour tonight.

Pic from earlier today because I‘m starting #hyggehour off early by lounging in bed immediately after dinner. Haven‘t decided yet if I‘m coming down with a cold or just tired. I‘m starting the tagged- bought it to read over Memorial Day; just starting now. Looking forward to the cold front coming in this week. I also have been re-arranging my books which is a fun project.

All the books 📚 + my ratings that I‘ve read during my #Interrail trip from Amsterdam to Antwerp to Paris to Montpellier to Barcelona 🥳.

I started my third #Interrail 🚆 summer ☀️ on August 3, so I am really busy right now! I use the train journeys to catch up on some reading. Love using my new #kindle 🧡🥳

Another great one from Emily Henry!

#bookspinbingo

At the broken (and healing) heart of this story are family dynamics and, more specifically, the hidden, tremulous, and deep-seated feeling that you don‘t belong — that your family may love you but that they don‘t really like you. It‘s an awful anxiety, too tender to poke at, and maybe one that we‘ve all felt. I know I have. I know my husband has. I know we‘ve talked about it and fought about it. In the words of the poet Philip Larkin…👇🏻

Our first ripe tomato of the season (discounting all the little heirloom cherry tomatoes). This one was a Jet Star, which we grew because of its name. The puppy insisted.

Yes, Emily! It IS tricky! Why did she deny us the family tree she so *clearly* knew we needed?

Brat. 🙈😅

🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟 5/5 This is by far my favorite Emily Henry book 🧡🧡🧡 I loved everything about it! My favorite book of 2025❤️ Great Big Beautiful Life and Beach Read are my 2 favorites of hers!

I don't usually read romances, but I am glad I read this one. Someone on Litsy mentioned how good it was, so I gave it a try. Alice and Hayden are both journalists. They are both vying for the job to write Margaret Ives' memoir. Recommend it! 4.25⭐️

This was an ok light read. But I didn‘t love it. I borrowed it from the public library because I saw it had lots of good reviews and is on the best seller lists. These 2 factors don‘t always necessarily make these books a ‘pick‘ for me 😂 But I needed something light after reading ‘A Little Life‘ and it ticked that box

It‘s been about a month since I‘ve finished a physical book. In July I‘m trying to read books I own, because I have too many books coming in and not reading enough of them!

I really liked this Emily Henry! I might like Funny Story a little more but this one might be my next fav. Set in Georgia. Alice is interviewing a socialite in her 80s about her past and all the drama. Some spicy scenes but not too many.

This was my #bookspin for July!

I took a chance and tried a contemporary bright covered romance. I had heard this was a little meatier than the usual. Nah. Also, it was in desperate need of editing. Could have removed at least 20% of the interactions of the MC with the love interest and with the subject of the book. I‘m probably being a bit harsh. It‘s just not my genre. Sweet ending though.

📷 Beachy island in Georgia. Not my pic. Reminds me of the setting of the story.

July #bookspin and #doublespin picks! I already started the tagged book!

Low pick, kind of disappointed. I love the sarcastic banter & back/forth between her 2 main characters (I loved Funny Story & Book Lovers). In this case Alice & Hayden but they are competing to write Margaret‘s life story. It had Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes to me. I look forward to Emily Henry‘s summer books…romance fun, great to read at the beach. This was more about complicated family relationships.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This was just the reminder I needed that slow burns are worth sticking with until the very end! But, why am I surprised, it‘s Emily Henry and she always pulls a story together so well💜

My weekend read is the newest Emily Henry.😁

This marks a variation from Henry‘s rom-coms; I absolutely couldn‘t put it down! I stayed up late to basically finish it in one sitting! Journalist Alice Scott tracks down Margaret Ives who vanished from the public eye 2 decades earlier. She thinks she has snagged the dream job of writing her biography… but instead it turns into an audition up against a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer, Hayden Anderson. With historical drama & lively characters!

#BeautifulLife ❤️🧡💛

#JuneSpecials ☀️🌸⛱️🦩🍉 🌻🩱🧴🕶️🌊🐚

#BookNerd 🤓📚💙

31 May-2 Jun 25 (audiobook)
I needed something to keep me awake (physical book was making me drowsy) whilst I waited for Polly‘s curfew on Saturday night and this did do the job. Henry‘s books are all a bit the same, although this was less about the relationship between the two characters and more of a family history. It was fine - she is good at writing light, romantic fiction that is a quick easy listen and doesn‘t really matter if I tune out.

Emily Henry is a must read author for me, and this is the first book of hers that I did not love. Henry totally deserves to write what she wants and try new things, but maybe this one is just not for me. It felt like straight up historical fiction with a romance thrown on top, but both pieces felt shortchanged and underdeveloped. Not my favorite.

May reading wrap up. Honestly, after graduation, I felt surreal. After working so hard for several years, I didn‘t feel like doing anything including reading!

#monthlyreadingwrapup #books #bookstagram #storyapp

I understand the disappointment some are expressing about this book. When you pick up a new Emily Henry you expect top tier romance and this is barely a romance at all. And the romance that is there- not even close to top tier. All the Taylor Jenkins Reid comparisons are justified too. However, I cannot deny that I enjoyed every minute of reading this book.

Let the #summerreading on the back deck commence! Finally.

Wonderful! Maybe my favorite of hers. I enjoyed diving into this without knowing the plot and enjoyed every minute.

Almost gave up on this a couple of times. Felt like the story was stretched out on some parts. Glad I stuck with it because it might be my favorite that I‘ve read from her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Yesterday I was sent this enamel pin for reviewing Great Big Beautiful Life for #Viking #Penquin. Thank you so much for sending it to me @penguinrandomhouse

#GreatBigBeautifulLife

Just an OK read for me. The romance plot line didn't have a lot of tension or suspense, and the older celebrity telling her story wasn't especially compelling. It did have a nice plot twist at the end. A so-so read.

Perfect long weekend reading! I loved Henry‘s take on the “older famous woman who has left the limelight has ulterior motives when she tells her story to journalist for tell-all book” trope.

If you‘re getting big The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo vibes, you‘re not the only one. It‘s more of a family drama than a romance, in the end, and it‘s a serviceable read – just nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing. Full review: https://keepingupwiththepenguins.com/great-big-beautiful-life-emily-henry/

Just starting this. I'm not a big romance reader, but I've heard good things about Emily Henry. Hope I like it!

Current audiobook…Can‘t believe I didn‘t have to wait that long for my library hold to come through! 😊

This one felt a little different than her other books, but it still had all the charm that I've come to expect from Henry. I've seen people compare this to Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones, and I can see why, but it still felt like an Emily Henry book, just a little heavier on plot and backstory this time. I really enjoyed it!

Nearly perfect. Likely my favorite Emily Henry books. I loved the premise of these two authors coming across the same reclusive celebrity to write a story about. This felt pretty authentic, the way that was handled. I felt a connection to both characters, which did end up kicking my butt later on crying. In a good, almost healing felt, sort of way. The twists had me going; did not expect that. Throughly enjoyed this story.

Okay, this is my least favorite of her books but Emily Henry still ALWAYS makes me cry at the end!

47/100🎧📖🔖
4th Emily Henry
#greatbigbeautifullife #emilyhenry #goodreads #goodreadsreadingchallenge #ebook #audiobook

“What do you think he should‘ve done?”
“For the one you love? Anything. You unmake the world and build a new one. You do anything to give them what they need.”
I would unmake the world and build a new one for this guy any time, any place. Period. (Hence my reading and drinking in a golf cart on Mother‘s Day weekend!🤣)

This was my first from Emily Henry, and unfortunately, apparently not her best. I enjoyed it, but some of the chapters were just boring for me. It‘s been labeled as a romance, and/or mystery in places, but both of the tropes are very minimal.. between a pick and a so-so!

I definitely have a type, and it‘s the men in Emily Henry books. Apparently I like secretly sensitive, outwardly gruff, sorta awkward men like Hayden Anderson. Alice & Hayden are the latest lovely couple she‘s written, and this is officially an Emily Henry fan account.

Alice Scott tracks down the reclusive heiress Margret Ives in the hope of writing her biography, only to find herself in a competition for her story with the award winning author, Hayden Anderson.

Generational ✨ Love ✨ Regret

While still a romance, this Emily Henry explores different types of love (family, parents, siblings, and friends) and the impact our decisions have on how we understand what it means to love and how it is acted upon.