Books I Read: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

It's been ages since the last time I felt the urge to finish reading a book in one day. I, myself, was surprised at how I managed despite my busy work and study schedule. When I first heard about this novel, I was already hooked by its title because it sounded very scandalous and controversial. I've also heard a lot of great reviews from fellow bookworms from the BookTok community. However, I started having doubts. It was so popular that I started thinking that it might be overhyped just because of its title.

Oh boy, I had to learn the hard way! It's been a week since I finished reading this book, and I'm still having a book hangover. As I currently write this "review", all those emotions I had when reading are back like tidal waves crashing every inch of me. By the way, before we proceed, this review may contain mild spoilers. Read at your discretion.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a historical fiction novel written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and was published by Atria Books in 2017.

With the help of unknown journalist Monique Grant, 79-year-old Evelyn Hugo, an award-winning Hollywood star, is ready to tell the world about her seven husbands. Her life is already a controversial one to begin with. Having changed her identity, from a girl who had Latina skin and dark hair who just wanted to get out of her father's cruel hands and fulfill her mother's stardom dream, to a blonde woman who was a star, a style icon, and the epitome of desire from the '50s to present. It's difficult to imagine how a beautiful and bright star such as Evelyn could end up marrying seven times in her lifetime. As Evelyn tells her complex, awful, flawed, compelling, brave, and ambitious story, Monique learns the truth as to why she was chosen among others to write Evelyn's biography. Additionally, the truth about Evelyn's real sexuality.

I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I love her.

What I honestly love about this novel is the element of surprise that will leave you speechless. One of those unexpected turns of events is when later it was reveal that Evelyn was actually bisexual. Mind you, this book has been popping up in my For You Page on Tiktok, and here I am, still clueless as to what the story is about. I had no idea this novel represented the LGBTQ+ community.

What made me love this novel more was that when Evelyn finally realizes her sexuality, it feels genuine rather than forced just to fit the book's overall LGBTQ+ theme—something that other authors lack.

I hated being called a lesbian. Not because I thought there was anything wrong with loving a woman, mind you. No, I'd come to terms with that a long time ago. But Celia only saw things in black and white. She liked women and only women. And I like her. And so she often denied the rest of me.

Evelyn's bravery from the beginning to the end; how she acknowledges her identity; how she embraces her sexuality, never wanting any label as long as she remains true to what and who she truly loves. Furthermore, her wholesome relationship with her ex-husband, Harry, made the whole story more interesting.

Just like any other story, Evelyn's story must come to an end. I understand that this novel depicts aging, losing someone, illness, and death. However, I wish it ended differently. I don't know why I strongly feel this way, maybe because of our differences in cultural and moral values. I don't blame Monique for what she did, but I wish she had chosen the other option.

The story made me sad, smile, ugly cry, feel loved, and wish I also had an Evelyn Hugo in my life. It taught me different forms of love. It could be romantic and sexual love, same-gender love, platonic love, love for your own child, or simply friendship. It doesn't mean that I fully comprehend love, but it made me realize that not all that you see on the surface level is true. Just like Evelyn's life, even though she chose the latter and made mistakes, she knew from the bottom of her heart who she was despite what she had gone through.

Overall, I'm giving this book a five-star rating. Additionally, I'm planning to read other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

This concludes my review, which I tried to write in such a way that I didn't give away too many spoilers. I'm planning to write more book reviews in the future, so I would really appreciate it if you could share what I could improve in my next review.