🎬 ~ The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ~ 🎬|| --> Book Review!

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Welcome back to another episode of me finding 5 star books by accident and not being able to recover from them for weeks! 

It's finally spring break, which means I'll be more active on here and on bookstagram! It's been a long couple of weeks and the break is extremely needed. It got hard to manage work, extracurriculars, school, and my blog, so I had to prioritize. I don't think I could've picked a better book to return to posting with, I loved The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and it was exactly what I needed to motivate myself to come back. 

I've been stuck in a reading and writing slump for weeks and weeks now (the added stress of finals and exams only made it worse), and I think this book solved both of those. It's been a while since I've read a genuinely awe inducing book, so I'm very glad that I picked this gem up at the JFK Airport in New York ;).

I've been seeing all the hype this book has been getting on booksta and booktok, but I've also read some negative reviews too, so I went into this book with a pretty neutral, non-biased mindset. 

Onto the review!~

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Book Description: Reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses an unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant to write her story, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. 

Determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career, Monique listens in fascination. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to leaving 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. But as Evelyn's story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Written with Reid's signature talent for creating "complex, likable characters" (Real Simple), this is a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the sobering realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means- and what it costs- to face the truth.  

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Considering that it has 4.9 star rating on Google, I was shocked to see some of the negative reviews this book was getting. 

A lot of people disliked Evelyn's character, and I can understand why. She used and manipulated a lot of the people she met for her own benefit in order to stay at the top of the social hierarchy that was Old Hollywood. This puts her in a negative light at the start of the book, but I also think it can be seen as a way to represent her determined, steadfast personality. 

Fanart by @redcardenalart

To call this book "well written" is an understatement. Each chapter was perfectly structured to progress through the decades of Evelyn's life in a smooth fashion- while keeping the reader's interest. I liked how there were 7 sections in this book- one for the years she spent with each husband- so you could see how she matured with each marriage. 

The seamless switch in perspectives throughout the book (from current-day Monique's perspective to past Evelyn's life story) allowed the readers to learn about both Monique and Evelyn at the same time. This also made it easier to observe how Monique's life intersected with- or was a distorted reflection of- Evelyn's life.

The way Evelyn's emotions and thought processes were written allowed me to feel those emotions along with Evelyn herself- especially when it came to grief, loss, and sadness. I read a few reviews where the readers cried during this novel- and I honestly don't blame them. The ending can only be described as peacefully tragic, even though the words "peaceful" and "tragic" seem to contradict each other. 

Elizabeth Taylor (People Magazine)

Evelyn Hugo herself came with all the glitz, glamour, scandals, and power Old Hollywood had to offer. Evelyn herself reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor (who also had 7 husbands) and of Marylin Monroe. As I was reading the book, it was extremely easy to forget that she was fictional, and I felt like I was reading the memoir for an actual Old Hollywood actress. 

Unlike the generic main character in a book, Evelyn's character was neither a protagonist nor an antagonist in my opinion- which made her a very interesting MC. Monique (the author in charge of writing Evelyn's story) was more of a protagonist than Evelyn, even though she is overshadowed by Evelyn as a main character. 

The immaculate plot was a huge factor in making this historical fiction novel seem like non-fiction! Evelyn Hugo's life intertwined with Monique's life in a thrilling, unexpected way that made my jaw drop. I liked how Monique learned a lot from Evelyn's story, and started developing some of Evelyn's characteristics to help deal with the problems she had herself in her personal life. 

The inclusion of news articles from the media reporting about the major events in Evelyn's life was a genius idea. I loved reading those articles because it shows you what the general public back then thought of Evelyn, and how they viewed her as a public figure. 

The gripping romance in this book is like no other. It was riveting to read about Evelyn's secret love life, while she maintained a more public line of romances with her seven husbands and all. Her relationships throughout this book are unexpected, and are rarely passionate. But her secret, extremely scandalous relationship was filled with the most love and passion, which both healed my heart and broke it. 

Fanart by Mimimar

The representation in this book was great to see, with LGBTQ+ characters and characters with contrasting ethnicities. It promotes inclusivity in the film industry, which our world is still struggling with today. The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo also gives us insight into the hardships of LGBTQ+ people back in the late 1900s, with mentions of protests, rallies, and charities throughout the novel.

 

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The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a fantastic historical fiction novel that I recommend for any YA readers who love a scandalous romance and heartbreaking ending. If you're a non-fiction reader who likes biographies, this book could be the one to get you into fiction! This novel is one of my favourites out of the books I've read this year, and I'll definitely be revisiting it in the future. 

If you've read this book, let me know what you think of it! If you haven't, will it be going on your TBR? 

Thanks for reading <3 

Sincerely,

Sapphire