Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

901 reviews

renciti's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

5.0

I think something I've realized about myself is how much I love Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing. This is the second book of hers I've read that I've found myself completely hooked by. I swear I think about at least one of her books once a day. 

Spoiler

Making the main character of the book a queer woman of colour and the love of her life actually being a woman instead of any of her husbands was amazing to read. The rockiness of their relationship and the hardships they had to go through just to be together without losing everything they had will send you through about a million emotions. The ending of the book was definitely something I would not have predicted as well. I knew Monique Grant's dad would be involved with Evelyn at some point, I definitely did not expect that ending, however I loved it.

Spoiler

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Content Warnings

Minor: Misogyny, Outing, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Drug use, Sexism, Racism, Blood, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Classism, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse

rat_girly's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• 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

After a slow start I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this book. I liked how the story prompted me to reflect on the development of queer acceptance over the decades, and gave me a new appreciation for queer people who came before me. I loved the themes of found family, community, and the different kinds of soulmates and love we can find in this world.

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Content Warnings

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

hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

• 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

This book has been all over TikTok for a few years now and so it has always been on my radar, but I had just never gotten around to reading it. Finally, I just gave in and bought a copy because I wanted to read Carrie Soto and I heard you should start with Seven Husbands. Boy, am I glad that I finally started reading this book. I went into it not knowing what to expect because I have heard both good and bad reviews about this book, but I am happy that I stuck it out so I could form my own opinion.

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.

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Content Warnings

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

akirma's review against another edition

emotional reflective relaxing sad fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Biphobia, Death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cancer, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape, Terminal illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death, and Outing

calliecachat's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

I was frustrated with the audio at times but overall I really enjoyed this book. I love the connections among Taylor Jenkin Reid’s books. Mick Riva being in that list of husbands? Mastermind. Love it. 

Spoiler

While I didn’t love everything about the ending, I did love the final comment in “Evelyn and Me.” If everyone is so interested in Evelyn’s husbands, then they will certainly be interested in her wife.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Death

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Rounding up to 4 stars. I dislike this format of a Steeler telling someone else’s story when the narrator is really the inner storyteller. Often, as was the case here, the other storyteller is largely ignored and the actual story gets interrupted every so often to remind us they are still here. But in this case, I admit there was a payoff for the format in ur end, though I’m undecided as yo hope much I liked the ending itself.

Also thought the book did an excellent job of explaining bisexuality and and limited agency, as well as appreciating LGBTQ historical context.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Outing, Suicide, Homophobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Blood, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Child death, and Death of parent

rory18's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

A really lovely book, and the plot is tied together well. My only complaint is that at times the emotional scenes between the central pair seem a little stilted, as if the author isn't very confident at writing a love story between two women, although it still feels authentic. A captivating book, and it says something that its appeal transcends genres so much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Sexism, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Misogyny, Biphobia, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Outing, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Violence, Cancer, Death of parent, Racism, Terminal illness, Suicide, Death, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: Police brutality

clare_dv's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Death, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Grief

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Cancer

imskylow's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

This book actually had me really invested in the characters. Everyone and their flaws felt so plausible and that I cheered for them when good things happened and felt physically ill when things went wrong. So often, I felt like this was written about actual people and found myself checking the authors name on the book to be sure it wasn’t listed as Monique. Haha. And then I caught myself wishing I could watch all the movies Evelyn and her fellow actors and actresses starred in. I was very surprised about how much I enjoyed this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, and Sexual content

Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Body shaming, Car accident, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Medical trauma

Minor: Infidelity and Outing

cheye13's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

• 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

3.0

The writing style was very readable and the characters in Evelyn's history were practically tangible. The expression of her grief and loneliness was well conveyed.

For a story about the golden age of Hollywood, and for a story spanning decades, the narrative felt very unrooted from the time to me. I couldn't tell which decade we were in until Evelyn made a pointed comment, and when the time is the story, I'd rather it be more immersive. I also found the interviewer's storyline very weak and paint-by-numbers. The end also felt like a cop-out.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Misogyny, Sexism, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, and Death

Moderate: Sexual content, Homophobia, Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, and Infidelity

Minor: Classism, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Abortion, Infertility, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship