A review by clovetra
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.0
oh wow
this was a very conflicting book. but one i ultimately fell in love with.
let me start with the positives, as although i can't find too many negatives with this book, they are quite jarring.
first, going into this book, i thought the "lgbt+" tag was queerbating. did i know the story? nope. that was just my opinion. and boy am i happy i was wrong. i loved how unapologetic characters like harry and celia are, and it made my little heart sing.
i also loved jenkins reid's style of writing. this is my first time reading a book of hers, and i can confidently say i'll be reading other works of hers. this was scrumptiously written, and i adored every second.
one final note is that evelyn is a protagonist you love to hate, and that is one of my favourite tropes, if not my *favourite* trope, so this book gets big ticks from me.
now, on to the parts where this book failed.
a white woman so clearly writes this. explaining evelyn's heritage in the start and ending of the book, plus the way monique's race is described made me feel a bit sick if im honest. it was.... Not Good!
also the biphobia in this is fucking disgusting. i don't care if due to this being a historical fiction book its time accurate, as a queer reader it was fucking vile to see celia dunk on evelyn for the 50th time because she likes men and women. i wasn't too mad with how harry was portrayed up until the end. also im sorry did the d slur need to be included? im a lesbian and i feel that that word is reserved for black lesbians only. seeing jenkins reid throw that word out like nothing made me sick. and not in a good way reflecting the narrative, it soured me towards this book. i felt similar to this in regards to the misogyny & sexism present, as well as the extreme domestic violence portrayed. yes, it is reflective of the times this book is following. it still should've been written with some tact.
this book was very conflicting. and even writing this review i am still largely conflicted on how i feel. but, i will say, even if i find a book shit, if i don't want to put it down, in my mind its worth an additional star. and i actually could not get this book off of my mind.
this was a very conflicting book. but one i ultimately fell in love with.
let me start with the positives, as although i can't find too many negatives with this book, they are quite jarring.
first, going into this book, i thought the "lgbt+" tag was queerbating. did i know the story? nope. that was just my opinion. and boy am i happy i was wrong. i loved how unapologetic characters like harry and celia are, and it made my little heart sing.
i also loved jenkins reid's style of writing. this is my first time reading a book of hers, and i can confidently say i'll be reading other works of hers. this was scrumptiously written, and i adored every second.
one final note is that evelyn is a protagonist you love to hate, and that is one of my favourite tropes, if not my *favourite* trope, so this book gets big ticks from me.
now, on to the parts where this book failed.
a white woman so clearly writes this. explaining evelyn's heritage in the start and ending of the book, plus the way monique's race is described made me feel a bit sick if im honest. it was.... Not Good!
also the biphobia in this is fucking disgusting. i don't care if due to this being a historical fiction book its time accurate, as a queer reader it was fucking vile to see celia dunk on evelyn for the 50th time because she likes men and women. i wasn't too mad with how harry was portrayed up until the end. also im sorry did the d slur need to be included? im a lesbian and i feel that that word is reserved for black lesbians only. seeing jenkins reid throw that word out like nothing made me sick. and not in a good way reflecting the narrative, it soured me towards this book. i felt similar to this in regards to the misogyny & sexism present, as well as the extreme domestic violence portrayed. yes, it is reflective of the times this book is following. it still should've been written with some tact.
this book was very conflicting. and even writing this review i am still largely conflicted on how i feel. but, i will say, even if i find a book shit, if i don't want to put it down, in my mind its worth an additional star. and i actually could not get this book off of my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Biphobia, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Car accident, Alcohol, Drug use, and Racism
Minor: Abortion and Addiction