jeanettesreadingcorner'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
3.5
- Evelyn Hugo’s life story is certainly entertaining and eventful. However, I don’t love it enough to keep my copy. I had high expectations because of how popular it is. I only started enjoying it towards end.
- I didn’t like Evelyn that much for most of the book. I don’t agree with how she treated Celia early on. I guess I don’t like how fake everybody is to each other but that’s Hollywood. I actually started to like Evelyn more after she retired from acting. When Evelyn started living as her true self. I enjoyed Celia St. James and Harry Cameron’s characters more. Evelyn, Celia, Harry, and John (and eventually Connor) being a family together was my favorite part of the book.
- I didn’t care about Monique Grant’s character at all throughout the book. The plot twist at the end was what made her interesting to me. I was mostly reading this to know who Evelyn Hugo is.
- The Old Hollywood glamour and timeline was fun and well-written. I especially loved the outfits and historical references. I also enjoyed seeing the actual media articles on Evelyn and getting to read about her in that perspective.
- The plot twist towards the end! I kind of suspected it or made guesses about it early on. I wasn’t exactly correct but I had an idea.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Cancer, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Outing, Suicide, Vomit, Blood, and Misogyny
denijaaa_s's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Abortion
leonormsousa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Suicide, Abortion, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Grief, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Car accident, and Sexual violence
vr_alyssa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
As a reader, you're basically both reading a fictional biography as well as the interviews leading up to the creation of said biography. Which means the reader knows certain things are coming (I mean, you know it by the title too, she clearly had seven husband, so you know the first doesn't last, for example). But there are a few other things the reader learns to expect early on in the story. I found those hard to predict, despite knowing that they were coming. Furthermore, there wasn't necessarily a need to figure it out (which I usually have with books such as Fourth Wing recently), I could just let it happen as it happened. And, of course, when revealed, the information caught me completely off guard, to the point of mumbling 'No no no no no' aloud for a while.
It was a very interesting and lovely reading experience, to say the least. Best way I can describe it, is that it's human.
Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Car accident, Death, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Abortion, Alcohol, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Blood, Bullying, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Cancer, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Drug use, and Suicide
fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Doesn’t it bother you? That your husbands have become such a headline story, so often mentioned, that they have nearly eclipsed your work and yourself? That all anyone talks about when they talk about you are the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo?”
And her answer was quintessential Evelyn.
“No,” she told me. “Because they are just husbands. I am Evelyn Hugo. And anyway, I think once people know the truth, they will be much more interested in my wife.”
Graphic: Sexual assault, Cursing, Mental illness, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Death, Suicide, Classism, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexual violence, Infidelity, Child death, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Addiction, Blood, Death of parent, Outing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Body shaming, Toxic friendship, Murder, Cancer, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, and Drug abuse
Minor: Vomit, Abortion, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Self harm, Xenophobia, and Fatphobia
lindasoderlundd'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
4.25
Graphic: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Blood, Toxic relationship, Death, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Suicide
lisavandonselaar'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
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Car accident, Death of parent, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Abortion, Sexual content, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Minor: Miscarriage
rat_girly'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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Infidelity, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Blood
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and Outing
Minor: Abortion, Suicide, Infertility, Incest, and Drug use
kolee_c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I went into this book not expecting much as I’ve never read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid before. I also haven’t read many books on the publishing industry so I don’t have much contextual knowledge on the background of this book but I still greatly enjoyed reading it. I actually recently read Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, which has ignited a desire to read more about the publishing industry.
The story starts with Monique Grant, a writer for an online company called Vivant who dreams of making a name for herself. She is called into her boss’ office to discuss a potential interview job. The Hollywood starlet, Evelyn Hugo, who has vehemently refused to sit for an interview for decades, has asked to be interviewed by Monique. Of course, Monique takes the job because she would be a fool not to. When she arrives, Monique finds that it is not just some article that she is being asked to write, no, Evelyn wants Monique to write her biography. A tell-all expose about her rise to fame in Hollywood, life as a ‘60s starlet, and the stories behind her seven marriages. As Monique learns more about Evelyn’s life, she starts to realise that she was chosen to write this book for a reason and she may not be able to walk away once she finds out.
The more I read, the more I wanted to consume this book completely. The book alternates between Monique in the present-day sitting in Evelyn’s office and trying to navigate her own life, and chapters from Evelyn’s perspective as she looks back on the past. It was cleverly done and I was pleasantly surprised when I reached the first of Evelyn’s chapters. I read this book in sections; I read up until the story changed to another husband and then stopped to digest what I’d just read. It made it easier to separate each husband’s character otherwise I know I would have gotten confused trying to differentiate each of them. After finishing this book, I can see why it got so many mixed reviews; despite everything you learn about Evelyn, she says doesn’t regret what she did, which many would consider to make her a bad person/character. Personally, I thought this made her seem more realistic and human. Evelyn shows you what it means to be human; that a person can’t be just good or bad, that we have our flaws and that we can also have our merits. I am glad that this was the first book by Taylor Jenkins Reid that I read. It has made me excited to read more of her works.
I am wavering between four and five stars for my rating for several reasons. Firstly, I haven’t read a book like this before, which is a point in its favour. Usually, if a book makes me feel really emotional or even makes me cry, then it would instantly get an extra star added to its rating. I did not cry while reading this. However, I was unable to put this book down once I got to husband number two. Evelyn Hugo felt like a real person to me while learning her story.
So, after thinking about it, I think this book deserves five stars.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Sexism
Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief
Minor: Abortion, Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Cancer
singingshooter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Minor: Homophobia, Abortion, Blood, Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, and Misogyny