Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

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Introduction

Some books entertain you. Some books make you feel things. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo does both — and then quietly wrecks you when you least expect it. This is a story about ambition, love, identity, sacrifice, and the cost of being seen only as what the world wants you to be.

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Quick Facts

• Release: 2017
• Read: January 2024
• Reading Time: Fast-paced, bingeable — emotionally heavy
• Pages: 389
• Format Recommendation: Audiobook is recommended for the intense emotional nuances, but the physical format offers a more tactile connection to the text.
• Perfect for: Readers who love character-driven stories, Hollywood glamour with emotional depth, and morally complex women.

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Genre and Writing Style

• Genre: Historical Fiction / Contemporary Fiction
• Writing Style: Clean, cinematic, emotionally restrained but deeply impactful
• Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ (minimal, not the focus)
• Trigger Level: 💀💀💀 (grief, homophobia, emotional manipulation, death)

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Summary: A Brief Overview (Without Major Spoilers)

From Goodreads: 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 nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

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Book Details

This novel moves between Old Hollywood glamour and deeply intimate confession. Each “husband” represents a chapter in Evelyn’s life — not necessarily a love story, but a survival story. The framing device with the journalist adds emotional resonance and ultimately reframes everything that came before it.

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What Worked for Me

• Evelyn Hugo herself: Complex, unapologetic, flawed, and unforgettable. She’s not always likable — and that’s exactly the point.
• Themes of identity and sacrifice: The book explores how queer love had to exist in secrecy and compromise, especially under public scrutiny.
• Emotional payoff: The ending doesn’t rely on shock for shock’s sake — it’s earned, devastating, and meaningful.
• Taylor Jenkins Reid’s restraint: The emotions hit harder because they aren’t overwritten.

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What Didn’t Work for Me: Trigger Warnings and Criticisms

Honestly, very little. Some readers may find the journalist framing device slower at first, but it ultimately serves a crucial purpose. Additionally, the emotional heaviness may be overwhelming for readers not prepared for themes of loss, grief, and identity erasure.

Trigger Warnings Include:

• Homophobia
• Grief and loss
• Emotional manipulation
• Substance abuse
• Identity suppression

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Final Thoughts

This is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is glamorous on the surface and devastating underneath — a reminder that survival often requires choices we can’t judge from the outside.

A deserved five stars. Easily one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s strongest novels.

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📚 Study Guide

Tips for Readers

Be prepared to reflect on the darker themes throughout the story; journaling your reactions can help unpack the complexity of the characters and their relationships.

Discussion Questions

• How does Evelyn’s definition of love evolve over the course of the novel?
• In what ways does fame function as both protection and prison?
• How does the story challenge traditional narratives about ambition in women?
• Was Evelyn’s emotional honesty worth the cost of her secrecy?