The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ~ Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the story of a fictional Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo. Evelyn hires an unknown magazine reporter, Monique Grant to write her life story. Evelyn tells of her journey from a nobody from Hell’s Kitchen to Hollywood’s biggest star and the truth behind her seven marriages. 

It’s taken me a long time to get around to reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, knowing that so many people rate it so very highly. I was unsure that I’d like it as it’s not what I normally read. It didn’t help that Millie was a little scared that I wouldn’t like one of her favourite books. After seeing it absolutely everywhere from TikTok to Instagram to Twitter, I decided to give it a go and absolutely loved it. 

Evelyn Hugo was such a strong character. Normally, we meet the character at the beginning of their development arc, but meeting Evelyn at the very end of hers made her personal journey all the more interesting because you could see the parts of her that she valued and the little hints of who she would be. It also made it easier to see which experiences shaped her permanently. I absolutely loved it, especially as we got to see the finished product (for lack of a better term) every so often to compare. Monique Grant was also a fully fleshed character with her own struggles and challenges despite essentially being just a vessel for Evelyn’s story. At one point, not very far into the book, I did wonder why Monique was even included, why we didn’t get just Evelyn’s lifestory, but now having finished the book, I understand completely. It was such a good choice from Taylor Jenkins Reid.

I am not one to get too emotionally involved in books but this novel destroyed me. I was mentally preparing myself for one thing just to get bulldozed by something else. And then, the hits kept coming. I finished the book feeling a little all over the place and emotionally exhausted. I really struggled to sleep that night.

This book is a work of art. TikTok is worth trusting on this book, it is amazing and will cause emotional damage. I think it might be my favourite book that I have read this year, so, obviously, it’s a five star rating. 

C🌙