Since moving to New York City, I’ve come to associate the arrival of spring with shorter sleeves, longer days and the blossoms in Washington Square Park. But this year, my favorite springtime event by far was the publication of a new Emily Henry novel — which is why at 11:59 p.m. on April 21, I joined approximately 50 other book lovers in counting down the seconds to midnight at The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore in Brooklyn. We all cheered, giddy with excitement over finally being able to hold what could easily become our next favorite romance.

“Great Big Beautiful Life” follows two journalists as they compete to chronicle the life of Margaret Ives, former tabloid princess turned reclusive heiress. Margaret has disappeared from the public eye for decades, putting her whirlwind romances and countless family scandals behind her. Now in her 80s, she’s finally open to sharing her version of the events endlessly covered in the press, although it’s unclear why — but that’s for the journalists to figure out. 

Alice Scott is an aspiring biographer and staff writer at a small cultural publication based in Los Angeles. She has a knack, or compulsion — depending on the situation — for finding the silver lining in any situation and seeing the best in people. Her seemingly endless optimism is put to the test when she finds out who she’s up against for the job of covering Margaret’s story: Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and music journalist Hayden Anderson, whose stern demeanor contrasts with Alice’s sunny disposition. 

When Alice gets a call back from Margaret, she’s prepared for rejection, but instead receives a proposition: Alice and Hayden are both to stay in Margaret’s small coastal town in Georgia for a month-long trial period. They’ll be getting one-on-one time with the heiress and, in the end, Margaret will choose who gets to tell her story. Seeing as this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Alice accepts. Seeing as he has a stellar reputation to uphold, Hayden accepts. The reporting begins. 

When talking about the novel via her newsletter, Emily’s Grocery List, Henry shared how the idea for this book “gripped [her] like nothing quite has since [she] wrote ‘Beach Read’ all those years ago.” She also mentioned it was different from anything she’s written before. Now that I’ve read it, I can see why. 

“Great Big Beautiful Life” reads more like literary fiction than her previous work. Of course, it wouldn’t be an Emily Henry novel without a romantic-comedy plotline, but there are also elements of historical fiction and mystery woven into the narrative. As a fan of all the aforementioned genres, I found the mix captivating. 

When Alice first sits down to hear Margaret’s story, she’s surprised that the heiress doesn’t begin with her privileged upbringing or her highly publicized marriage to the late rockstar, Cosmo Sinclair. Instead, Margaret takes her back to the 1830s, when her great-grandfather was born. That, she claims, is where her story begins. I appreciated the multigenerational world-building — it’s incredibly detailed and complex, making it easy to forget the Ives dynasty is fictional. Since the two women meet over the course of a month, the slowness of Margaret’s storytelling builds suspense. She’s still deciding whether or not to trust Alice, so it makes sense for details to be withheld or stories to be cut short and left for another day. 

As a journalism student myself, Alice’s instinct to turn off her tape recorder when she feels Margaret holding back is relatable. It’s easy to get swept up in all the juicy details, especially with an iconic subject like Margaret, but Alice is a human being first, reporter second. Because of her sensibility, she also realizes there’s more to Margaret than meets the eye — and Hayden, for that matter. Her willingness to be vulnerable inspires those around her to do the same, giving readers a better sense of who each character is at their core.

Henry has written from the perspective of professionals in the literary world before. Both of the protagonists in “Beach Read” are authors, “Funny Story’s” Daphne is a librarian and “Book Lovers” features a literary agent, Nora, whose chance encounter with book publisher Charlie drives the plot. I’d say this new novel is most like “Beach Read” in that there’s a competition between the leads coupled with sexual tension, and we get a close look at the female character’s approach to writing, which implicitly exposes her morals and ways of connecting with others. 

As always, I relished in the banter and tension between the main characters, pausing my reading multiple times to send my friend voice notes, squealing and giggling with delight. This only happens when I’m reading a book by Henry. Alice’s honesty and curiosity keep getting the best of her, leading her to ask 6-foot-3-inch Hayden questions like, “How many of your girlfriends have been under five three?” 

This novel deals with grief, greed and generational trauma. It explores the psychological effects of not being able to own your narrative, as well as the delicate process of crafting someone else’s. Although standoffish at first, Hayden’s vulnerability is slowly revealed as the novel unfolds. He is now tied with Alex Nilsen of “People We Meet on Vacation” as my favorite Henry male lead. And, trust me, that is no easy feat. 

Contact Ana Sofia Erath at [email protected].