The Seven Husbands of Eveling Hugo: I don’t get the hype

Submitted by Hi-isLiv t3_ysaghi in books

I picked this book up because of the reviews. It was a fast read. I started yesterday and I’m already finished.

It’s not bad, but not up to hype it got, in my opinion.

The main romance: the relationship with >!Celia st. James!< felt dry and slightly abusive.

I kept reading to understand why she picked Monique beside the obvious choice >!about the article on the right to die. That part was clear from the beginning since she was doing a memoir and refusing to say when she could publish!<.
As soon there was that scene with her driver Nick I had figured it out why she has chosen the protagonist and kept reading until the end.

It felt shallow and a beach read at best. It had zero emotional impact on me and I couldn’t form a bond with any of the characters except maybe Harry and her second maid.

Thoughts?

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Comments

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doowgad1 t1_ivy0lyh wrote

There's a fantastic dystopian novel called 'The Tomorrow File' by Lawrence Saunders. I've never seen it hyped anywhere. I'm pretty sure it's because the author wasn't part of the right clique.

Reviews and blurbs are mostly a game.

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Emergency_nap_needed t1_ivy0o3e wrote

Not read the book but the title and the cover art are very similar to Stuart Turton's "Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" which is a superb book. The similarly in titles has caused confusion at work

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Kayemmbee t1_ivy18of wrote

Also was underwhelmed by it and I always feel in the minority. However, I listened to the audio book and hated the narration so I do feel like that tarnished the experience for me. Even so, I just didn't feel like the characters made that much of an impact on me.

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well_uh_yeah t1_ivy3j44 wrote

I think this situation always comes down to the fact that different people read for different reasons and have different opinions about things they read. I enjoyed the book. Sometimes when I look at best seller lists or (even more often) top tv shows I think, "What are people even doing?" They're just enjoying stuff that I don't.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivy3vkg wrote

Replying to well_uh_yeah (#500,921)

Sure, if you like or not a book it has more to do with you than the book itself. Especially when we talk about emotional pull of said book.

It’s still nice to have a discussion.

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ItsJOVANI t1_ivy4ihl wrote

I enjoyed it, but felt similarly. It was a quick, engaging read and left pretty much no lasting impact on me. I’m fine with this because that’s what I expected and sometimes those are exactly the kind of books that get hyped up. I personally would classify this book as a “fun” book. It’s not a book that will challenge you or change your mindset, it’s just a book that’s hard to put down for a few hours.

I think the Monique storyline weakened the book. I like the idea of it being from the perspective of the writer, but her being tied into it felt forced and melodramatic to me.

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Angharadis t1_ivy6nh3 wrote

Agreed. I saw a lot of people raving about it as a wonderful queer romance, and I just didn’t feel it either. I didn’t like any of the characters or her relationship with Celia. I found the entire framing with Monique to be stilted and weird. I honestly hate it when I read one of the much loved books like this and end up disliking it.

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doowgad1 t1_ivy7c7x wrote

Replying to LickLickLickBite (#501,106)

Some ghost is keeping the McNally books going, which is funny because I never like those books when the Master wrote them.

Another unexpected gem from him is 'The Loves Of Harry Dancer.' I will avoid any spoilers, and just suggest that you check it out. It starts like a typical crime thriller, then makes a sharp turn into the weird.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivy8ar8 wrote

Replying to Angharadis (#501,101)

Me too. I remember crying when i read Call me by your name and was completely unaffected by the hardship of Evelyn Hugo even if the themes were relatable.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivy8q35 wrote

Replying to ItsJOVANI (#500,978)

Agreed. It’s not bad. Maybe I had expectations for the reviews.

Not every book should be a masterpiece and I enjoy both deep and fun books. I expected this to leave an emotional mark. More than one reviewer said that they were still crying after reading. I put on too much pressure on the emotional delivery

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TheChocolateMelted t1_ivy8u0x wrote

Replying to Emergency_nap_needed (#500,770)

Yep, personally stumbled into Evelyn Hugo as a result of this.

Evelyn Hardcastle was a wonderful, original, intriguiging book. Wouldn't really use any of those adjectives for Evelyn Hugo. It's not a bad book, just a nice way to pass time. The amount of hype is ridiculous.

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TheChocolateMelted t1_ivy91q6 wrote

100% agree with you. Nothing particularly original in there. And the framing device with Monique is nothing more than the literary equivalent of clickbait.

Will recommend The Seven Deaths of Eveleyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Similar name, but completely different. A lot of original - even clever - things going on in it. Everything the other book failed to deliver.

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rozeetuh t1_ivy9b39 wrote

SAME. Ahhhh I just didn't see the hype with this book. I also questioned how reliable she was given that she waited to tell her story until after everyone involved in the story had already been long gone.

I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either.

Edit to add "to tell her story"

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sinnerdoll t1_ivy9yis wrote

this book is in my wishlist. im no longer interested. 🤣

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ChaosCelebration t1_ivya7pf wrote

It's because you MEANT to read The Seven and 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Castle.

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ItsJOVANI t1_ivyaasg wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#501,226)

Yeah, it’s hard to know based on reviews, especially some I saw on TikTok/Instagram. I don’t know if a lot of those creators are maybe just newer readers (as in they are just discovering their love of reading away from an academic environment) or if there is some sort of internal pressure to overhype things when they are also creating social media reviews. That’s really where I saw the overhyping. I felt similarly about The Midnight Library and I saw a lot of people calling that life changing. Maybe it was for them, but it didn’t hit that way for me at least.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyapns wrote

Replying to ItsJOVANI (#501,341)

I understand. I don’t have tik tok but I have instrsgram and sometimes the book proposed aren’t that good.

It ends with us comes to mind. I enjoyed it more than this one but it’s not emotionally pulling or remarkable

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Shinobu-Fan t1_ivybjdh wrote

Same, quick read (first book I read where it took me one sitting to read halfway through with no interruptions) but I felt pretty much meh after I was done reading By no means something memorable and something I would probably not read again

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyc2z4 wrote

Replying to Sassy-Coaster (#501,383)

That’s good it worked for you, I mean considering the number of positive reviews it’s more probable a person would like it rather than not. That’s why I was wonder why I didn’t find it special.

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stardustdance t1_ivye44p wrote

I read it after taking a long break from reading. I enjoyed the book and got emotional toward the end. I re-read some parts recently and it didn't have the same impact. Overall I think it's a decent book. However, I'm looking forward to the Netflix adaptation

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throwawaymassagedad t1_ivye48b wrote

BookTok is a joke. Don't trust any books that get famous there, because apart from some actually intelligent readers, it's filled with trashy recommendations that center around useless unnecessary sexual content and weird, abusive romance tropes. Now don't get me wrong, i like sex, I'm sex positive, but i absolutely hate the fact that erotica with bleak, hollow characters is the norm nowadays. I think we need a re-rennaisance

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sweetspringchild t1_ivyedvi wrote

I had an issue with the dialogue as they both should have been women who are excellent at expressing themselves >!a veteran actress and a good journalist!< but weren't written that way.

Also, any book that goes into extremely detailed description of decor of any room a character walk in (without doing it to create an atmosphere), and long descriptions of what characters are wearing (without it adding anything to characterization) is immediately suspect to me.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyepze wrote

Replying to throwawaymassagedad (#501,552)

Ah yeah: I got two of those for you: Neon Gods and Punk 57.

I usually stay away from it too but I didn’t mind that much It ends with us for instance, maybe because when I started it I was expecting a light read.

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Nice_Sun_7018 t1_ivyeq0f wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#501,294)

I’ll third the recommendation. How well the ending landed is a matter of opinion, but this is a thinking person’s book. Very original. And there were at least two characters that I still think about from time to time because I would like to have known more about them. For me, that’s a sign the book did things right.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyf00s wrote

Replying to stardustdance (#501,551)

Oh they are doing a tv show? I can see working on screen. I was thinking that when I was reading. This would work better on tv.

Agree with you. It’s not bad bad. I’ve read waaaaay worse. I think it has to do with my expectations of if.

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Kayemmbee t1_ivyf858 wrote

Replying to Vandergaard (#501,562)

My friend loves audiobooks so I decided to give them a try. Evelyn Hugo was my first one and I texted her like "are they all like this?!" She said no, that one's just bad. So I'm not alone in disliking the narration I guess!

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyfg9g wrote

Replying to sweetspringchild (#501,566)

Completely agree. Evelyn felt shallow as you can imagine a movie star to be. Agreed with the dialogue, maybe it was done to make the book more accessible and to carter to a wider audience.

I prize internal attributes over looks and maybe this was the bias I carried in reading the characters

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Vandergaard t1_ivyfscq wrote

Replying to Kayemmbee (#501,610)

I found it so frustrating that I stopped listening and switched to the ebook version. To be honest, I don’t think it was a bad book, but I was expecting more from it given the hype.

I just didn’t believe the Celia relationship was this great romance.

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ilysespieces t1_ivyi13z wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#500,822)

It's literally nothing like Evelyn Hugo, it was even changed to Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the US because of the confusion.

It's a fantastic book and I wish I could read it for the first time again. It made my head hurt, in a good way.

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squid1020 t1_ivyj2ca wrote

Replying to Emergency_nap_needed (#500,770)

Interesting to read everyone’s opinions. I liked Evelyn Hugo, didn’t love, but would l recommend as an easy vacation read. I also tried reading Evelyn Hardcastle and found it hard to get through, I didn’t finish it. It felt repetitive to me.

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RunTheJawns t1_ivyj4li wrote

Daisy Jones is even worse. Couldn’t finish Malibu. Done with Reid. I’ll watch the adaptations

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Magg5788 t1_ivykhfx wrote

I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel an emotional tie to any character. I liked Malibu Rising better.

This was my first book of hers that I read and what I like about them is the universe. I think it’s fun that it’s all complete fiction, but feels like it could be real. Yeah, most contemporary fiction can check that box, but these books are about famous people. I’ll admit I googled Evelyn Hugo when I read this book a couple years ago because I thought maybe she was a celebrity I’d never heard of. So I liked the (albeit fake) window into the lives of celebrities.

Then I read Daisy Jones because I needed “a book about music” for my book challenge and I’d heard good things. That’s when I realized all of Reid’s books are in the same universe, and that’s fun. I wish more authors did that.

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LemonSqueazee t1_ivym87j wrote

I felt that same, but I think the "Beach Read" comment hits the nail on the head. I feel there has been an upswing in these "Beach Read" kind of books (looking at you CoHo). I think it draws a lot of newer readers because they are quick and easy read and most of the time have some sort of plot that could easily be a Hallmark movie. I like to think of them as the reality TV of books, not much depth, so so plot, but quick, engaging and enjoyable regardless.
This year after joining a book-club I found myself reading a few of these types of books, and at first I had the same kind of "why is this so popular" thought process. But then I reminded myself that reading should be fun and enjoyable! And now I find myself looking for some of those Beach Reads after longer/deeper books as a nice little pallet cleanser, or a quick way to get out of a reading slump!

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purpleshampoolife t1_ivymck8 wrote

Replying to Angharadis (#501,101)

I am not queer so I can’t tell if this is the right take, but every big twist in the book being “surprise, someone is gay!” felt really off to me. Like it would have been groundbreaking 20 years ago maybe but now it feels pandering and reductive? I don’t know.

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LemonSqueazee t1_ivymjjh wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#501,366)

Yes! I saw so much hype about Colleen Hoover, and people claiming It Ends with Us is their new all time favorite book and just don't get it. I don't tend to finish 'bad' books, so the fact that I read it in a few days says something. But I think it was just a quick easy read, nothing groundbreaking about it. (if anything I felt it was a little problematic..)

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivymwzr wrote

Replying to LemonSqueazee (#501,981)

Totally agree.

While reading it I thought it would have make a really great movie. I enjoy music biopics even if artists I don’t follow.

There is nothing wrong with beach reads. I read more than my fair share. I actually liked It ends with us, probably because I wasn’t expecting anything more.

I like to switch between deep books and light reads and sometimes those kind of books you read just for… yup the sex scenes 😝.

Right now I’m reading the Bell Jar and next one is All the Light we cannot see and this one was a good in between but I hade too many expectations considering the reviews.

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things_4_ants t1_ivyoqj5 wrote

I read it this summer sitting in my hammock. It was the perfect book for that kind of mood - nothing serious, beach read material and I finished it in two sittings. All in all, far from great literature but was a nice easy read. I do agree with it feeling shallow and easy to figure out. Once I was done with it I passed it on to a colleague because I didn't think I would ever go back to it. Zero real connection or emotional impact.

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Economy-Cellist-5633 t1_ivyou75 wrote

It was one of the first books I read after taking a LONG break from reading. I wanted to see what’s happening in modern adult fiction and this book was hyped on instagram and multiple creators on YT also recommended it.

Well lets just say this book taught me not to trust lifestyle youtubers and instagram. Because i was already disapointed in this book couple pages in. It did get bit better and overall it was a fine read, but definitely not a 5 stars, 3 max.

Other hyped book I read was “My year of rest and relaxation” which I actually enjoyed much more. Next hyped author Im planning to check out is Sally Rooney so lets see how that goes.

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ingenfara t1_ivypp05 wrote

Wow, I am surprised to hear this. I raced through it and loved it, thought it was an amazing book.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyppxz wrote

Replying to Economy-Cellist-5633 (#502,117)

One reason more not to trust them! I agree.

I didn’t like my year of rest and relaxation, I found the unlikeable character to be gratuitous, but it was beautiful on sentence by sentence level. But agree with you that it was better than this one

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towapa t1_ivyq04n wrote

So I personally enjoyed the book and read it in 2 days. It was easy reading, I enjoyed the story line and liked some of the characters.

Saying that, there wasn't a lot of depth to the characters. Someone pointed out that it's great that Evelyn and Ceilia loved each other, but why? The author is basically like "Yep, they love each other." And that's it. WHY DO THEY LOVE ABOUT EACH OTHER! I also found the twist a bit... meh. And when Monique finally clocked on about her Dad after she read the letter, I was like REALLY? You finally realised!?

Edit: Also, I will never forgive TikTok for hyping It Ends With Us. Jesus christ that was a terrible book

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyq0t4 wrote

Replying to ingenfara (#502,167)

I’m glad you liked it! You are definitely not alone in this considering the amount of great reviews it received.

I tend to like books that deliver something emotional to me and this didn’t.

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Donniej525 t1_ivyq3fg wrote

I went in pretty blind and absolutely loved it. I think it's one of those cases where if the hype is too much, it can really distort your expectations.

With that said, I keep trying to get into some of TJR's other books, and none of them have clicked for me the same way Evelyn Hugo did.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyqkai wrote

Replying to towapa (#502,182)

Right? How could she not see that!! Plus did they move the car? It’s weird.

Never trust the tok. I love fake guitar videos they post.

I went in with zero expectations on it ends with us and I enjoyed it more than this one. It isn’t great literature but it was a good day in the terrace.

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towapa t1_ivyqw1k wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#502,208)

Yeah, I feel like they'd be witnesses if they tried to move the bodies, but hey ho..

See, I had zero expectations with 7 Husbands, so that's interesting!

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Kayemmbee t1_ivyrme9 wrote

Replying to Angharadis (#501,101)

I read another one of TJR's books within the Evelyn Hugo "universe" and it also has a queer character. I may be wrong, but I don't think the author is queer. Perhaps that's why the romances feel inauthentic to me. I'm a cishet woman btw, so by no means do I feel like I'm an expert on queer relationships. Nor do I feel like only queer authors can write stories with an LGBTQ character. I think I just feel like the best relationships in stories are drawn from real experience and the author didn't have that experience to draw on.

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rabidbreeder t1_ivyrppe wrote

Everyone on booktok is like, 18. I thought Evelyn Hugo was alright, but I would have loved it if I was in high school when I read it.

I forget this periodically and then get burned when I get anything suggested on TikTok.

I've also noticed that "booktok" readers generally don't read with any eye towards prose quality. They literally do not notice/care(?) if the writing is shit.

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throwawaymassagedad t1_ivyrzgb wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#501,584)

I'm sorry but i loathe it ends with us. The characters are vaguer than the black hole and don't make any sense. I know it's wrong to term popular literature as trashy because there are some good works in it's literary canon, but It Ends With Us is the textbook definition of low-end, capitalised trashy literature. I get second hand embarrassment from even calling it literature.

Again, i apologise, i know this is tremendously rude of me. You're allowed to like the book and you can call me jealous but there are better writers out there who are trashed under this new wave of garbage literature. And It Ends With Us is just glorification of abuse and toxicity.

Again, i know this low of me to ask you, but would you mind sharing what makes you like that book? Maybe i am biased in some way or being narrow-minded. I would love to know what you think.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivysbnv wrote

Replying to rabidbreeder (#502,265)

I think age might play a part here. I’m not even on tik tok. Am I dating myself? but I found it on display on the bookstore and got intrigued by Goodreads review.

Does quality of prose beat story? I tend to go with the story, if the story is good I can overlook a lot of things. In this case… meh

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lilyjk t1_ivytq3w wrote

i read this bc everyone on lesbian twitter was losing their minds over it. thought I'd give it a shot, pretty excited about it bc, well, im a lesbian too. 1 chapter in and i hated it... the flashbacks were better, but the present day bits in-between were actually cringe.

i hate that my people are so starved for content that they'll praise whatever mediocre piece of representation comes out. I've read better fanfics than this book

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Alive-Fisherman-8502 t1_ivyunrj wrote

Overrated books are (most of the time) boring or extremely bad. I stopped reading them. People on goodreads rate almost anything 5 stars, it’s ridiculous.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyv6q0 wrote

Replying to throwawaymassagedad (#502,275)

Thank you for your opinion and no offense taken.

And you are entitled to your opinion and classify a book you don’t like as trashy. And yes there are far better authors and better books.

I think that there great books, good books, guilty pleasure books.

I put it ends with us in the latter category: you go in knowing it’s not going to be a good book but something in the story pulls your emotional strings. I think when that happens you are aware you are reading, as you called it trash, but you don’t care.

I haven’t analyzed why I didn’t mind the book until you asked the question.

I guess for me it was the title: it ends with us. I come from an abusive family (hope it’s not TMI) and I really, really would like my that my parents would have thought those litttle four words. But they didn’t. So it was up to me to build a safe, Healy life, and luckily I was able to. Kudos to the titling choice. The characters are flat and multidimensional, I agree. The guy was a walking red flag, can you imagine a man coming to your door bagging you to f. Him? That should have been my clue, but I guess I wanted to see what it would mean “it ends with us” and how she dealt with all this so I stuck around. I’m not sure I would suggest the book as a good book but I read it in one sitting and put away as just another story I read.

Why do think it’s glorification of abuse?

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivyvnrg wrote

Replying to lilyjk (#502,369)

Cringe! I always forget how that word is so effective at expressing that feeling lol.

It had potential right? An A list celebrity coming out. But to me they both felt fake: it was like watching to action figures making out.

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vanastalem t1_ivyvzbp wrote

I enjoyed it. There are some popular books I don't enjoy or get the hype about, others I'll like. I think it really comes down to people have different taste and a book one person loves another person may hate.

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missvariety t1_ivyxp27 wrote

I'll admit that I didn't see the "twist" in regards to why she chose Monique to write her story.

But that said, I was getting fed up with the book by that point and so didn't pay enough attention to really think about it.

I also thought the Celia relationship was actually quite abusive so I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice.

I barely remember half of it now, and I read it earlier this year. It was okay, but not as amazing as everyone seems to think it is. It's left no impact on me and agree with others who have described it as a "beach read", as it is shallow enough to just be a quick read on the beach. A bit disappointing really because I'd picked it up thinking it was supposed to be this amazing thing, but I didn't like the framing narrative at all.

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Alive-Fisherman-8502 t1_ivyz9i8 wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#502,487)

I’d recommend you to read the one star reviews before you decide to read overhyped books, especially the ones that are popular on booktok, twitter, goodreads etc. it’s mostly teenagers who are hyping up books that are extremely bad.

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venus-infers t1_ivz2puo wrote

Literally every plot twist was "and surprise.... they were gay, actually."

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throwawaymassagedad t1_ivz3q4w wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#502,445)

I appreciate your response. And i completely respect your choices, and I'm sorry your family is abusive. You don't deserve that. As someone also, who comes from a conservative and abusive family, i understand the place you're coming from.

What i would say before diving into why i don't like the book is the fact that i may be too biased because i am an English major? I don't know if that matters or not.

Alright, first of all, kudos to CoHo for making a book that has a flowy style of writing (not sure what it's called). However, it's border-line cringey. CoHo's capabilities as a good writer never surface in the novel. Show, don't tell, is something she decided to ignore, and well, in my opinion, she failed. In the first page itself, the protagonist keeps on rambling on about what she is feeling rather than telling us how she is feeling so that we can conclude her emotions on our own. Her characters are hollow, vague and just very basic. She likes that Disney fish story, and she's obviously not like other girls.

Could CoHo be more obvious? The protagonist is called Lily Bloom. And she's a florist, for fuck's sake? And that guy is named Ryle - holy crap. Anyways, putting all these trivial irritations aside, let's talk about why abuse is glorified.

Diving into this book, i thought it's going to understand abuse, and it's going to actually do something. But no, it's branded as romance. It's truly astounding, how capitalism has modelled this book, this book that is supposed to deal with "abuse", is branded as romance. And im not the one saying this. Miss CoHo says so herself on many occasions, and never is she seen correcting anyone who calls it romance. The author's note in the end takes a sneak peek into CoHo's own life and how she dealt with abuse. Knowing about the note, i thought Ryle was going to face some consequences for his actions. But no. He is branded as a guy who's a part of a love triangle. He never faces any repercussions for his stupid actions. There is sexual assault in the book, and young girls on tiktok apparently find it hot? No one seems to be talking about any of these issues. Poverty is glorified in Atlas Corrigan.

There is excess of italics in the book, how the fuck am i supposed to derive anything if CoHo is sitting on my face, spoon feeding me everything?

And to your response about the book - i am glad you acknowledge the consequences of the book. There are so many people who find nothing wrong with this. It's like they're just floating away with what CoHo tells them as narrators. They like being spoon fed and they don't see the red flags that the book has. It just makes me angry that there is this bee-hive like situation that has been created and no one seems to question the content of the book, but rather engage in BookTok polarisation.

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hansalucas6 t1_ivz3v7j wrote

It's a fun, engaging, easy book to read. It honestly got me back to reading after my attention span took a massive hit after TikTok abuse.

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Batkitismyremedy t1_ivz4ln4 wrote

That’s why I borrowed this book from the libarary. It was very cringe… I returned it after reading 80 pages or so.

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One-Anxiety t1_ivz58xg wrote

I *really* enjoyed the book. Maybe because I'm >!bi !<and connected with some points on Evelyn figuring herself out, definetly because I like her relationship with Harry as it's so rare for me to find books that >!can depict a purely platonic relationship between oposite genders.!<

The monique storyline bored me though, I read them quite fast because my interest was on what was happening with Evelyn. I also agree that it's a simple book, fast to read and with basic prose. >!(oh and also agree that the main relationship is not all cute and romantic, Celia is quite biphobic and never refused to make Evelyn feel like shit because of being Bi, but I wasn't reading it wanting a cute fluffy relationship)!<

But that doesn't make it a bad book for me. I enjoyed the story, found the characters interesting and it did have a lasting impression on me as I think trough some parts of the book every now and then. For me it was worth the hype, as I wouldn't have known about it otherwise (it's quite different from what I usually read)

Not all books are for everyone though.

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Personal-Surround-87 t1_ivz5kfl wrote

I feel like it was quite predictable but I did really enjoy it especially because of the bi/lesbian discourse as it’s something my girlfriend and I have talked a lot about and it’s something I’ve thought a lot about. So it was good for me in spite of the predictability because elements of it were relatable!

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forestfaey t1_ivz7tjq wrote

I feel like social media and booktok by nature overhype books so much that I am nearly always disappointed.

I really liked seven husbands - the writing is very readable and I was hooked for longer time in one sitting than usual with reading books and story is good. But did it change my life like booktok promised? No. I admit it didn't even get me emotional like all the reviewers promised.

And I worked out the twist very soon into the book - so early that I thought that there was another twist coming. When I found out that that twist was THE twist, it was a little anticlimactic.

But it is a very good fun book to read.

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cecamicio t1_ivz8xd0 wrote

Replying to towapa (#502,182)

>The author is basically like "Yep, they love each other." And that's it. WHY DO THEY LOVE ABOUT EACH OTHER!

This was my first thought after finishing the book, I expected it to be a light and entertaining story and it was, but I don't think their relationship was well written, and it's kinda the whole point...

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valiant_toast t1_ivzbfcw wrote

I felt the same! The framing story felt forced and the relationships fell flat for me. We kept getting told how much the main love interests loved each other but I didn’t feel it. I’ve burned myself on BookTok before, most notably The Night and Its Moon, which I found very weak and could not understand the hype.

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WritPositWrit t1_ivzc6lm wrote

This is definitely a shallow beach read. It’s a shame reviews trumpet how deep and meaningful the book is, because it just leads to disappointment. Same thing happened to me. I was expecting the world from this book. But this ain’t that.

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librician t1_ivzcf00 wrote

I think people just really love queer love entering the world of prestige romance novels.

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twee_centen t1_ivzdebe wrote

Replying to rabidbreeder (#502,265)

I've gotten to the point that I'm extremely hesitant if the original source of the hype is booktok. The amount of crap my book club has had me slog through because booktok said...

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivzdtqq wrote

Replying to throwawaymassagedad (#502,936)

I think it matters you are an English mayor. It means you are an educated reader.

I have a degree in economics so a lot of things are not obvious to me and I have to study and get informed. And I agree about the cringe: the name and the rest.

About the book being labeled as romance: what? Seriously? I didn’t know the backstory of the book. I thought it was popular because was abuse and getting help, ending the cycle and all that. Not that was romantic. At all. When you read it you know the guy is a giant red flag. He is introduced by kicking chairs and forcing her to go near him. She tells him she doesn’t want a night stand and he keeps pushing. I could go on and on. All the signs were there from the beginning.

I also didn’t know that teenagers think this is “hot”. And that’s the problem. Abusers are usually very charming in the beginning, like in this case. I thought the ratio behind having a naive character was to use it as a device to tell a cautionary tale not to send messages like “he shoved me down the stairs but sex is hot and he has a six pack!”

Knowing this I can see where you a coming from and I agree. There is a sort of deception from the author to call this a love triangle and a love story when it’s blatant abuse. Especially if she writes for a younger audience. I will look into this.

The guy doesn’t face consequences and unfortunately it’s sometimes the reality especially when people don’t press charges and there are no records.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivzely8 wrote

Replying to forestfaey (#503,173)

Agree. It goes into the fun books category. Did people say this was life changing? Wow.

I was expecting a big emotional delivery and I was just “what’s wrong with me?” So I came here to see I’m not the only one.

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AudreyHerpburn t1_ivzf9hv wrote

100% agree. I didn't feel excited about any of it.

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throwawaymassagedad t1_ivzfr74 wrote

Replying to Hi-isLiv (#503,468)

>“he shoved me down the stairs but sex is hot and he has a six pack!”

This is true. There is a majority of teen audience that finds all this assault hot. I mean, come on. The book is nowhere near dealing with abuse, instead, it deviates farther and farther from it. I get that it is hard to detect abuse, and it is hard to get out of it, but then this discredits CoHo's author's note where she claims to talk about an abuse cycle in this apparently life-changing story. I have mad respect for her for getting out of that situation, but as a part of her "target" audience, I was very underwhelmed with the book. The writing is just horrible, and I could go on and on about it.

However, the issue is also her content. What she claims to do in the author's note and what she actually does in the story are just so in dissonance with each other. I am truly flummoxed by the amount of sales this author is making, because all her books follow the same type of trope. Her characters ought to have some trauma in order to be interesting. Why? I get that mental health is important, but then I am sorry, but she has failed in providing representation to such traumas.

Again, I would like to apologise for my incessant, useless rant. It just angers me so much that our generation is going to be remembered with such people who have done nothing but contribute to the capitalisation of an important art form, that is literature. And again, as an English Major, having read some great works, it is frustrating to see rare writers of our times who manage to write something par excellence.

P. S. Mad respect for your major, i just am so bad at economics that I have so much respect for people who manage to study it haha.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivzgzos wrote

Replying to throwawaymassagedad (#503,548)

I think it’s valid, your rant I mean. I had clsssified that book as a fluffy harmless read that was predictable and non very deep but that resonated on some level. And I didn’t consider the biggest picture. So thank you.

Also I think there is difference between having a “fantasy about abuse” and mistaking romance with actual abuse and, from what you are telling me, the author and marketing team are making bucks on morally gray area. It’s a dangerous game for younger generations.

Have you read Neon Gods? It’s really bad. Like reaaaally bad, but was based on consent to the point you were reminded every ten seconds since I think it was marketed to a younger audience.

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WiJaTu t1_ivzlmpf wrote

I only got into reading a month or so ago, so not sure how much weight my opinion holds. But I loved it, it’s my favourite book I’ve read thus far. It was just a real page turner and I appreciated the plot twists. I finished it in 2 days I believe. Thoroughly enjoyed it

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holly_goes_lightly t1_ivzm1jh wrote

I really enjoyed it tbh and the format, but I had read daisy Jones and the six weeks earlier which I thought was fantastic.

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Ok-Hawk-8034 t1_ivzmfr5 wrote

definitely a great story and well written. i like Taylor Jenkins Reid -style. beachy but engaging

ps yes , you’re exactly right- the love story is toxic but it’s also young, exciting and passionate and then they mature and it’s a deep bond. much like real life imperfect people .

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theaudacityofthi t1_ivzmiru wrote

Replying to rabidbreeder (#502,265)

I’m not a writing expert but even I can tell the writing is shit when Evelyn would go “that day I was wearing a pale blue v neck sweater that accentuated my chest with this type of necklace and hairstyle” about something that happened 50 years ago. It really bugged me cause it felt forced and not natural at all.

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Jaggedlittlepill76 t1_ivzn8st wrote

I couldn’t get through it - I found it boring and trying too hard to be something it’s not.

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Hi-isLiv OP t1_ivzpi43 wrote

Replying to WiJaTu (#503,855)

It was a page turner, and it wasn’t bad I think I got sidetracked about it being a masterpiece the reviews said it was.

And I think your opinion weighs as anybody else.. you enjoyed it, great! You know what you like, it’s a starting point.

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Donniej525 t1_ivzpn32 wrote

Replying to Ok-Hawk-8034 (#503,927)

I’m going to give Malibu another try (I have listened to a couple of hours on audiobook) but I don’t think Daisy Jones is for me right now.

But who knows? I’m a mercurial sort, so they may hit the spot just right at some point. :)

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ziggymoj19 t1_ivzra15 wrote

All her books are like this. Soapy easy entertainment. Which I enjoy from time to time but yeah, I hear what you’re saying about the ‘life changing’ hype they seem to generate.

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livoniax t1_iw02v0u wrote

It seems like the author thought she really did something by showong Golden Age Hollywood as a dark and twisted place, when that is literally the main spin that most books and movies about Golden Age Hollywood use. Pervy producers, fake relationships, secretly miserable stars, racism, crime - that is nothing new but the main character is always so shocked when learning new details that it kind of offended me as a reader. Like, I really think that I wouldn't mind many of the cliches as much if the main character journalist/blogger girl wasn't realizing them so late in the story taking me out of it each time.

Plus, the LGBT+ representation didn't sit right with me, especially when it comes to that spoilery final realization.

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ProgressiveKitten t1_iw04bdv wrote

I started reading it because it kept popping up as something recommended but I didn't finish it. Monique and Evelyn annoyed me for different reasons and Evelyn's story I just didn't find interesting... which is the whole point of the book...

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sailboatblues t1_iw08jlf wrote

TOTALLY AGREE! Everyone loves raving about this book and I just don't get it. It's a soapy beach read, and not a particularly well written one. Hard to root for the main character and I don't think her one true romance pulled at the heart strings either. Totally an overrated read in my opinion.

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AndWat t1_iw0awcb wrote

I DNF'd it early. I couldn't stand the prose. For example, there were way too many adjectives.

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luivicious13 t1_iw0azv7 wrote

Yeah it’s no masterpiece but i still really enjoyed it. Sometimes a quick read is good. I read the hearts invisible furies right after it, now THAT is an actual book with some substance.

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fireswater t1_iw0bebc wrote

I enjoyed it quite a lot but it is basically a shallow beach read. And I don't normally read those sorts of books. I think this author is so popular because she hits a sweet spot where it's just good enough that it doesn't feel too repetitive, derivative and cheesy that can be typical of "beach reads," but her books are still juicy, fun and easy to read. I wouldn't recommend them as masterpieces but I would as something light and entertaining.

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drleospacewoman t1_iw0e3n6 wrote

Thank you!! I thought I was the only one who felt this way. Definitely a beach read and a sub-par one at best 😬

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bloodredyouth t1_iw0gw7m wrote

I like the premise of the story but i found the writing very poor and all the characters lacked depth. The dialogue was also trash. I felt like a 6th grader wrote it.

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bacabukutulis t1_iw0l84j wrote

i was quite intrigued by the title and the fact it is listed under lgbt+ fiction. i felt the same you do with the main romance and found myself more engaged with some of the husbands' stories, especially with harry. also it took me awhile to see why and how evelyn chose monique to write her story like how did we get here?

it is overall still a fun read, but it's not exactly something i will dig deeper because there's really nowhere to go further.

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MemoryBig2756 t1_iw0m0jt wrote

I dnfed i didnt like it at all. I think i was up to like 55%

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QueenOfBoredom1 t1_iw0mait wrote

I get the thing about choosing Monique. It was obvious that Monique had something to do with Evelyn from the beginning and I went in thinking there was going to be a big reveal. I mean there was a reveal and it was sort of big but even if it was bigger I don’t really like the idea of there being a big reveal. It’s not really important to the story other than it being the only way to rope Monique in.

I mostly just enjoyed the book for when Evelyn was retelling her story, which was most of the book. IMO they could have just made the book Evelyn’s story and cut out the Monique plot line bc it doesn’t really add anything

Evelyn’s story alone makes this a good book for me though.

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tinycupsofcoffee t1_iw0p34v wrote

I felt the same way! I didn't love it - I didn't like the dual storylines, and the ending wrapped up abruptly.

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umm-iced t1_iw0s3mf wrote

I love it, it was the first book I read to break a years long reading break. It was just the book to get me back into reading, it was also the first real queer books I had ever read. For me its just a book that came into my life at the right time, which is why it's do dear to me.

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SamaireB t1_iw0tryv wrote

I haven't read this one yet (but have it ready at home on my TBR pile), but I felt the same about Daisy Jones & The Six. Massively hyped and I found it so incredibly boring. It took me at least three attempts to finish and I think I never read the last 10 pages. I don't get why that one is so insanely popular.

TJR is a hit or miss for me. I adored One True Loves, felt ok but not excited about Malibu Rising, hated Daisy Jones - so we'llsee what I think about Evelyn Hugo (and the new Carrie Soto one, which I also have on my TBR pile)

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dirtysecretsofmine t1_iw0yd18 wrote

Same. I was so underwhelmed and waiting for something to happen, some excitement. Nope. Not much. I was bummed and felt cheated somehow.

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Sad_Thought9001 t1_iw0yyld wrote

I was so emotionally invested in this book but it may just be because I listened to it instead of reading it physically. I didn’t really like Monique at first and at the end I kind of hated Evelyn but otherwise I cared for most of the main cast. While I get what other people here are saying about the lack of depth, I felt that there was plenty considering the fact that the story spans an entire lifetime.

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fragiumily t1_iw10d3u wrote

I could not agree more with all of this. Stayed to figure out why she chose Monique. Also agree I only really thought Harry was a real human. So shallow. SO SHALLOW. I also felt the relationship with Celia was abusive and I could not understand how there was any real love there it felt so shallow and just a talent crush on Celia’s end and an ego-stroke on Evelyn’s side. When I can’t emotionally bond with anyone in the book it feels like a complete waste of precious reading time.

Also hated It Ends with Us from the start. I am a stickler about finishing books I start but that is one of the few that I just gave up on. It was so terribly written I couldn’t handle it.

Someone else mentioned they felt the same way about Midnight Library because it was so hyped and I second this so hard. Because it was so hyped I ended up being extremely disappointed. I could not get over how many people said it was their favorite book ever.

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ZealousidealBank217 t1_iw10lr5 wrote

I think it's something that scratches the itch of seeing behind the curtains of Hollywood without really getting deep into it. For me, it wasn't very interesting because it felt like most celebrity Tell-Alls without the vague curiousity of "did this actually happen?" Especially since I've grown up reading so much analysis and gossip about the music and film industry, it really doesn't compare to the rush of these little, possible glimpses of those worlds. Maybe that's just me though, lol. But besides that intrigue, this book doesn't have a lot to offer as far as social critique or character writing. It's not trashy enough to be fun in a Soap Opera kind of way, either, so everything this book does feels very safe. That's not to say it isn't well executed, it is very careful about how it writes about racism and sexism, but it does seem incredibly forgettable and it's something you'd reccommend as easy reading and to not offend too many people.

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fragiumily t1_iw11ayi wrote

Replying to Donniej525 (#504,080)

Malibu Rising is the only TJR I liked. I actually loved it. But Evelyn Hugo and Carrie Soto fell flat for me. I’m reading Daisy Jones next because everyone says it’s her best but now I’m skeptical because EH got such high ratings on goodreads and I did NOT think it was worth that.

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kat3th3gr3at t1_iw16k4e wrote

The age thing doesn’t really fit for me, because I loved it (I’m in my 30s, not a booktok-er? I have no idea what the proper term is) and both my grandmothers loved it. It’s really the only TJR book I’ve enjoyed. I thought Evelyn was very Scarlett-O’Hara-esque and I could not put the book down for the life of me. I loved Harry. But then again, I read it before I knew of any hype.

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ShelleyDez t1_iw1mehr wrote

The framing device with Monique is crap but I found Evelyn Hugo to be a fully realised character. Her personality was so readable and everything she did, even her poor choices, made sense because she was internally consistent and well developed. She felt distinct and real to me.

I love romances set against difficult circumstances and so this ticked the box for me and I enjoyed their relationship thoroughly. All in all, I enjoyed it alot but things hit differently for everyone. I don't get any of the hype for Song of Achilles for example and people rave about that romance when it felt nothing but shallow to me. All in all, I understand the book not blowing your socks off, especially when half of it (the stuff set in the present day) isn't great

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MazrimCage t1_iw1v24f wrote

She spelled out the twist so obviously it was painful. Like 2/3 through the book the protagonist narrates something like (massively paraphrasing I read it a year ago) "little did I know I would soon want to kill Evelyn Hugo." Completely evaporated any hope of emotional impact when the twist was so transparent.

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Playful-Inevitable79 t1_iw1zu1p wrote

The author also shouldn’t get hype in general since she made poc main characters and had the audacity to white wash them because she’s a white women who has never experienced discrimination for how she looks and she would constantly write how you could only be pretty if your skinny which is such bull crap.

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[deleted] t1_iw1zzzk wrote

I don't either. It's overhyped, to say the least. While reading the book, I kept thinking of Elizabeth Taylor.

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No-Dog-826 t1_iw27w83 wrote

I thought it was rubbish. And such rigamarole having everyone pretending to be with this one or that one and getting married, when she could have just lived with her partner quietly and privately without all the fake weddings.

And yes, her one true love did seem like an abusive, manipulative person.

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meowkitty84 t1_iw293ri wrote

I normally read thrillers and this came up in my reccomended. I guess there is a small crime/mystery aspect to it.

I actually enjoyed it. Not the best book in the world. I read it all on one rainy day.I found the whole fake relationships in Hollywood aspect to it interesting. It made me wonder how many Hollywood couples are actually in love or just promoting a movie.

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jelly10001 t1_iw4jtqx wrote

Agreed that it isn't the most sophisticated book, but I just found it really fun to read. Plus the second half had a big emotional impact on me and I do find myself thinking about it from time to time.

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WhitePeppermintMocha t1_iw4vlso wrote

Replying to rabidbreeder (#502,265)

A friend recommended it to me and described it as “the greatest love story of this generation”. We’re in our mid twenties. I read it based on this recommendation, as a romance lover, and found it extremely mediocre; didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Definitely not the greatest love story of any generation.

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TrulyIntroverted t1_iw6raje wrote

I read it this year and even though I flew through it (like I do with most of what I read), I just didn't feel emotionally moved. And that is something that I crave when I read.

It was a 'yeah sure whatever' feeling. Evelyn wasn't all that, and the hype about her and around her did not reconcile with what we saw/ read (which I didn't care for tbh). As for Monique, she wasn't fleshed out enough. So there wasn't much to keep me invested.

This book is hyped up to be a literary masterpiece of sorts but it's really very light and as you rightly say, a 'beach read'.

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cinnamondaisies t1_iw6tmtk wrote

Replying to towapa (#502,182)

More than the lack of depth, what really struck me is they all have the same voice if that makes sense (except for select cartoon villainesque sequitors and Monique’s entire character revolving around How Evelyn Changed My Pitiful Life)

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CeeUNextThursday t1_iw6wvny wrote

I just finished reading it as well. I’m a little conflicted. It was an easy read that kept my interest throughout, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it to go the route it did. I mean, her dad was gay?? Come on. Also I really disliked Celia, she was at times really hateful and childish. The one part where she is upset that Evelyn will be filming a sex scene…I laughed out loud at her audacity for getting upset with Evelyn. I was hoping that Evelyn would eventually wise up and find herself a good man or woman to settle down with. It’s a shame she still chose Celia.

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LemonSqueazee t1_iwbqv2z wrote

Replying to vanastalem (#502,349)

Oh totally! I feel it can be really easy to put down those kind of reads for not being as difficult or deep as some other type of books. But reading a book is reading a book and sometimes a nice fun lighter reader is what you need! Plus any book that gets people back into ready is a win!

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