insanebookperson'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
5.0
Moderate: Outing, Addiction, Death, Car accident, Child death, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Violence, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Blood, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide
gildedspines'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
4.75
Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Death, Death of parent, Sexism, Cursing, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abortion, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Lesbophobia, Outing, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Drug use
miap09's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abortion, Addiction, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Suicide, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Car accident, Cancer, Physical abuse, Outing, and Alcohol
nickileal'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
3.5
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Outing, Cancer, Abortion, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
darbylane's review
- 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: Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Alcohol, Outing, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Classism, Cancer, Body shaming, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Biphobia
sugarwookiee'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
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Car accident, Death, Cancer, Alcoholism, Outing, Sexism, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Blood, and Medical content
tdhuck'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
5.0
Moderate: Cancer, Blood, Alcohol, Abortion, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Racism, Outing, Pregnancy, Infertility, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Homophobia, Grief, Death, and Classism
undecidedpersonality'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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Medical content, Suicide, Biphobia, Child death, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
sarahsbookss'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
Graphic: Biphobia, Blood, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Cancer, Miscarriage, Outing, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, and Lesbophobia
buildingtaste's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I won't star rate it, because I didn't actually read the frame narrative chapters once I saw that they were going to be in first person present tense. Maybe that side of the story earns the unusually high ranking this has?
Positives:
- very quick read.
- the section in Spain was lovely.
Spoiler
Read Evelyn Hugo, they said. It's about Hollywood and lesbians, you'll love it, they said. And... sure, it's ostensibly set in Hollywood, the characters are supposed to be actors in the tail end of the studio era into the new wave and new Hollywood period. But the author doesn't really seem to care about the setting much at all, except as a source of some emotional hurdles for the love story. If she had completely excised real history, relying on a sort of roman a clef version of renamed studios and figures, I could have rolled with it. But instead there were these rare nods to real figures and awards that sent me over-thinking. Evelyn compares herself to Celia and Ruby, but never thinks how her performance might stack up against Katharine Hepburn's turn as Jo March, or Garbo's as Anna Karenina. Her fictional film wins Best Picture in 1982, erasing Gandhi. The real history, where it comes in, is flippant rather than immersive. This Hollywood doesn't feel like it has a history, which is strange for a book that covers so much time, in a place that is so self-aggrandizing and nostalgic for itself. And the lesbians (ok, lesbian and bisexual woman, technically)... I had more time for. The rocky relationship with Celia came to a very poignant, bittersweet conclusion, and I loved their "marriage" in Spain before Celia's death. But the development before that was underwhelming, with their extremely short lead-up and the years they just spent avoiding each other. I wanted a lot more from all Evelyn's relationships than what I got. As it is, the book just seems like a series of quickly-sketched episodes, where despite her claims at being confessional, we get very little understanding of the central character.Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Blood, Outing, Sexual content, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault