'Great Big Beautiful Life' Is "Different" From Emily Henry's Other Books: "Never Been More Nervous."
Emily Henry fans rejoice! After the release of Funny Story on April 23, 2024, and all the news about the People We Meet On Vacation movie and Happy Place TV show, we finally have the title of Emily Henry's newest book: Great Big Beautiful Life. The author teased the novel in the September 6 installment of her Emily's Grocery List newsletter, revealing that the book is actually one of the most difficult ones she's written.
"This book poured out of me, back in the winter/spring after the longest writing break I’d taken in a full decade," she says in the email. "You might also have heard me in interviews talk about how hard this book has been since that first draft. (Very.) This book is different than anything I’ve written before but also feels like a really natural extension of what I’ve been doing the last few years."
Here's everything you need to know about Great Big Beautiful Life — including when you can read it.
What is the title of Emily Henry's new book?
Penguin Random House
Emily Henry's newest book is called Great Big Beautiful Life. When Henry offered clues in her newsletter (saying, "It’s more than two words long. I’ve already hidden it in a grocery list. It starts with an adjective."), readers started guessing it'd begin with "Great" — especially since she bolded the word at the start of the email!
What is the new Emily Henry book about?
Great Big Beautiful Life Plot
The new book follows Alice and Hayden, two writers competing to tell the story of Margaret Ives, a “tragic heiress, former tabloid princess and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century,” according to the official synopsis. Both writers get a month-long trail to prove themselves worthy of penning the story, and thanks to Alice's people skills and her determination, she's sure she'll get the job. But as time goes on, "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.”
This story totally reminds me of the star power and intrigue in Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I can't wait to see how Emily Henry puts her spin on this! Before revealing the specifics about the Great Big Beautiful Life plot, Emily Henry offered email subscribers a teaser.
"There is, of course, a love story and a vacation and complicated family dynamic and all the things I’ve always found myself drawn toward," she says, "but there’s also something else, and I’m both overjoyed and terrified to be able to share it more about it with you so soon (!!!). Including which T. Swift song it most closely correlates to, since I know that some of you will ask." (As many fans guessed, it turned out to be "The Last Great American Dynasty").
"It’s very much a love story, and there is a romance in it. But it feels like a slight departure, but in a way that I think will be really exciting to the readers," Henry told TODAY in April. "It was the best first draft experience I’ve had since Beach Read, where writing the first draft, I felt so connected to the characters, and I was getting really emotional for them. And usually, I don’t really find that until later drafts."
If you love drawing parallels between Taylor Swift and Emily Henry as much as I do, check out Reading Emily Henry? There's A Taylor Swift Album For Every Book.
When is Great Big Beautiful Life coming out?
Great Big Beautiful Life Release Date
Great Big Beautiful Life will be published on April 22, 2025.
What has Emily Henry said about her new book?
Devyn Glista/St. Blanc Studios
In the October 16 issue of her newsletter, Emily Henry promises Great Big Beautiful Life has been one of the biggest challenges of her career.
"Like I’ve been telling you, this book is a little bit different, though still very much a love story (and a romance, to be clear), and I do know I say this every time, but I’ve genuinely never been more nervous to share something with you," she says. "Writing this book consumed me, tore me up, and challenged me like nothing has in years. It felt like the right book for me at the moment, and I hope that means that some of you reading this will feel the same way when the time comes."
What is the best Emily Henry book to start with?
ABC/Lorenzo Bevilaqua
You can read the Emily Henry books in any order you like, but I'd recommend starting with Beach Read. It's a great introduction to Henry's writing and it's unique and emotional while still having all the elements any romance reader will enjoy.
Emily Henry's other books include People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers (my personal favorite), Funny Story, and Happy Place.
Are Emily Henry books connected?
Amazon
Emily Henry's books aren't directly connected with one another (meaning you can read them in whichever order you like), but they do mention each other's characters, like how Book Lovers mentions a book published by Beach Read's January Andrews.
What do you think Emily Henry's new book Great Big Beautiful Life will be about? Let us know on Facebook and check out All The Emily Henry Books Being Turned Into Movies for the latest news on Henry's adaptations!
This post has been updated.