The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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(Caidyn)

5/5

Chantel also read this earlier in the year. Go check out her review!

I haven’t devoured a book like I did this one in a very long time. And it’s probably thanks to Chantel. She loved this book and it put her in a complete book slump because nothing else could measure up to it. And, when I told her that I was going to read it next, I got the reaction of: If you don’t love this, it might break my heart.

No pressure, right?

By the time I got to husband six or seven (I can’t remember which), I told Chantel that I loved it. And I got as a response (and I’m not being exact with it because I can’t count how many letters she used): “YAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS YOU HAVE SEEN THE WAYS OF KWEEN EVELYN”

Needless to say, I made her day.

The first thing that stood out to me was that there were so many great, insightful quotes from a woman who was almost 80 and had been in the acting business since 15, making it through it by lying and cheating and having sex to the top. I mean, Evelyn was the epitome of a Slytherin. But I loved her. I adored her, much like I adore all of the older actresses like Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Marylin Monroe, Bette Davis, etc.

It was frank and honest, exactly how a tell-all should read.

Next, the characters were fantastic. I loved Monique, the person writing Evelyn’s memoir. Then I loved Evelyn. I even loved all of her husbands and the relationships she had with them, from actual love to just using them. Celia St. James was also amazing, someone I could connect with. Everyone felt so real, like they were taken from the headlines without being able to put an exact name to them.

Then, I loved how it showed and challenged the industry, mainly how women were used back then and how it was a part of the culture. Now, the culture is being challenged even more. Actresses were always about who they were with, what they were wearing, and what they were doing, not about who they were as a person. And, there’s been a slow change for it.

Finally, I loved the multiple expressions of marriage shown in this book. Marriage doesn’t have to be about passion and sex to be a loving, fulfilling relationship. And you don’t have to be legally married to be married. It was wonderful.

This was, to date, the easiest five stars I’ve given so far this year.