The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

TJR is definitely in one of the top spots on my list of favorite authors. I see her characters in my head even when I begrudgingly set her books down. I dream about them. I became so immersed in this particular story, that before I was even halfway through the book I was already starting to mourn the characters and the inevitable ending. Not to mention having to mourn the characters individually as they passed along the way. The devastation of the twist at the end broke me and I couldn't even be upset by it. This book was excellent. I want to reread it already.

I loved Monique's realization that she was emulating Evelyn with regards to getting what she wanted from her career and in her relationship. I loved how that parallel helped us as readers understand Monique's conflicting feelings for Evelyn. Harry was hands down my favorite character. I loved how much he loved Evelyn and Connor and his emotional responses to losing the love of his life twice. The second one inadvertently causing the loss of his own life. I love Monique's father's dedication to his family. I love how brazen Evelyn was through every one of her life decisions.

The only aspect I wasn't a fan of was Celia's character portrayal. Or lack thereof. She didn't have as strong of a personality description as several of the husbands did. I knew she loved Evelyn and was jealous for her, but she lacked deeper character traits. At least it didn't come through in her dialogue for me like it did for Harry, Don, and even Mick. I felt that I read more about her hair being draped over a pillow than about what made Evelyn love her so much. Also, what happened to Luisa? Did she retire or die? Did I miss that explanation?

Regardless, this is one of my favorite books I've ever read.