A fun propulsive novel exploring the loves of Evelyn Hugo. I always enjoy a split narrative and could not help caring for each other the characters, while always championing Evelyn's heart. This is an historical exploration of the choices women had to make to 'make it' in not just Hollywood but also the world. Henry has remained with me and their relationship was special and never ending. I have recommended this many times.

Not my favorite TJR read, but she still knows how to turn a phrase amazingly well. The characters aren't entirely likable and I just found myself uncomfortable with the story. I wanted to know more about Monique...I felt like there was more to her story.

Bit late to this book but it was really enjoyable. Loved how the theme is we do things for the ones we love but gave to hide a lot of who we are.

This is a book that really lived up to the hype! Although, there is what could be described as a slow start to this, once it gets going it really takes off. I loved our protagonist and although I did not always agree with her decisions I could see why she made them. All the characters were really well developed and relatable. I loved the setting of old Hollywood and can see how it took inspiration from some real life screen legends. I honestly wish I could read more about these characters.

After a lifetime of scandal, iconic film star Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to Tell All and when she decides to do so, she calls on unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant. Why now? Why this particular journalist? Summoned to Hugo's magnificent apartment, Monique listens spellbound as Evelyn describes her rise from Hells Kitchen to Hollywood, her rise to stardom in the 1950s and her decision to leave it all behind in the 1980s. And along the way, she explains just how she came to have seven different husbands. I've always loved Old Hollywood and so even if Daisy Jones and the Six hadn't been one of my favourite reads of last year, I was always going to find Evelyn Hugo intriguing. Drawing clear inspiration from the lives of much-married Elizabeth Taylor and the taped conversations of Ava Gardner, Reid plays a glorious homage to the Golden Age of cinema.

Hugo explains her origins as Evelyn Herrera, daughter of Cuban immigrants. She describes how her mother's early death and her own desire to escape her abusive father led her to an extremely early marriage and an escape to Los Angeles where she made it her mission to be 'discovered'. When she manages to get herself some bit parts and catches the eye of the right people, she is told to boost her profile by 'going on some dates' with the right people. And so Husband 1 is ditched with the help of the studio. It interested me to see how various incidences in Hugo's life can be traced to real life movie stars, with this first marriage reminiscent of that of Ms Norma Jean Baker. Reinvented as Evelyn Hugo and given bleach blonde hair to hide her Cuban roots, her next nuptials are with Don Adler, son of Hollywood royalty. This marriage seems more like Joan Crawford's first one to Douglas Fairbanks Jr other than Adler's violence.

As Monique prepares for her interview, she examines the romantic history for which Hugo is so notorious. The brief elopement, the marriage to a co-star, the longer union to her producer, the rumoured affair with a much younger man, the later marriage to the brother of her long-term rival ... but the twist in the story is that despite the novel's title, this is the story of Evelyn Hugo rather than that of the men who have passed through her life. In Daisy Jones, the titular Daisy told the interviewer, 'I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else's muse. I am not a muse. I am the somebody. End of fucking story.' Evelyn Hugo brings a similar level of unabashed ambition. Although this is only the second novel that I have read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I really appreciate the way she celebrates her female characters and never makes them supporting players in their own story.

Evelyn Hugo is not a straightforward heroine. She is ambitious, she is brave, she is determined. She does what needs to be done. She is a survivor. But one thing she is not is 'nice'. Reid also examines what it means to be a woman in Hollywood. Evelyn has been marketed as a sex symbol with various of her roles being iconic for pushing the envelope onscreen. Her long-term friend and rival Celia St James gets to be more of an 'actress' and wins multiple Oscars but Evelyn is stuck as a film star. This reminded me of the conflict between Bette Davies and Joan Crawford, with Davies envying Crawford's star power and Crawford feeling insecure since Davies was the better actress. It also made me think of Louis Theroux's interview with Rose McGowan in which she explained that having been marketed as a sex symbol meant that she alienated other women. Meanwhile on the flip side, I read another interview with Reese Witherspoon in which she noted that having been marketed as the girl next door meant that she got away very lightly with her 2013 arrest. Had she been viewed as a sex symbol, the incident might have cast more of a shadow on her career. It is a curious thing that even when the camera is not officially rolling, celebrities are always playing a part and reviewing their image. Evelyn explains to Monique how every twist and turn of both her personal and professional life have been strategic, like moving chess pieces on a board. Getting herself bigger roles, boosting ticket sales, protecting her image. Evelyn may have married seven men but very few of her unions have been motivated by love.

Evelyn Hugo is also an exploration of Rita Hayworth infamous assertion, 'Every man I knew went to bed with Gilda and woke up with me'. Evelyn's whole identity is a construction and can she therefore be truly surprised when her husbands mistake the act for the real woman? There is manipulation in how Evelyn's third marriage comes to be and thus little surprise when it founders in the cold light of day. Greater heartbreak is found though further down the track when Evelyn enters her sixth marriage with higher hopes and realises that her new husband is just another man who confuses the screen siren for the woman next to him. But even those truly close to her have their expectations. After Evelyn gives birth, she realises that even her true love needs her to return to her previous self - needs her in short to prove that she can still be a sex symbol. I could only imagine how exhausting it would be to have to play these parts constantly with no days off. Little wonder that Evelyn ends up so ruthless in her personal dealings.

The book reads like wonderfully juicy gossip. Flashing between Evelyn's interviews with Monique and the contemporary tabloid articles, the reader gets the inside track of this completely different world. In the world of these film stars, someone can have an affair with your ex-husband and then marry him and then still be a reliable port of call if you need a scandal story planting in a tabloid. You can have a bitter divorce with a former co-star and then ring them up for a favour twenty years later safe in the knowledge that they will definitely come through. There is something richly compelling about this strange other world. We know this - it's the reason why Kim Kardashian attracted so many headlines by wearing Marilyn Monroe's old dress to the Met Gala. Perhaps because of this, Monique's storyline failed to quite measure up for me. The only comparison I can make is with just how little I cared about the necklace at the end of the movie Titanic. She seemed nice enough. I just didn't feel particularly invested in her ultimate fate.

As with Daisy Jones, there is a lot going on beneath the surface. There is an understanding between Cuban Evelyn Herrera and biracial Monique about what it means to make your way through the entertainment world. Evelyn orders Monique to 'make them pay you what they would pay a white man'. There are also conversations around sexuality, sexism, sexual harassment and domestic violence. There is more going on here than mere Tinseltown tattling. Still, I think that I ultimately preferred Daisy Jones and the characters within. Despite the pain and unhappiness within that story, there were also greater moments of connection and kindness between the characters. As a band, they might fight and fall out but they were still a group. By contrast, Evelyn Hugo had to become a steely-spined survivor standing alone. Isolated and guarding her secrets, her story felt significantly less fun. While the drama carried me along, I am not sure that I will revisit. But for all that, I found the novel a spell-binding exploration of Old Hollywood and Evelyn Hugo is a heroine I will never forget.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has the talent to write characters that are so believable that you believe they actually existed. I felt that when I read "Daisy Jones & the Six" a couple of years ago, and I felt that now, reading "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo".

Evelyn, Celia, Harry, Monique, all of the characters felt like they could actually exist and I believe that is the magic in this book and why it is loved by so many. The characters in this book are flawed, most of them selfish, make the worst decisions sometimes but, probably because of all that, they feel like real people. This is especially important in a book like this, in which the characters are supposed to be famous movie stars. I feel like Evelyn could have been a fellow co-star with Marilyn Monroe, that is how much her story was believable to me!

The book is also very quotable, probably because Taylor wanted us to feel like we were reading Evelyn's memoir. Overall, the whole book is very well crafted, and I defnitely want to read more of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books in the future.

I'm a huge TJR fan and this one was another enjoyable read. The story almost played out like a movie and I finished it in one setting.

Old fashioned Hollywood with a modern twist. Small town girl makes it massive in Hollywood. Very very readable, Highly recommend.

My favourite book of 2018, hands down! This is one of the best book club books I've read. I still think about this book. Just amazing in every way. Everyone needs to read this book.

This was such a sweeping narrative of old Hollywood, what it means to be loved and what we will sacrifice in the pursuit of fame.

The Positives: I thought the portrayal of Evelyn was pretty much perfection. She is a deeply flawed, deeply human woman, with all of the complications that entails and the narrative never shies away from exposing every part of her. The narrative itself was incredibly compelling. We follow Evelyn as she details her life in Hollywood, focusing on her husbands and there is a salacious aspect to the way we are shown the intimate details of her life. It feels like a tell-all biography and I found myself wanting to watch the films that are described in the book. Taylor Jenkins Reid has an amazing ability to imbue her characters with such vitality that they feel like real people, and Evelyn is no exception.

The Negatives: This is, without question, Evelyn's book, but because of that, some of the other characters feel less than fleshed out. Where I think this is most detrimental is in the character of Monique. I feel like an opportunity was missed to make Monique as vital as Evelyn, whereas she just feels a bit like a place holder.

Overall, this was a really beautiful and compelling read and I would recommend it to anyone who has ever gazed at a film star and longed for their life, for just a moment.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Content warnings: physical and emotional abuse, homophobia, biphobia, fake miscarriage, death (both of illness and violence).

I have to admit I wasn't actually looking forward to this book once I realised how much hype it was getting - I thought it seemed likely it would be a saccharine, book-clubby type of book with a schmaltzy message. But I was really pleasantly surprised that it was actually as engrossing as people were saying, and in fact, it's rather bitter in tone. I also knew that one of Evelyn's love interests was a woman, but I was expecting this to be more a 'oh look how crazy everything was in the 60s' and not what we actually got, which was a sensitive and deep look at bisexuality, from Evelyn's need to hide her love for a woman, to that woman's attempts to erase Evelyn's attraction to men. The seven husbands are way less gimmicky than they might sound, and each piece of Evelyn's story feels like a natural progression from the last.

The writing is easy to read and draws you in immediately, and I was transfixed by the highs and lows of Evelyn's journey. I thought the fictional names of films and actors might be annoying (as well as the lack of real-life names!), but they never were - it's a slightly alternate version of Hollywood, but one that feels very real. The supporting characters are one of the best things about this book - you really get a sense that they are their own people with their own difficulties, and though Evelyn tries her hardest to control everything around her, and certainly looks as though she's succeeding, it's fascinating to see that disconnect between how her picture-perfect life looks and how it really is. It's surprisingly tragic, and even though you are given a lot of detail in the background that technically gives it away, the end of the book comes as a series of gut punches.

Almost a cross between The Devil Wears Prada and Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a really great example of how a compelling character doesn't always have to be likeable.

I absolutely adored this book. Although I’d guessed the twist, it was so well told. I was genuinely gutted when I finished as I wanted to carry on reading about Hugo’s life. A masterpiece

‪I am completely blown away by the depth and emotion in this story. I am so unbelievably in love with this story & the characters‬ so much more so than I ever thought I would be. This story has made me feel such a multitude of emotions and honest to god it’s my top book for 2019??‬ the duel timeline and two different POV’s put me off, until I read it and fell in love with both woman and instantly more from them both. I wanted to enjoy my time in each chapter, never wishing to rush ahead for a different POV which can happen in some books. It was real, human beings are complex and Evelyn Hugo just took my heart and soul. Holy moly. I think I just found one of my top favourite books of all time?? I can’t believe I put off reading this for so long.

‪• 5/5⭐️ — (recommended)‬

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this novel.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Trigger warnings: child abuse, sexualisation of a child, sexual assault, underage marriage, homophobia/biphobia, domestic violence, mentions of suicide, sexism, cheating, abortion, cancer, death.
Rep: bi main character, lesbian love interest & biracial main character. POC & LGBTQ+ side characters.

This book was definitely one of my most anticipated, everyone I know loved it, so I had high hopes that I would too. Unfortnuley, I didn't love this like I thought I would. After struggling to read this on a number of occasions, I decided to switch to the audiobook, which I enjoyed a lot more than reading physically.

I wish I could give out 3.5 stars because this was more than a 3 but less than a 4, it was exactly a 3.5 star read for me.

I didn't realise how sad and triggering this book was going to be. I think that hindered my enjoyment a little because I had no clue before starting that it would be filled with so much unhappiness.

I loved how diverse this book was, we have a biracial main character. Our other main character is Cuban and bisexual and her love interest is a lesbian. We have a bunch of POC and LGBTQ+ side characters as well.

This story is split into 2 POVs, Monique's, in the present where she is recording Hugo's story, and then Hugo's in the past where she is recounting that story for Monique. I really enjoyed the layout and the two distinctive voices.

I really liked how the author showed how hard it was to not be straight in this era of showbiz. It was heartbreaking to read how these two women couldn't openly be together and support each other in the public eye. This book really shows the nasty side of fame.

I also loved how Taylor Jenkins Reid spoke about the importance of deep platonic love. Hugo and Harry were soulmates, but not in a romantic sense. They were best friends, confidants, were with each other through everything. I really liked this aspect.

I'm not 100% sure, personally speaking, if all the abuse Evelyn went through was handled that well. She went through child abuse with her father, to sexual abuse & manipulation at such a young age, to domestic violence etc. I mean, that's a lot of trauma! Surely, after all that, Evelyn would need some sort of help? Or at least to talk about the ramifications of all that happened to her with Monique? But, nothing really happened. She basically just turned into a user of people, constantly just taking, all for fame and fortune.

For example, on a number of occasions, men were forcing themselves on her and she was like "well, their gonna take it anyway, I might as well not fight it" and then...nothing was said about how toxic that was? I don't know, maybe I missed something, but all of Evelyn's past trauma and how it was handled didn't sit right with me. I think this was a "me not you" situation though.


Overall, I had a few more issues but this is such a long review already. I did like the book and I found it extremely gripping once I got into it. won't hesitate to read more by this author in the future.


"Everyone I loved is dead now. There's no one left to lie for, but me."
"I want them to know the real story. The real me."

This took me a while to get into as I did not fully connect with the writing style. As it got further into the novel I enjoyed it more and I wished that more of it was from the historical novel as the modern day scenes were okay but they were not as interesting or exciting as the ones set in the past. I loved how complex and detailed Evelyn was as it was great to see a character that is flawed and is not perfect as it made her more realistic. I think that I preferred Daisy Jones more than this but this was just as interesting.

Evelyn Hugo is a multi-faceted diamond and Taylor Jenkins Reid is hands down my favourite writer this year. I adored this book so much. I would love to see a televised version, produced by Ryan Murphy and starring Susan Sarandon. How freaking fabulous would that be? My second favourite book of 2019, the first being "Daisy Jones & The Six" by the same author. Both books deserve pride of place on the bookshelf and to be savoured over and over again. I can't wait to see what Taylor comes up with next!

This was a fabulous book... such an atmospheric page-turner! The characters - particularly Evelyn herself - was so well-realised. I also loved the LGBTQIA+ themes that never felt laboured or used tokenistically; rather just as a natural part of the story.

I can't wait to read even more of Taylor Jenkins Reid's work, I think this was a great introduction.

This is genuinely a book that kept me turning page after page. I wanted to keep delving deeper and deeper into Evelyn's character. I rooted for her triumphs and felt her losses and her sadness.

I wasn't the biggest fan of our reporter, Monique. Her character just seemed there for a big twist. With so many twists and turns already just within Evelyn's life, I didn't really see the point in the twist at the end as to why Monique was chosen as the reported. And Monique's reactions just rubbed me the wrong way.

Overall though, this book was amazing. I am definitely going to be reading this one again. I loved how strong of a character Evelyn was and I wish I had more of her in my life.

I LOVED this, really devoured it over a couple of days, and did not see the twist coming.

It was heartbreaking, uplifting, inspiring and just generally a really engaging read. Though I didn't love the dignity in dying almost celebration ending, I found that really sad and didn't enjoy that was put on the end like that.

When I started reading this I had no idea that with each husband, I’d grow ever deeper in love with Evelyn Hugo. This is a deeper look at the life behind the glitz and glamour of Old Hollywood. It explores the manipulation of people without regrets, the lengths people will go to for fame, and at the heart of it it’s about a great, all consuming love affair.

Evelyn is a star. A beautiful, shrewd star. As she tells her life story to Monique, a journalist she’s actively sought out to tell her story to, we see her shed the hidden layers and lies she’s held on to her whole life. What starts as a guarded confession to the great love of her life quickly turns into something far more encompassing, and demonstrates just what sacrifices Evelyn has made to hide her true self, and protect those she loves at all cost. She doesn’t regret, she doesn’t forget, and because of this you may think that Evelyn might be quite emotionless. But she’s far from it. She’s an actress, born to display only what she wants the world to see, yet we see moments of true vulnerability scattered throughout the story. She’s complex and unpredictable, with a strong sense of pride and self. She’s under no illusions that she’s a good person, and that’s what makes her so deliciously intoxicating to read about.

I love the way the plot unfolds, told chronologically from the introduction of each new husband, scattered together with the present day and Monique’s story. They bounce off each other well, as Monique struggles to assert herself against Evelyn’s dominant personality at first, before using her as an example to sort out her own life. I worked out the link between the two women quite quickly into the establishment of the story, but that didn’t spoil it at all. Far from it, I think the reader is suppose to know the real reason for the meeting between these two women before Monique is told the truth. It adds to the complexity of the characters, and especially Evelyn’s moral ambiguity.

The secondary characters who support Evelyn’s journey are also wonderfully fleshed out, especially Harry and Celia. Without them this story would be missing the heart that it needs as they help to show the softer side of her personality and shape her into a better person. There are moments of grief, laughter and love between them all that’s beautiful to read. The husbands all pale into the background by comparison.

Highly recommend. This isn’t my normal genre, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this. It’s utterly remarkable.