Your Next Read | The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

This book didn’t pique my interest for a long time, but after seeing it recommended to me in multiple places, I decided to check it out. It’s a story about coming to terms with who you are, the things we sacrifice for love, careers, and family, and making amends for the things we did wrong.

Evelyn Hugo is an aging Hollywood icon, who after years of being a recluse has decided she is finally ready to tell her life story to the world. She chooses a relatively unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to write her story. And even though Monique has no idea why Evelyn chose her to write her story, she is determined to use this to leverage a rise in her career.

Evelyn invites Monique into her luxurious apartment, and Monique listens as she tells her story without holding anything back. From making her way to Hollywood in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the 80s, and the truth behind her seven marriages, Evelyn unearths a story of ambition, friendship, and forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a connection to the legendary starlet, but as her story nears the end, it’s clear that Evelyn’s life has intersected with hers in a tragic way.

I think in this story I felt an affinity to Monique. The story is about Evelyn, but moreso about how she affect’s Monique’s life. I actually didn’t like Evelyn as a person – I can understand her character and why she did the things she did, but had she been a real person I would probably have disliked her. Either way, it was a good read, with an unexpected ending. Let me know your thoughts if you’ve read it!

xoxo