The Overbooked Society discussion

We can discuss The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo here !

So…when do we start ?
I’m not in a hurry and I’m ready to start anytime. I would like to finish the current book first though.

Let’s see everyone’s schedule then decide.

♡Meli♡︎ wrote: "Awesome 👏 exited to start reading it. Does it start tomorrow?"

Let’s see what others have to say.

That’s totally fine

Well I'm reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte rn and I'll probably finish it by Friday. Then, I wanted to read King Lear till Monday, so I'll be available from Tuesday. But I can also start it after Wuthering heights on Saturday. You make the decision and I'll just go with the flow.

I’m cool with either Tuesday or Saturday or even later. Let’s see what others have to say.

I’m totally free but I think we should start from Tuesday, since it seems most convenient for everybody here.

And since the rest have yet to give their opinion, I’m assuming they are ok ?

Ok then , see you guys on Tuesday !!!

♡Meli♡︎ wrote: "Alright see you on Thursday :)"

Tuesday !
See you on Tuesday ! 3 days from now.

Ok good, I was busy these days and couldn't finish Wuthering Heights by Friday and afraid that you guys would start. But Tuesday is great. I'll start from Tuesday too!

Hello everyone,
I’m really excited to start the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ! Especially after this novel literally crowding over my feed.

Let’s see how it turns out because I have really high expectations, even though I usually don’t prefer historical novels.

omg guys it's fabulous! I have read until the end of the second husband Don and I was barely able to put it down. It's been 150 pages so far. Plz start and tell me until where you've read it so that we can discuss the story and the plot too.

Omg, the writing…I can’t put the book down. I literally just saw few scenes of Evelyn Hugo but I already like her.

But noooo….I have a huge problem !! I did the mistake of reading the reviews and updates and I got spoiled on something. I don’t know how big of a spoiler or when it is gonna come but I’m so mad !!!

(view spoiler)[ the answer to the question - who was the love of Evelyn Hugo’s life ??. I already know the answer - it’s Celia !! Evelyn’s costar.
But that would have been HUGE surprise because by now I’ll be guessing which one of the husband is. Urgh !!!!. (hide spoiler)]

♡Meli♡︎ wrote: "Unknown wrote: "Hello everyone,
I’m really excited to start the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo ! Especially after this novel literally crowding over my feed.

Let’s see how it turns out because I ha..."

Oh don’t worry, just go at your pace and share your thoughts along the way. I’ll put my thoughts in spoiler tags. so when you reach that part, you can check it out.

No need to be in a hurry.

As for me…I think I’ll finish this book by tomorrrow.
A bit of an impatient reader.

So I finished the second husband !
And I have so many thoughts.

The first husband section -
(view spoiler)[ I knew what to expect but it was still upsetting to see. We speed through this section but it introduced Evelyn very well. They show her as this opportunistic person from the beginning and also a lot about making a celebrity. Like they treat her as a product from the starting which is ruthless, though…she is 100% aware.

Also, the husband…mr poor. As in he is the poorest one, also because he is kinda miserable, he literally gets used and thrown away, lol. But oh well, like Evelyn said, all’s well that ends well and he got the better part of the deal.

At the end, this line kind of stood out -
“So I had two choices. I could do it for free. Or I could do it for free candy.”
The first time we see her opportunistic side, also it tells a lot about Evelyn. Doesn’t make it any less upsetting though (hide spoiler)]

The second husband section -

(view spoiler)[
A lot happened here.
But first thing first, I hate this husband and I’ll rather not talk about him.
On my god, the portrayal of abusive relationship….hate him seriously.

Second, Evelyn ! If the first section showed her as this opportunistic out of reach person. The second section showed her human side. To some extent, she wants the same things as others, she too can be naive at times , and she doesn’t have full control over her fate.

Then the other characters …
Harry Cameron, the absolute favorite character. I am so so glad he is not a potential love interest. I love the friendship between them and I don’t want it to be ruined by forced romance.

Cecilia..I like their relationship. But if I’ve learned anything from novels, it’s that relationship established this early means drama ahead and this is Hollywood fiction.

My favorite scene in this section was of them drinking at Evelyn house together. It was the first time we see her so unguarded, happy and normal.
And then there was this quote…
“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.”
That’s it…no other words.

One complain I do have is the predictable film industry plot, it’s not really a problem but it was difficult to be interested in it when I knew what was gonna happen from the moment this section started.

(hide spoiler)]

Anyway..the next husband is mr gullible. I think I know where this is going….

Hello everyone, I finished the book and feeling a bit down after that. Let me know where you are.

Ok !

It’s fine, you can take your time !
Don’t stress

♡Meli♡︎ wrote: "Unknown wrote: "It’s fine, you can take your time !
Don’t stress"

At 47% into the book it's enjoyable, i have some predictions [spoilers removed]"

Hey ! Not bad predictions.
I’m not gonna confirm anything though.
Anyway, I’m so glad you’re enjoying this novel.

I actually knew about Celia being her true love even before because of the reviews, which is sad because I would have love some surprise.
Other than that, their story is good though obviously filled with obstacles.

Oh I remember that part but (view spoiler)[ I didn’t know it was real life (hide spoiler)]

Ohh..I’ll check it out. Thanks for telling me. I didn’t know.

Btw, what do you think of each husbands until now ?

I know ! He is (view spoiler)[ my favorite one. Also, he is probably the only one so far who cares and loves her. Also, his name is Harry (hide spoiler)]

What the hell? I was busy for some days and you guys went and finished it?😂 But I would've finished it too if I was free so no judgement. I stopped when it reached to Harry as the fifth husband cause I can tell that it's massive and I need a more focused mind for that.

Unknown wrote: "The second husband section -


A lot happened here.
But first thing first, I hate this husband and I’ll rather not talk about him.
On my god, the portrayal of abusive relationship….hate him serio..."

I think it was such a bummer when you saw that he actually is a paramount LI?😂

My thought up until now: (Don't you dare spoil anything after the fourth husband Rex)

I don't think it's too fictional or it's focused on the scandalous lives of old Hollywood stars. I presume that the writer is taking Evelyn as a representor of many many women who suffered from the unawareness and the dirty games of old movie industry. Each husband and story illustrates one kind of a miserable life that women had to endure those days to keep their career. I'd like to give this book to a movie star who has experienced the life in those times and ask their opinion about it and actually hear their story. Someone like Meryl Streep or if the dead were able Katharine Hepburn or sth like that.😅😂

But another focus of the book is obv the hardships for the LGBTQ in those times. Especially when they got famous, everyday would be cutthroat for LGBTQ couples. I mean even now people are so reluctant and scared to come out easily. Unfortunately, Homophobia, Transphobia or anything like still exists.

Hey moonlight ! Good to have you back !

I actually didn’t like the novel that much, so I sped through it.

They might be spoilers until fourth husband !

I’m not fan of celebrity fiction, but I agree with you on each husband representing a theme and what actress go through. Also, another point i would like to be bring to attention is that we are seeing this story from Evelyn’s point of view. That’s why each husband (except Harry) is either nicknamed negatively (poor, gullible, disappointing) or in a neutral term ( clever, agreeable). Because that’s how she views men in general because of her trauma and experiences.
That’s also the reason why there are almost no good men in the industry.

Also, Have you noticed how Evelyn just speeds through the low points in her life ?
For example, her poor upbringing is just one or two chapters, she barely goes through how don adler abused her, her career going down after the divorce is also just one chapter and that too she focused on her relationship, and many more examples.
Also, she made the scenes with Mr gullible (hate him) sound like like she was in complete control. But I just found that scene to be distressing.

That’s why I think Evelyn is an unreliable narrator.

MoonLight wrote: "But another focus of the book is obv the hardships for the LGBTQ in those times. Especially when they got famous, everyday would be cutthroat for LGBTQ couples. I mean even now people are so reluct..."

Yes ! It’s so ironic that she has seven husbands but she has to struggle through to be together with the actual love of her life. I really wish she had run away with Celia, even though that’s actually not possible.

I also love the contrast between her and Celia. Two people with different upbringing, different persona and different opinions.
I think that’s another obstacle to their relationship.

Evelyn has the persona of a sex icon, while Celia has a persona of ‘good girl’. Unfortunately, Evelyn’s person subjects her to illicit attention, That’s what makes Celia paranoid (calling Evelyn a ‘whore’). On the other Evelyn thinks Celia is naive and ignorant and can’t see why she is so paranoid (dirtying herself to protect her).

Their experiences also set them apart. Evelyn has gone through a lot, so she’s aware of the ‘dark and dirty’ side. While celia has not gone through all that, therefore she can’t understand Evelyn’s intentions.

Literally everything is keeping them apart except their love for each other (excuse this cheesy sentence).

As for the husbands….

Mr gullible - (view spoiler)[hate him, he’s just one rank above the previous one. I know it was Evelyn’s plan. But can you imagine, if it wasn’t ?
He married a woman and pretend to be in love with her just so he could take advantage of her. And once he was done taking advantage. he annulled the marriage and leaves her saying ‘I’m not good enough for you’. Urgh !!! (hide spoiler)]

Mr clever - (view spoiler)[ yeah, he’s the first decent one so far. I can’t say much about him (hide spoiler)]

And that’s all !
I have more theories but those are spoilers.
Let me know when you’re done !!

♡Meli♡︎ wrote: "I finished the book :) the ending was just?? I sorta predicted some sort of it."

Yeah, it was fine. I didn’t like it that much but it’s probably my taste.

I'm sorry to hear that u haven't liked it much because I've loved it until the end of fifth husband (Harry). But I assume that I'm going to be disappointed in the next two husbands because it's really getting tiresome that Evelyn ruins every good moment left and right with her poor choices and learns nothing from her many experiences.

Evelyn is an unstable person, no discussion. But as Monique said Celia isn't so perfect either. I think they are really a bad couple considering everything. There's nothing else besides their love that can keep this romance together. In a word, It's a match made in hell!

But totally I don't think I'll regret reading it. Despite all the flaws that you mentioned, I enjoy reading it and there are some depths to some delicate subjects that I believe the author has addressed them beautifully. In other words, I think It has the potential of teaching us a lesson or two. In spite of her bias, Evelyn doesn't censor her own bad decisions and her terrible personality. I presume that she represents a flawed characteristic that can teach us to avoid making some poor mistakes in our life unlike the way she did.

MoonLight wrote: "I'm sorry to hear that u haven't liked it much because I've loved it until the end of fifth husband (Harry). But I assume that I'm going to be disappointed in the next two husbands because it's rea..."

I can exactly tell why I didn’t like it after like 1/3 of the novel was over. I started seeing a very familiar pattern and it got exhausting. Evelyn made a mistake ! Consequences ! A bit of time passed ! Back to normal ! And rinse and repeat.

It’s not bad, the author added new things. But I was never interested in celebrity fiction anyway, so it kind of lost of interest.

Yeah I agree there was a stupid pattern. And I actually do like Hollywood fiction, Hollywood glamour and those kinds of things, so it's just about the tastes and book is good enough I think. Agree?

MoonLight wrote: "Yeah I agree there was a stupid pattern. And I actually do like Hollywood fiction, Hollywood glamour and those kinds of things, so it's just about the tastes and book is good enough I think. Agree?"

Agreed.

I got peer pressured into reading it and then got a bit upset when I didn’t like it.
So yeah, next time I’ll be more immune.

OH. MY. GOD. I just finished the book and I'm mesmerized! How can you say THAT was predictable? You really predicted the twist at the end?

I really loved and enjoyed reading it in total despite he fact that it wasn't even on my tbr and I just read it for the BOTM

MoonLight wrote: "OH. MY. GOD. I just finished the book and I'm mesmerized! How can you say THAT was predictable? You really predicted the twist at the end?

I really loved and enjoyed reading it in total despite h..."

Nope. Obviously not.

But i did predicted that (view spoiler)[ monique’s connection to Evelyn is through her dad. I just didn’t expect he will be Harry’s lover. I just thought Evelyn was indebted to her dad I’m some other way (hide spoiler)].

Either way, it’s great that you liked the novel.
I love pleasant surprises too.

Well I think you are quite astute because I had no idea that might be the case😂

And yeah I am glad that I enjoyed it too. Especially after hating the previous BOTM😂

MoonLight wrote: "Well I think you are quite astute because I had no idea that might be the case😂

And yeah I am glad that I enjoyed it too. Especially after hating the previous BOTM😂"

Yeah, I remember. You were everywhere about hating that.
I was thinking about reading the hating game but I didn’t like the Spanish love deception. And since they are similar, I just didn’t read the hating game.

Btw, if you haven’t realize. The BOTM currently reading is still the hating game.
They didn’t update it yet.

Unknown wrote: "MoonLight wrote: "Well I think you are quite astute because I had no idea that might be the case😂

And yeah I am glad that I enjoyed it too. Especially after hating the previous BOTM😂"

Yeah, I rem..."

Never mind they updated it. But in the morning, it was still ‘the hating game’

Yeah and believe me, The Hating Game is much worse than The Spanish Love Deception😂