The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Washington Square Press (June 13, 2017)

Women’s Fiction

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” (PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine.

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ’80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

“Heartbreaking, yet beautiful” (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is “Tinseltown drama at its finest” (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.

REVIEW

I devoured this story. I was engrossed in Evelyn’s rise to the top of Hollywood. She was ruthless, selfish, uncaring, but treasured her very close friends. She was a complicated character, ambitious-so determined to stay relevant at the cost of her true self. I tried to figure out why the screen legend wanted Monique, a young, unknown reporter, to write her story. How their lives intersected I never saw coming. Loved the plot, loved the characters, totally satisfied with the ending. Read as if this was a real person’s life back in the golden age of film.

Reviewed by Comfy Chair Books/Lisa Reigel (November 5, 2025)

(purchased paperback)

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