The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo audiobook

”Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.”This book was so, so, so GOOD!! I swear I was barely two pages in and already knew that I’d love it with all my heart!

** spoiler alert ** “I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I loved her.” This is one of the best books I’ve ever had the privilege to read. It is probably in the top five for best books I’ve ever read in my entire life. I have been looking for a book like this my entire life, and no combination of words I’m about to type, and you’re about to read, is going to do this masterpiece justice. But I will say that Gabby, Joce, and Elyse were all right, and I’m so happy I listened to them, because this book is worth every single ounce of hype. And when I say that this book is lifechanging, I truly mean it. This book is sold as a historical romance, where you learn about a fictional, famous, old Hollywood actress and all her marriages. What you get is a book that stars a bisexual, Cuban woman who was never allowed to talk about the love of her life; her wife. And when I say I cried during this book, I truly mean that I probably need to buy a new copy because I was the biggest mess you’ve ever seen. “And it will be the tragedy of my life that I cannot love you enough to make you mine. That you cannot be loved enough to be anyone’s.” On top of this being a powerful book about race, sexuality, misogyny, and having to conform to societies norms, the true meaning I took from this book is that life is short, so damn short, and we shouldn’t spend it pretending to be something we aren’t. And we shouldn’t spend it doing anything less than loving the people who are worthy and deserving of our love. “I didn’t need boys in order to feel good. And that realization gave me great power.” We follow Evelyn from the very start; losing her mother very young, her body developing very quickly, noticing others noticing her developing body, marrying a man so she can leave the dead-end city she grew up in, so she can become something more. Evelyn is unapologetic with her actions, and it is one of the most empowering things I’ve ever read. She plays so many more parts than the roles she is cast in. And Evelyn learns really quickly how to play each and every man she is forced to interact with, and she quickly learns what she can gain from each and every one of them, too. This story is told from two different timelines and two different points of view. One from Monique Grant, who is a biracial (white and African-American) woman who is going through a fresh divorce and trying to make something of herself in the journalism field. And her life changes the day her editor tells her how Evelyn Hugo is demanding her, and only her, to write something for her. “Heartbreak is loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.” The other timeline(s) are all the different times in Evelyn’s life, and the different seven husbands that she had, while she is recounting the events that lead her to be telling Monique this story. Evelyn has lived a very full life, and is in her late seventies now, and is finally ready to talk about her life. But the entire book we are guessing why she has chosen only Monique for this job. “Make them pay you what they would pay a white man.” If you guys have been following my reviews, you’ll probably know that I talk about found family and how important it is to me a lot, but The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the epitome of how beautiful a found family can be. Evelyn and Harry’s friendship in this was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read in my entire reading life. “When you write the ending, Monique, make sure the reader understands that all I was ever really looking for was family. Make sure it’s clear that I found it. Make sure they know that I am heartbroken without it.” And the romance? The true romance in this book is the most romantic thing I have ever read in my entire life. And you guys know I’ve read a ton of romances, but they are all lesser to this. Every single one of them can’t compare with the romance in this book. I feel like every time I’ve used the word “perfect” to describe something that wasn’t the romance in this book, then I used the word wrong. “Please never forget that the sun rises and sets with your smile. At least to me it does. You’re the only thing on this planet worth worshipping.” How many Evelyn and Celias are there in the world? How many are still playing the role that Evelyn was forced to play? I cry for every single person who must hide who they are, and who they want to love. And this book talks about many big things in queer history; from the Stonewall riots to the disgusting Reagan administration, but life still isn't anywhere close to equal in 2018. The prejudices, the discrimination, the virus/syndrome blaming, the looks I’ve experienced holding a girl’s hand while walking into a restaurant? Those are still in 2018, in the United States, but people act like none of those things exists because marriage is legalized, begrudgingly. I’m not writing this review to get on my soapbox, but I promise, we have a lot more work to do. And this book, this book lit a fire under me. I personally identify as pansexual, but I felt like the bisexual rep in this was a tier above anything my eyes have ever seen. Seeing Evelyn love all the parts of her, and all the different parts of her love, was something so awe-inspiring. I am still so overwhelmed with feelings, but if you identify as bi or pan, this is a love letter to you, I promise. “I was a lesbian when she loved me and a straight woman when she hated me.” This book also focuses a huge importance on motherhood throughout the entirety of this book, and then I read the acknowledgement and started weeping all over again. Taylor Jenkins Reid was able to evoke the strongest emotions from me, and I just pray that things will be different for the generation of kids being raised right now. This was the first thing I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but I will buy every single new thing she produces. The writing was so lyrical and addicting. I mean, I have a quote between almost every paragraph. This whole book deserves to be highlighted. The characters, well, my mind has now forever imagined that these are real people now, so there is that. The topics, themes, and discussions are beyond important. This book just makes me feel so passionately. This book is one of the most empowering pieces of literature I’ve ever consumed. And I am not the same person I was before this book. “I told her every single day that her life had been the world’s greatest gift to me, that I believed I was put on earth not to make movies or wear emerald-green gowns and wave at crowds but to be her mother.” If you guys ever take a recommendation from me; please have it be The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Please, I’m actually begging you. I promise, this book is lifechanging, and I equally promise you that this book changed mine. There is magic between these four-hundred-pages. Pure magic. This story is addicting, enthralling, and so important. And if you’re an Evelyn, in 2018, I see you, but I hope it doesn’t take you as long as it took her to be happy. This will forever be one of the best books of my life, and I’ll cherish it forever. “People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is “You’re safe with me”—that’s intimacy.” Trigger/Content Warnings: death of a loved one, death of a child, talk of suicide, unhealthy dieting, underage sex with an adult, abortion, talk of miscarriage, a lot of physical abuse, cheating, dunk driving, and homophobic slurs. Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch Buddy read with May & Alexis! ❤UPDATE: I got to meet Taylor, see her interview Casey McQuiston, have her sign my book, and she is a confirmed angel! My Vlog ❤

This review contains a spoiler for a reveal around 100 pages into the novel. I knew this reveal going in and do not believe knowing this reveal hurts the reading experience.I think a lot about the idea of love as something dangerous, as something that you have to fight for. And it's only recently that I've decided that's something that probably has to do with loving women. I have been very lucky, in growing up in liberal California and in the 2000s. But I received marriage rights in my country four months after realizing I liked girls, and in reading about the past and thinking about the past, I am constantly, daily, reminded how being born ten years earlier would have made everything that much more dangerous, that much more violent, that much more fearful. And there is something so woefully romantic to me about the fact that there were people who braved that climate and loved anyway and paved the path, while doing so, for me and so many others.So that's all to say that this book made me experience all five stages of grief and simultaneously made me feel every positive emotion in the world and I have no idea how that is possible. but listen, if you only read one book I recommend you this year, I want it to be this one. “Make them pay you as much as they would a white man.” The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is, yeah, about the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Seven husbands who are sometimes awful and sometimes sympathetic and sometimes somewhere in between. Ernie, who she used to get to where she is, Don, who beat her till she barely knew whether to continue, Harry, who she loved more than any of them, Max, who loves the idea of her more than he could ever love her. But I think, despite its marketing, this book is really about Evelyn. Awful, complicated, completely lovable Evelyn. Evelyn is a flawed, compelling, brave, ambitious woman who got to where she was with teeth and claws and never gave up. She is also, and I’m not even joking, one of the most iconic characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. She is a woman with a lot of ambition but also one who loves and wants to be loved. She is such a good character.This book is also fiercely and unapologetically socio-political and I love that. Evelyn’s story is one of being a woman in a man’s world. It is one of being a Cuban woman in a white woman’s world. It is one of being a bisexual woman in an era where attraction to women was demonized by the whole culture. It is one of hiding yourself for ambition, one of trying to decide which one takes precedent, one of aging, and one of never knowing whether your choices were right. Annnnnnnd this book also has the most fucking heartbreaking romantic relationship I have had the displeasure to read about in my entire life. I don’t… I don’t know if romantic relationships should be considered spoilers, but… well, I knew going in who the actual love of Evelyn’s life was and it STILL WORKED FOR ME. So here it is: Evelyn Hugo and Celia St. James are one of my favorite fictional relationships, of all time, ever. These two have a complicated, flawed, at times tumultous relationship, and yet they love each other so much, always. “People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.” And perhaps my favorite part was the messaging around the importance of actual love in relationships, rather than just a willingness to try. “You didn't come here and tell me how much you miss me. Or how hard it has been to live without me. You said you didn't want to give up. And I don't want to give up, either. I don't want to fail at this. But that's not actually a great reason to stay together. We should have reasons why we don't want to give. It shouldn't just be that we don't want to give up. And I don't... have any. “You have never felt like my other half.” I know I’ve talked about a lot of specific things in the book, but I don’t know exactly how to put into words what this book meant to me. You can almost feel how much Taylor Jenkins Reid felt this book. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo left me an emotional mess, but also a happy mess. All I know is I feel ruined for any other book, and I want you to be as well.Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube

CLICK HERE for a Booktube Video about:Ten Fabulous Book Reviews and One That Will Make You Go - doesn't that belong to Miranda Reads?Now that you know this one made the list check the video review to see the rest (and find the stolen surprise)! The Written Review 3.75 stars Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper. Evelyn Hugo was the star of the century. She dominated the big screen for more than four decades. Every man wanted her and every woman wanted to be her.Perhaps most famously, Evelyn Hugo was married seven times. Each divorce only increased her fame. Rumors swept through the tabloids like wildfire. I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you. And now, age 79, Evelyn Hugo decided to auction off her most wildly famous gowns and offered one lucky journalist (Monique) an interview that will last a lifetime.However, Monique soon learns that this is beyond a two-page spread. Evelyn Hugo is offering a tell-all - a full biography - that promises to be the most scandalous and salacious thing that has ever graced this world.Monique would be a fool - an absolute fool - to pass this up. But the thought, the 'it's too good to be true' sort of thought, continues to replay in her mind. Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it. Overall, this one was good but I was never wowed. Everyone and their mother was talking up this book and while I agree that it is engaging and scandalous (in a good way)...I don't know. I just expected more from it.I definitely think it was well-written...just a bit dull in areas. We start the book with 40 pages of just talking up Evelyn Hugo and it really did drag. There's only so many times I can hear about how wonderful and stunning a person is before it gets boring.I think if more of the marriages were teased in the beginning - just to give the audience a taste of the mystery surrounding her love life (rather than going on and on about how intriguing it was...without telling us what was intriguing about it) would have helped significantly.Once we got to her life, the book certainly picked up. I really loved how Evelyn's sexuality was portrayed in this book. I liked watching her grow as a person - from a teenager using sex to get herself out of a hellhole to falling in love and finding it something to be cherished.Her love for (view spoiler)[ Celia (hide spoiler)] throughout the years truly made this wildly unbelievable story cinch for me. Honestly, (view spoiler)[ her relationship with Celia (hide spoiler)]Their love was expertly done, with all of the fear and paranoia associated with the times, that it truly felt like real life. Ultimately, this was an enjoyable read, a bit slow paced, but enjoyable nonetheless! Never let anyone make you feel ordinary. YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

WOW I NEVER POSTED THIS. What a pleasant surprise! After dozens of unposted-unwritten reviews, finally an unposted-but-written one. Life is beautiful.But first off (I can call this first off if I freaking want to!!!) I wanna say: DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT HISTORICAL FICTION CAN’T BE DIVERSE. Tell that anthropomorphized tennis ball they’re either uncreative or a secret bigot or a full-on dunce or ALL THREE. Because this book pulls it off with more than a tablespoon of grace, I’ll tell you that.My guy, there aren’t even that many characters in this book. And we’re following the majority of them starting in the 1950s. Not exactly, y’know, the peak of support for diversity in America. AND STILL WE DON’T LACK FOR REPRESENTATION. Do you get how great that is? I’m ready to punch the whitesplainers of Disney’s Frozen in their boring pale faces. The word “Frozen” is actually a reference to the lack of movement in the creativity centers of their brains. (Follow for more behind the scenes Disney-Pixar facts.)This book includes three (three!) interracial relationships. Actually, it’s more like ten if you count the fact that our protagonist is Latina. Yes! This may be the bare minimum, but I’m so used to YA wherein one pale as snow teen romances a - gasp - pale as paper teen! Diversity in young adult books = one character is of Western European descent and the other Eastern European. Talk about a vanilla romance. (Buh dum ch.)This book proves how important it is to provide diversity. The difference in the believability and intricacy of the story is incredible. I will say we don’t often get a good look at the variance in culture that comes with diversity here. Evelyn Hugo, though the daughter of Cuban immigrants, purposefully represses her heritage in order to fit in with the whitewashed 1950s and ’60s cinema scene. Our narrator, though half-black, expresses a fear that someone will tell her she’s “not black enough.” I wish the ethnic diversity played a little more into the text, but it didn’t feel unrealistic or anything. The reasoning was explained.But there’s even more diversity. Like, it gets even better. Because, again, despite the time setting, this book contains A SH*T TON of LGBT+ rep. And these are some of the most beautifully portrayed LGBT+ relationships I’ve ever read. If you don’t read this book for anything else, read it for that fine-ass inclusion, boi.Beyond that, this is the ultimate guilty pleasure book. IT IS SO FUN READING ABOUT OLD HOLLYWOOD AND OLD MOVIES. I wanted to watch the entire Evelyn Hugo canon after this, and then it was like, oh wait, she’s not real.I don’t have much else to say. This is chick-lit-y historical fiction at its finest. It’s just so fun. Some people say they got bored halfway through, and I get why you could, but I didn’t. I really fell in love with the world of this book, and the depiction of Old Hollywood, and all that jazz.A lot is revealed over the course of the book, and the best part is just being surprised at each twist and turn, so I don’t want to go to specifics even a little. I’m just going to cut off this review here before I risk, like, accidentally mentioning that Evelyn Hugo’s third husband turned her into a vampire and she was a vampire the whole time and she turns Monique at the end of the book.*Damn it!Bottom line: This is very fun and cool and maybe even important. Read it!!!*This isn’t true, by the way. Duh.----------------------rereading updateswas tempted to spend my whole day watching old movies and not reading at all.compromised by rereading this instead.this was a very good plan.----------------------pre-reviewThis book? It's really great.I got a hell of a lot more than I bargained for.

This right here. This is why I read. For the joy and privilege of coming across an exquisite story like this and being swept up in its magic.Could The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo really be fiction, dreamt up entirely in Taylor Jenkins Reid's mind? Every moment felt so real, so tangible. When I reached the end, it was hard to let go, hard to return to a world where this was nothing more than a figment of the imagination.Evelyn Hugo, revered Hollywood actress and icon, is finally ready to tell the story of her life. But she wants to make sure that whatever comes out is authentic to who she is. So she contacts Monique Grant, a mostly unknown writer, to be her scribe. Everyone is surprised by the choice, no one more so than Monique herself. But to be given the chance to write Evelyn's memoir and to understand the person behind the legend is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, one that Monique can't pass up.When I first started this, I thought I was in for a fluffy, gossipy romance set in the golden Hollywood era. After all, why would anyone need so many husbands unless one was in it for a good time? But this turned out to be so much more. At its heart, it's a stunning and brutally honest portrayal of love in all its different forms. It shows not just the joy of love, but also its sacrifices and heartbreaks. I was blown away by how complex of a character Evelyn Hugo is. She is the heart and soul of this story, and her character shines so bright, it's hard to look away. She feels real, coming off the pages wholly formed. She's not perfect. In fact, her flaws and numerous questionable actions make her human, and it's easy to relate to her and cheer for her.The book is written in alternative viewpoints, a little bit from Monique's perspective as she interviews Evelyn and a lot from Evelyn's perspective as she shares the story of her life. When a book has two different viewpoints, there's always a fear that one is more interesting than the other. But not here. I can honestly say that every moment of this book was equally riveting.I adored Reid's writing style. It's filled with so much charm that it just oozes off the pages. The story obviously tackles serious issues, but the writing never takes itself too seriously. It's witty and funny, drawing me in and making me feel every emotion. It manages to convey so much nuance without ever slowing down the pacing or seeming long-winded. I'm in awe. You guys know I'm a romantic through and through. And this story is all about finding and holding on to that great love of your life, no matter what it takes. I mean, how could I not be drawn to that? I'm also a realist and I know that love takes so much sacrifice. So this story spoke to my heart and my mind.I never really had a chance. This book had me good and hooked, right from the first page. It's the sort of story I know I'll come back to again and again, savoring it anew every time.~~~~~~~~~~~~See also, my thoughts on:Carrie Soto Is BackDaisy Jones & The SixMalibu Rising~~~~~~~~~~~~This was a pick for my Book of the Month box. Get your first book for $5 here.

Is Evelyn Hugo going to tell me just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but never enough to truly reveal anything? I can't say for sure what drew me to this book. It's not the kind of thing I usually pick up, and I haven't read anything by Reid before. But something about it intrigued me. So I checked out the kindle sample. Just a couple chapters, I figured, because I probably wouldn't like it anyway. And I was HOOKED.It's perfect, easy beach read material. It's not particularly deep, it does not take the genre to new levels or make you think about something new, and yet it DID feel different. Evelyn Hugo's story was so delicious and compelling that it stood out, and kept me turning pages in a desperate need to discover the stories behind her seven husbands, and the answer to the one question everyone wants to know: who was her greatest love?The framing of the story reminded me a lot of The Thirteenth Tale. Like that book, in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, a young woman - this time an ambitious journalist called Monique Grant - goes to interview an elderly woman. Unlike The Thirteenth Tale, this elderly woman happens to be one of the most famous actresses in the world.Evelyn Hugo has lived a life in the public eye, but she is full of secrets. Only she knows what happened behind the scenes in her long career of scandals and highly-publicized heartbreaks. Just like the fictional world of the book longed to know the truth-- so did I. Reid and Evelyn's habit of giving you just enough to leave you wanting more was incredibly exciting. Throughout, we are encouraged to wonder why someone like Evelyn Hugo would specifically request a relatively-inexperienced journalist like Monique. Why Monique? What is Evelyn hiding?The more I got to know Evelyn, the more I fell in love with her. She has made a lot of controversial decisions during her career, but she knows it and she also knows she'd probably do it all again. She's played the Hollywood game, dated famous men to further her career, and used her body to get what she wants. She has experienced the full force of the industry's sexism and, in some ways, capitalized on it. She is deeply flawed and aware of it. She has traded important aspects of her identity for more fame, more roles, more money. She was a badass Cuban woman working in an industry that didn't like women to be badass or Cuban. She manipulated and she lied. Despite everything - and because of it - I liked her.I stayed fully engrossed in the story of Evelyn Hugo - and of Monique Grant - from the opening chapters when Evelyn demanded an interview with only Monique, through decades of Hollywood in all its shimmering ugliness, right until the ending's final reveals. I enjoyed every moment.Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Best rereading choice for flashback Saturday is re-devouring my all time favorite TJR book! Evelyn Hugo a. k. a. Evelyn Elena Herrera is one of the most portrayed characters, a daughter of Cuban immigrants, raised in poverty. She’s not only beautiful, alluring but there’s something different about her: her energy is vivid, radiating. She knows what she wants for her life and she’s competitive and determined enough how she may get it by leaving her life in Hell’s Kitchen and moving to Los Angeles to become one of the movie stars, dying her hair, exposing her slender body, looking directly at the camera with her almond shaped eyes under her long lashes till the director tells her “cut”. Now she’s 79, married SEVEN TIMES, a Hollywood legend, ready to share her life story and scandalous secret she kept for years. She befriends 35 years old Monique Grant, an unknown reporter works for “Vivant” in Los Angeles. Even the boss of Monique has no clue why this Hollywood legend demanded to work with her: she could choose someone more experienced, popular, known in the industry.So many question balloons start to fly above our heads:- Why Evelyn wants to talk only Monique and if she doesn’t, the memoir deal will be off?- Why Evelyn married seven times. Did she love any of her husbands? Does she have resentments? Does she suffer from heartbreak? Which one of is the love of her life? - As soon as their interview starts, Evelyn takes her an adventurous train ride with full of juicy, entertaining, heartbreaking, emotional stories starting from glamorous 60’s of La La Land, the productions of her famous movies, how her path crossed with those men, how she saved them and they saved her, how she got hurt, how she shone, how she burned… and eventually a big secret reveals about her life story which will change everything about true identity of Evelyn and the life choices she’s made! It’s brilliant! It’s unputdownable, addictive, heartfelt time travel in Hollywood. Author’s genuine approach to LGBTQ was better reflected than Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood limited series on Netflix. If you haven’t read it, don’t miss out this masterpiece and the best of the best Taylor Jenkins Reid book ( I liked it even more than Daisy Jones and the six) My favorite quotes:“Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don’t do that.”“You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until somewhat stands behind you and says, “It’s OK, you can fall down now. I’ll catch you.”“Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”"Do you understand what I'm telling you? When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that.”“…do yourself a favor and learn to grab life by the balls, dear. Don’t be so tied up in trying to do the right thing when the smart thing is so painfully clear.”

This is genuinely one of the most remarkable novels I have ever read. It is a favorite of the year, it will be a favorite of all time. I am wholly enchanted by The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I will never forget how much I adore this book. CW: domestic abuse, death/grief, homophobia/biphobia, racism (view spoiler)[abortion & suicide (hide spoiler)] Adult fiction is not typically my cup of tea, especially a combination of historical fiction and contemporary with the amount of long flashbacks (flashbacks: ALSO NOT MY THING). I have no idea how this combination of literary elements I typically do not like consumed my entire being, but it did. Taylor Jenkins Reid is an immensely talented author. Her prose is beautiful, vivid, and descriptive. There isn’t a moment throughout this story where I was bored or underwhelmed. Every second of this book is completely engaging – it was a huge struggle to put the book down. Evelyn Hugo is one of the greatest literary characters I have ever had the pleasure to read from. The exploration of her Cuban heritage and bisexuality is fascinating, especially given the era and her celebrity status. She is one of those intoxicating characters you will never be able to purge from your mind with her strong will, her independence, her strength, her cunning, and her compassion. Evelyn Hugo is unforgettable in my mind and hearing her story was one of the greatest pleasures I think I have ever experienced as a reader.Personally, I didn’t LOVE Monique, though I am always happy to see another biracial main character in literature. I appreciated her contribution to the story as I feel the book would lose some of it’s strength if there was not another character for Evelyn to explain her actions and motivations to and it was just her story, but it’s for that reason that I sometimes felt she was more of a plot device than an individual character. Compared to Evelyn, I just did not care for Monique’s individual life and problems. I enjoyed seeing how Evelyn influenced her life, but her storyline was so drab compared to Evelyn. Edit 4/3/2019 - After a second read, I GREATLY appreciate Monique. Her character is so nuanced and necessary to the story. I totally relinquish much of my initial feelings on her.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my favorite books OF ALL TIME. I will never forget how in love I am with this story and all the ways it has affected me. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who is interested in spectacular fiction novels (which should be all of you.)

Wow! This book came in and knocked me off my feet.Monique is working for Vivant, a media company, when she is requested to interview Evelyn Hugo, a very famous movie actress, who has refused to give interviews for years. Evelyn starts to reveal her story to Monique, that life isn't perfect, that people are more than just one thing, that relationships are complicated, the power of forgiveness and reinvention, the idea of family, loss, and accepting the choices of others.This book had such depth and tackled so many issues. One of them was the concept of divorce. Growing up in a Baptist church, divorce was viewed as the ultimate sin. As soon as anyone heard that someone was divorced, they had a permanent scarlet letter attached to them. However, as I matured, life isn't nearly as black and white. Do you really know what happened? Did the man beat this woman and then run off with all of the money, just to teach her a lesson? Why does society still think it is OK to stigmatize divorced people?There were a tremendous amounts of very quotable quotes, and this was one of those rare books that you hope never has to end. "There are people who see a beautiful flower and rush over to pick it."This book also tackled some of the issues that women face. "Oh, I know the whole world prefers a woman who doesn't know her power, but I'm sick of all that." "People don't find it very sympathetic or enduring, a woman who puts herself first." Overall, this is definitely one of the best books that I have ever read.2023 Reading ScheduleJan Alice in WonderlandFeb Notes from a Small IslandMar Cloud AtlasApr On the RoadMay The Color PurpleJun Bleak HouseJul Bridget Jones’s DiaryAug Anna KareninaSep The Secret HistoryOct Brave New WorldNov A Confederacy of DuncesDec The Count of Monte CristoConnect With Me!Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta

not to be dramatic, but if there ever comes a point in time where the fate of the human civilisation is coming to an end and we need to create a time capsule to immortalise our posterity, this book better be in it. there has never been a more honest and enthralling book in the history of the world, ever. i really dont even know where to begin. its books like this which confirm my belief that fiction will always be better than nonfiction, because it would be impossible to find a biography that could paint the story of a womans life half as well as this did. this was extraordinary, in every sense of the word. just the depth of this book was spectacular. not to mention the diversity and representation and writing quality and complex characters. everything was just outstanding. im kind of in that shocked state right now (if you didnt already notice) where im still reeling from what i just read. a more concise and coherent review will come once i calm down from being so hyped about the brilliance of this book and can process everything. ↠ 5 stars

A spectacular book well deserving of 5 stars. All of the characters feel like real people: complex, nuanced, and painfully human. Not only is the story incredibly diverse despite its Old Hollywood setting, it also has the best bi representation I've ever seen. The journey through Evelyn Hugo's life is filled with trials and tribulations, love and loss, mistakes and redemption; all the while, Reid does a great job at making you feel all the emotions along the way. I left this book feeling reflective, melancholic, and touched by how many things can happen in life that are both awful and wonderful. Overall, a compelling read that is beautifully put together as it is emotionally satisfying.

(4.5) I’ve been struggling with a lot of books lately because I just don’t care about them. I don’t care about the story. I don’t care about the characters. I just don’t care! I thought it was all me, that I must have a cold heart but then this book happened.I thought this was a literary fiction but it read more like a chick lit. A deep chick lit if that can even be a thing. This book made me realize that it is absolutely not me but them! I cared deeply for the flawed characters in this book. When reading a book heartless Emily does not cry. Ever. Well, I did while reading this one.Just pick it up and read it already!

I—HOW DO I COPE????

I envy the people who'll be reading this for the first time.

What an extraordinary and surprising read. Absolutely adored this one.

celia the entire time: i could be a better boyfriend than him and him and him and him and him and him and him