The famous, infamous, sought after Evelyn Hugo, star of screen and stage, fashion icon, volatile starlet idol, has been out of the spot light for many years. She rarely does appearances, she barely ever does interviews. So when Monique, an unheard of and often overlooked small time reported is given the task to interview her, Monique is surprised, delighted, and confused. What could be the real reason she was requested by the illustrious actress?
Man, ever since joining booktube I’d been hearing about this book and how much everyone looooves it. This isn’t the book that put Taylor Jenkins Reid on the booktube map, but it is the book that cemented her there as a goddess of the community. I’d seen other works of hers in little free libraries but never picked them up. I figured she could not possibly live up to the hype. Why I ended up grabbing this one, I’m not sure. When I read it, I was definitely surprised. I really really enjoyed it!! It made me tear up! It was complex, sweet, cold, interesting and well written. In this book, I feel that Reid has a way of grounding the reader in her reality and making them believe in the characters and be alive in her world. She spins enough reality, a splash of envy, treads of wish and wanting , and a dash of magic and wonder into a web that her reader easily falls into. Don’t misunderstand me, this book is a contemporary, not magical realism. The “magic” here comes from our own love of glamour, romance and misfortunes. This is a classic Hollywood tale with all the sequins and dazzle, hiding the pain and dishevelmant behind the scenes. It feels like a real story about a real actress. There’s a little bit of a mystery in this book, a very nice love story, some tragedy, and a lot of husbands. Unlike many of the contemporary books I read in 2021, this one didn’t feel too modern. It wasn’t trying to hard to have snappy dialog or “hip” characters. It felt how actual people might talk or interact or react. It was well balanced. It was fast paced and compellled the reader. Although it has multiple perspectives, both were interesting and I wasn’t rushing to get back to the one I preferred. The two voices were distinct. I would highly recommend this book to people who want to try a booktube darling, those wondering what all the hype about modern contemporary books is, readers who like fast paced and well balanced stories, readers who like Hollywood based stories or those who like a little romance in a book.
