I know a lot of people liked this book, so I'm gonna apologize in advance, but this was not good. If you don't really want to hear me rant, I'd suggest you don't read this post.
Also, lots of spoilers.
I expected quite a lot more from this book, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.
I checked a few spoiler-free reviews before, and they were all 5 stars. Not sure how that is possible.
The story promises a lot from the very beginning. The secret life a Marilyn Monroe-like celebrity… All the sordid details and secrets of her life… A story worth 12 million dollars… But all of that amounts to a generic, boring, and poorly-paced story.
The introduction to Monique is fine, albeit cliche. Struggling writer who wants to climb to the top. Heard all of that before. Nothing really exciting there.
The mystery of Evelyn Hugo on the other hand is well introduced. Who is she? Why did she marry 7 times? Why does she want to meet Monique?
And then she starts telling her story, and nothing she ever says is ground-breaking.
Her childhood was quickly skipped. She mentions her dreams of becoming famous, making her mother proud and leaving her abusive father.
All of that is fine, but it seems that the author forgot the most important rule of story-telling: SHOW DON'T TELL.
We never see any of the bad stuff. And not just that, a few pages later, she's married and ready to leave Hell's Kitchen. WHAT??? YOU'RE GONNA SKIP YOUR CHILDHOOD JUST LIKE THAT???
Where was the struggle? Why should I care about you, Evelyn? It didn't really sound like you went through much. You're just another Mary Sue.
She then starts her career as an actress in the most generic way possible. As a waitress who meets a producer at whatever place she was. And not just that, she did it again in just a few pages. Again, WHERE WAS THE STRUGGLE YOU OVERCAME???
She then becomes a famous movie star with a rising career in just a few pages. WHERE WAS THE STRUGGLE???
She starts dating and eventually marries Don, who turns out to be a terrible human being.
This is where it actually got good for a moment, and I finally felt like the story was gonna get interesting.
The scene of the first time he attacks her is very well done. This is what I wanted to see. You're finally SHOWING us that you did struggle. That the life of movie star is not just glamour and happiness.
The problem comes next. The book had been so completely rushed as of that point, that I felt the change in pacing 10 times more annoying than it should've been. Evelyn's previous divorce was SO fast that it felt only natural that she would divorce Don a few pages later, but the story just kept dragging on and on and on… for several hours.
It really was tedious to read about their marriage. The whole time I was thinking, why hasn't she divorced him yet? You claim to be smart and manipulative, but you're being really dumb now. The book hasn't given us any reason for which you can't divorce him other than the fact that staying with him keeps the cameras on you, which is a lame reason.
And yes, I know she claims to be in love for the first time in her life, but none of that shows in the pages! Their relationship is as dull as can be. Dancing a little bit and eating at restaurants. REALLY EVELYN??? 12 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THIS GARBAGE???
Her relationship with Celia was also rushed. They had one or two good scenes together that were good but not great. I started to like Celia a bit, but the romance felt forced because it didn't have time to grow. Like I said, ONLY 1 or 2 good sexually charged scenes together and then made them a couple? No, that's not enough!
The best chemistry between couples comes from waiting and getting to know each other. We don't even know enough about Celia to care about her character. All we know is that she is obsessed with Evelyn. AND THAT'S NOT ENOUGH!
Her friendship with Harry was also boring at best. He was there for emotional support, but it never really felt like he mattered. He offered to help many times, but he never really did anything important. He felt nothing more than like an extra in a movie.
And then we FINALLY get to the divorce. And the story can FINALLY continue.
A new problem is introduced, and as always, Evelyn solves it effortlessly and without any struggle. Her career is saved in just a few pages because she landed a role in an international film.
Wow. Exciting, isn't it? No. Not really.
At this point she's proven she can do anything the plot needs her to do. So why should I care if her career was momentarily ruined for 20 minutes?
Her marriage to Mick was another sort of exciting point in the story, but I was so numb at that point that I didn't care much for it.
And then I finally decided to DNF the book. I'm halfway through it, and there's no sign it will get any better. I could've finished it, but I see no point in doing that. It's only mediocre at best.
I read a quick summary just to know if the promised twist would be good enough to hook me again, but it's not. It's as generic as can be.
I will say though that I'm disappointed in myself for not having figured it out. I had several theories, but I wasn't able to deduce why she specifically wanted Monique to write her book.
by SuitableEpitaph