Today’s book reviews are brought to you by the letter D for Disappointment. These were three books I was looking forward to reading because one is by a trusted author (Great Big Beautiful Life), one was recommended by a trusted source (The Last One), and one is a very popular romance that I was certain was going to work for me (Every Summer After). Alas, it was a string of duds in a row but thankfully, my reading has definitely picked up since then! For now, enjoy some spicy opinions.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (★★☆☆☆)
Print • Owned (Tombolo Books) • Contemporary Romance • 2025
Short synopsis: An aspiring writer and a Pulitzer-winning journalist are pitted against each other to compete for the biography of a reclusive heiress, only to find themselves tangled in secrets, half-truths, and an unexpected attraction.
When I finished this book, I said out loud to no one, “Thank God that’s over.” This is one of my least-favorite Emily Henry romances. (Worse than People You Meet on Vacation, and you really have to be bad to compete for that spot!) The romance between Alice and Hayden was so dull. They had no chemistry and I just didn’t believe in the romance. Emily Henry was trying to play with the “grumpy/sunshine” romance trope, but since neither of these characters felt real, the trope just annoyed me. The story within the story—going through the ups and downs of a heiress’s family/life—was pretty boring. She wasn’t exactly a compelling character, and her life story wasn’t all that exciting, quite frankly. I can’t help but compare this book to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and unfortunately, Great Big Beautiful Life was a pale imitation without the glamour, intrigue, or depth. This book might have worked better as contemporary fiction rather than a romance, but as it stands, it’s a skippable Henry novel.
The Last One by Will Dean (★☆☆☆☆)
Audiobook • Libby • Thriller • 2023
Short synopsis: Caz boards the luxurious RMS Atlantica for a dream vacation with her new love, but wakes to find Pete—and everyone else on the ship—gone.
It’s been quite a while since I gave a book 1 star. Typically, I wouldn’t even finish a book like this, but I kept listening because I needed to know what happened. And while that’s usually the mark of a good book, in this case, it wasn’t. This is the kind of book that starts off super intriguing, but quickly becomes absurd and unbelievable. It was also way too long (14 hours; 450 pages) and I was so ready to be done. (And speaking of the audiobook, the narrator wasn’t great. Her American accents were laughably bad.) But what tipped this book into 1-star territory was the ending. I should have seen it coming, but the last sentence had me rolling my eyes and saying, “REALLY?!” Ugh. What a waste of my listening hours! (Recommendation source: Meredith of Currently Reading.)
Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (★★★☆☆ 1/2)
E-Book • Libby • Contemporary Romance • 2022
Short synopsis: After spending six summers visiting a lakeside cottage as a teenager and falling in love with the boy next door, Persephone Fraser has returned after more than a decade away.
I have such complicated feelings about this book! The more I sit with it and think about the story as a whole, the less I like it. While I was reading it, I couldn’t get enough of it, but things really fell apart in the last few chapters. It was a bit of a disappointment. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for a dual-timeline book, especially if that timeline took place while Percy was a teenager. But those ended up being the most compelling chapters! Percy and Sam as adults were a snoozefest. They were so boring, and the insta-love that happened with them after a whole decade apart (and many secrets to be revealed) didn’t feel earned. We spent so much time in the past that the present-day chapters felt thin, and I wasn’t invested in them at all. Did I want them to fall back in love? I mean, my spicy opinion is that I think Percy should be with Sam’s brother, but that’s just me. It’s hard to rate this book because some of it was so freaking cute and everything I want in a romance, but it just didn’t come together in a satisfying way.
What are you reading?
Oh no!! That is a bad string of books! I have the Em Hen checked out and will read it but will go in with low expectations.
My reading has been ON FIRE this month. I just finished ‘The Bright Years’ which I loved! Now I am reading These Summer Storms by Sarah McLean. It’s pretty good so far although a bit verbose at times when describing the family drama. But the descriptions of the opulence of the family home on an island off the coast of Rhode Island are very atmospheric!!
I got These Summer Storms from BOTM and I’m really looking forward to reading it. I’ve heard good things!
I will be so curious to hear your thoughts on the Emily Henry book!
Oh!!! You have to read the sequel to One Golden Summer! It’s Charlie’s story – so curious what you would think of how that turned out! I haven’t read Every Summer After yet so can’t speak to that at all, but I did love Charlie so much.
I adoooored Charlie and was meh on Sam, lol. So I think I might enjoy his story a lot more!
I’m listening to an Agatha Christie book and I sort of hate it, but she’s such an important author that I feel like I should just suck it up. Oh, well. I’m sure the ending will pay off for me, right?
Oh, I’m sad you’re not enjoying your Agatha Christie novel. They definitely have a very specific tone and sense of time/place to them, so I always try to bear that in mind when I’m reading them.
What a string of disappointments!
I very recently discovered that Emily Henry writes about Michigan (where I live) so I’m determined to read her even if this one is the hold that comes in first… I could NEVER read that attic book–our house is so creaky and I’m up so late, I’d die a thousand times every night!
I hope your next set of reads makes up of this haul.
Do not read the attic book! Luckily, we don’t have attics in Florida so I don’t have to worry about this. I don’t think I could have read it if I did, especially living alone! Eeps.
I haven’t heard a lot of good things about that Henry book! I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way. I read something by Carley Fortune but cannot remember what, so many of her books have similar titles that they all blur together for me.
Yeah… Emily Henry tried to do something different with this book and I just don’t think it came together in a satisfying way. Meh.
The plot to that Emily Henry book sounds vaguely similar to the latest Lily Chiu book that I listened to. Two journalists are competing/ working together to write about a famous reclusive author.
Sorry for your string of disappointments! I hope this just means you can move on to better reading!
I have a lot of books in progress right now, all of them engrossing. Hopefully they will stay that way…
Luckily, the last few books I’ve read have been EXCELLENT so I just had to get through these to enjoy some bangers!
What??? Meredith steered you wrong? Honestly, her recommendations are hit or miss for me. I’ve gotten some great ones from her, and some that were really meh. Well, I guess no one’s perfect. I’m laughing at the D for disappointment, ha. Glad things have picked up after these three!
Meredith can be hit or miss for me, too, especially when it comes to thrillers. I don’t even know how she talked about The Last One but oof, such a miss for me!
Arghhhh how disappointing.
Well, I have read/listened to a few of Emily Henry’s books. I am not liking her has much as most people. And I haven’t read People on Vacation… I think I will not pick this up any time soon.
Also I am not a fan of heiress/old money kinda story lines. It’s so boring.
Currently reading “The Poppy fields” by Nikki Erlicke (The Measure) and I am not yet sure what is going on… I am somewhere close to the middle so I may be able to finish this weekend. So far interesting set-up again.
I would definitely give Great Big Beautiful Life a skip! It wasn’t her best, that’s for sure.
Heh. I loved reading this. You know I 1000% agree re: GBBBL. The worst part about the story within a story being so annoying was that it had so many characters to keep track of and I just DID NOT CARE. Or as Knox says, Don’t currrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. LOL.
Carley Fortune is just not for me. Well, I have only read ONE of her books. And not this one. But this review makes me think even more she is NOT for me. LOL.
Oh yes – there were way too many people introduced in the heiress’s story in GBBL and I kept getting everyone mixed up!