After months of seeing videos recommending Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I finally found myself in a Waterstones purchasing myself a copy. So I thought why not write a review? (I will aim to keep this as spoiler free as possible.)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the story of fictional Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who decides to grant her first interview in years to the relatively unknown journalist Monique Grant. Monique is shocked that Evelyn seems so intent on giving her story to her, but goes along with it anyway, intrigued about Evelyn’s life and also happy that this could be her breakthrough. The narration moves between Monique and Evelyn in the present, and Evelyn’s life in the past, and we learn about the life of the movie star, both the glamour and the gloom.

First off, I devoured this book. It got me back into reading after a long time of reading one book and then not picking up another for months. Jenkins Reid’s ability to create a vivid world and realistic, three-dimensional characters blew me away. I found myself immersed in the storyline she created and the way she portrayed Hollywood. The use of newspaper clippings and other media was really enjoyable to me and helped to flesh out the world the characters were living in. Though I know they’re not real, I wished I could watch some of the movies that Evelyn starred in and see her charisma for myself.

That brings us on to the star of the book herself. Evelyn Hugo is a complex character who I sometimes loved and felt sympathy towards, and who I sometimes believed to be manipulative and harsh. She does a lot of things throughout the novel that I found myself angry at, especially when she said she did not regret them and would do them again. She was so selfish at times but she also loved deeply and I definitely felt sadness and synpathy for her at times. I was captivated by her life, feelings and experiences, itching to find out the ending to her story, as if she was a real movie star, and sometimes I did find myself loving her like all her fans did. I appreciate that Jenkins Reid did not make her a completely likable characters, as many people (especially celebrities) are not. Celia St James was similar in that she was definitely not presented as a perfect character. She sometimes said some completely cruel and cold things but she also, like Evelyn, loved very deeply and I definitely felt sympathy for her at times.

Monique was a character that I also had mixed feelings towards. Though the story begins and ends in her perspective, I felt like as the main focus of the book is on Evelyn, I didn’t fully learn as much as I would’ve liked about Monique’s character. But I could definitely empathise with her in her struggle of worrying about making the right decisions, as that’s something I deal with myself. It was especially very interesting to see her experience of divorce and heartbreak next to Evelyn’s, too. The way their experiences complemented and contrasted with each other was written very well, and the way Jenkins Reid intertwined and weaved their lives together was very clever. I definitely didn’t anticipate the reason for Evelyn choosing Monique for her story, and I imagine that other readers probably didn’t either.

Other characters, such as the husbands, were also very believable. By the time I finished the book, I felt like I knew these people, and though a lot of them frustrated me (especially some of the husbands), I was sad to see them go when I put the book down. I shared their experiences, their ups and downs. I laughed, I smiled, and I cried. We’re talking full on sobbing. If you’re going to read this book and you’re an emotional person like me, prepare yourself to be heartbroken, especially towards the end.

So overall, this book is a solid 5/5 stars for me and I definitely recommend reading it. Be warned that it does have some darker themes such as domestic violence, but I think the issues discussed are handled well. Taylor Jenkins Reid has asbolutely found a fan in me, and I plan on reading as many of her books as I can. Her writing style is captivating to me. I imagine you’ll be finding more reviews of her books from me in the future.