The story of a fictional Old-Hollywood star, Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the life story of Evelyn Hugo as she gives a ‘tell all’ interview towards the end of her life. She is ready to reveal all, giving Monique Grant the scoop of a lifetime. But whilst Monique focuses on the big question: “who was Evelyn’s true love?” Evelyn has much more unexpected information to divulge.

This choice really was a no brainer for the group. Many of us had already read it, or at least were familiar with the author’s work and so it was clear we were going to enjoy this selection.

Personally, I read this book three years ago after loving Malibu Rising (another book by Taylor Jenkins Reid). This was one of the few books I was happy to read for a second time, knowing I would most likely get something new out of it this second time around.

I chose to listen to the audiobook version this time, which gave me an entirely different experience. Audiobooks are a regular discussion at our book club, with many of us loving this format and choosing it over reading a lot of the time.

There is always a full spectrum of opinions in our group, but one thing we can all agree on is that not all audiobooks are created equal! The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, is thankfully a great audiobook, and fully immerses you into the characters and their stories.

One of the main positives I have with this book is it’s accessibility to a ‘fun read’. A common theme in Reid’s writing, her books have no frills or over complication. They are purely entertaining, with emotional depth. I’m sure plenty would turn their noses up at a ‘book like this’.

You know the type?

The type of person that always buys a hardback, or at least the physical copy so they can show it off on public transport.

The type of person that would sneer at any book less than 500 pages or would simply judge this book as a ‘chick-lit’ based off the cover alone.

And I’ll be completely honest, when I approached this book initially I did think I would find it basic and unengaging. However, I was more than happy to be proven wrong! One of the best parts of Reid’s writing is that she packs so much into her stories.

There is absolutely no filler!

It is clear that every world she creates has been well-researched, thought-out and therefore feels incredibly immersive and well-rounded. And there is also so much diversity in her subject matters. In this story alone she discusses feminism, domestic abuse, homophobia throughout recent history, the old-Hollywood studio system and tabloid media.

All of this is told through the life story of Evelyn Hugo. The title is a misdirect, of course the husbands are merely footnotes in this story. Evelyn is an incredibly engaging, flawed and emotional character. By the end of the book I was completely invested in her and as a reader felt emotionally connected and invested fully in the ending.

At the time of my first read, I gave this book five stars, and if you hadn’t realised by my very one-sided review of this book that score hasn’t changed for me. It is a beautiful story and I am desperate for it to be made into a film so I can immerse myself even further into this story and see it all come to life on the screen.

Overall the group enjoyed this story. We all agreed it was incredibly emotional and had unexpected depth to it. Many of us pointed out the likeable characters, and how invested we were by the end. It was also discussed that the historical setting of the book, created a great picture of that time in history.

The group gave this book 4 stars, which is probably one of the highest scores so far.