What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedGreat Big Beautiful Life
Emily Henry · Book · 2025
If you loved Great Big Beautiful Life, start with Remarkably Bright Creatures (Olivia Newman, 2026) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Great Big Beautiful Life across media.
If you loved Great Big Beautiful Life, you will enjoy these stories that explore how personal history and unexpected rivalries shape our futures.
Films on the same thread
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Olivia Newman · Film · 2026
Explores: Grief and healing, Intergenerational friendship, Hidden secrets.
Like the intricate storytelling found in Great Big Beautiful Life, this film centers on an unexpected discovery that shifts a character's perspective on their own life and history.
The Life List
Adam Brooks · Film · 2025
Explores: Self-Discovery, Family Secrets, Bucket List.
This journey of self-discovery mirrors the second-chance themes in Great Big Beautiful Life, as a protagonist navigates family secrets to find clarity and a new path forward.
The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan · Film · 2025
Explores: Interconnectedness, The Meaning of Life, Mortality.
Just as Great Big Beautiful Life finds grandeur in a single human story, this film examines the profound weight and interconnectedness of an ordinary life through a similar lens.
The Housemaid
Paul Feig · Film · 2025
Explores: Class Conflict, Gaslighting, Identity Theft.
This domestic thriller captures the same high-stakes tension found in the professional competition of Great Big Beautiful Life, turning a simple job into a complex game of secrets.
Series on the same thread
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Lim Sang-choon · Series · 2025
Explores: First Love, Childhood Sweethearts, Island Life.
The island setting and the enduring power of a long-term connection echo the atmospheric emotional development that makes Great Big Beautiful Life such a resonant experience for readers.
Heated Rivalry
Jacob Tierney · Series · 2025
Shares a thread with Great Big Beautiful Life: Contemporary Romance.
The intense professional rivalry that fuels the plot of Great Big Beautiful Life is masterfully adapted here, showing how competitive friction can evolve into a deep emotional bond.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025
Explores: wealth inequality, midlife crisis, moral decay.
Much like the characters in Great Big Beautiful Life who find themselves at a professional crossroads, this story explores the messy, exhilarating fallout of a life suddenly derailed.
Pluribus
Vince Gilligan · Series · 2025
Explores: Existential dread, The cost of happiness, Reluctant hero.
This satirical take on the human condition provides a sharp contrast to the optimism of Great Big Beautiful Life while maintaining a focus on the weight of existence.
Podcasts on the same thread
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
If the narrative voice in Great Big Beautiful Life captivated you, these true stories offer the same blend of personal reflection and surprising plot twists in every episode.
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Self-Actualization, Resilience, Peak Performance.
These interviews explore the same drive for greatness and personal transformation that defines the writer's journey and search for meaning found throughout Great Big Beautiful Life.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Great Big Beautiful Life a standalone novel?
Yes, Great Big Beautiful Life is a standalone novel by Emily Henry. It follows the story of Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson as they compete to write about a woman on Little Crescent Island. There are no other books in this specific narrative series.
Who are the main characters in Great Big Beautiful Life?
The main characters in Great Big Beautiful Life are Alice Scott, an eternal optimist searching for her big writing break, and Hayden Anderson, a Pulitzer-prize winning writer described as a human thundercloud. They compete against each other to document the life of a mysterious woman.
Where is Great Big Beautiful Life set?
The setting for Great Big Beautiful Life is a location called Little Crescent Island. This is where the two lead characters, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, travel to compete for the opportunity to tell the life story of the woman at the center of the novel.
What is the central conflict in Great Big Beautiful Life?
The central conflict in Great Big Beautiful Life involves two writers, Alice Scott and Hayden Anderson, who are competing for the chance to tell the story of a woman with many plot twists. They are both on Little Crescent Island for this same professional purpose.