Taylor Jenkins Reid lives in Los Angeles and is the acclaimed author of Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, One True Love, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her novels have been named best books of summer by People, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, InStyle, PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Goodreads, and others. To learn more, visit TaylorJenkinsReid.com.
Reclusive Hollywood 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 to write her story, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Determined to use this opportunity to jump-start her career, Monique listens in fascination. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to leaving show business in the '80s—and, of course, the seven husbands along the way—Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. But as Evelyn's story nears its conclusion, 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 mesmerizing journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the sobering realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means—and what it costs—to face the truth.
Evelyn's story and the development thereof are absolutely stunning. Evelyn delivers her story as succinctly, yet there is so much heart and pain and acknowledgement of guilt and complexity within her life. Indeed, it is a life story. Not every moment, not every milestone is entirely detailed, yet the novel plays with time just enough to make a reader feel like they truly were by Evelyn's side for each moment of her life, even if the depth of all those moments are never fully realized. I enjoyed how this playing with time allowed readers to feel like we were in the present of her past, rather than just reflecting on her past. Evelyn's story was beautiful, and shocking, and provided deep commentary on being rich, fame, and love. More than anything, Evelyn's story compelled the book forward, and the reveals of what she did with her life (especially as they relate to Monique) are what keep readers curious. However, the development of Monique's story (or lack thereof) is a major drawback to this novel that cannot be ignored.
The entire conceit of the novel is that Evelyn Hugo has a grand story to tell, and she'll only tell it to thirty-five year old journalist Monique Grant. Monique's parts of the story are undeveloped, and that much is clear from the very first pages from her point of view. The beginning of the novel doesn't necessarily make me buy into Evelyn's fame so many years after she retired from Hollywood. There's not one movie star I can think of from a similar amount of time ago I can remember and admire, so I'm not sure what makes Evelyn different. Jenkins Reid should have spent more time developing the beginning with Monique, as it relates to Evelyn's fame from a modern day point of view, as well as showing what specifically is at stake for Monique. As a thirty-five year old living in New York City, we know she was left by her husband and hasn't made it anywhere special in her career, but she acts like she's younger than she is and doesn't seem to have any motivation to pull herself up on her own accord. It is only when Evelyn's offer lands on her lap that she feels the desire to do more. Monique's voice, as underdeveloped and seeming underage, also does not do the necessary work to make readers buy into Evelyn's story. Only Evelyn does that for herself. Sometimes, it felt like I was reading two different books because Evelyn's chapters were so beautifully written, and Monique's chapters felt forced, and underdeveloped.
The last few things I will say about Monique is that Jenkins Reid establishes Monique's identity as a biracial woman on the very first page of the novel, and somehow finds ways to mention it every time in Monique's point of view even when it is not relevant to the story. She also tries to write about Monique's experience as a biracial woman, an identity that, as far as I can tell, Jenkins Reid does not share. I am of the camp that authors can write about characters of any identity, so long as they don't overstep and write a story about a character's experience living as that identity—and for me, Jenkins Reid oversteps multiple times. The revelation of Monique's connection to Evelyn went for shock value—it was predictable that it had to do with her dad, and even before I figured out what the connection was, I wasn't entirely sure, with the lack of Monique's arc, that I was going to care about the implications of this connection from Monique's perspective. I definitely cared about it from Evelyn's perspective—wondered how the guilt weighed on her, how she had the patience to tell her entire story for one big reveal, and so much more—but I could not have cared less about Monique's reaction, because there was not a whole lot convincing me to care about Monique. It made me wonder, what was the intention of even having Monique as a first person narrator in the novel? Why did the narrative have to be structured this way?
However, despite the lack of a relatable narrator, I did find that Jenkins Reid took some of the time during the novel to really think about some important themes. While I don't think she took the time to really develop a believable perception of queerness, I appreciate the lengths she went to to portray queerness in Hollywood in the late 50s, early 60s, and beyond. The themes of fame, being rich, found family, and taking what one wants from the world were also apparent, and created many moments for Evelyn that made her the character she became. I appreciated the discussions that this book started, and I don't think those conversations end with this book. Rather than finishing or developing the conversation, this book opens the discussion. It made me really curious about famous people, what they think, how they operate, and if Evelyn was a realistic depiction of a movie star. And I guess the only way to truly find that out would be to ask one!
Taylor Jenkins Reid has a whole host of other novels that one can readily enjoy. To learn more, visit TaylorJenkinsReid.com.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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