Harry was the only character in this book who I actually liked, and was a large part overall of what I liked about the story.

I am with you. I had a hard time putting the book down. It was an easy read. But you get this feeling that Evelyn’s character was too over the top to be relatable or even real. As much as I liked the book, it was more of a guilty pleasure read.

I totally agree with you! It’s not a literary masterpiece by any means, but for me it was a really enjoyable read and I couldn’t put it down at all. The story really takes you in and even if Evelyn is not relatable, she’s definitely an interesting character. Also, with all her brutal honesty about herself, bad sides and all, I don’t think she was meant to be relatable at all.

Evelyn got me started with T.J.R., but Malibu Rising has my heart, so maybe check that one out too?

I enjoyed reading it but after I finished it, I noticed there were a ton of plot holes that made no sense.

Have you ever read a book and thought "this was written to be made into a tv show?"

That's how I feel about this book. I loved reading it, blew through it in like three days. But the way it was written... it felt like a book was not the intended medium.

But maybe I'm reading too much into it. If you're looking for an easy, enjoyable beach read then I give it an A+.

And you're right, I think I would've liked to see a little more of Harry's side.

Just finished the book recently as well! I agree with the discussion about the writing style (which was dialogue heavy and straight forward) but I think that definitely made it an easier read. The story I enjoyed a lot and the end was definitely heartbreaking. Evelyn is a fascinating protagonist and I did like how she wasn’t a perfect / good person. Although the one thing I thought while reading this was how this would be a much better mini series on tv rather than a book where they could flesh out characters more (cause I do think I was wanting more from all the characters not named Evelyn due to the writing style).

TJR's writing style is definitely very very simple and I can think of a bucket load of better writers on the technical level. But I think why she works and why she resonates with a lot of people is that she has great stories and that goes a very long way. While I'm not gobsmacked by her books, I do think about her stories for a long time after reading them and that means something. I'm always interested to pick them up.

I heard so many people complain about the writing style being simple and the story predictable but I personally really enjoyed it. Just because a book isn’t amazingly written doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable, it’s actually nice to take a break from “heavier” literature and just relax. Reading should be fun not just educative.

I feel like there's a certain stigma around liking certain authors, particularly ones renowned on booktok. Just a reminder that you're allowed to enjoy the books that you do, and you don't have to be critical over it just because someone else was.

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that said, I loved it! I am not generally a reader of this genre but I thought it was fun.

I never understood why she and Harry had to have sex to have a child. They were both knowingly hurting their spouses. I could never escape the idea that they wanted to break their spouses. By that time in history, insemination was possible. I loved the book BTW,

I enjoyed it. Last year I read Daisy and the Six, about a pop group, which this author wrote more recently and it's now getting a lot of attention, but I thought Evelyn Hugo was much better.

I couldn’t put it down either! Got me out of a big slump. There were no problems with the writing imo. I don’t understand this complaint. It was structured and flowed very well.

I didn't like it. The writing was lacking, Harry was the only nice character for me. And the twist was meh. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a Wattpad novel.

I wish I could have gotten into this book. I love anything Old Hollywood, but I couldn't get past the (frankly, quite bad) writing. I put it down after a couple of chapters.

I loved Evelyn Hugo the book and the character, I wish I could go watch her movies lol! I think TJR did a great job making her feel like a real person in the universe, and I really enjoyed living in her fictional world. If you haven't, you should definitely check out her other books in the same universe: Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Carrie Soto is Back.

I loved everything about this book. I especially loved that it had everything to do with true love and almost nothing to do with the actual seven husbands of Evelyn.

Im reading Malibu Rising right now. I've read Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six well. There is just something about this author that draws me in and I can't stop reading. Her work is just so enjoyable and relatable for me. I feel like the characters are real and I can really see them as complete people. No literary genius, but she's got something that keeps me turning the pages

I liked it. I read for fun and relaxation. Most books have some unreal characteristics, but if I wanted 100% real, I'd read non-fiction.

It was a good read; however the ending was too unrealistic. I feel like it didn’t have to throw a large plot twist for it to be a good book. It kinda ruined the book for me.

My wife loved the book so to each his/her own.

it was a good breather from heavy and complex books, and it did generate emotions enough for me to sob at Harry (he was my favourite and I would die for him). the writing had me hooked and i think it plays out beautifully, but I felt it was really messy at times and was covered loosely.

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1. Everytime >!Celia and Evelyn break up!< , it is always something that could have been easily avoided by just talking to each other. People in relationships don't leave out major details like the fact that >!you're going to sleep with the man when you seduce him or just not ask your s/o if you can film a sex scene with your first love!<. It seems unrealistic because they don't even talk but >!just separate immediately and then no contact/pining for years!<. But TJR covers for it by painting Celia as an immature nepo baby who overreacts and Evelyn as a grey character who will do anything to make things go her own way. And it makes sense, so you accept it, but when I accept it, personally, the plot just becomes so generic and cliche and I ask myself, is it an interesting book, or is it just >!gay? Because I swear if you replace Evelyn and Celia with a straight couple, their relationship will just be the same old drama to read!<
2. This is more of an opinion, but I feel like there was no need to put in LGBTQIA or POC struggles so vague and directly? It felt as if those moments were for the sake of the fact that TJR suddenly remembered 'oh yeah this too' because there are only brief mentions about these topics. Don't get me wrong, I liked how she wrote them needing to hide and protect themselves etc - it was natural. But there was no need for a >!The past few years, I’d watched Harry lose friend after friend, former lovers, to AIDS. I’d watched him cry his eyes red out of fear that he’d get sick, for not knowing how to help the people he loved. And I’d watched Ronald Reagan never so much as acknowledge what was happening in front of our eyes!< because that was all there was about the crisis... It sounds so out of place and forced for Harry because sometimes it felt like he's only there as a puppet for this representation. Same is with her Cuban identity - her race seems to play no part in her struggle in Hollywood, but when she talks about changing herself to fit into the industry, it suddenly becomes a very emotional moment for her as if that was the main reason for her problems all along. Maybe because the author is white and straight themselves, they felt like they need to include these things, but have no idea about how these people actually feel, so they could not write them well. So yeah, it felt like it was there for woke points.

Apart from that, the book was pretty good! I think art's purpose is not to be great, but enjoyable, and it was enjoyable! Definitely a book written to be a movie/show.

I hated that the daughter >! with breast cancer!< was basically used as a plot moppet. >!She conveniently died and then the main character could commit/undergo euthanasia with no pesky relatives complicating the situation.!< It just seemed so lazy in terms of plotting.

Loved the book! Looking forward to the movie adaption! (although i think it would be more fitting making it into a series🤷🏽‍♀️)

Harry was the best character in my opinion. I liked the fact that Evelyn, Celia and Harry were all written with flaws. You can't say someone was simply bad or good. I also liked Evelyn's friendship with Harry much more than her great love with Celia. I feel like they had greater connection and like they were true platonic soul mates.
Even tho it seemed unrealistic at times I loved how tragically written some parts were. I love how people aren't written as black and white and how some situations, as bad as they objectively seem, can be looked at differently once emotions come into play.

I don't think writing style was that bad, but I'm a sucker for deep love quotes, so I missed that, but all in all, I'd give it 8/10.

I liked the multi-media format, but really disliked everyone except Harry. I kinda want him to have his own book (a la Lord John Grey) so we get all of his romances and fixer capers.

I agree with you as well! I've seen a ton of mixed reviews about it but I for one could not put the book down while I was reading it that I ended up finishing it in a day! It certainly was not like something I had ever read before and I do enjoy Old Hollywood, so I thought the book was a very fun read!

It’s my favorite book and one of the few I’ve reread. The audio version is great too. No complaints here.

This was a fairly recent book club pick, I also couldn’t put it down. (I read it over a weekend where I had a stomach virus). My issues with it were 1. Monique, I didn’t dislike her, but I didn’t really find her story engaging or necessary, 2. I didn’t like the twist with Monique’s dad. It just felt like she shoe horned it in to give a reason for Monique to be there. I think it would have felt more poignant if Evelyn really had just respected her work. 3. I didn’t really ever get a feel for the timeline outside of the news clippings. Nothing really evoked “old Hollywood” for me. I wonder if she set it too late, but I think she also wanted to get things like Stonewall and the revelation about Rock Hudson I there. 4. I thought the relationship between Evelyn and Helen was super toxic. I didn’t hate it but just felt really underwhelmed by it.

I liked it. All of TJRs books are good but I loved After I Do. I have some time off in March so I’m going to listen to Daisy Jones and the Six on audible then watch on Prime.

I loved Evelyn and Daisy Jones! I STILL haven't finished Malibu Rising because I can't get through it!

I enjoyed it as an audio book! I thought the writing style made it very easy to follow along and stay engaged, like a podcast or radio show. The narrator was superb, I enjoyed her different voices and ability to give each character their own personality.

It was okay, but I wanted more. The setting in old Hollywood, the struggles of being a woman etc could have been so interesting if they were flushed out.

I loved it. Made me sob as well.

Daisy was much more compelling. Evelyn Hugo just kept wandering around with little point to it

I didn't love it, but I read it after I read Daisy Jones and I absolutely ADORED Daisy Jones. So I was disappointed in comparison, but I've also heard people say the opposite and they loved this book and disliked Daisy Jones.

I read it after having read Daisy Jones and the Six, which I had liked way more, and I remember reading it super fast, but then feeling disappointed. I had listened to the audiobook of Daisy Jones, and then read the French translation of Evelyn Hugo as a physical copy, so maybe the format/translation didn't work as well for me this time.

I just felt like I wasn't as smitten by the characters, didn't feel them or relate to them as much as human beings, as I was hoping to.

Loved it. No apologies or explanations from me!

While I agree that the writing isn’t the best, I feel like the cast makes up for it. They’re very human and feel real. And I like that I don’t know exactly how to feel about Evelyn Hugo other than that I won’t forget about her anytime soon.

Unpopular opinion here, but I absolutely hated this book. Monique's character wasn't needed at all and if she was left out, it could have been a much better book that made Evelyn more dimensional in terms of her depth as a character. Additionally, the constant foreshadowing was just too much and while there was a little bit of a plot twist, it wasn't unexpected given the foreshadowing hammer prior to that point in the novel. The book had the potential to do way more with the writing than it did. There was way too much telling and not showing, which makes sense given the interview style, but while that's easy to read for some, I found it really tedious and difficult to really dig into the time period, the scenes, the environment the characters found themselves in, etc. Also, the relationship between Evelyn and Celia was super toxic, and, honestly, had this not been the book for my book group, I wouldn't have finished it. I was surprised that so many people liked it and recommended it, honestly.

That being said, I do think this book would make a much more interesting TV show or movie. As a book, for me, it fell very flat.

It was the second book I'd read by the author after giving her another chance and cemented that her writing style is not for me. Personally, I think her books have interesting concepts, even if they aren't exactly original, but she can't quite make it work as a book.

I personally have not read any of the author's books, BUT they are the only books that can get my wife away from her phone and she finishes them in 3 days.

I have not read the book, but from your description it sounds a tat similar to Susannah’s Seven husbands by Ruskin Bond. Like I said, I have not read the former so correct me if I am mistaken!

I really enjoyed this as well. It’s a great example of a character who is compelling and interesting but morally gray. You can root for Evelyn but not like her either.

The writing won’t win any literary prizes but so what? There is no book report. We don’t have homework as adults. Reading for pleasure is about enjoying yourself.

Loved this book! It is best!!! ❤️

I felt the same way! I too have mixed feelings with the book but I really liked Harry. His relationship with Evelyn was the most memorable and my favorite part of the book. >!I was literally sobbing at the part where she was saying her final goodbye to him on at the hospital!<

loved this book. I completely agree with you about Harry. He balanced things out and was a constant in her life.

Don't worry about whether or not what you enjoy reading is a literary masterpiece.

If a book makes you sob, like this one did, or if it stays with you, as this one did, it is a masterful in its own right.

Books reach people in different ways. That is the beauty of reading.

I really really hated this book. The writing style was simple, the monique part was unnecessary and all the characters felt flat to me. But that was all fine by me. The thing i hated the most was the representation of PoC. Evelyn was essentially a white woman so why the need to make her latina if it did not impact the story whatsoever. Only for her to remember at the end that she speaks spanish. I thought that was so stupid. If she's white passing fine she wouldn't experience rasism herself but she should have been more aware of it. Or at least struggle with her identity internally or something. I would have liked it more if she would have just been a white woman. She's compared to mostly white actresses aswell like judy garland and elizabeth taylor.

I liked the book. Definitely a sob story towards the end. I loved Harry too.. I can picture that actor who played Julia Roberts best boss friend in My Best Friends Wedding playing him in a movie. His story is pretty sad and he just went along with what Evelyn wanted..

I couldn’t get over the fact that Monique just happened to be a writer, she wrote a piece on the right to die AND her father was Harry’s lover?? And he just happened to write all the things he would have told Harry that night? That one was too much for me.

[removed]

I didn’t like it, even though I’m not a native English speaker the writing was way too lazy… it felt like a cheap wine, sorry :(

I enjoyed it. As a lesbian, I get tired of the while “have to stay in the closet” trope, but it was (is?) still a thing.

I really liked Harry and was disappointed with his drunk driving. I thought the book was pretty good, but couldn't really stomach the ending.

TJR books aren’t meant to be heavy literature— they’re binge-worthy books! I never walk away with anything other than having been entertained. Nothing wrong with that!

pap shit

I enjoyed it like I enjoy watching vampire diaries. I don’t do it to stimulate my brain but it is entertaining. I’d say 4/5

Love her writing style but definitely I felt that way too on this one!

I enjoyed reading it, it was interesting but definitely a big superficial. The end was definitely surprising and made me tear up a bit.

Wow I’m definitely outnumbered because I couldn’t make it past the first few chapters due to the poor writing style and predictability

I loved 7 Husbands, but I did assume it was the content rather than the author's style - I love all those all Hollywood autobiographies, so I can tell you that there were a lot of authentic little details in Evelyn H's life! But I wasn't tempted to read another book by her.

Then someone gave me Daisy Jones & the Six and the writing style is so much better, plus it's another completely authentic world. So maybe I'll try another one of her books.

Love ittttttttt