GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL LIFE

by Emily Henry

I keep on wanting to like the books Emily Henry writes.  So many people rave about how great her writing is.  So, I recently read Great Big Beautiful Life,  her third novel and probably her most popular.  It’s also the third book of hers where I came away feeling dissatisfied.  I’m not sure—maybe it’s a generational thing.  But as I read Henry’s books, I find myself thinking, “This is so lame.” Or, “This is not the way things happen in real life.”  In other words, I can’t just relax and go with the flow and follow Henry where she wants to lead me.

Great Big Beautiful Life tells the story of eccentric recluse Alice Scott who summons two authors to her hideaway and then pits them against each other in a battle for who will receive the honor of writing her long-awaited biography.  As if this setup were not contrived enough, the two authors, one young man and one young woman, cannot abide each other in any fashion.  Only, of course, they end up finding true love with one another.  Along the way, there are many would-be steamy encounters, as each tries to resist the other.  Even in these scenes—or maybe mostly in these scenes—I found Henry’s descriptions clichéd and stale.  So, I’m all in for enjoying some lighter beach reads as June turns into July.  But, Emily Henry is just not my cup of tea. (Liz)