'the seven husbands of evelyn hugo' by taylor jenkins reid

 **THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOLIERS** 

(and its a really good book pls don't spoil it for yourself)

i found a free 42 page preview, with google books so its reliable and won't give your device a virus, link here: 

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Seven_Husbands_of_Evelyn_Hugo/NdAmDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

genre: historical fiction (20th century)

age rating: 15+ 

i think this is accurate, there are some very heavy topics included; abortion, domestic abuse, homophobia, and alcoholism (full list of tw's and some more info here). i am 14, and i read it, and many of my friends have read it, so of course it does depend on the reader, but personally i don't think i would recommend this to anyone younger than me. 

plot summary: monique grant, a young journalist, is personally requested by the 79 year old old-hollywood film star, evelyn hugo, to write a tell-all autobiography about her life, and the truth about her seven husbands. 

favourite quotes:

1. “Heartbreak is a loss. Divorce is a piece of paper.”

2. “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.”

3. “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.”

4. “I'm bisexual. Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don't do that.”

5. "But if you have to go, then go. Go if it hurts. Go if it's time. Just go knowing you were loved, that I will never forget you, that you will live in everything Connor and I do. Go knowing I love you purely, Harry, that you were an amazing father. Go knowing I told you all my secrets. Because you were my best friend.” 

character study- evelyn hugo:

“It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.”

evelyn hugo is the definition of a morally grey character; she is also the most interesting character i have ever had the pleasure of reading. her grounding moral principle is to protect her family- celia, harry, and connor. however, do her means justify her ends when she has to put other peoples life at risk to do this- ie. leaving monique's father for dead, and framing him for drunk driving to save harry? as well as this, i think evelyn's relationship with family is very complex, her biological father was an abusive alcoholic, but she loved her late mother very much. it makes sense that evelyn values and protects her found family so much, when her biological one was absent most of her life. 

evelyn hugo is bisexual. although, due to her living in 20th century america, she cannot openly express who she is without being persecuted, and she is fully aware of this. she has very headstrong way of thinking about things, whilst also being an impulsive and passionate person. for example. evelyn kisses her female co-star (who she secretly had feelings for), just after getting away from her abusive husband. then, this relationship advances, and turns into something meaningful- something which evelyn feels the need to protect from the public eye. therefore, evelyn persuades a rockstar to elope with her in vegas,  whilst letting him think its his idea, to convince the public she is heterosexual, and get the attention off of her and celia. we can see through her actions se is both calculated and impulsive. 

her way of thinking sounds very complex, but at it's core still boils down to her grounding moral principle:  protecting her family. she is a passionate and loving person with a strong connection to her chosen family, and uses her intelligence and persuasiveness to bargain protection for them. 

my thoughts:

the structure of this book was very unique, and allowed for just the right amount of mystery, and multiple point of views, in different mediums. we got to hear first hand what happened according to evelyn, and then the outside perception of her actions through newspaper reports. this helped worldbuilding and imagery, which is essential for a historical fiction. i also enjoyed monique's pov, and enjoyed reading her character progression throughout the book. as well as this, i thought that putting the book into 7 different sections, one for each husband, was a nice touch that helped give the story structure, as it is a biographical piece.

the very well-thought-out structure of the book helped make it a very fast paced read that hooks you in from the beginning; i read this book over 5 days, but read the last half in a day. there is never a boring moment in this book, with the overarching mystery, learning piece of evelyns life and romance with celia st. james, and moniques character arch. all of the storylines compliment each other perfectly, whilst also being interesting on their own.

i would like to comment further on the worldbuilding of this book because it so brilliant. i could tell that the author had researched the era properly, as she slid in lots of little pieces of information and secrets into evelyns dialouge that made me really feel like i was hearing an exclusive interview. as well as this, as i have previously mentioned, the news articles sprinkled in provided an outside perspective of it's time, almost like a source in a history textbook. 

this book has quite the reputation on online spaces like booktok and goodreads, and i think it definitely lived up to the hype. not only is it beautifully written and incredibly unique but it is skillfully planned out and well researched, i will definitely be reading more from taylor jenkins reid.

-by ayla