Love, Identity, Sacrifice, and the Cost of Fame

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

By Taylor Jenkins Reid

 Love, Identity, Sacrifice, and the Cost of Fame

When I first saw this book, I thought, “Hmm, could this be about a glamorous Hollywood star from the 1950s who secretly murdered her seven husbands to cover up a dark past or claw her way to fame?” I didn’t read the back or any previews I just dove in blind, drawn in by the old Hollywood allure and the irresistible title. I mean, seven husbands? That’s not a story you can pass up.

Spoiler: Evelyn Hugo is not a serial killer but that might make a good book one day.

Instead, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a powerful, layered story about ambition, love, sacrifice, and identity. It’s a solid 11 out of 10 for me absolutely captivating.

The story follows Evelyn Hugo, a legendary Hollywood icon ready to finally tell the truth about her scandalous life and many husbands. She chooses Monique Grant, an unknown reporter whose life is unraveling after a divorce and a stalled career, to write her biography. The big question: Why her? Monique has no known connection to Evelyn, but as the story unfolds, we discover there’s a deeper reason and wow, what a twist it is.

“Evelyn always leaves you hoping you’ll get just a little bit more. And she always denies you.”

My Thoughts

This novel was not what I expected it was better. Taylor Jenkins Reid weaves a soul-crushing yet beautifully told story that lingers long after the last page. The ending is heartbreaking, but it carries a strange warmth too. I found Evelyn Hugo to be a deeply fascinating character flawed, sharp, vulnerable, and ahead of her time.

From the start, Evelyn knows what she wants and what it’ll take to get it. Coming from a broken home, she uses her beauty as a ticket out and into the glitzy world of Hollywood. But the journey isn’t glamorous it’s painful. To succeed, she has to change everything: her appearance, her heritage, even hide her native Spanish and Cuban roots. Hollywood didn’t just demand talent it demanded conformity.

And Evelyn conformed. But she was always in control. She used the rules to her advantage. When Evelyn wanted to be on that screen or red carpet, she made it happen. She wasn’t just beautiful she was smart, strategic, and relentless.

Still, fame came with a cost. She had to hide her truest self especially her sexuality. Evelyn wasn’t interested in labels; she just wanted to love freely. But that wasn’t an option back then. Instead, she endured public marriages and private heartbreaks, choosing survival over authenticity.

Each of Evelyn’s seven husbands served a purpose ,some good, some awful but through it all, she learned to stand on her own. What’s most heartbreaking is how relatable her struggle still is. The fear of being “other” hasn’t gone away. Whether it’s race, sexuality, or simply being a woman with ambition, society still demands we fit into tiny, suffocating boxes.

Reading this book reminded me how much people have historically and still suppress parts of themselves to stay safe, loved, or successful. Especially women. If you’re over 30, unmarried, and don’t want kids, something must be wrong with you, right? Maybe the problem isn’t us maybe it’s the expectations we’ve been handed.

This novel made me reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. Evelyn’s story might be fiction, but it felt deeply real. Maybe that’s what makes it so moving. Just like Evelyn, Taylor Jenkins Reid gives us just enough… and leaves us wanting more.

Highly recommend.