This book has been on my TBR for the longest time – mainly because it seems to be universally loved, maybe that very intriguing title and cover; also, I love old-time Hollywood depicted in a book or movie. All that glamour!
About the Book
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.
~ Synopsis from GoodReads
My Review
This was a short and quick read for me. I took it with me on a business trip, and it was a pleasant, relaxing read after long days of back-to-back meetings.
I liked how the book was framed – a modern, young, judgemental, very woke journalist sitting down to write a biography of a scandalous, much-married star from Hollywood’s Golden era. I knew there would be a lot of conflict between the two characters, and the book lived up to that expectation.
The beginning of the book is hot! The story goes over Evelyn’s life with each of her husbands. I loved her relationships with her first two husbands (quite detailed and clearly outlined why they failed).
Unfortunately, the rest of her husbands are just a long list of pretty interchangeable people until she marries an old friend, and they embark on what is now known as a lavender marriage. I hope this is not too spoiler-y, but to be honest, the moment I read the book blurb, I guessed the direction of this part of the story, at least.
The rest of the book is nice but predictable until Monique and Evelyn’s lives converge unexpectedly, which is the real surprise of the book! I never guessed it was coming, and this twist made an average book vault into one of my favorites of 2022.
One of the things I didn’t like about the book was how heteronormative it was for an LGBTQIA-friendly book. The lesbian relationship in the book (hidden because it was set in those times) always played second fiddle to Evelyn’s relationships with men. Even the sex scenes between the women are depicted very tamely compared to the sex between Evelyn and her husbands. This was a bit odd and uncomfortable making for me.
But that’s pretty much the only issue I have. I might have disliked the book if I had read it in a more serious mood. It was perfect for a travel read, though – where I didn’t have to focus too much on the plot.
Well, this book deserves more than just five stars. Maybe seven stars? 😉 Haha
What do I say about this woman now? In the novel, she’s someone who always leaves you desiring for more. And in reality, she leaves you feeling the same way. How? Because she’s fictional and you’d so wish she wasn’t. You’d wish she were here (or at least had used to be), that her experiences were just as real as that heart throbbing inside you, that her movies had really been made and could be watched instantly after you finished reading the book! But alas… she is imaginary and that sucks. ‘Cause she’s one of the most alluring, intriguing, inspirational, and beautiful women that could ever be.
It’s definitely one of my favorite books I read last year.