The book, The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, is quickly growing in popularity. The book details the secret and ultimately scandalous life of the world-famous, fictitious actress, Evelyn Hugo. As she is near the end of her life, Evelyn reveals to the world that she will do an interview after years of silence in the media. In this final interview that she gives to a seemingly random journalist, readers discover the importance of Monique Grant, a struggling writer at a magazine company, plays in Hugo’s life. From there, the world finds out that the actresses’ life was more than what the media had captured. The novel discusses the hate that women face in the media, the price for fame, love, and ultimately a lot of loss.

Teens have even been spreading excitement about the book through social media, in particular on the app TikTok. As a very versatile app, TikTok can be used in numerous ways. Within it are thousands of sub-communities that collect fans or those with similar interests; one of the most popular being “Book-Tok”. This sub-community is filled with creators who are avid about recommending new books, creating reviews, discussing literary tropes, and authors who promote their works. “Book-Tok” itself has over 52 Billion views and the hashtag, #sevenhusbandsofevelynhugo has over 30 million views. Creators talk about the book and have fans cast the upcoming movie with their favorite actors and actresses. Netflix released a statement earlier this year saying that work for a film adaptation of the novel has begun. This sparked excitement in the community as the book has grown an intense following. 

Fan-Cast Opinions

This novel explores the entirely fictional life of Evelyn Hugo; meaning there is a need for a younger and older version for some characters. There are lots of different opinions among the fandom but most can agree on Ana de Armas as the youngest version, Sofia Vergara as older, and Rita Moreno as the oldest Evelyn Hugo. The public also believes that either Emma Stone or Anya Taylor Joy should play a young Celia St. James and Jessica Chastain as older Celia St. James. Laura Harrier or Kylie Bunbury as Monique. There is much debate in regards to each of the seven notable husbands, in no particular order: Josh O’Connor as Harry Cameron, John Corbett as Robert Jamison, Aaron Taylor Johnson as Rex North, Diego Boneta as Ernie Diaz, Louis Garrel as Max Girard, Oscar Isaac as Mick Riva and Finn Wittrock as Don Adler. All of these common opinions can be viewed on various social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, etc. 

Shea Humphries, a sophomore at HBHS, loved reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. “It had a lot of plot twists! It was interesting to read because you really saw how heavily celebrities are judged in the media and how they have to pretend to be something that they are not in order to please fans or big people in the business to stay relevant and continue to make money.”

How “Book-Tok” has influenced the public’s opinion. 

Even Barnes and Nobles jumped at the chance to explore social media’s influence on reading. A section of the store is dedicated and on their website to market the most popular books at the moment. All volumes of Heartstopper, A good girl’s guide to murder, It Ends with Us, Verity, It Starts With Us, The Song of Achilles, Red White & Royal Blue, and of course The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are among some of the many books that can be found in this section. 

If you enjoy reading or are a huge fan of one of the books listed previously, check out “Book-Tok” to discuss, learn, and enjoy your favorite reads. Maybe even give Evelyn Hugo a try before the movie comes out!