The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Washington Square Press, 2018
Pages: 400
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: 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 writer 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 nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Review: Taylor Jenkins Reid has been one of my favorite authors over the last few years, but if I'm being honest, this novel was a miss. Evelyn is not a likeable person, and each husband is just more of the same. I consider this to be TJR's least imaginative novel. It was a struggle to finish.

Other Taylor Jenkins Reid Novels:
Malibu Rising
Daisy Jones and The Six
Maybe in Another Life