If there’s a list of authors who don’t really need early reviews to be a bestseller, Emily Henry is on that list. When Berkley sent early copies of Great Big Beautiful Life in digital, then audio formats, and then a print copy on top of it all, I was quite excited. I was also pretty nervous because there’s a theory that you’re either an even or odd Emily Henry fan, and I’m very much so an odd book girlie (Book Lovers and Funny Story are great. Happy Place was not my jam.)

Great Big Beautiful Life [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] is about a journalist named Alice. She’s tracked down a socialite who disappeared decades ago in hopes of writing Margaret’s memoir. She travels to a small island off the coast of Georgia, only to find she’s not the only one vying for the job. She is up against a Pulitzer prize-winning celebrity memoir writer named Hayden, who also happens to be super hot. They have one month to spend time with Margaret before she decides who will write their dream book.

This book doesn’t feel like your normal EmHen romp. Margaret takes a meandering trek through her fancy family’s complicated past before getting to her relationship with a famous musician, so it feels more like romance blended with historical fiction and a hint of mystery. It’s giving Daisy Jones and The Six [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM] but without the drugs and a lot more word nerds involved.

My nerves about this book were not warranted. I love historical fiction, celebrity memoirs, mysteries, and romance, so it has hints of all the things I love. It’s a delightful blend of scandal and yearning that will have you flying through the pages.