gracieec's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, Misogyny, Cancer, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Addiction, Biphobia, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Outing
Minor: Death of parent, Medical content, Abortion, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Racism, and Blood
ellianderjoy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Biphobia, Medical content, Sexism, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Car accident, Pregnancy, Racism, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
disneyfan_1711's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Death, Classism, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Hate crime, Mental illness, Outing, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
idontread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Addiction, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Child death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Car accident, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cancer, Grief, Incest, Outing, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
luckylolabug's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Misogyny
Moderate: Xenophobia and Physical abuse
fieldofhats's review against another edition
I got 3.5 hours into the 12 hour audiobook and couldn’t force myself to go any further. It pains me to DNF a Taylor Jenkins Reid book, but it pains me even more to give it one star. In all fairness, my true rating might be more like 1.5 stars, but it didn’t think it really deserved to be rounded up.
Let’s start with the good, if only because there’s so little of it. The story is split into two very distinct plot lines: Monique and Evelyn. We see much more of Evelyn, but Monique is the main character, or at least the one we see the modern world through. Her story is much more interesting. She has hardships and problems, and because she’s a normal person living in the normal world, they feel much more genuine. I was much more invested in her story than in Evelyn’s, and in a book that’s titled “The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo”, I feel like that’s an issue.
The drama is good. The troubles and hardships that Evelyn endured and eventually got through are universal and painful, but also particularly feminine issues, which makes this an undeniably feminist piece — the problem is, she’s a rich, powerful, Hollywood star. I have a much, much harder time relating to and sympathizing with a rich star than a common person. All of the things that Evelyn goes through, lower class people (like Monique, for example) also go through. Having the main character be a rich star just dampens and cheapens the story. Celebrity feminism is antithetical to feminism.
Furthermore, Evelyn is not a good person. Because she’s spent most of her life in Hollywood, she has this heightened sense of entitlement that I just have no respect for. She’s also manipulative; she guilts and practically bribes Monique into taking the biography job and admits that she’s okay with (and does) use people when it’s advantageous for her. She will also do absolutely anything to save her image. And maybe I could get behind that if she wasn’t either rich or a Hollywood star, but she is. Even if her image is destroyed, she’ll be absolutely fine, so I don’t have much sympathy for her. To properly enjoy a novel I have to like the main character on some level, and so this was a huge blow for me.
Yes, she is a powerful woman, and that image can hold a lot of weight regardless of anything. But when we sacrifice integrity and decency for power, we’re left with an awful character. I wish we could portray powerful women without them being rich and manipulative.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Classism, Cultural appropriation, and Misogyny
colorful_lulu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Cancer, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Infidelity, Car accident, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Classism, Child death, Alcohol, and Blood
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Miscarriage
Minor: Pregnancy
kappafrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Blood, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, Classism, Body shaming, and Homophobia
Moderate: Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Racism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abortion, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual violence, Hate crime, Incest, and Rape
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Car accident, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Biphobia, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Cancer, Outing, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Suicide, Alcohol, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, Fatphobia, Child abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, and Transphobia
lucille_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcoholism, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child death, Medical content, Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Child abuse, Classism, Abortion, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia