The scandalous and heartbreaking story of a fictional famous retired actress…
The Seven Husband’s of Evelyn Hugo is a story of Hollywood scandal and how one woman used that to her advantage.
SYNOPSIS
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
The Question About Evelyn Hugo…
Evelyn Hugo, reclusive actress who mysteriously retired and has refused to participate in any interviews since. But what happens when she suddenly requests an article to be written, and wants amateur journalist Monique Grant to do the job?
From the beginning it is made clear that this story is about unraveling the question of who Evelyn Hugo truly is. We are given snippets of how the media saw her, but Evelyn makes it clear as she tells her story that the media knew nothing. Reading her story had me intrigued as I learned what was the truth and what was the lies she had carefully given.
An Emotional Journey…
A story about an actress is something I would expect to be difficult. Most actors deal with scrutiny and lack of privacy and I imagine that has its toll on their mental health. Add in the fact that Evelyn Hugo is a Cuban woman in the 50s and her struggle becomes more difficult. But in no way was I prepared for the story of her romantic life to be so heartbreaking.
Halfway through this book I was rooting for Evelyn to have one moment of peace and happiness. Which Brings me to what I considered the highlight of this book.
The Character’s…
Something I feel is being lost in story’s are good, unique character’s. There’s always the gay friend, the perky ball of sunshine best friend there to cheer up an awkward main character. There’s the playboy who says he’ll never settle down. Then there’s the male lead, who can be a number of cliches. But none of the character’s fit these boxes.
MORE DETAILS
Word Count (rounded)~ 100, 000
Page Count: 400
Genres: Romance, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction,, Psychological Fiction
The main character, Monique Grant was a bit lost in the story, but Evelyn and her friend’s were extraordinary.
Evelyn Hugo is gorgeous, smart, and mesmerizing. But she can also be manipulative and cruel in order to get what she wants. She’s a woman who realized early on that the world would always sexualize her and therefore learned to accept that by turning her body into a weapon. At her best and even at her worst, I adored her.
There are two character’s who are an integral part of her story. The first is Harry, a Hollywood producer who is the start of her career. Harry is the man she could not seem to seduce, the main who is always honest with her no matter how cruel the truth is. What I loved most was that he was a man who always looked out for her and her career.
The second side character is Celia St. James. At the start of the story she is the naive emerging actress, beautiful in an innocent way. But as Evelyn and Celia become closer, Celia becomes a wonderful friend. But I won’t say more because I don’t want to give any spoilers.
A Story I Can’t Forget…
Evelyn’s story is one that will definitely always stick with me. I can’t wait to see the live action adaptation. I hope that the show expand’s on Monique’s character because she didn’t have much in the story but I felt her story had a lot of potential to have more of an impact.
My Rating…
I rate books with a five star system from would never read it again to loved it and can’t wait to reread it. I don’t really believe in calling a book bad because each person’s interests are different and a book I hated could be loved by someone else and vice versa. Everyone has different deal breakers.
I gave this book five stars because as despite being a fantasy and sci-fi fan, I was hooked.
The next book I’ll be reading is “It Ends With Us”. I’m trying to read a lot of Indie author novel’s too which is why I plan to read a new book every week.
Jasmin De Anda 