Reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo finally agrees to tell her life story — but only to Monique Grant, an unknown magazine journalist. As Evelyn unfolds the truth behind her seven marriages, it becomes clear why she chose Monique. A sweeping, surprising story about ambition, identity, queerness, and the price of being truly seen.
Who it's for
Readers who love big, glamorous character studies with a twist at the centre
Anyone who wants queer romance woven into a historical narrative without apology
Fans of unreliable narrators who are lying not to deceive but to protect
Editor's take
Reid's greatest skill is structure, and Evelyn Hugo showcases it fully: seven husbands, seven chapters, each revealing a new dimension of a woman who has been performing for everyone for sixty years. Evelyn is morally compromised, deeply human, and one of contemporary fiction's most indelible characters.
The twist in the final act is the kind that feels both shocking and inevitable — you see the clues in retrospect and understand why Reid placed them where she did. The book earns every emotion it asks for. That it works as a page-turner and a meditation on the cost of hiding who you are simultaneously is remarkable.
Who this is NOT for
Readers who want a straightforward narrative — this is a frame story with multiple time periods and an unreliable narrator by design
Anyone who wants a happy romance — this is a book about sacrifice, compromise, and the cost of ambition
Readers who find Old Hollywood setting unappealing — the glamour is essential, not decorative
Emotional payoff
Evelyn Hugo's emotional payoff is the reveal of what she actually wanted and what she actually did — and the gap between those two things. Reid times the final disclosures with precision: each revelation lands when the reader is most invested in being wrong. The ending is genuinely sad in a way that feels earned rather than manipulative.
Is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a true story?
No — Evelyn Hugo is a fictional character, though Reid drew on the lives of real Old Hollywood stars for inspiration. The novel is fiction throughout.
What genre is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?
Historical fiction with elements of romance and mystery. Set primarily across Hollywood from the 1950s to 2010s. The LGBTQ+ romance is central and explicit.
What should I read after Evelyn Hugo?
Daisy Jones and the Six (also Reid — another rockstar-era narrative), The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, or People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.