The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

I’m bisexual. Don’t ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box […]. Don’t do that.

 

Summary
People are in shock after the reclusive Hollywood star, Evelyn Hugo, finally agreed to an interview. She had only one, very unusual, request – she wanted to be interviewed by no one else but Monique Grant, an unknown magazine reporter. Soon, everyone, especially Monique, will find out that Evelyn Hugo is never doing anything without a reason.

Writing
I love Reid’s writing style. She has an amazing way with words she – knows how to create sentences that are both breathtakingly beautiful and wonderfully simple. It takes a lot of skill to achieve that.

I have never had as much problems with picking a quote I would display in my review as I had with this book. I marked around 50 and every single one of them is very dear to my heart. In the end I chose the one that makes me tear up a little every time I see it.

Characters
Reid created characters that felt so real, that I constantly was catching myself trying to figure out if I knew the actors that appeared in the story, before remembering that they are all fictional.

Evelyn Hugo is painfully, beautifully human. She’s flawed, yes. But she’s also one of the most inspiring and empowering female characters I have ever read about. And I am pretty sure Monique Grant would agree with me. Evelyn made her grow and realize her own worth. Watching that change happen in Monique was nothing short of heartwarming.

The cast of characters in this book is very diverse. It has bi, gay and lesbian representation (and it’s a very good rep at that!), there are many PoC, including two main characters (one of them is italian and one is multiracial). We need more books like this one – with good, accurate representation. And if anyone tells me again that historical novels can’t be diverse I will smack them with this book.

Plot
I read mostly sci-fi and fantasy, because it’s very easy for me to get bored with different genres. I need action, I need intrigue. But I also need characters I can care about. And this book somehow provided me with all of that, and so, so much more.

Reid definitely knows how to keep you interested. The story is suspenseful, but in a very tasteful way. There are no cheap tricks or ridiculous plot twists. There is just the author handling the story in a masterful way.

One of my favourite thing about this book were the little articles from magazines. I think that they complemented the story very well and they allowed to see just how skillful Evelyn was at manipulating public perception.

Overall
I have no words. I loved everything about this book. I can’t remember the last time when after finishing a book all I wanted to do was flip it over and start again immediately.

This book made me feel seen. Understood. Accepted. I can’t express how much it means to me. And while I couldn’t be more satisfied with the ending (even though it was heartbreaking) I still wish I that the story could continue just for a little bit longer. Well, I guess the book was right: “Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.”

Content warnings: domestic violence, abortion, death

You can find this book on Goodreads and Book Depository