Assalamulaikum and hello everyone! I'm finally back after so long and I feel like all I'm doing once I am back here is giving people a life update because so many things have changed since the last time I updated here. That is how long I went on by not posting anything. Fortunately, this time I will be writing a book review since it has been awhile since I wrote one and I really enjoy writing book reviews.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo book cover
Reclusive Hollywood 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 to write her story, no one is more astounded than Monique herself.
Determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career, Monique listens in fascination. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to leaving 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. But as Evelyn's story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Written with Reid's signature talent for creating "complex, likeable characters" (Real Simple), this is a mesmerising journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the sobering realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means--what it costs--to face the truth.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - Follows the journey of an actress on how she lives her life to achieve stardom, the time when she is in the spotlight and why she wants to reveal her secrets to an amateur journalist. Loosely inspired by the life of Elizabeth Taylor and Ava Gardner who shared her life story with a journalist.
I am disappointed with the fact that I did not give this book a 5 star because I know that so many people love this book and it is all over booktube, booktok or bookstagram and so many people have been recommending me to read this. Even I, myself thought that I would give this book a 5 star. But fyi, I am very picky with my 5 star reads and 4 stars are already so good.
My favourite character in this book is obviously Evelyn Hugo because she is so calculative, strategic and unapologetic and I love that about her so much and I wish to see these types of characters more in media. Throughout the course of me reading about her, she just makes me feel empowered and she changes on how I view some things. She also knows the hold that she has upon others and is not scared to use that to her advantage and that is just amazing. My favourite quote in the whole book is literally, "I know the whole world prefers a woman who doesn't know her power, but I'm sick of all that," said by Evelyn herself. Besides that, I do need to give an honourable mention to Harry, my beloved. I love him so so much too and I always want to cry when I am reading him for some reason. Rex is also one of the people that are up there for me.
All the characters in this book feel so real to me and it leaves a gaping hole in my heart when I was done with this book. It is so easy for me to empathise and "relate" in a way to what these characters do and go through. It literally feels like these characters used to live these lives back then. Currently, I am in my first 2022 book slump because that is how much this book impacted me.
This book is so beautifully written and Taylor Jenkins Reid is such an amazing author for keeping me hooked and making me keep guessing on what will happen next in Evelyn's life. Such a page-turner!
A thing that I kind of dislike in this book is a character tbh n that particular character is Celia St. James. You might be wondering why and you might hate me for that but I cannot really tell my reasoning behind that because then it will be a spoiler (Well, maybe I will put it at the end of this blog so if you have read this book or if you don't really mind about spoilers and is very curious about my reasoning, then do scroll until the end to read it). Another character that I strongly dislike is Max Girard. Also, some things are quite predictable because of the events that are leading up to it but that doesn't really bother me that much.
Overall, I highly recommend this book if you haven't read it, especially to those that are in a book slump because this book will have you on a chokehold especially if you love old Hollywood, glamour, scandals, celebrity culture and things like that and it definitely lives up to the hype that it gets. If you like Taylor Swift, READ THIS BOOK because I can definitely see Taylor as Evelyn Hugo as they have so many similarities in a way. In addition, if you like The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald or any of his work then you will love this book because it has similar vibes. Before reading please check trigger warnings first if you're sensitive because this book touches on some sensitive topics!!
Thank you for reading I appreciate it with my whole heart! I hope that I can upload another blog soon <3
p/s: I made a playlist for this book on Spotify so go follow and listen to it for the full experience
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SPOILER SECTION! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
So I dislike Celia St James because as you all know Evelyn is bisexual and so there's this part where they would fight because Celia in my opinion is very immature so she wants their relationship to be out in the open for the public to know while it is obviously not a good choice. Especially in that time period when people are not as open compared to now. When Evelyn is trying to reason with Celia on why she doesn't want to reveal their relationship, Celia keeps saying that Evelyn is a coward and doesn't want people to know that she is a "lesbian" and keeps denying the fact that Evelyn is actually a bisexual. That part is my last straw because I never like Celia in the first place as I don't get good vibes from her and there are just little things about her throughout the book that makes me get annoyed by her.
In my opinion, she is also very toxic as mentioned in the chapter Brilliant, Kindhearted, Tortured Harry Cameron,
"the part she wasn't mentioning, the part I'm not even sure she truly understood, was that she also wanted me to do it because she didn't want me to change.
She wanted to be with a bombshell."
She cannot accept the fact that Evelyn is changing and getting older and she doesn't want the maternal side of Evelyn. She is also very possessive which is a personality trait that I am not fond of at all but I guess that's what happens when you are in a forbidden secret relationship for years.
Last but not least, she wants everything to only goes her way and if she cannot have it her way, then everybody else cannot get their way as well. She even go as far as asking Evelyn to drop everything that she has worked on just to be with her. That is very ignorant of her and that is a very privileged perspective.
Basically, that is mostly it on why I dislike her and this does not mean that I do not enjoy the book, in fact, this makes the book more enjoyable as this shows how amazing Taylor Jenkins Reid is with her writing as she can impose all of these emotions upon someone by just reading fictional characters. Again thank you for reading! :)
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was thinking of reading this for the longest time but that quote just gives me the enough push to finally read it
ReplyDeleteYess!! Go read it u wouldn't be disappointed :D
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