The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins-Reid

This is my first time reading Taylor Jenkins Reid (or at least that I know of, because I didn’t really care about the authors when I was younger and I hate myself for that) and I must say I am very much happy I picked up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a book that I loved the writing style. There are hundreds of new novels that are released everyday and they’re all good it’s kinda getting hard to choose which one to get and actually read. And honestly, I had a few books I’ve DNFed because the writing style didn’t actually fit me and I just got more irritated and annoyed and disappointed the whole purpose of reading was just oofed.

There’s no denying The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a crowd favorite. Well the popular opinion was it is heartbreaking, impactful, even their BEST read of the year. The most intriguing, I heard, was that the plot twist was exciting and empowering, and of course unexpected. I see this being recommended like almost everyday online, and they made it really interesting that I purchased my own Kindle copy as well.

This book was first published in 2017, and gathered many praises and awards it’s first year. Up to now. I’m not sure if it lost some of its fame the past years but it’s famous now again or still and now I see why. Though I can also see why it did win the Goodreads Best Choice award.

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
My Review Rating: ★★★★✰
Goodreads Synopsis:
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

“I wasn’t the only woman being hit back then. A lot of women were negotiating the very same things I was at that moment. There was a social code for these things. The first rule being to shut up about it.”

Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the story of two women – Monique Grant, a journalist writing for a magazine, and another POV chapters for Evelyn Hugo herself telling her story from years before.

While Monique is a talented writer, her lack of experience doesn’t do well among her colleagues within the industry when a famous and controversial Holywood star requested (or demanded) her to be the only writer to do an interview supposedly about the auction Evelyn was sponsoring. They still met, of course, only for Monique to understand that Evelyn wanted not an interview but a talk about her life and Monique to write her biography. There was a loooong Evelyn Story and then the bomb dropped letting Monique know what was Evelyn’s reason why she chose her among all other talented and big names in the writing world.

From this point forward, I may be mentioning some spoilers so if you have yet to finish the book, stop right here. Or not.

Monique has her own story but greatly influenced by Evelyn’s everyday they talk about the past. I didn’t like the parts when Monique goes back to her reality – didn’t say this directly but – she kind of make her own life choices based on Evelyn’s words and wisdom and point of views like Monique just agrees with her too much all the time that she’s subconsciously directing her life because of what she heard and learned from Evelyn. While most of our lives we learn from other people, Monique should realize that being a journalist and a biographer she should learn to separate her own life from different people unless she wants messy and oh-yes-from-yesterday-but-not-today-maybe-next-week-when-i-get0the-chance-to-interview-another-person-with-the-same-perspective kind of decision making.

While I had a mini-shocking reaction about Evelyn being bisexual, I already had the idea from the way she adored and described Celia. I told myself ah I know this already, but it was still nice reading it directly with Taylor’s words. And I love that there is this confusion from Monique between being a lesbian and bisexual, and that Evelyn was always correcting her.

Since I read Kristin Hannah I knew I’d love reading more historical or past stories retelling and I looove that part of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo book. Evelyn telling her story was the most exciting part of the book, however I kind of got (I don’t know the English term for this) umay of changing husbands. I get it that she had her reasons but it’s just sad that marrying someone was her first, go-to answer to save her fame. I was assuming she was more creative and smart than that. Or I am just so used to today’s practice spreading fake news just to get your name on the Facebook feed of basically everybody and when the issue fades, you’ll check in on your mental health publicly.

The abuse of these important issues just to get your name on top of the people’s everyday agenda is so disappointing and, let’s be honest, disgusting. I am not against your many boyfriends or husbands and divorces and break-ups, I get when people rant online about other personal issues because they’re angry and impulsive, but I am against ~at least personally~ of faking things just to get people talk about them or just to get hits, engagements, get money. Then they’re telling one interviewer they didn’t care about the fame and that the important thing for them was their relationship with their greatest love and their mental health?

Well before I rant more, let me end this review here. That’s my main issue about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but it got me thinking and feel emotions so I enjoyed it. I gave it a four because of the writing style and emotional read, but the idea of the characters and the logic, I’m not exactly a fan of. Still, it served the purpose of entertaining me as a reader and I love those kinds of books.

view my vlog reading the seven husbands of evelyn hugo!

characters

atmosphere

writing

plot

intrigue

logic

enjoyment

I am using the CAWPILE rating system, though please remember a reader’s taste may change from time to time, so I’m not sure if you can trust me here unless this was a recent read. Leaving my ratings anyways because this was totally how I felt the time I read this book. *winks*

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo reminded me there’s always one book from the ~trend~ that not 100% of readers will love. I enjoyed reading Evelyn Hugo so much, but just because it gave me a mini-roller coaster ride of fun and confusion. This is one of the books I really loved, but the characters and the characters’ logic – not so much.