The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
A New York Times Bestseller
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life.
When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Written with Reid’s signature talent for “creating complex, likable characters” (Real Simple), this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it takes—to face the truth.
Audio Excerpt
Reviews & Praise
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A spellbinding novel about love, glamour and the price of fame.
Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is the total package: the very best of Classic Hollywood intrigue, a delicious twist, and incisive commentary on the wages of stardom, especially for women.
Anne Helen Petersen, BuzzFeed culture writer and author of Scandals of Classic Hollywood
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo has big, juicy secrets at its heart—not just about the surprising identity of movie star Evelyn Hugo's true love, but of the lengths she has gone to protect that mysterious lover. Brimming with heartache, betrayal, and a lifetime of Hollywood gossip, this raucous novel will seduce you even as it leaves you wanting more.
Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and June
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A glamorous romp through Hollywood in its heyday, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s latest offers up several unexpected twists and a dazzling, ambitious movie star who will break your heart.
Fiona Davis, author of The Dollhouse
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In her latest mesmerizing tale, Reid transports readers back to Hollywood’s heyday with a heroine in the likes of — but more intriguing than — Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Katherine Hepburn. Yes, Evelyn Hugo is the glamorous idol you admire, but she’s also the relentless fighter you aspire to be. Her life’s story is heartbreaking, yet beautiful and will keep readers captivated until the very last page.
Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly
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Evelyn Hugo makes Liz Taylor seem pedestrian. Taylor Jenkins Reid has drawn a rich, emotionally complex heroine who is so real that you'll forget she only lives in the pages of a book. This is an utterly compelling dance with love and tragedy, sometimes both at once; you'll laugh with Evelyn, cry with her, ache with her, and then go back to page one and do it all over again.
Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, authors of The Royal We