Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

2243 reviews

savvyrosereads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

May 2024 Reread:

I’m sobbing in my bed at 2am as I write this, and I adore this book so much.

Original review (May 2022):

Rating: 5/5 stars

Lowly staff writer Monique Grant is stunned and confused when she is personally requested by aging Hollywood superstar Evelyn Hugo to write an article for Monique’s magazine—and she’s even more confused when Evelyn reveals that what she really wants is for Monique to tell her life (and love) story to the world.

Before picking this one up, I regularly felt like the last person on earth who hadn’t read it, so there’s not much I can say here that hasn’t already been said elsewhere, and you almost certainly don’t need me to convince you to read this one. That said, I’m adding my voice to the chorus to say I absolutely loved this book and all the glowing reviews and rave tributes are 100% correct. It’s a thing of stunning beauty, hilarious wit, and breathtaking heart, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: historical fiction; LGBTQ+ stories; Hollywood glamour vibes.

CW: Homophobia; misogyny; death (including death of child and death of parent); terminal illness; suicide.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Sexual violence, Death, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Car accident, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexism, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

bashahn5's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Heartbreakingly beautiful. Evelyn Hugo is a developed, complex, and adoring character. The writing is engaging, nuanced, fast paced, and will make it very difficult to put this book down.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexism, Death, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse

livreittoashley's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual content, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Cancer, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcohol, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Abortion, and Suicide

Minor: Pregnancy

crina12's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is genuinely one of the best books I have ever read, and it easily makes it into my top 10 (if not top 5). I loved this book from beginning to end. The story was captivating and extremely hard to put down. The book talks about important topics such as the downside to being a celebrity, acceptance of interracial relationships, and LBGTQ acceptance (historically and presently), among others. It shows how fun and glamorous being the center of attention can be while outlining what you must give up. I loved every single character in this book by the end. At around page 300, my heart was racing, and I was crying. Truly a remarkable book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Cancer, and Racism

gabi_715's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Medical content, Child death, Sexual content, Blood, Biphobia, and Death

Minor: Abortion

mmoranag's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Suicide, Death of parent, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Car accident, and Domestic abuse

graceybookster's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Audiobook 🎧 

This is the third book I’ve read by TJR and I was all set to give it 4 stars because I thought it was a great story and the endless explanations of her movies started to become a little tiresome towards the end but I understood why they were there. Then the ending just FLOORED me, especially the last line, so changed my mind to 5 stars!

Although I did guess one of the major twists early before it was announced, the very ending just got me and it’s lingering with me still as I’m writing this. THAT is what makes a 5 star for me. TJR is just so clever and she has such a way with words and themes that just hit you to your core. This was a fascinating story as it gave you a glimpse into old Hollywood, but it wasn’t just glitz and glam. It was eye opening, heartbreaking and absolutely raw. It was yet again another story that makes you look inwards and learn life lessons. It was beautiful and ugly all at the same time. Amazing.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Car accident, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicide

zediant's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Drug use and Racism

1jessicabearx's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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

This book broke my heart and mended it at the same time. The character arcs and relationships were gripping and shocking and beautiful. Harry Cameron you have my absolute heart. 

There were lots of twists and turns, some expected and some completely out of the blue.
There were a few chapters that felt a little slow so that's what dropped this down to a 4 star - but looking back, all was necessary and made perfect sense at the end. 

I’ve learnt so much from this story, I think a little part of me has changed because of this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Racism, and Pregnancy

fierygecko's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think this is the kind of book that deserves to -and should- be read twice. It is written uniquely; its incredible how different enough Monique and Evelyn’s storytelling styles are that you can tell who is the narrator of each chapter without ever being told. Each character is diverse, complex, and so fleshed out. Evelyn is a fantastic protagonist, partly because she has had a wild and morally gray life but also because she’s an unfiltered, brutally honest 79-year-old lady. As the reader you are never told to love or hate her; that is up for you to decide. I think that given the message of the story, you would decide on both. Monique is a lens for Evelyn’s story, almost. She processes Evelyn’s life through her own, and vice versa. She learns from Evelyn, and it’s so satisfying to witness. This book is about love, loss, and learning from your ex-Hollywood elders with a chip on their shoulder. I look forward to reading it a second time in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, and Biphobia

Minor: Pregnancy and Grief