I’ve been a Emily Henry fan since I read Book Lovers last November. I adored Nora and Charlie’s story, putting Book Lovers as one of my favorite books of 2024. Naturally, I was dying to be part of the release wave for Emily Henry’s next book.
I finished Great Big Beautiful Life last night, and while I was hoping to have my mind set on how I’m going to rate and review it, the beginning and ending of the book left me feeling very different ways. So while I sit with my thoughts (full review coming tomorrow!), I thought I’d put together a summary of Great Big Beautiful Life with a full synopsis.
One of my biggest gripes with this book is that it’s basically two stories in one — and at times, I felt like I had trouble following, especially when it came to Margaret’s story. So this post aims to split the two, collecting Margaret’s arc into one section and Hayden and Alice’s into another. Scroll down for the full recap of Great Big Beautiful Life — including a complete family tree of the Ives dynasty!
Emily Henry’s writing is truly magical, so don’t be discouraged by the two storylines running through Great Big Beautiful Life. It’s different, thoughtfully crafted, and although sometimes a little confusing, it’s ultimately an enjoyable read.
As promised here’s my full Great Big Beautiful Life Review!
Great Big Beautiful Life
Description
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.
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.
Synopsis with Spoilers
Which Emily Henry book is your favorite?
Which Emily Henry book is your favorite?
Alice and Hayden’s Story
This section only covers Alice and Hayden’s story! For Margaret’s full story, check the next section below!
Alice Scott is a celebrity journalist from LA working at a newspaper called The Scratch. She is an optimist, seeing life in all its colors and refusing to dwell on negative things. Alice has a sister, Audrey, who grew up with heart problems but is now fully healed and serving in the Peace Corps. Her mother still lives back in Georgia. She was also a journalist alongside Alice’s dad, who passed away a few years ago. Alice and her mother have been drifting apart, with Alice feeling like her mother doesn’t respect her career as a celebrity columnist, and feeling even more distanced from her after losing their father.
Hayden Anderson is a journalist from New York. He has won a Pulitzer Prize for writing the biography of a beloved celebrity who suffered from dementia. Hayden comes from a political family in Indiana, where he, his brother, and mother spent their lives under the spotlight and had to maintain an air of perfection, something Hayden deeply resents.
One day, Alice receives a mystery email from a stranger tipping her off to the location of Margaret Ives, the heiress of the Ives dynasty of newspapers and tabloids who disappeared a while back. Alice calls and leaves a bunch of voicemails, begging Margaret to tell her story in a biography. Margaret reluctantly agrees. Alice travels to Little Crescent, Georgia, a small island in the middle of nowhere where Margaret now lives as a mostly obscure mosaic artist with a younger woman named Jodi.
Although Alice and Margaret hit it off, Alice realizes she doesn’t have the job yet. There’s another journalist down there — Hayden — also interviewing for the job. Margaret gives them an option. Both of them will interview her for a month and, at the end, they will each pitch their book proposal. One of them will get the job.
Alice and Hayden both agree. Hayden is apprehensive about Alice’s presence, while Alice tries to become friends with him. The two of them keep running into each other, their chemistry growing and tensions getting higher. Eventually, Alice gets past Hayden’s grumpy barriers, and they decide to become friends, as long as they don’t talk about their work.
Alice has a friends-with-benefits relationship with Theo, a photographer back in LA. However, Theo never puts enough effort into seeing her. Alice, who used to put up with being treated poorly by Theo, grows tired of his non-commitment and stops jumping at the opportunity to make plans, seeing if he will show any initiative on his own.
Hayden and Alice begin spending more time together on the island. Since it’s mostly retirees, they keep running into each other. They eat dinners together, Hayden having an uncanny ability to find diners wherever they go. Hayden is enchanted by Alice’s bright outlook on life, while Alice starts falling for the strong, kind man Hayden is beyond his icy exterior. They share a couple of kisses and feel each other up, but Hayden does not want to go further. He worries that when one of them gets the job, the other will resent them, and their relationship will fall apart.
The island is full of surprises and interesting characters. Alice and Hayden both meet an eccentric older man named Cecil, who loves throwing half-birthday parties for himself. While wandering the town, Alice finds one of Margaret’s mosaic pieces named The Nicolette.
Their interviews with Margaret continue. Although they are under strict NDAs and can’t share their work, they confide in each other that Margaret isn’t being entirely truthful and seems to have an ulterior motive.
As their friendship deepens, Alice invites Hayden to spend the weekend at her mother’s house — just as friends. They visit, and Hayden realizes Alice’s mother shows little interest in Alice’s work and sees how much that hurts her. On the way back, Hayden confronts Alice about repressing her feelings. They get into a huge fight and seemingly go their separate ways.
A huge storm hits the island. Alice forgets to charge her phone, and it dies. After she doesn’t respond to his texts, Hayden shows up at the house Alice is renting, worried about her. They make up, apologize to each other, and grow even closer. Hayden spends the night.
One day, Cecil tells Alice that he has the younger picture Hayden asked for. Knowing Hayden wouldn’t have asked Cecil for that, Alice starts chasing the lead without telling Hayden to respect their boundaries. They continue spending more time together, falling deeper in love. Hayden even confesses he loves Alice but asks her not to say it back until the month is over because he is scared of getting hurt.
Hayden reveals that he didn’t track Margaret down like Alice did. Instead, Margaret had asked him to come interview her. After telling Alice everything, Hayden feels more comfortable being with her, even though he still doesn’t want her to say she loves him back until the month is up.
Alice recognizes Cecil from the old pictures he showed her. She realizes he was present at Margaret’s sister’s trial. She and Hayden connect the dots that Margaret’s former family doctor is living on the island too. Alice confronts Margaret about it, and Margaret fills in more of her story — up until a point.
Hayden gives his pitch and spends the night at Alice’s house. The next morning, he notices the mosaic Alice bought named The Nicolette. Curious, Hayden mentions that his mother is adopted and that her birth name was Nicolette.
Alice puts the pieces together and rushes to Margaret’s house the day of her own pitch. She’s furious when she realizes that Hayden is Margaret’s grandson, and that this whole setup was a way for Margaret to secretly get to know Hayden. Margaret confirms there was never supposed to be a book deal, although Hayden has already turned the job down and wants nothing to do with her, unaware she is his grandmother.
Alice, devastated, refuses to go through with the book. Margaret threatens legal action under their NDA if Alice reveals the truth to Hayden. Not wanting to lie but feeling trapped, Alice breaks up with Hayden without telling him the truth.
Alice goes to stay with her mother. Although welcomed, she still feels disconnected. Finally, she confesses to her mom that she doesn’t feel like she belongs in her own family and shares how painful it has been to feel disrespected. Her mother apologizes and admits that while Alice’s dad always understood her, she never knew how. They spend the next month reconnecting.
As Alice becomes closer with her mother, a new idea sprouts — to tell her parents’ love story in an autobiography, a book about love instead of tabloids. She sends Margaret a letter, begging her to tell Hayden the truth and confessing that she loves him too much to build a relationship based on a lie.
One day, Hayden shows up at her doorstep, glowering with Margaret’s letter in hand. He asks Alice if it’s true that she loves him. She confesses. Hayden and Alice get back together, deciding to stay in Atlanta to be close to her mother, with Hayden saying he just wants to be where Alice is.
The book ends with them living in Atlanta with their daughter. Margaret, though aging, is part of their lives, and Alice, Hayden, and Alice’s mom regularly visit her — finally living in peace together as a family.
Margaret Ives’ Story
The Ives family story begins with Lawrence Richard Ives. He was the eighth-born son of two farmers in Dillon Springs, Pennsylvania, who made his fortune after heading west to prospect for gold. Lawrence was one of ten children, though only six survived the harsh winters, which made him hungry for success from an early age.
A young local miner named Thomas Dougherty tipped Lawrence off about gold mines. Together, they traveled to California and spent the next eight years digging for gold. They made a small fortune, but eventually visited Nevada. Lawrence noticed there were gold deposits there too, but he kept that discovery a secret from his partner. When Thomas eventually left, Lawrence stayed behind, digging out silver all for himself.
With his newfound wealth, Lawrence bought an inn. The inn Lawrence bought was called The Ebner, formerly named The Nicollet.
Nobody particularly liked Lawrence. However, he journaled obsessively, and his family would later read through his writings to piece together his life.
Thomas eventually returned to the town, furious about Lawrence’s betrayal. Lawrence refused to see him, and Thomas, unwilling to leave quietly, tried to tell the story of Lawrence’s deception to a local newspaper. In response, Lawrence bought the newspaper. It wasn’t necessarily to suppress the story, but once he found out how much Thomas had sold the story for, he realized just how profitable the news business could be.
Lawrence began shifting away from mining, focusing more on investments. Eventually, he moved to San Francisco. He tried to reconnect with his sister, who had married into the Dougherty family, but she wanted nothing to do with him.
Lawrence had a son named Gerald. Their relationship was strained. Gerald could never live up to Lawrence’s expectations. Eventually, Gerald gained a younger sister, Georgiana “Gigi” Ives. Gigi was a free spirit, while Gerald continued trying to please their father. No matter how hard he tried, he could never connect with him.
Gerald had anger issues. At one point, Lawrence gave him one of the family newspapers as a trial. Gerald took charge of the San Francisco Daily Dispatch — and promptly cleaned house. He didn’t understand mining and prospecting like his father did, but he had a talent for spotting potential in people. Knowing his father was watching, Gerald poured himself into making the paper as successful as possible. He ran a truth-based newspaper, even as he quietly bought out and buried several of his father’s more sensationalist titles. The two never spoke of it.
Eventually, Gerald moved to New York. He bought a few newspapers there, and they succeeded quickly. Around that time, he met Rosalind Goodlett, the daughter of a prominent politician. They married for political reasons, cementing Gerald as one of the most powerful men in New York. Afterward, they moved back to California.
Though they weren’t in love at first, Gerald and Rosalind eventually grew to love each other. They had two children: Frederick Ives, known as Freddy, and Francine Ives. Gerald swore to be a better father than Lawrence had been.
Meanwhile, Gigi married an Englishman and also moved to New York. Lawrence adored Freddy and gave him most of his attention. Freddy would later run for California State Senate, then pursue other offices, though unsuccessfully.
When Lawrence got sick and passed away, Gerald spiraled into a rage-fueled breakdown. He left San Francisco for Hollywood, where he met Nina Gill, an aspiring actress. They fell in love. During this time, Gerald’s mother passed away, but he didn’t return for her funeral.
In Hollywood, Gerald bought a movie studio. Not long after, Nina became “sick” — an illness that lasted two years, during which she was quietly hidden away. Though mistresses were tolerated at the time, out-of-wedlock pregnancies were still scandalous. Nina was pregnant with Gerald’s child. She was sent to a castle in Europe, where she stayed beyond the length of her pregnancy to throw off the press.
There, she gave birth to a baby girl named Ruth. To avoid scandal, the family pretended Ruth was Gigi’s daughter.
Ruth “Nicollet” Allen was officially Gerald’s niece. She married World War II veteran James Oller. The name Nicollet meant “the one it was all for.” It was also the name of Lawrence’s sister.
Freddy grew jealous of Ruth. Gerald doted on her for reasons Freddy didn’t understand. After abandoning his own family following Lawrence’s death, Gerald reappeared to be a father — but only to Ruth, whose true parentage was never publicly revealed.
Freddy was consumed by that abandonment. He continued trying to earn Gerald’s approval, including taking over the Ives movie studio. But it was never what Freddy wanted.
One day, Doris “Bernie” Bernhardt stormed into Freddy’s office, furious about being underpaid as an actress and director. She had asked to speak with Gerald, but instead found Freddy. The two fought, bantered, and clashed — and by the end of the meeting, Bernie walked out of the studio. Freddy, who always wanted the things he couldn’t have, fell in love with her on the spot.
Margaret and her sister Laura grew up being doted on, served, and loved by their parents. Their father was madly in love with their mother.
At some point, their parents began fighting a lot, mostly about Bernie not being affectionate enough toward Margaret and Laura. They couldn’t compromise, and eventually they split up.
Bernie moved out and her parents got a divorce. At first, Margaret and Laura didn’t see their mother for a long time. But when Bernie had a movie release, Freddy went to support her. They began talking again, eventually calling each other every day. Bernie came back over for Christmas.
Bernie eventually married Roy. Freddy remarried multiple times.
Margaret grew up loving the camera. Laura grew up timid, hidden in her books. As media attention on their family increased, Laura kept staying inside and keeping to herself, while Margaret chased the spotlight.
The day before Margaret’s sixteenth birthday, Ruth and James planned to take their plane to California for her party. Unfortunately, the plane crashed, and both of them died.
Gerald never recovered from the death of his daughter. He started keeping to himself and staying locked away in their estate. He suffered a stroke that left him blind.
Laura, understanding his quiet pain, started caring for Gerald. The two of them became incredibly close.
Meanwhile, Margaret continued traveling the world and living in the spotlight, earning the nickname “The Tabloid Princess.” She became more and more notorious, while Laura became more and more introverted. Laura and Gerald became best friends, taking long walks together around the estate.
Laura was a huge fan of Cosmo Sinclair, whom the media had dubbed “Budget Elvis.” Margaret wanted to give her sister a big night out, so she planned secret disguises, drivers, and hidden identities as a surprise to go see Cosmo with her.
Laura hesitantly agreed. The two of them snuck into the concert, but fans got riled up and they were caught in a stampede. Laura got hurt just as their security detail barged in, telling them Gerald was in bad shape.
When they arrived home, he had been dead for twenty minutes.
The next morning, Cosmo Sinclair showed up at their house with flowers to apologize for the mob at his concert. Laura didn’t want to see him, thinking he would always remind her of Gerald’s death. Cosmo apologized to Margaret and begged her to come to another show.
Margaret went to the concert, watched from backstage, and slept with Cosmo in his dressing room.
They didn’t see each other again for a while. Cosmo left for tour. He sent Margaret letters from Nashville, his hometown. Margaret never replied, although she kept every letter. Eventually, he stopped writing.
Meanwhile, Laura became obsessed with a young psychologist named Dr. David Ryan Atwood.
When Margaret’s mother was nominated for an Oscar, she took Margaret as her date. At the ceremony, Margaret ran into Cosmo again, sparks flying between them.
The next morning, Cosmo visited Margaret at her house. Laura walked in on them and told Margaret it was okay to see him. Margaret and Cosmo went for a walk on the estate where Cosmo asked her to dinner, and Margaret accepted.
Laura then revealed that she had been exchanging letters with Dr. Atwood, and they had become close friends. David suggested Laura get some space from Margaret and their family to leave the spotlight behind and work on her anxiety.
At dinner, Cosmo proposed to Margaret. She refused, calling it outrageous. But they fell in love instantly, spending the next two weeks together. At the end of the two weeks, Cosmo proposed again — and this time, Margaret accepted. They got married at the courthouse.
Cosmo and Margaret went on a month-long honeymoon. When they returned, they found Laura gone, with a letter telling Margaret she had gone to Dr. Atwood’s treatment center to heal. Laura said she wanted no contact with them so she could work on herself.
Laura spent the next few months at the “rehab” center. The family didn’t hear from her, but eventually they hired a PI to check if she was okay. They saw Laura had lost weight but also saw her smiling with Dr. Atwood, so they let her stay.
One day, Freddy asked to speak with Margaret and Bernie, telling them that Laura was extorting them for four million dollars.
Margaret met with Laura to speak with her and give her the money. Laura, bleak, thin, and dull, was being watched by a man with a gun at another table. She whispered to Margaret that he would never let her go. Eventually, the FBI raided the complex and got Laura out.
Laura returned to the family residence after having been one of Dr. David Atwood’s “three wives.” She struggled with anxiety, PTSD, and lingering trauma at home. Cosmo and Margaret moved in with her to try and support her, but after being brainwashed to believe her family was a danger to her, Laura struggled to remain close. Margaret didn’t leave her, though.
Eventually, they decided to take Laura to Nashville, away from the house full of memories. Their family doctor, Dr. Cecil Willoughby, started seeing Laura and helped her begin to heal.
Cosmo aged and his fame faded, and they settled into a quieter life still peppered with celebrities.
Laura’s father, Freddy, eventually offered her the same chateau in Switzerland where Nina had once given birth. Laura accepted and moved to Switzerland.
Margaret became increasingly housebound, no longer wanting media attention. She and Cosmo began wanting a child, but they didn’t want to bring a baby into the public spotlight.
Laura married Dr. Cecil Willoughby, and they had a daughter named Jodi.
Despite everything, Margaret became pregnant. One day, she collapsed in the bathroom with severe stomach pain. She called for Cosmo, who panicked and rushed her to the car to get her to the hospital. They were chased by paparazzi, and during the chaos, they got into a car accident. Cosmo died.
Laura didn’t come to see Margaret after the accident, not wanting to bring media attention back onto herself. Her refusal caused a deep rift between the sisters, and they didn’t speak for years.
Margaret hid her pregnancy the entire time. Eventually, she gave birth and gave the baby up for adoption. She named the baby Nicollet, after her family. Nicollet grew up adopted in Indiana, and had a child of her own: Hayden.
Over the years, Margaret tried to disappear, but paparazzi kept finding her. They dubbed it her jetsetting era.
One day, Jodi showed up at Margaret’s house, telling her that Laura was sick. Margaret sent her away.
Margaret sold off the entire Ives Media empire and donated all the proceeds. Eventually, she traveled to Little Crescent, Georgia — the address Jodi had given her. Margaret spent six months with Laura before Laura passed away.
Before her death, Laura made Margaret promise she would tell Nicollet — Hayden’s mother — the truth.
Eventually, thanks to Alice’s letter, Margaret told Hayden the truth. Hayden’s mother, Nicollet, was open to reconnecting with Margaret, her biological mother. Hayden, Alice, Alice’s mother, and Jodi continued spending time with Margaret.
Hayden and Alice had a daughter of their own, naming her Laura Grace Anderson-Scott, in honor of the family they had rebuilt together.
Ives Family Tree in Great Big Beautiful Life
Below is the Ives dynasty family tree.
Spicy Chapters
There are some spicy chapters in this book however honestly this book is more Margaret’s book than Alice and Haydens. However I marked the chapter numbers below in case you want to mark them:
- Chapter 11 🌶️
- Chapter 13 🌶️
- Chapter 23 🌶️
- Chapter 24 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 26 🌶️🌶️🌶️
- Chapter 30 🌶️🌶️🌶️
It’s two stories in one!
And that’s a full rundown of Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry! It’s messy, heartfelt, and a good time — and it comes with some seriously amazing rich people tea. 🍵
I’ll be posting my full review of Great Big Beautiful Life tomorrow, including finalizing the Ives family tree into an infographic that’s a little easier to digest.
What’s your favorite Emily Henry book? I’ve only read Book Lovers and Great Big Beautiful Life so far, so let me know in the comments!
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