Don’t let the title fool you. This book is far more interesting than its name and title gives on. At first, the idea of a woman having seven husbands just sounded bizarre and “overdone” to me. I thought, “Here we go, another boy crazy woman who had to learn about all the mistakes she’s made in her life.” But no, to my excitement and (preferred) joy, we have an absolutely empowered, self-aware young woman who carved and paved her way through Hollywood with her utter wit and charm and sexuality, and knew exactly how to use it, and knew what she was doing the entire time.

If you know me well enough by now, I’ve always loved and been inspired by the “coming of age” stories of young, empowered, self-award independent women who find their own way, and share their journeys, including the ups-and-downs and how it made them into the person they are today. I live for the drama and the risk-taking and the “do it for the plot” mentalities (haha).

So, reading this woman tell her story of how she navigated old Hollywood and all the relationships she had along the way, was great.

My full Goodreads review is below:

I loved this. As a young reporter myself who would go out and interview my favorite artists of my time, this tale of a young reporter suddenly given the opportunity to interview and write the life story of an old Hollywood legend, whose story is much more than what the press was able to gain at the time, was absolutely enticing.

This story gave so much insight into the reality of living in Hollywood, and now Evelyn Hugo carved and paved her own way in this world (as well as manipulated the press into writing whatever story she wanted the world to see of her personal life). But one of the main thoroughbreds in the story is how Evelyn had seven husbands — who did she truly love the most?

There are so many gems in this book, and Evelyn’s story sure gives way for a lot of us, as told through Monique, our narrator, to learn from her mistakes, shortcomings, and perhaps greatest strengths:

“People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when vou can show vourself to them, when vou stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘you’re safe with me’- that’s intimacy.”

“Be wary of men with something to prove.”

“And taking pride in your beauty is a damning act. Because you allow yourself to believe that the only thing notable about yourself is something with a very short shelf life.”

“I think being yourself-your true, entire self-is always going to feel like you’re swimming upstream.”

Her seven husbands each serve as new sections throughout the book and her life. And throughout each section, Evelyn’s grows and grows more and more into herself. Her revered friendship with Harry Cameron all those years and fellow starlet Celia St. James were my favorite sections to read. I could feel how different and pure she felt around them, whereas the others were in love with “the idea of her,” the starlet they knew, the bombshell the world loved… When someone truly and intimately knows someone, and Evelyn felt true and intimate around them, it was shown through the way she spoke about them, how she felt around them, and it was so goddamn poetic at times. It makes you, as a reader, see how your own relationships match up, and how that intimacy is so rare vet true.

A great read. The cover and title looked and sounded so cheesy to me at first (I wish it could truly reflect Evelyn’s class and beauty and gravitas), but it’s more than what it seems. I loved this. I ate it up. It was an easy read yet very interesting with so many gems. One I will keep and cherish.

Read from: Feb 06, 2026 – Mar 04, 2026

With love and honesty,

Rachel