Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

1197 reviews

ksmith_23's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death, Homophobia, Alcohol, Car accident, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Cancer, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Addiction

Minor: Child death

etherealisnt's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.75

 Oh my god, this is one hell of a story! I heard so much good about this book, and I finally got to read it myself. I'm not crazy over it, but I recognize it's a remarkable piece of literature, as word on the street said it was. 

Don't ignore half of me so you can fit me into a box. Don't do that.

 Evelyn Hugo is perhaps one of the more complex characters that I've had the pleasure of meeting in recent history. It's been absolutely lovely to get to know her story and the complexities of her life. I love that she doesn't fit in a box in more ways than one; she's a surprise. She is not necessarily "good" or "bad", but rather simply a human with her own motivations and reasons. We got to learn a lot about Hollywood, moral and emotional issues, and sexuality. 

It’s always been fascinating to me how things can be simultaneously true and false, how people can be good and bad all in one, how someone can love you in a way that is beautifully selfless while serving themselves ruthlessly.

I quite enjoyed the sectionalization: how the 'smaller' chapters were paced and the 'bigger' sections had Evelyn's husbands as the titles. That was a smart way to do it, plus it gives you a chance to be more intimate with the other characters. I got to love Harry till the bittersweet end, he had me in his corner pretty early on.

But let's not forget Monique and her story! Even though she was mostly out of the picture, the times she did show up were well-fitted into the story. She didn't get lost or overshadowed by Evelyn (maybe a little, but come on, she's a star). It had a great unbalanced balance, if that makes sense. Most of the characters had a chance to shine in their moments. Nevertheless, strangely, the star of it all shone the most and the least - we got to know Evelyn like no one else, but she's still a total mystery. And that's intricate storytelling for you. 

I’m under absolutely no obligation to make sense to you. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Death, Sexual content, Suicide, and Cancer

Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Abortion

depressed_cat07's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a reread from 2017 when I first read the book (which was also the time that the book was not that famous as it is now), and I feel that the book still holds up! I swear TJR laced this book with drugs- fast paced, easily readable, with a central character I couldn't take my attention away from, and heartbreaking too. Still has some sour spots here and there but overall a great book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Misogyny

Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

ebreheny25's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book emotionally wrecked me and I don’t think I could be more grateful for it. You can tell it was made with so much heart and care for the characters. The only reason it’s not a 5-star is cause I found some of the pacing wonky and it took more time than anticipated to get into. But, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Drug abuse

Minor: Cancer, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Suicide

hayleyw's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Sexual harassment, and Grief

Moderate: Biphobia, Blood, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexism, Racism, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Cancer, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Lesbophobia

babyjillysmom's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.25

This book has you captivated hearing Evelyn tell her story to Monique  you want to know what happens with each relationship getting to know Evelyn and Monique in the process.  Old world Hollywood glam and all the messiness that Evelyn embodies makes a good read with the plot twisting in the end. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

ghost_cat_xo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abortion, Body shaming, Biphobia, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Cancer, Sexual content, Homophobia, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Car accident, Suicide, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Lesbophobia, Outing, Misogyny, and Pregnancy

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.

---

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

elieska's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Homophobia, and Death of parent

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Cancer

Hollywood, memoir, life story,

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.

---

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