The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I finally got around to reading the book all over booktok and booktube!

Rating: 5 dazzling stars

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This book is a masterpiece and I love it with every fibre of my being!

“The world doesn’t give things, you take things.”

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo tells the story of Monique Grant, a newbie journalist, and Evelyn Hugo, a prolific movie star. Evelyn requests that Monique write her biography but only publish it once she passes away. Monique is flattered but confused as to why she is the one to be given such a task. Evelyn remains tight-lipped, but eventually Monique finds out the reason and it alters her life forever.

“I wasn’t heartbroken when Don left me. I simply felt like my marriage had failed. And those are very different things.”

“Heartbreak is loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”

The writing is sensational, but let’s be honest, I expect nothing less from TJR. The book shifts between Evelyn telling her story to Monique and then Monique’s POV. I enjoyed reading both and found them to be equally compelling. I also loved reading the magazine clippings throughout the novel, they really make the book come to life. It feels like you are reading about an actual celebrity.

“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.' ”

This book is so much more than a salacious celebrity tell-all. It grapples with themes of love, partnership, and marriage. It represents all different types of love, beyond simply romantic love. It beautifully portrays the lengths we go to protect those we love and the fragility of love when it is competing with the desire to stay in society’s good graces. The novel also examines this idea of perception versus reality, especially in celebrity culture, but also more broadly in our own lives. Who are we in front of strangers versus those who know us best? Is one real and the other false? Or are they simply versions of ourselves that we create to protect us from getting hurt?

“You can’t tell a single thing about a person’s true character if you both want the same thing. That’s like a dog and a cat getting along because they both want to kill the mouse.”

But the beauty of this book lies in the characterisation of Evelyn Hugo. She makes for an utterly complex, and inherently flawed human being. You can’t help but root for her even after finding out her deepest secrets. Underneath her untouchable façade is a human being trying her best. Monique is able to see that and so are we.

“I was fishing around for information that might break my heart, a flaw of the human condition.”

You’ll feel compelled to read this novel because of Evelyn, but also the overall arc. There are two major twists, one revealed much earlier on than the other. I did not predict either of them and found myself gasping at the second one.

“Accepting something is true isn’t the same as thinking it is just.”

“Forgiveness is different from absolution.”

Overall, a stunning novel that is sure to remain in your thoughts long after you have read it!

“No one is just a victim or a victor. Everyone is somewhere in between.”

Love,