Taylor Jenkins Reid's "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" came out in 2017, but recently rose in popularity on TikTok and Instagram.
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I first read "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" in 2019, when it landed in my lap as a result of a holiday book swap with one of my best friends, accompanied by a promise that I wouldn't be able to put it down.
I opened the book one Saturday morning and proceeded to shirk all of my responsibilities until the last page, just as I did this past weekend when I had the absolute joy of rereading it again.
Though it was published nearly five years ago, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" continues to pique readers' interests as it circulates BookTok, Bookstagram, and Goodreads. This book was nominated for two "book of the year" awards in 2017, but thanks to its social media circulation, most of its popularity is more recent. It was the #3 most read book amongst Goodreads reviewers last year and is still ranking at the top of Amazon's bestseller list.
I've had the pleasure of reading "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" twice and it proudly graces my "Best Books of All Time" shelf. Here's why it's one of the novels I most frequently recommend.
(Warning: Light spoilers ahead.)
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This story is about renowned Hollywood actress Evelyn Hugo who, after decades of blockbuster hits, is now 79 and ready to give an exclusive interview after years of dodging the press. But the only one granted access is a little-known journalist named Monique Grant. Though she can't understand why she's been chosen, Monique goes to Evelyn's home and finds out Evelyn doesn't just want to do an interview — she wants to lay out every piece of her truth for Monique to write and sell her biography.
Though Evelyn won't answer why she picked Monique to do the job, Monique agrees and Evelyn's story begins to unfold from her calculated beginnings in Hollywood to the millions she enjoys in the present, each section of her life titled by each of her seven husbands and her reasons for marrying (and divorcing) them.
As you traverse all the gritty details of Evelyn's life, it feels like you're being allowed exclusive access to something you shouldn't be allowed to see. This book reads like a shocking Hollywood exposé and I still can't believe the characters and events aren't real.
To me, the mark of a great book is making you completely forget that you're reading in the first place, and that's exactly what "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" does to me.
It's an immediately captivating book due, in part, to its story — but mostly because of Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing. I've had the pleasure of reading a few more of her books so when you inevitably find yourself in love with this book as I am, you can grab "Daisy Jones & the Six" and "Malibu Rising" next.
Each of her three recent novels is about a movie or rock star, and with each one, I found myself compelled to look up the films, performances, and Wikipedia pages of those referenced, just to be fooled time and time again.
I can't explain exactly how she does it, but Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing is simply and undeniably visceral. Her stories unfold seamlessly, her characters are complicated and realistically flawed, and I happily find myself lost in the pages until the very end of the book.
Early on in their meetings, Monique asks Evelyn about the love of her life, and while Evelyn's husbands and affairs made headlines time and time again, the novel unravels the tight spool of her life until this question is finally answered.
Thanks to online descriptions and tags, it's no secret that this is a queer romance, as Evelyn is finally ready to come out as bisexual in her biography. Evelyn's story is complicated — she's fully aware of the dangers queer people face in the '50s, '60s, and beyond, even with the hope of change brought about by the Stonewall riots and Elton John's confession.
This made the story even more real and hard-hitting. Evelyn was proudly bisexual and didn't want to be mistaken as a lesbian or a curious straight woman, but also knew she could never hold a woman's hand on the red carpet without ruining her career and the lives of those closest to her. "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" is a story of scandal and ambition, but it's also that of identity, love, and the complexity of wanting to be true to yourself in a world that would chastise you for it.
I was just as captivated by Taylor Jenkin Reid's writing the second time as I was the first. Evelyn Hugo's story is one of unabashed ambition, many different kinds of love, and the power of owning your truth.
"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" is still one of the best books I've ever read and one that I regularly recommend to my friends. Deeply enthralling, slightly devastating, and compulsively unputdownable, this is the perfect read for anyone looking to get lost in an incredible book.
