thatswhatshanread'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
It’s quite shocking that it took me so long to read this, though I suspect a lot of it had to do with the fact that I had such high hopes and had heard so much unadulterated praise. Ever the pessimist, I was afraid it would disappoint me.
I’m VERY GLAD to report, that it did not disappoint me at all, and actually was much more than I hoped for. An incredible epic of a story-within-a-story, a biographical account of a fictional starlet with many marriages and headlines, but only one true love kept secret for most of her life.
I love TJR’s writing, her layered and complicated story building eclipsed only by the bold and complex characters she creates. Evelyn isn’t supposed to be someone you just love, but she is someone you absolutely root for, despite all her flaws. Because there’s Celia, the truth behind it all. (And Harry, whom I adored so much.)
One of the best novels I’ve ever read that accurately tackles the duality of humanity and fame, with a central focus on the LGBTQ+ community. Phenomenal.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicide, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Terminal illness, Drug use, Outing, Physical abuse, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Death, Self harm, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Abortion, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Eating disorder
ellaticonstellation'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
5.0
Spoiler
Wow, just wow! Even though there are many disturbing things about this book (aka domestic abuse, lying, violence, tampering with the crime scene, etc.) I loved how well-crafted the characters were. Evelyn Hugo did what she had to do to get what she wanted and succeed in life; it was truly inspiring as a woman. She was super flawed, which made her compelling. Her story inspired Monique to take what she deserved and live a fuller life. I hope people who read this don't misinterpret the message. That fame was expensive, and it wasn't for everyone. Fame looked glamorous because of the money, but there were a lot of darkness and sacrifices involved to stay at the top. Her freedom had limits, and it made me sad. Evelyn wanted to express her true self, but she couldn't easily do it. It was the curse of her status in life. Overall, this book was excellent and a potential reread. Thank you so much, Taylor, for writing this book! People, love as long as you can; we never know our end.✨Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Deadnaming, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Abortion, Blood, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Racism, and Self harm
jaelovesbooks's review
- 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
Moderate: Outing, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Abandonment, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Misogyny, Car accident, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion
kellyofcali's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Outing, Infidelity, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Self harm, Physical abuse, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Biphobia, and Medical content
katgent'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
Graphic: Abortion, Biphobia, Death, Car accident, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Addiction, Cancer, Self harm, Suicide, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness
minsreadingnook's review
- 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
Thoughts:
The more I thought about the story as a whole, the more my rating dropped lol but If you would’ve asked me while I was reading the story, I would’ve given it a 5*. I feel like the ending was somehow… lackluster. I don’t know why to be honest, probably because I was just not ever invested in Monique as a character. Or maybe I just expected so much.
Connor’s name just reminds me of Connor Murphy but I love the way motherhood was portrayed.
Evelyn was such an interesting character to read. I devoured this book because of her.
I don’t like Celia that much but the nice parts of their relationship was pretty cute.
Graphic: Hate crime, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Outing, Toxic friendship, Death, Grief, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Murder, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Cancer, Car accident, Cursing, Drug use, Pregnancy, Rape, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion
book_lover206's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Self harm, Child death, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion
kaytrain'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
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Biphobia, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm
moonbin'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, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Homophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Grief, Self harm, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, and Outing
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
jfield351'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
4.75
Spoiler
the reason evelyn chose monique had something to do with her father, but i wasn’t sure on what groundsGraphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Alcohol, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Death, Pregnancy, and Child abuse
Minor: Rape, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Self harm, Homophobia, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Drug use, Gaslighting, Addiction, and Biphobia