By
Nija Branca
Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Readers' Favorite Romance (2025), Nominee for Readers' Favorite Audiobook (2025)Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years--or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad… depending on who’s telling it.
Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad… depending on who’s telling it.
Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve in this dazzling and sweeping new novel from Emily Henry.
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I found myself captivated by the storyline of the novel. As a woman, I thought this book kept my very intrigued with the perspective of Alice. I think Alice is a relatable character for her positivity and determination to achieve the goals in her life. I do think the only person she has to prove herself to is herself. Alice has a portion of her self worth tied to her job and feels the need to prove to people, especially her family, the importance of what she does. I believe this novel requires a deeper level of perspective that can be understood by woman in their adult lives. I think the relationship issues, the connection between her and Hayden, and the many secrets that are shared through Margaret's interviews do require more years of living to understand and relate to. I think the connection that can lie for students of younger ages is that the truth isn't always the truth. There are many different pieces to a story and there are so many different lenses to that view. You can never judge quickly and only if you get to know the person will you understand their truth. I do think this is a great adult read. I do believe there were some more steamy moments in the reading that wouldn't make me comfortable recommending it to a younger audience.
ReplyDeleteGreat story!! I really enjoyed the tension that this scenario created; the battle of the brains for the chance to tell the story of a lifetime. I think off the bat that I would not recommend this to most students; this requires a bit more of an adult perspective and nuance that I think most students in our building may struggle to navigate. I do think this would be a very enjoyable read for students who are into the "drama" of it all, and may find themselves reading more mature subject matter. There were some steamy moments that made me giggle because i was not quite expecting to find them in this story, thus leading me to not recommend this to most students.
ReplyDeleteThough I did not read "Verity" by Colleen Hoover, I did see the movie, and this story reminded me a bit of that story. Despite a story being told, it is hard to pin down what exactly is being told here; is it a mystery, a thriller, a tragedy.... the web that Margaret weaves is more and more complicated than it appears off the bat! I think that Verity and Margaret have some odd similarities in that they both crave to be seen but are not clear in how they want to TRULY be seen. I think Alice/Hayden are similar to the Dakota Johnson character (sorry, literally cannot think of her character's name) because they both go to extreme lengths to dig deeper and uncover what THEY think is true.
I will definitely be taking another look at this one; great choice!
This was a fun summer read, a way to escape from everyday life. I feel it is an adult book though and not a good fit for our library. I am not sure students will be able to relate to the drama of the rich and the broken mores of the 50s/60's. She does do a good job telling a captivating story with several twists and turns.
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