After coming across some massive hype, I was compelled to buy this book. I started reading on a flight journey and few pages into it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to put it down. I was done and dusted with it in two sittings.
The Plot
Monique Grant is a lesser-known magazine reporter at Vivant. Evelyn Hugo is a yesteryear Hollywood star, the legend, the heartthrob of millions. She is the biggest movie stars of all time. She is a living legend.
One day, Frankie, Monique’s boss gets a call from the residence of Evelyn Hugo. She wants to do an auction of 12 of her most memorable gowns to raise as much money for the American Breast Cancer Foundation as possible. This is a big cover for Vivant. It has huge potential. Well, the catch is Evelyn has specifically requested for Monique. Monique has been with Vivant for less than a year and really doesn’t have a lot of articles to her credit. Why would a megastar want to do a piece with a low-level writer? Everyone is shocked, Monique included.
When Monique comes to Evelyn’s house, she is in for more shock. Evelyn wants to tell her reveal her entire life story, but she wants to do share it Monique only. She wants Monique to write a book about. Evelyn had only called her under the false pretences.
This book is a retell of the Evelyn’s life, a journey of a woman in a man’s world. The story of sacrifices, deceit, scandals, friendships and forbidden love. Through the course of the book, you also discover how Evelyn’s life crosses paths with Monique.
Evelyn Hugo
Evelyn Hugo is a legend. That will always be the first word to come to my mind whenever I think of her. A woman full of ambition, completely unapologetic about her life choices and highly determined to make her way to the top. She was born in Hell’s Kitchen but was passionate to make her mark in Hollywood. And thats exactly what she did. She is such a wholesome character, that the more you read about her, the more you are drawn to her. With no godfather and absolutely no connections, how did she make it? Why did she marry 7 times? Which one of her husbands did she love the most? Why did she particularly choose Monique?
With each turning page, you have a new question and a new answer, so you are completely hooked.
The Writing
The writing is so captivating that you forget that you are reading a book in the first place which to me is the sign of a good book. The book switches between flashbacks as Evelyn recalls her past to the present and Monique’s life and her point of view. The novel also includes snippets of newspaper articles which makes you feel like you are reading a celebrity gossip page. That makes you really lose yourself in the story of Evelyn, so much to the point that it is disappointing that she is not a real-life movie star.
Closing remarks
The book deals with some very sensitive subjects like racism, abuse, homosexuality, bisexuality, misogyny in the film industry and otherwise and the repercussions it has. Taylor Reid really paints a picture with her words. The way she described the movies that Evelyn starred in really made me want to watch all her movies! I also believe this movie would make for a great movie adaptation. As for now, this one’s a real page-turner, so do read it.
“𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬
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