The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Genre: Fiction / Contemporary / Historical

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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This book is a reason to read. The joy of being swept up in a story, feeling the privilege of being caught up in the innermost thoughts and feelings of another.

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Review:

This story felt so real, you could almost touch it! It’s a brutally honest portrayal of love in its many forms. It lifts the veil on the joy of love to reveal the sacrifices and the heartache that comes with it. It’s also a great lesson in addressing guilt and feeling comfortable enough to say I’d do it all over, given a chance. I hope other readers are ignited with the same level of grit which Monique indirectly masters through her time with Evelyn.

Reid has the most fantastic way of helping you visualise each scene without inserting the painfully descriptive prose so many authors use to world-build their stories. I can still imagine that first scene where Evelyn descends into the room to meet with Monique. I loved how Reid tackles serious issues but doesn’t make the writing style too serious; it conveys each nuance without slowing down or getting too wordy.

Telling a story from two viewpoints can be a tricky balancing act, and there is often the fear that one story is way more interesting. And you find yourself flipping pages, desperate to return to the other POV. Reid did a brilliant job on the ratios, and the fact that we had longer, meatier chunks of Evelyn’s world excited me to return to the present day.

Overall I enjoyed the framing of this story and am excited to explore others in this style.

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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.