The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

[Leigha]

Evelyn Hugo tells her life story to an insignificant reporter in this adult contemporary women’s fiction.

My last book for my Book Club this year! I enjoyed it better that the other book, but I also didn’t love it. Part of my problem is the premise – an aging Hollywood starlet decides to writer a tell-all of her life story, but her biographer has a surprising connection to her. Fascinating premise, but I’ve already read something super similar in Nora Robert’s Genuine Lies. Their characters and twists may be different, but the same beats exist in both. It was hard reading this book without comparing it to the other.

Evelyn Hugo is definitely the star of the novel with a complex, emotional story about her rise to stardom in Hollywood. It’s full of ambition and greed, but it’s also full of love and sacrifice. Evelyn builds deeply emotional and satisfying connections with several of the secondary characters. While many people love the romance between her and a certain cute actress, I actually found her friendship with Harry to be more endearing. I don’t often come across a story about the beauty of platonic friendships, especially between a man and a woman.

The story is told in two timelines. One follows Evelyn, a bisexual Cuban woman, as her career in Hollywood begins. One follows Monqiue, a biracial reporter writing Evelyn’s life story despite her insignificance within the journalism profession. No one understand why Evelyn deliberately chooses Monique – at least, not until the end of the story. If I had one major complaint of the book, it’s the thread binding these two together. I didn’t find the twist to be all that impactful despite the build up to it. I’m sure others will enjoy it, but it didn’t particularly “WOW” me.

While the story doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on the actual production of movies, it does spend loads of time with the ins and outs of film star life. It’s rich in Hollywood lore. My dad is a big lover of films, spanning from the 1930s until now. I can see the author weaving together pieces of legend, lore, and fact from Hollywood into a unique tale of love and ambition. If you're at all interested in Hollywood or celebrities, this book is for you.

tl;dr An emotional story about one woman’s ability to live, learn, and love in Hollywood.