Monique is working for Vivant, a media company, when she is requested to interview Evelyn Hugo, a very famous movie actress, who has refused to give interviews for years. Evelyn starts to reveal her story to Monique, that life isn't perfect, that people are more than just one thing, that relationships are complicated, the power of forgiveness and reinvention, the idea of family, loss, and accepting the choices of others. From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & the Six—an entrancing and “wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet” ( PopSugar) as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. And perhaps my favorite part was the messaging around the importance of actual love in relationships, rather than just a willingness to try.

I regret every second I didn’t spend with her. I regret every stupid thing I did that caused her an ounce of pain. I should have chased her down the street the day she left me. I should have begged her to stay. I should have apologized and sent roses and stood on top of the Hollywood sign and shouted, ‘I’m in love with Celia St. James!’ and let them crucify me for it.” all i’ve ever wanted was for you to be truly mine. but you’ve never been mine. not really. i’ve always had to settle for one piece of you. but i can’t do it. i can’t do it, evelyn.” evelyn‘s & harry‘s friendship is all i need in life. i want that mutual understanding of each other, knowing what the other means by glances only, helping & being there whenever the other needs you. their friendship is so pure and genuine, i just want to hug them.

Sometimes reality comes crashing down on you. Other times reality simply waits, patiently, for you to run out of the energy it takes to deny it.” don’t even get me started on the part when john was dying and harry had to live without him and then him finding a new love and then died 😭 harry dying was one of the saddest parts in the book. i knew it was coming up but i didn’t expect it to be in an accident. and then the reveal of why monique was chosen for evelyn‘s biography? tjr, you are a genius. seriously. from that moment on my heart wouldn’t stop bleeding. everything that came after was just as heart shattering as harry‘s death. once celia died, i just felt so sad for evelyn. i wanted to hug her even if she had despised me for that. i felt her loneliness through the lines and my eyes wouldn’t stop tearing up.

Welcome to my characters section, aka “The spoilery spoiler zone”! If you didn’t read the book yet and still want to be surprised by its revelations you better don’t continue to read my review. I’m worse than any tabloid mentioned in this book and I’ll spoil you relentlessly! If you still want to read my gossip, go ahead, but don’t say I didn’t warn you! ;-P Do you understand what I'm telling you? When you're given an opportunity to change your life, be ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen. The world doesn't give things, you take things. If you learn one thing from me, it should probably be that.”Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. I’m Evelyn.” She reaches out and takes my hand, shaking it. It strikes me as a unique form of power to say your own name when you know that everyone in the room, everyone in the world, already knows it.” Did you trust Evelyn to be a reliable narrator as you were reading? Why, or why not? Did your opinion on this change at all by the conclusion, and if so, why? People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is 'you're safe with me'- that's intimacy.” Is Evelyn Hugo going to tell me just enough to keep me on the edge of my seat but never enough to truly reveal anything?