I don't consider many reads worthy of five stars, but this one got me. I went in blind to Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I didn't know what I expected, but this story completely exceeded any possible expectations.

Evelyn Hugo is the it-girl actress of her time. She's a woman men lust after and are dying to have on their arms. She's lived a glamorous and scandalous life and is finally ready to tell all to Monique, an up-and-coming journalist looking for her big break. The two meet in Evelyn's apartment as she shares all the secrets of her life, including her reasons for each husband, who the true love of her life is, and why she's asked Monique, of all people, to tell her story.

This book was a beautiful story that sucked me in from the first page. Ultimately, this is a story of love, friendship, and family. I liked how the book was broken into parts, each dedicated to a husband, explaining her life at that point and what role each man played. On the surface, it would be easy to say Evelyn is marrying for opportunity or status, but Reid did a wonderful job of making you empathize with Evelyn.

Learning the connection between Monique and Evelyn was heartbreaking, yet it was also a wonderful way to wrap up the book and show the life of both these women coming full circle.