The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

I have to start off by saying that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has is not only my favourite read of the year so far, but also one of my favourite reads of all time. I knew that this book as going to be good because of all the really positive reviews I read before starting the book, but I was blown away about how amazing this book really is. I struggled to put the book down, I never wanted it to ever end. I can’t believe I waited so long to actually buy this book and read it.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is about a reclusive Hollywood star called Evelyn Hugo who is tells her life story to an unknown reporter, Monique. Evelyn details all her highs and lows and how she became one of the most famous movie stars in the world, and why Evelyn married so many times. Monique sees this as a chance to become the reporter she has always dreamed of becoming and giving her a kickstart to her career, but there is another reason why Evelyn is telling her life story to Monique.

I don’t normally pick up books like this because I have read a few in the past and I have enjoyed them but they have never really blown me away. But a few months ago I seemed to being this book every where and it was getting very positive reviews from almost everyone, so I decided to go ahead and buy myself a copy. As soon as it arrived I was itching to start it to see what all the fuss and hype was about. Before picking up this book I had never heard of the author before but she had a lot of hype to live up too. I thought the writing was exquisite and totally mind blowing. Every sentence was written with such detail that it felt like this was an actual biography of a real Hollywood star. The attention to detail was perfection and made the reading experience so much more engaging than other books I have read. I cant wait to read more of this authors work.

I started and finished read this book in just a couple of days, and that’s only because I had to put the book down to do other jobs, otherwise I would have just carried on reading. I was reading for hours and hours and never got bored or tired, the story was just as engaging at the end as it was at the start. The more and more I read the more I felt for Evelyn and by the end I really did feel like I had some sort of connection with her character and she is someone that I think I will always remember. Her story is very intriguing and I don’t think I have read a book quite like this before.

The story does flip between Evelyn’s past and Monique’s current life. While I did find both plots interesting, I did find Monique’s story to be a little disruptive and I couldn’t wait to get back to Evelyn’s story. I understand why Monique had a part to play in the overall story but sometimes I felt it ruined the tension and flow of the book when we broke off from Evelyn’s retelling to the Monique plot. But this is me just being super critical and trying to find something to pick fault with.

Even though I have finished this book a couple of weeks ago I still cant really put down into words how amazing I found this book. I loved every minute reading it and it surpassed the hype and honesty I can’t recommend this book enough. If you are looking for a book that will have you utterly amazed and leave you speechless, then you need to pick up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you will not be disappointed.

I rate this book 5/5 stars