Wow. This book took my mind by storm and raced through it with love, laughter, trauma, grief, celebration, and disaster. Getting a backstage look at the old Hollywood lives through a (fictional) movie star made this story so compelling and attention-grabbing that I did not want to put it down. 

I was hooked from page one as Taylor Jenkins Reid started with two news/blog articles about Evelyn Hugo and her upcoming dress auction. The drama began on page one and continued all the way through page three-hundred-eighty-five.

Character development was a huge part of this story, as well, and Jenkins Reid did not disappoint. Evelyn's character initially comes off as shut-off and elitist, but as Monique digs deeper into her story, Evelyn becomes a character of compassion, grief, loss, success, and love. 

The plot use of the seven husbands was really intriguing because it was not like Evelyn was getting married and divorced from each of them all willy-nilly. She strategically thought through each and every marriage to determine the benefits and pitfalls. Evelyn was using the men in her life to advance her own success and happiness, and though it was not always in the most empathetic way, she was a force to be reckoned with. 

One of her major flaws as a character was that she did not think through the acting consequences of her actions on the other people in her life. Most notably was the impact her relationships had on Celia. I definitely cheered when Evelyn and Celia began a romantic relationship because I could tell there was some sort of connection there with the first few scenes they were together, but I wish it would have worked out better. I wanted so badly for Evelyn to start thinking about her action's consequences on Celia and making adjustments so their love could last, but I also think that Jenkins Reid did a nice job creating their relationship for the time in which the story was placed.

 

All in all, this book blew me away and I did not want to put it down. I was worried the hype would ruin the story for me, as most often times it does, but this story deserves all the hype that has come its way. Bravo, Jenkins Reid. 

I don't think I clearly or fully articulated all of my thoughts for this review, but I will definitely be rereading this book in the future as it was a favorite of 2020, and I think a new all-time favorite, as well.