The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo Book Review- Love, Sex, and Ambition

Hey everyone! Today I’m bringing you all a review for a stunning book about being an ambitious, bisexual woman in Hollywood during the 1950s.

Unspoilery Blurb

Magazine reporter, Monique Grant, is shocked when the stunning but aging movie star, Evelyn Hugo chooses her to write down her life story. After years in the spotlight during the 1950s-1980s, Evelyn Hugo became a recluse where she kept her secrets close to her chest. Monique is thrilled to have the opportunity to hear about Evelyn’s life, career, friendships, and seven husbands along the way. But Monique can’t help but wonder why Evelyn chose her…

Full of drama, intrigue, and forbidden love, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a stunning book about the consequences of playing everyone to get on top.

Unspoilery Review

Wow. Just wow. That book was phenomenal. The writing was wonderful, the story unique and fascinating, and I feel like I know Evelyn so well. I did not expect this book to be so addicting when I first started reading, but I was immediately captivated.

This book was full of scheming and drama galore, but it also had a real and raw undertone that made it breathtaking to read. There were parts that made me cringe and parts that made me grin in satisfaction. This book made me feel every emotion, and it was such a stunning story about the struggles of being both a movie star and queer.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in a dramatic love story about taking risks, making sacrifices, and living as a bisexual woman.

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Spoilery Section

I’m going to briefly mention each of Evelyn’s relationships and then talk about her true love.

1. Marriage one to Ernie was clearly just a plot to get out of her awful town, and although I don’t agree with her methods, Evelyn played her cards right and definitely got what she wanted.
2. Don was awful to her, but I see how they loved each other initially. I hated how long she stayed with him, but this relationship felt incredibly real to me because it shows the struggles of loving a man who abuses you. The end of their marriage made me so mad because Don screwed her over because of how powerful he was, but this plot really made it clear how much he changed many years later. I respect how Evelyn accepted his changes without completing forgiving him (although she definitely should not have filmed an almost sex scene with him without talking to Cecelia), and I feel like they ended in a good place.
3. Marriage three to Mick was a joke, but this scene also made me laugh out loud. I felt both awful for Evelyn and proud of how well she played him.
4. Her marriage to Rex was fine but nothing special. I appreciated how honorable and kind he was, and they had a pretty good system going. This marriage was clearly a ploy to sell tickets, but they were both in on the plan and overall I thought this was a good friendship. I like how they ended on good terms as well! 🙂
5. I loved Evelyn and Harry! He was such an amazing friend to her from the beginning, and I adored seeing their “double dating” work for both queer couples. Harry and Evelyn had such an open, honest relationship, and it was wonderful to see them both finally happy. I was furious at Evelyn for ruining everything with Cecelia, but I was glad to see this sweet time in their lives. It was also exciting to see Evelyn and Harry’s child! I understand why they didn’t want anyone questioning their sexualities if they didn’t have a biological child, but I do understand Cecelia’s discomfort with the situation. That being said, I think Corey was an incredibly important piece of both Evelyn and Harry’s loves and I am so glad that they had a baby girl.
6. Max is so rude! He totally just wanted Evelyn for her fame and body, and I wanted to cry for her when he seemed discontent right after their wedding night. I feel like she honestly thought their marriage might work for a while, so it was heartbreaking to see Max just take advantage of her! When he discovered her love letters to Cecelia, I was furious. Evelyn and Cecelia’s plot to make everything he said sound petty and pointless was hilarious and super clever- and it worked! 😱
7. Robert was just precious. I loved how supportive he was of Evelyn and Cecelia’s relationship, but he also wanted to be a part of their family. He was so sweet to Corey, and I think he turned out to be incredibly good for Evelyn and her family. I am so glad that he was there for her when Cecelia died 😭

Evelyn and Cecelia were wonderful. There was so much attraction and sexual tension between them, and I wanted them together as soon as they met. I loved seeing Evelyn realize her attraction to Cecelia, and they were so sweet together- when they didn’t have outside pressure. I’m not sure if they could’ve made a relationship between them work long term because they were both just too headstrong and sensitive, but I was still incredibly upset with how it ended the second time. (Oh and I loved their make out session/ sex scene in the bathroom at the Oscars 😂) I had really enjoyed them living together, and I hated to see them part ways! When both ladies mentioned each other in their speeches years later, I wanted to cry, so then when they started writing letters again I was thrilled! I hated seeing Cecelia dying, but I am so glad that they got to spend some time alone together on the coast of Spain. Cecelia’s death was heartbreaking, and I don’t think Evelyn truly recovered from losing her.

I want to also mention that I adored watching the relationship between Evelyn and her daughter, Connor, grow overtime. They had a rough patch in the middle, but moving away really did them good. Connor was definitely an incredibly important piece in Evelyn’s life, and I loved how honest they were with each other. (I was so proud of Evelyn when she came out to her!). When Connor died from breast cancer, my heart broke, and I am so sorry that Evelyn was left alone.

It was interesting to see Monique’s story mixed throughout Evelyn’s, and I feel like she truly grew from this experience. I am so proud of her for having the guts to end her marriage, and I think she will go on to do great things in the writing business! I hated learning about the death of Monique’s father, and I understand her unwillingness to completely forgive Evelyn. But I do think she was a wonderful character, and Evelyn picked a good person to entrust her story to!

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Overall I adored this book! What did you think? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Be Safe, Stay Strong, and Change the World! ❤️🏳️‍🌈✊🏿✊🏽✊🏾✊🏼✊🏻🏳️‍🌈❤️

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