15 Book Club Questions for Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

If your book club just finished Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, you have plenty to talk about. Between Alice and Hayden's sharp banter, the competition for Margaret's story, complicated family relationships, and everything happening underneath that grumpy-sunshine setup, this one gives a book club a lot more to unpack than just whether you loved the romance.

Below you'll find 15 book club questions for Great Big Beautiful Life designed to get past the usual “So... did everyone like it?” and into the parts of the story you'll actually still be thinking about after the meeting ends.

Meeting date

_______________

Your rating

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Very important

Team Alice or Team Hayden?

The Well Read Society

Book Club Guide

A printable version of all 15 questions, plus a little space for your own notes.

first impressions 01

banter + chemistry 03

Margaret's story 06

final thoughts 15

Free printable

Bring the questions to book club.

Get the printable Great Big Beautiful Life Book Club Guide so everyone can jot down ratings, favorite moments, and discussion notes before or during your meeting.

Part One · Alice + Hayden

Start with the chemistry

These are the ones I'd use first while everyone's initial opinions about the characters are still fresh.

What was your first impression of Alice and Hayden — and had it changed by the end?

The grumpy-sunshine setup is front and center. Did their opposite personalities feel like real friction to you, or more like a fun surface dynamic?

Emily Henry is known for her banter. Was there a specific exchange between Alice and Hayden that felt like the turning point in their chemistry?

Alice's optimism and Hayden's guardedness both seem to be covering something up. What do you think each of them was protecting?

Did the slow burn work for you? Was the tension worth the wait, or did you want them to get there faster?

Part Two · Under the surface

Margaret, family + the story they're chasing

This is where the conversation can move beyond the romance and into the parts of the novel that give it a little more weight.

A big chunk of the book is Margaret telling her own story. Did you find her timeline as gripping as Alice and Hayden's — more, or less?

How did Margaret's life change the way you saw Alice, and what Alice actually wanted out of writing it?

Alice's relationship with her mother, and the memory of her dad, shapes a lot of her choices. How did that family thread land for you?

The setup pits two writers against each other for one story. What did that competition reveal about each of them?

Did you find Alice and Hayden's individual growth satisfying on its own, separate from the romance?

Part Three · Final thoughts

The questions you'll still be discussing on the way home

Without spoiling it — how did you feel when the pieces of Margaret's story came together? Satisfying, surprising, a little gutting?

The novel keeps circling the idea of yours, mine, and the truth. What do you think it's saying about who gets to tell a life story?

This one leans more emotional and layered than a straight rom-com. Did that mix work for you, or did you come in wanting something lighter?

If you've read other Emily Henry books like Beach Read, Book Lovers, or Funny Story, where does this land for you on tone, banter, and feelings?

Star-rating time: what would you give it, and what's the one scene you'd most want to reread?

Margin notes

Before everyone heads home...

Best banter moment

Favorite scene to reread

Other thoughts

Make it a whole book club night

The discussion is obviously the important part, but I am fully in favor of making the rest of the night feel a little special too.

Start with ratings. Have everyone give the book a star rating before the discussion starts, then see if anyone changes their mind by the end.
Pick a favorite moment. Banter, romance, Margaret's story, or a scene that quietly wrecked you. No complicated activity required.
Choose the next book before everyone leaves. If nobody can decide, let the free TBR Matchmaker do the choosing for you.

Now I want to know your answer.

Were you Team Alice or Team Hayden? Did the emotional side of the story work for you? And most importantly, where does Great Big Beautiful Life land in your Emily Henry ranking?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below. I love seeing which parts of a book everyone walks away thinking about.

Happy book club.