The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows a young journalist at a prestigious magazine dealing with many personal struggles. Monique Grant has been specifically requested by perhaps the most famous woman to date for a “Tell-all interview”. When she arrives for her first day of interviews with Evelyn Hugo she is surprised to learn that Hugo never planned to do an interview for a magazine but rather has specifically requested her to write her official biography, only to be published once she has passed. This opportunity is far too great to pass up and Grant begins meeting Evelyn every day where she begins to uncover all of the actress’s secrets and the thing everyone wants to know; the story behind all seven of her husbands.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was very fun to read, I found the beginning to be a little slow but once you make it a few chapters in, the book really picks up. The writing style was very interesting because the story is told from the third person and the second person and there are times when the author will include articles and blog posts for the characters which I found fun and different.
This book deals with many issues including child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, LGBTQ+ issues, domestic violence, and the harsh realities of life in the spotlight. I appreciated Reid’s take on these subjects and I think the way she chose to portray them was very unique and emphasized the point. This book is definitely geared towards older teens and young adults rather than younger teens because this book primarily focuses on adult issues and relationships in a way that wouldn’t be relatable to younger teen audiences.
The only trouble I found in this book was the way Evelyn Hugo is portrayed. Hugo is meant to be this huge old Hollywood superstar, beloved by all. I found Hugo to be cold, and calculating, She tells Grant she has no choice but to write her biography and that she was never going to do an interview for the magazine. This not only instills mistrust in Grant but the readers as well. Hugo seems to have no regard for those she hurts or uses for her own personal gain as she manipulates situations and orchestrates people’s downfall as soon as she gets what she wants. Hugo pays little mind to the fact that she has forced Grant to put her job in jeopardy for a book she might not be allowed to publish for another 20 years or that she prayed on her husbands to perpetuate her own stardom. For a character who is supposedly “beloved by all” Hugo seems largely unrelatable with little value to the good of others which I found difficult.