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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.
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
whatchusellin's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.25
This was a very easy read. I didn’t feel like I learned anything and wasn’t obsessed with the writing style but it was engaging and I loved the queer representation. The ending was pretty upsetting though and wish I had a trigger warning.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide
livreittoashley's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Cancer, and Racism
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Car accident, Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicide
mmargarites's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
louisa_pre's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
5.0
Ich habe das Buch wegen des Hypes angefangen und kann sagen es ist den Hype wert. Es ist definitiv nicht mein Go-to Genre. Obwohl ich auch nicht weiß in welches Genre ich es einordnen würde. Das Buch ist im Prinzip wie eine fiktive biographie geschrieben. Man erfährt alles über das Leben von Evelyn Hugo, die ihr Leben in vollen Zügen gelebt hat. Evelyn Hugo hat alles getan was nötig war, um an die Spitze zu kommen. Wenn sie eines nicht war, dann ist es naiv, sie verstand wie die Welt funktionierte und machte es sich zu nutzen. Sie erlebte Liebe, Leid, Glück, Ruhm, Verlust, 7 Ehen, das Muttersein und alles was das Leben zu bieten hat. Was ich an dem Buch so mochte, war, dass ich an keinem Punkt geahnt habe, wie die Geschichte enden wird. Der Leser erfährt auch von Monique, die Evelyns Biografie auf ihren Wunsch schreiben soll. Doch warum ausgerechnet Monique das Buch schreiben soll erfährt man erst am Ende. Mir hat der Schreibstil auch sehr gefallen und wie das Buch aufgebaut war.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Cancer, Abortion, Suicide, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism
maritareads's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It felt like Carrie Soto was a copy of Evelyn, but why does this writer keep writing about white latin women and pretending the world sees them as brown?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Car accident
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, and Biphobia
Minor: Suicide, Drug abuse, and Abortion
rome_2002's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-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
3.5
This book started as a typical biography of a Hollywood actress from the slums.The MC Evelyn Hugo is an A lister who is almost in retirement.In the start she seems as a power hungry,gold digger but her character develops later on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder and Addiction