Name: Beth Bartholomew's review of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Item: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Rating: 5
Author: Beth Bartholomew

Taylor Jenkins Reid

"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 in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?"

A Novel

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Gisselle Vazquez

 I remember thinking that the fact that I was clearly the more attractive one made me feel better, because I thought that meant he'd leave

Olivia 

“Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?”

“No… because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”

“The very thing that made her that will be the thing to finally take her down.”

“Evelyn Hugo just wants to go home. It’s time for her to go to her daughter, and her lover and her best friend, and her mother. Tell them Evelyn Hugo says good-bye.”

“I think that loving you has been the truest thing about me.”

“And anyone tempted to kiss the TV tonight, please don’t chip your tooth.”

“I broke Celia’s heart because I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I loved her.”

“And taking pride in your beauty is a damning act.” 

“I should have apologised and sent roses and stood on top of the Hollywood sign and shouted, ‘I’m in love with Celia St James!’ and let them crucify me for it.” 

“It shouldn’t be wrong, to love you.” 

“I love you too much to let you live only for me.” 

“Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box, Monique. Don’t do that.”

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. "Heartbreaking, yet beautiful" (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is "Tinseltown drama at its finest" (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means--and what it costs--to face the truth.

alba

"So do yourself a favor and learn how to grab life by the balls, dear. Don't be so tied up trying to do the right thing when the smart thing is so painfully clear." 

🌸 Crybaby 🌸

No one is all good or all bad. I know this, of course. I had to learn it at a young age. But sometimes it's easy to forget just how true it is. That it applies to everyone

 "There's a difference between sexuality and sex. I used sex to get what I wanted. Sex is Just an act. Sexuality is a sincere expression of desire and pleasure. That I always kept for Celia"

Here they were, revolting against the police, in the name of their right to be themsełves. While I was sitting in a golden prison of my own making.

You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until someone stands behind you and says, "It's OK, you can fall down now. I'll catch you."

"Heartbreak is loss. Divorce is a piece of paper"

Within those four walls, we were unashamed.

"I'm bisexual. Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box, Monique. Don't do that."

"Evelyn, who was your great love? You can tell me" 

Evelyn looks out the window, breathes in deeply, and then says, "Celia St. James."

People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth.

So as I sat there in Harry's office, pretending to be pissed at both of them for not being very helpful; I knew I was with my two favorite people.

Beth Bartholomew

I was thinking about this book even when I put it down. Such a delicious book that left me hungry for more!

Holly

Geoffrey Froggatt

It was easy for me to envision this book as a movie. I liked how stylish and glamorous this book was. It was atmospheric in the way that I could visualize everything in flashbacks or in a cinematic style. I loved the themes in this book, even if some were explored more than others. I think the way domestic violence was portrayed in this book was completely realistic. All the characters felt like real people, complex and nuanced. I was surprised at how diverse the story was despite being set in Old Hollywood. This book has one of the best representations of bisexuality that I’ve ever seen. This book also made me understand how insidious the film industry is. This book made me examine what’s important in life. I loved the ending.

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.

Courtney

I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I loved her.


TJR is my best friend's favorite author, as well as this book being one of her all-time favorites. I was hesitant to read this because I didn't want to be disappointed if it didn't live up to the hype. Prior to this I had read Verity, which I absolutely LOVED. I am always down for a fun and fresh plot twist - unaware that TSHOEH lowkey had one. 

Something I love in books is how the author makes the characters feels like real people: complex, and just unapologetically human. I was surprised at how diverse the story was despite the setting being old Hollywood. Not to mention, I felt like the bisexual representation was pretty solid-or at least I could relate to what Evelyn felt. Every emotion a character felt, I felt too, even when she (view spoiler)[chipped her tooth lol. (hide spoiler)] 

TJR beautifully wrote how many things in life are both awful and wonderful. I really hope the film adaptation is the same, if not very similar to the book. It's too good to ruin just to please old white men.

Afrodite 

Complex character is ol’ Evelyn but loved it!!!! 

Madison

TIKTOK SENSATION "Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour" BuzzFeed "This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama." PopSugar From the author of Daisy Jones & The Six in which a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. 

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. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a mesmerizing journey through the splendour of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means and what it costs to face the truth.

Tiktok Made Me Buy It!

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Especially the LGBTQ+ community, feminists and allies of either.

It doesn’t seem like too much at the beginning but the end will make you gasp and feel all the feels. Promise.

Kyra

Everyone should read this book.

Especially the LGBTQ+ community, feminists and allies of either.

It doesn’t seem like too much at the beginning but the end will make you gasp and feel all the feels. Promise.

This will always be my favorite book. It’s real, raw and imperfect in the best way possible. Complicated characters dealing with real emotions and It’s refreshing seeing a character be so imperfect nor too polished just because they are the main character. I sobbed and laughed throughout the book. I always recommend it to everyone

Alejandra

Atli 💗🧚🏽‍♀️

This book was one of the most amazing books I've ever read in my entire life. I loved Harry Cameron with my whole heart. He's the only man that matters in this entire world. I mean, I guess Rex North and Robert Jamison isn't all that bad either. 

The writing style with the newspaper articles is phenomenal and made the book so captivating. I loved Celia and Evelyn's sapphic love story —It's beautiful and heartwarming. All the characters feel like real people. 

And the twist at the ending about why Evelyn truly chose Monique to write her biography? Oh my god, it broke me even further. Such a wonderfully crafted piece of literature!

Alyson Russell

I liked the book! I usually like something with a more suspenseful plotline but I really enjoyed the character development and was eager to continue to read to find out more about Evelyn's amazing life.

honya

this book was definitely better than i expected because when i read the first page i was like ‚wtf is this writing‘ but it got soooo good when the husbands got introduced. there weren’t really many plot twists but the ones that were there, i liked.

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?

Los Siete Maridos de Evelyn Hugo

Sobrevalorado, fácil de leer pero para mí un poco predecible.

Bárbara

Alyanna

** spoiler alert **
           2.5 ⭐️ 
as much as i love queer literature, tjr’s writing didn’t work for me, and that influenced how little i enjoyed the book

there were some parts i liked: evelyn’s strong character (although i recently found out she was the “cuban stereotype” in a negative way), her relationship with harry (which i loved, truly), and the foursome between harry, ev, celia, and john (include connor in that too). obviously, i love wlw, so i feel compelled to include here a few interactions between ev & celia, but not sure which were most striking/which i actually enjoyed. idk. maybe the last few years they shared? 

... but not enough for me to actively say that i liked the book. it was just OK.

TIKTOK SENSATION “Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour” BuzzFeed “This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama.” PopSugar From the author of Daisy Jones & The Six in which a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. 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. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a mesmerizing journey through the splendour of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means and what it costs to face the truth.

Tiktok made me buy it!

Amanda Matthews

Jule

ALL THE STARS - IT DESERVES ALL THE STARS. 


A book hasn’t made me this happy (idk if this is even the right word as I am currently bawling my eyes out over the ending) in A WHILE.

But I am so happy about this book because I neglected the idea that the story was for me. And it ended up becoming a favorite and a “wish I could read it again for the first time” type of books. 

In absolute adoration to this book.
Chef’s kiss. Chapeau. It has been done.
(Also always thought the title to be so boring and it is now so witty to me)



Now excuse me while I take 3-5 business days to recover from this exceptional reading experience✨

Caroline

TikTok recommended me this book however alas the youths were wrong. This book was interesting plot wise but that characters had no shimmer or gumption beyond the words on the page. It is the definition of a beach read but without the giddy fun.

What a beautiful masterpiece this book was. 

Mia Caven

this was the first book I got that was “tiktok famous”. it had amazing reviews so i thought why not. i was THOROUGHLY disappointed … I honestly have a deep dislike for this book lmao. No discredit to the author - she can write for sure. It’s more so a personal thing - I hated every single character and can’t read books where every character is thoroughly annoying and dislikable. i also guessed everything that happened, and it wasn’t cliche just … readable from start to finish. whether at fault of the author or not i had no ability to create attachment to places or time or people, which is key for me. The love hypothesis was a great example of a cliche book that, however, was so easy to grow attached to such things. This book was underwhelming probably due to its hype, so let me down more than it would had I just stumbled upon it. Honestly, I was just bored.

treena

brb i'm too busy sobbing to think about anything else

Karissa

This book is wonderful! One of my favorites for sure! Evelyn goes through so many hardships and her life is extremely interesting. Love it!

The alternate switching between the main plot and the tabloid websites kind of annoyed me, this took away the focus and made me lose interest in reading it as much

> Placing on DNF @ pg 32

Julia McKenzie

OMG amazing! Cannot recommend this book enough

Denaiir

I was afraid I would find it overhyped and wouldn’t like it that much, but it was FANTASTIC. So yes, I’m totally in agreement with about 99% of the bookish community and have to say it was engrossing, : 5 stars.

The only thing that I didn’t care for is how bad Monique is at her job and interacting with people. She is supposed to be a writer for a magazine, which entails talking to people, interviewing them. But EVERY SINGLE TIME she opened her mouth to comment on something Evelyn had just said, she put her foot in it. An example:

“OK, if I understand you correctly, what you’re saying is that you’d like to confess your various sins—”
Evelyn’s posture, which until this point has shown her to be very relaxed and fairly detached, changes. She is now leaning toward me. “I never said anything about confessing sins. I said nothing about sins at all.”

How can she antagonize Evelyn that many times during the few pages set in the present is beyond me and almost cost the book some points, but in the end Evelyn’s story was just too good not to give it 5 stars. The last sentence was perfection.

This book saved my reading month and I’m thrilled that I finally picked it up and gave it a chance. Someone said it was the book that united the whole bookish community and I can’t agree enough.

Scarlet lilley

Such a good book! I tried getting into this book a while ago and just couldn’t, however I decide to try again recently, and have no been able to put it down! 😍

This book was mind-blowing, I devoured it and I loved every second. The author made me feel like I was there every step of the way with Evelyn on her journey. Reading this as an audiobook made me feel even more involved, it was a very enjoyable reading experience.

In my opinion, this synopsis does not do the book justice. The plot is constantly changing and developing and evolving with new angels. I went from laughter to tears with this book. The characters are superb, I fell in love with pretty much most of them, especially Evelyn, Harry and Celia. Being able to follow their lives and careers over many years made me feel way more invested in them than when you just know a character for a few months of their life.

We are taken through Evelyn’s life in this book, from her rise to fame to her elderly years. I didn’t expect to go on such a rollercoaster and come out feeling like I had learnt something from this book. The character of Evelyn was a confident one, someone who knew how to get what she wanted and priorities her needs. She is a strong and powerfully willed character and I certainly took away some things from her.

I loved hearing about her career and her fame in the 50’s onwards. I’ve seen films from this time, but never have I really appreciate what it was like for the stars of them. Fame now seems to be so much easier to find and retain, but for Evelyn she had to work her way up and do things she shouldn’t have had to do to secure her spot. At this time in Hollywood actresses were regularly reused again and again for films year on year, so it was immensely important to stay in the spotlight. I’ve never read about this era before and it’s certainly given me an interest in watching more films from this time.

This is a book I will always keep in my head, for both it’s excellent storytelling, but also the message it sends. The need to be yourself, to be sure of who you are and to do the very best for you. I am so glad I read this and I will not hesitate to pick it up again some day.

Beth Bartholomew &
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Beth Bartholomew &The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Beth Bartholomew &
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid