Great Big Beautiful Life: a captivating exploration of how we all come to understand who we are, what we've lived through, and how we choose to write (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9787866629668)

In Great Big Beautiful Life, two writers with vastly different approaches to storytelling are thrust together on a remote island, each vying for the chance to write the biography of the elusive Margaret Ives, an octogenarian heiress whose life has been shrouded in mystery. Alice Scott is an optimistic dreamer, desperate to make her mark in the literary world, while Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is a sharp and cynical human thundercloud who has seen it all. What they don't know is that Margaret's story is far more complex and elusive than either of them could have imagined.

Margaret, the daughter of one of the most notorious families of the 20th century, has lived a life of scandal, loss, and secrecy. After years of hiding from the public eye, she invites both Alice and Hayden to Little Crescent Island for a one-month trial period, where they must prove themselves worthy of telling her story. The catch? Neither writer is given the full picture, only fragments of Margaret's life, and they must work in isolation, bound by a strict non-disclosure agreement that prevents them from sharing what they've uncovered.

As the days pass, Alice and Hayden find themselves drawn to each other in unexpected ways, their rivalry turning into a complex dance of tension and unspoken connection. For Alice, the opportunity to write Margaret's story represents the breakthrough she's always dreamed of, a chance to finally prove herself to her disbelieving family. But as she uncovers more about Margaret's past, she begins to see the parallels between Margaret's journey and her own. The line between telling Margaret's story and understanding her own life begins to blur, and Alice realizes that her path to success may be far more complicated than she had ever imagined.

Meanwhile, Hayden's hardened exterior starts to crack as he's forced to confront his own demons, and he begins to see that Margaret's story is far more than just a tale of a tragic heiress. It's a story of resilience, love, and self-discovery. But as their shared experiences begin to intertwine, it becomes clear that the tension between Alice and Hayden is about to reach a breaking point. They're no longer just competing for Margaret's story-they're competing for something far deeper, something they both fear they may lose.

In this sweeping, heart-wrenching novel, Great Big Beautiful Life explores themes of ambition, love, rivalry, and the power of storytelling. As Alice and Hayden come to terms with the legacies they've inherited and the lives they've yet to live, they must learn that the true beauty of life lies not in the stories they tell, but in the lives they choose to live. With unexpected twists, heartfelt moments, and a poignant conclusion, this novel reminds readers that every story is a reflection of the complexities of the human experience, and sometimes the most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves.

As the final page turns, readers will be left with a sense of resolution, yet also an understanding that some stories, like life itself, are never truly finished. Great Big Beautiful Life is a captivating exploration of how we all come to understand who we are, what we've lived through, and how we choose to write our own stories in a world full of possibility.