Great Big Beautiful Life Audiobook by Emily Henry

I pressed play on “Great Big Beautiful Life” while sitting out on my back porch, the spring breeze tangling with the scent of blooming lilacs—a fitting backdrop for a novel that is itself so alive, lush, and unpredictable. As someone who adores audiobooks—especially those that promise both swoon-worthy romance and a twisty literary mystery—I was absolutely in my element here.

Emily Henry has always had this almost magical knack for making her characters feel like people I might bump into at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop or bookstore. But Alice Scott? She’s one I’d want to sit beside and plot our great escape from an awkward family reunion. Warm-hearted but determined, perpetually sunny but never saccharine, Alice is instantly lovable—even as she barrels into the storm cloud that is Hayden Anderson. Listening to their verbal sparring, their grudging respect (and growing attraction) practically crackled through Julia Whelan’s performance.

Whelan truly earns her Golden Voice status here: she nails every subtle shift between banter and vulnerability. Her Alice sparkles with hope and humor; her Hayden simmers with restrained longing and sharp intelligence (I may have blushed during certain “editorial tension” scenes). But it was Margaret Ives—the enigmatic heart of the story—who haunted me long after each listening session ended. Whelan conveys Margaret’s blend of old Hollywood glamour, weary regret, brittle pride, and secret grief with remarkable nuance. It’s rare that narration feels this lived-in; each character sounded so distinct I sometimes forgot there was only one voice behind them all.

The structure itself plays like a delicious puzzle box: two authors circling a living legend, bound by NDAs and even stricter boundaries around their own emotions. The “enemies-to-lovers” arc isn’t just romantic window dressing—it actually serves the deeper question at the heart of Henry’s novel: Who gets to shape your story? Who do you let past your defenses when everything feels at stake? I loved how meta it all felt as someone who obsesses over storytelling (as both an educator and an avid reader/listener). The whole competition-for-a-biography setup lets Henry riff on ambition versus empathy; public legacy versus private truth.

There were moments when the layers slowed things down just a touch—particularly in some middle sections heavy on rumination about what biography means or who deserves narrative control—but honestly? Even then, Whelan’s dynamic reading kept me engaged. And by the time secrets started tumbling out (“emotional bombs disguised as anecdotes,” indeed!), any sluggishness evaporated into genuine suspense…and heartache.

This book moved me more than most recent contemporary romances because it asks grown-up questions without losing its sense of fun or possibility: What happens when being honest hurts more than lying ever did? Can love survive if it means confronting not just another person—but yourself?

If you’re drawn to smart women fighting for space in rooms full of egos—or if you grew up loving stories about reclusive legends hiding messy truths—I think you’ll find this audiobook irresistible. “Great Big Beautiful Life” doesn’t just celebrate beautiful messes; it insists they’re where real stories begin.