Published: June 13, 2017 by: Atria Books
Pages: 391
Rating: 2/5 stars
*highlight white text to reveal spoiler
When Monique Grant, a struggling journalist, lands a coveted interview with famed old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, she is curious. This is because Evelyn specifically requested Monique. Soon Monique is swept inside Evelyn's world, as Evelyn tells Monique her life story with the idea that Monique will publish Evelyn's official biography after her death. Monique soon learns that Evelyn's life went far deeper than what the gossip blogs knew, and through her interview, Monique not only learns things about Evelyn's life, but also about her own.
I wanted to love this book. I wanted to gush over it like 99% of the book community does. I tried very hard. However, this book was a complete and utter bust for me. Here's why:
First off, I barely liked the character of Evelyn. I found her selfish and pretentious, and I didn't think that the book gave her a good voice at all. I understand that everything she did in her life, she did for a reason. Her life was hard, and she had to take risks. I admired her confidence as a woman. But, I thought that she was very unlikable, and a lot of the stuff she did in her past hurt a lot of people. I just couldn't champion her.
I also didn't love Monique either. I think she was a very bland character, who I didn't receive enough information about to like her. She completely fell flat.
Now to the plot. And to be honest, the only reason this book received two stars from me is because I enjoyed diving into the world of Old Hollywood. I find that era fascinating, so I will say that I found those aspects of the book most interesting.
I though that the "big twist" at the end of the novel was such a far stretch. You mean to tell me that Evelyn's best friend killed Monique's father years ago? Absolutely not. I thought that the twist was random, not to mention something that I thought was very unrealistic. There are billions of people in this world, and yet somehow Monique and Evelyn have this connection? Give me a break.
So, yeah, I didn't love this book. I found it pretentious and with some very unlikable characters. I didn't buy it at all. In fact, it just left me angry. Oh well.
Emily @ Paperback Princess
Ugh, I hate it when stuff's pretentious. Thanks for the honest opinion Em - I know a lot of people love this one, but it's always good to hear a variety of views! :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, you can always count on me being honest.
DeleteI loved this so much, especially because of the characters lol, but I respect your opinion! The twist made sense to me, because the reason Evelyn looked into Monique in the first place was this connection between them. Had she not wanted to tell her story and somehow make up for her part in Monique's father's death, she wouldn't have approached or even researched Monique. Them meeting was not up to chance, Evelyn knew what she was doing all along.
ReplyDeleteI get that it's a big coincidence that Monique is, of all things, a writer/journalist, which fits nicely into the story. But I thought TJR did a good job of highlighting that Evelyn would have dealt with this even if there was no easy route like her.
Either way, I get what you're saying, and I'm sad this didn't work for you. :(
I guess I just didn’t expect Monique, this average girl, to have a connection to a world famous actress. It got me thinking, now how often does this happen in real life?! Lol. But I’m glad you loved it nonetheless :)
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