Let me just start off by saying this: I have been hearing the hype about this book since middle school, which was 10 years ago. In nearly every conversation I have had about books (which is a lot of conversations), I have been told to read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. So when I tell you I don’t see the hype, you have to understand that I had extremely high expectations for this book. Did I think the book was terrible? No, not by any means. Would I read it again? You would have to do a lot of convincing to get me to pick this one back up.Â
My first criticism lies in the voice of the narrator, Monique Grant. Upon reading the first few pages, her character was a little off-putting to me, and I really struggle to read a book if I do not take to the voice of the narrator. When she first was introduced to Evelyn Hugo, the literal world-renowned actress, I felt like she had a chip on her shoulder and didn’t treat the woman with as much respect as she deserved. I mean c’mon, this is essentially Marilyn Monroe we’re talking about, wouldn’t you approach her with at least a sense of awe or reverence of her legacy? Maybe the author intended for Monique’s shyness to be at the front of this interaction, but I did not read into it that way. To me, it felt like she was trying to assert her own authority, especially when she and Evelyn were having a conversation about the boundaries of the biography. Monique’s visible lack of curiosity and incessant questioning of the most famous woman in the world was just very confusing to me and I think that was the moment that confirmed my dislike for her character.Â
I also just had a problem with Monique’s plot as a whole. I rolled my eyes every time I turned the page to a new chapter that was about her pathetic husband that left her because he got a new job? And took the coffee table? This in no way had an affect on anything about Evelyn or how her story was being portrayed so I just really struggled with comprehending her narrative. I genuinely think if the author deleted every other chapter about Monique besides where she met Evelyn and the ones where the reason for the death of her father was revealed, the book would have remained the exact same with zero plotholes. And, call me crazy, but I felt like even the ending was predictable and unnecessary. I think the author had this awesome idea to entwine a normal girl’s tragic backstory with that of a glorious celebrity’s secret life and forced the two together in a way that just didn’t quite connect. Evelyn’s story was beautifully written, but the crossover between her story and Monique’s felt forced and trivial compared to Evelyn’s by itself and it almost killed the momentum of the end of her story.Â
None of this is to say that the novel wasn’t a well-written, intriguing, and eye-opening look into the glamorous life of Evelyn Hugo. She was an admirable character whose values were always rooted in love, even when she felt like the world had turned its back on her. I, personally, took away a lesson from this character – to protect and spend as much time with the people you love and cherish because you never know how much time you have with them. While I may not have connected with Monique or her storyline, I thought that Evelyn’s story was enough to leave a lasting impression on me as a reader.