The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Evelyn Hugo, a Hollywood movie star, a beauty icon… and a wife to seven husbands. After years of silence, she decides it’s time to tell her story. She picks Monique to write her biography, but just like for the rest of her life, she does it on her own terms.

Here it comes - this is a book that made me overcome my reading slump. I got instantly intrigued. And despite the book becoming a little predictable as Evelyn was telling Monique the stories of her seven husbands, the stories were extremely gripping, albeit a little convenient. Although this might be because as you read you realise, that Evelyn gets everything she sets her mind to.

As to the main character, I had mixed feelings about Evelyn Hugo. I admired her bravery and that she had the guts to go for what she wanted. On the other hand, some people might consider the ways she was using a bit… questionable. In some situations, she cared more about herself rather than the people around her. Nonetheless, she is a very strong character. She was also portrayed well, nothing was left unsaid, and we got a great insight into her mind, despite the story having been written in the third person.

I enjoyed the character development of Monique. From an unsuccessful journalist to a woman who can stand up for herself and ask for the things she wants, and has the bravery to face the truths about her life. I would have liked more of her story in the book - I feel like this aspect was not long enough, and that Monique had a lot more to say.

I think my favourite part of the whole story was the relationship between Evelyn and Harry. It shows unconditional friendship and platonic love that stood the challenge of time and different circumstances. It was a pleasure to read about this and see face any obstacles together.

I don’t know much about the Hollywood scene, especially in the 70s or the 80s, but I‘d like to think it was portrayed well - I loved the little newspaper excerpts that show that journalists wanted only sensation and drama. The stigma around the LGBTQ+ community was also shown accurately (as far as my knowledge goes) through the characters and the way they behaved and how they tried to hide their identity.

The storyline itself was very gripping, I was instantly hooked. I was shocked by the behaviour of young Evelyn. As the story progressed though, it became a little predictable. As Evelyn was explaining to Monique what she would do next, I had hoped to be surprised, to see that something did not go as planned, that someone stood in her way. That did not happen though, everything went down exactly as she planned. My prediction about the ending of the book also turned out to be true, so I wasn’t surprised at all.

Overall though, I think it’s a book worth reading. It’s a story about resilience and reaching for your dreams but also that sometimes career is not everything and no matter how rich you are, some things are more important. And that sometimes you realise it too late.

Rating: 4/5