Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

676 reviews

mythxcally's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

3.5

A beautiful book. The first time I attempted to read this, I gave up after the first couple of chapters. I was convinced it was not for me. However I'd heard plenty of good things, and decided to really push myself to read it and try again. And I'm glad I did. 

It's different from what I usually read, but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. My heart broke for Evelyn when

she lost everyone she cared about, espically Harry. He was my favourite throughout the book and I was heartbroken as well when he died. Evelyn w as right, they were definetely soulmates.

There isn't much else to say, I truly enjoyed this book and although it dealt with some potentially challenging and heavy topics, it was a breeze, light summer romance which had all the feels.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Homophobia and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

bringitona's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I truly understand the hype over this book. Taylor Jenkins Reid did such an amazing job with this book. It was not all what I expected going, but so much better. I flew through book but I wish I had paced myself. The last third is heavy and emotional so I definitely recommend not rushing through it. There’s a theme I typically hate when done in other books, but Reid does it very gracefully.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Lesbophobia, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Abortion, Death of parent, and Outing

thelibraryofjen's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow. Evelyn Hugo feels to me like a real icon. When reading It felt so real, I thought she was a real person in my head. This story crosses the line between fiction and real life. The love story between two queer people in the early 50’s to the 90’s was so beautiful written. I understand the hype around this book. This was a roller coster of emotions, that I feel everybody needs to read at least once. The racial discrimination in this book, forcing people of color to hide there true self. Reallly represents what hollywood standed for back then. The topics of AIDS and how queer people could be punished back then was also well written. This book is for people to feel SEEN and to be their true authentic self. Don’t coware away from who you truely are, don’t like you life in regret. Evelyn Hugo was a raw and sometimes bad person, as well as an icon, but most of all she was human. That is what drove this story, she felt so human to be I couldn’t help but sympathize  with her. AND THE ENDING HELLO ? Wow. I want this to be a movie or tv show ASAP. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

gisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The glam, the drama, the horrible men (which is, once again, not surprising given they’re… well, men 🤢) and the absolutely wonderful Evelyn Hugo. A woman who knows what she wants and takes it, any way she can. She really embodies the saying ‘it’s not what the patriarchy does to you, but what it can do FOR you.’ I love the use of men for her own gain along with that of her lover and friends. Unfortunate that she developed love for a terrible abuser (fuck you, Adler, you insecure dickhead). Not that Evelyn herself was perfect, she did frustrate me many times with her choices, but she owns up to it. She doesn’t shy away from what she did, and that’s more than most can say, even if she doesn’t regret any of it. I still came to adore her, her life and the incredible secret love with her and her wife despite any choices I don’t agree with. I hope her and Celia enjoy being out together in the afterlife.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicide and Terminal illness

Minor: Pregnancy

jasperreads's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

perth_is's review against another edition

emotional relaxing fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

peachykeyss04's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Biphobia, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

srod910's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Outing

joopa09's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Blood, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Suicide, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

baebushka's review against another edition

2.0

Perhaps a beautiful read, if only you are willing to only concentrate on the story and not at all the at-large implications that come with its setting.

Taylor Jenkins Reid seemingly starts this book with a single focus in mind – to tell a challenging story of a latina woman navigating the complex ups and downs of Golden Age Hollywood. Its mystical charm is promised to be destroyed early on when we meet Evelyn Herrera and her tramatising past – a mother that passed away and her abusive husband, the marriage of convenience for which she trades what the patriarchal society holds most dear above a woman's head.

And I could have – and should have – believed the author, should I not come along to the realisation that she does no more and no less than write from priviledge and misunderstanding. From beginning to end, Evelyn is presented as an oversexualised (even through the eyes of her so-called true love) latina woman, who can only rely on her body to propell her forward. Of course there is a – white – more talented actress out there, in spite of her efforts. Of course men lust for her, the idea of her, but only one – gay – man sees her for how she truly is. Of course her herritage must be sacrificed – out of ambition, and hardly ever a trace of regret is seen through her youth.

The book sets us up for most of its length to believe that Evelyn regrets whitewashing herself. Only, the poor twist we see through Monique's eyes reveals that Spoilerit was not her internalized racism, healed during present time, that caused her to choose a woman of colour to tell her story. Not at all. In fact, we find out that it had been the personal connection primarily that made Evelyn choose Monique and her talent only secondary.

Maybe TJR forgot, herself, through the book that Evelyn was not white and, therefore, only edited in the few other scenes we have of latino representation. Her maid, Maria, who is in no way any better than a racist stereotype from a 2000s romcom. SpoilerWithout apparent reason, Maria leaks information about Evelyn's marriage to Don Adler and, overall, is a plot pivot that feeds into yet another stereotype.

And the other person of colour you meet in this book? SpoilerA gay man that stays unnamed until the every end – for a cheap plot twist –, who dies within 2 pages of being introduced.

And, at long last, the reason I have picked this book up to begin with – the promised relationship between Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James. Whatever allyship I had been promised by the TikToks that drowned my FYP for months had disappeared as soon as Celia made her first Spoilerbiphobic remark and, instead of apologizing for it, she drives it home a second and a third time.

It's unclear to me why Celia had been the love of Evelyn's life – on top of seemingly only sexualising her girlfriend, Celia frequently acts in her insecurity and making the biphobia in the lesbian community all the more obvious to the reader. Thanks, I've got plenty of that in real life! Evelyn remains not straight enough – Spoilerand I'm hereby overlooking the d-slur being dropped several times –, nor gay enough to the end of the book.

This book has bad representation and, around rounded edges, bad writing too – but it feeds into our desire to hear of the unturned pages of Hollywood and celebrities, which makes me understand why this book is as popular as it is.

Lastly, one note regarding continuity: I'm not sure how the in-universe gossip newspaper manages Spoilerto find out about Ernie Diaz, Evelyn's first husband and why that was not a bigger blow to her career. Somewhere between Don and Harry we jump a number up in husbands. Why? I didn't see any explanation!

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy