"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"That's how my story ends. With the loss of everyone I have ever loved."

~Evelyn Hugo

Monique Grant is looking to jumpstart her career at the magazine Vivant when her editor receives a job offer for her. Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo wants Monique to interview her for a piece in the magazine. Evelyn has not been interviewed by many in the past few years, so Monique jumps at the chance to meet her.

There is just one tiny problem. Evelyn is not agreeing to an interview. She is agreeing to talk to Monique and tell her her life story. From New York to Los Angeles and the seven husbands she has had, Evelyn is agreeing to lay it all out on the line for Monique to publish as a biography. However, it cannot be published until after Evelyn's death.

Following dual POV's but done cleverly enough to blend 1950's Hollywood glitz and glam with modern day, Reid weaves together a life story that is relatable, at times comical and altogether as unforgettable as Evelyn herself. Monique soon learns that in her own way, she is tied to Evelyn, making their stories almost mirror one another. The tie that binds them just may be the thing that separates the actress from the human.

This book will forever live in my memory as one of the greatest I have ever read. I rarely give five full complete stars without any hesitation but for Evelyn's story, I feel she deserves more than five stars, more than an Oscar. Evelyn is unapologetically Evelyn and will forever live on in her 'movies' and her story.

With the idea of it being a biography, the thought of Evelyn's mortality was always in the background, which in turn, made my own thoughts on my own mortality be in the back of my mind. We all seem to forget that Hollywood icons will live forever in their movies, but at the end of the day, they are human beings. They hurt, they bleed, they love, they hate, they want what is best for their family but they will stop at nothing for some roles.

Much like Evelyn, I want to live a long, full life. I do not want seven husbands, but I do want 70+ years worth of memories with the love of my life and our family. Evelyn had a forbidden love for 50+ years. She insisted she had no regrets and would do everything the exact same way...but I think she is wrong. I think she lived her life as best she knew how, but I believe she would change a few things, no matter how much she would protest that.

Thank you, Evelyn. For teaching me a lot about myself in 350+ pages. I now view life on a completely different angle. A completely different POV. Life is meant to be lived, fully, brightly, brilliantly, beautifully. I will never forget the time spent with Evelyn. And I look forward to meeting her again, when I need a reminder to fight for everything I want, tooth and nail.

Favorite Quotes

"Be wary of men with something to prove." (76)

"People think intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is "You're safe with me" -- that's intimacy. (112)

"You wonder what it must be like to be a man, to be so confident that the final say is yours." (180)

"I loved you so much that I thought you were the meaning of my life. I thought that people were put on Earth to find other people, and I was put here to find you. To find you and touch your skin and smell your breath and hear all your thoughts. But I don't think that's true anymore. Because I don't want to be meant for someone like you." (188)

"You do not know how fast you have been running, how hard you have been working, how truly exhausted you are, until someone stands behind you and says "It's OK, you can fall down now. I'll catch you."" (190)

"Relationships are complex. People are messy, and love can be ugly. I'm inclined to always err on the side of compassion." (253)

"Forgiveness is different from absolution." (253)

"I realize that I have put into motion the end of a lackluster life in the interest of eventually finding a great one." (286)

"That's how my story ends. With the loss of everyone I have ever loved." (358)