• Soul Mate Bond 
• Friends to Lovers
• Forbidden Love 
• Right Person, Wrong Time 

My Thoughts: 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was my first read by author Taylor Jenkins Reid and I have to say, I’d love to read more from the author. I’d seen The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo float around on TikTok, including audio from the audiobook, but I can’t say I was ever jumping to read it. That was until my friend Izzy highly suggested I read it, so I added it to my TBR list and have eventually gotten around to reading it. 

Although The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was my first read by Taylor Jenkins Reid, it wasn’t my first introduction to her work. I’d previously watched Daisy Jones and the Six and One True Loves and to my surprise, I throughly enjoyed them both. I knew both of which were based on her books, but I somehow did not think both would be my cup of tea, genre wise; so that led me to watch the adaptations before ever giving her writing a chance. Having watched the adaptations and enjoyed them, I felt like reading the story’s they were based on would have a negative impact on whether I would like her story’s and result in me being uninterested in her story’s. That’s the thing with being a reader, you’re either a read before the film, or read after the film person. I’m still yet to determine which one I am, but having read The Hating Game after watching the film, I felt bored when reading the story, as there wasn’t much left to reveal or imagine on my own. That’s why I’ve avoided reading Daisy Jones and the Six and One True Loves, as I feared I’d experience the same as The Hating Game – being bored and knowing where the storyline goes before it’s finished. I felt if I did read them, it would give a negative introduction to Taylor Jenkins Reid, which may have set the tone for any future books of hers that I’d read. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo and her journey to rising to fame. The story opens up to unknown writer, Monique Grant being approached by Evelyn Hugo at the end of her life, to write a multimillion dollar and long awaited biography. However, throughout the story, it is always questioned why Monique is the chosen one by Evelyn to write the highly anticipated biography. 

Along with following the rising popularity of her career, the story also follows the seven husbands in which Evelyn was entangled with and the reveal that those seven husbands were a distraction from her one true love. 

We are first introduced to Evelyn in present time, during her meeting with Monique where she presents the idea of Monique writing her biography, which was brought up under false pretences. After agreeing to go forward with writing the biography, the pair delve into Evelyn’s past, sitting for hours each day, detailing Evelyn’s history. At the start, many questions asked by Monique are avoided answered by Evelyn as a bid to ensure that answers are given at the appropriate time, in which the events occurred in. 

When discussing Evelyn’s past, Evelyn begins at her childhood, where it is revealed that she grew up in a Cuban household with her mother and father. Her mother long dreamed of moving away with Evelyn from Hell’s Kitchen and her abusive husband to start a Hollywood career. However, this remains a dream, as Evelyn’s mother passes away when Evelyn is young due to pneumonia. 

Now much older, Evelyn still holds her mothers dream, but now as her own and seeks out a path that will lead her to Hollywood. Thus the beginning of her rise to fame and the first of her husbands. 

The First Husband (Ernie Diaz) – Diaz was the stepping stone to kickstart her career, where Ernie was her ticket to Hollywood. The pair married so that Ernie could be her guardian in which allowing her to move away from Hell’s Kitchen as she was underage. During this marriage, Evelyn learned the hotspot places in Hollywood where she’d knew her opportunities would be widened of being scouted. Eventually, she’s scouted and thus results in the divorce of Ernie, as producers believe it would be beneficial for her to be spotted with other men as an upcoming star. 

The Second Husband (Don Adler) – Adler was Evelyn’s second husband and first real love. In the early stages of their relationship, Evelyn grew head over heels for Don and believed that she’d be worthy of love and not just for her body. The pair were set for being the couple of Hollywood with their rising success of their career – it was believed they were going to dominate the world. However, not long into their marriage, Don became abusive as it is made apparent that his career isn’t quite as successful as wife Evelyn’s – leading him to become jealous. During this marriage, Evelyn developed a good friendship with fellow co-star Celia St. James which quickly turned into feelings, but being in the 1950’s relationships of this type were frowned upon. Despite the abuse, Evelyn stayed with him, that is until she finds out that he’s been having an affair, subsequently making her want a divorce. During this time, Evelyn discovers the truth about Celia and sets out to develop their relationship further and in secret. Don agrees to divorce Evelyn, but not without blacklisting her from Hollywood and leaving her career to tank, in which she must restart. 

The Third Husband (Mick Riva) – Riva was a calculated elopement planned by Evelyn to distract the media about her secret relationship with Celia. She’d been working with Max Girard on an upcoming movie, which led her back into the spotlight. Despite her reservations, Celia agreed to Evelyn’s plan to marry Mick in a drunken Las Vegas wedding to distract the media, unbeknownst to him. The elopement was short lived, only lasting a few days, but resulted in Evelyn becoming pregnant from the one night stand. This led to the end of her and Celia’s relationship, as Celia did not agree to Evelyn sleeping with Mick. Not being ready to be a mother, Evelyn got an abortion. 

The Fourth Husband (Rex North) – North was a fake platonic marriage set up as a publicity stunt to mutually skyrocket their careers, which was highly successful. The pair cared deeply for one another but not romantically and lasted a few years until eventually, Rex fell in love with another woman, resulting in her becoming pregnant. Evelyn and Rex agreed to stage the divorce as a dual affair, where both parties cheated on one another just like their characters had done in the movie they starred together in. Rex with Joy and Evelyn with Harry to boost viewing on their upcoming film of the same storyline, which was very successful. During this time Evelyn discovers that Celia’s marriage to John Barrowman was fake. 

The Fifth Husband (Harry Cameron) – Cameron was Evelyn’s longtime best friend who presented Evelyn with the idea of them having a fake platonic marriage, presented as real to the public, in order for Evelyn to hide her relationship with Celia and for Harry to hide his relationship with John. The pair were together for 15 years, the truth unsuspected by the media and was Evelyn’s longest marriage; which resulted in the birth of her daughter Connor Cameron. The four way relationship was successful until Evelyn blindsided Celia by starring in a film alongside abusive ex husband Don, where director Max Girard pushed for the pair to film an explicit sex scene. Evelyn presented the idea to Celia who was instantly against it due to her own insecurities of Evelyn’s sexuality. However, Evelyn comes clean that she’s already done it, which leads to yet again the end of Celia and Evelyn’s relationship, as Celia could not accept Evelyn putting something before her again. Despite Evelyn and Celia’s separation, Evelyn and Harry remain married to one another. Years later, Harry is overcome with grief following the death of his secret partner John, who suddenly passed away from a heart attack. Evelyn becomes worried about Harry’s mental state and drinking habits following John’s death and decides to present Harry with a role he can’t pass up. The pair end up winning an Oscar from starring in the film Harry produced and Max Girard directed. During this time, Max confesses his harboured feelings for Evelyn and dramatically asks for Evelyn’s hand in marriage. Feeling apprehensive, Evelyn seeks advice from husband Harry who encourages her to go forward and jump into the love she’s desperately been craving and has finally found; especially as their agreement is no longer active being that his partner has died and that Evelyn is no longer with Celia. Despite their marriage being a distraction from their authentic selves, Harry and Evelyn’s marriage was one of the few that were built on real love. 

The Sixth Husband (Max Girard) – Girard was the second marriage (or third, if you count Harry) in which Evelyn married for real, romantic love. Evelyn married Max believing this to be her new chance at love, where she’d receive the long lasting love she’d desperately been searching for and failed to find with Celia. Evelyn quickly identified that her marriage to Max was that of love bombing. Once married, it became apparent that Max was only with Evelyn to hold the title of being married to the Evelyn Hugo and being in the Hollywood spotlight. Evelyn realised that Max only likes the idea of being with her and used her as a trophy. During this marriage, Evelyn becomes back in contact with Celia after many years have gone by. Celia reveals that she is dying and only has a short time of 10 years to live. Having previously agreed not to leave Max, along with Celia’s diagnosis, Evelyn discovers Max has been having affairs, where she finally decides to leave him. Celia presents Evelyn with the idea that they could move to Spain together, where Evelyn can marry Celia’s brother, Robert Jamison. Evelyn has a battle with Harry as he doesn’t wish to uproot his or Connor’s life from Hollywood to Spain. Harry later reveals that he has fallen in love again and presents the idea of him and Evelyn remarrying and Celia marrying his love, so that they can live simultaneous together. However, Harry’s plan is cut short following his death from a car accident in which he caused being drunk – leading to the death of himself and his love. In a bid to save Harry, she places the other man in the drivers seat to make it not look like Harry’s fault. 

The Seventh Husband (Robert Jamison) – Jamison was a fake marriage introduced by Celia as a way for Evelyn to inherit her legacy after she ultimately dies. After Harry’s death, Evelyn, Connor, Celia and Robert move to Spain where they live a quiet life for Evelyn and Celia to spend their remaining time together without shame, following Celia’s impending death for pulmonary emphysema. During their last few times together, Evelyn and Celia get married in a bedroom ceremony and spend the last 10 years of Celia’s life finally together. 10 years after reuniting, Celia passes away, resulting in Robert and Evelyn to move back to LA to spend time with Connor, Evelyn’s daughter. Robert eventually passes away, leaving Evelyn a widow who never remarries. Not long after, Connor is diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 years old, where she later dies in her mother Evelyn’s arms.