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Books Like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Sweeping Love Stories, Old Hollywood Glamour & Ambitious Women

You finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, stared at the wall for a while, and now nothing else will do. I know the feeling. Here are the books that come closest — sweeping love stories, old-Hollywood glamour, ambitious women and the kind of secrets you race through a book to uncover.

Why you loved Evelyn Hugo

Before the list, it helps to name what made the book work, because that is what we are chasing in the next read: a complicated, ambitious woman at the centre; a life story that sweeps across decades; glamour and fame; a hidden love; and a confessional, can’t-look-away voice. Each book below delivers at least one of those in full — grouped so you can pick by exactly what you are craving.

More by Taylor Jenkins Reid

  • Daisy Jones & The Six — Taylor Jenkins Reid. A 1970s rock band told as an oral-history interview — the same addictive, confessional format that made Evelyn Hugo sing.
  • Malibu Rising — Taylor Jenkins Reid. One unforgettable night, one famous family, decades of secrets. Glamour, ambition and family drama in equal measure.
  • Carrie Soto Is Back — Taylor Jenkins Reid. A fierce, ageing tennis champion fighting for one last title. Another portrait of a complicated, driven woman.

Old-Hollywood glamour

  • City of Girls — Elizabeth Gilbert. A woman looks back on her wild youth in 1940s New York theatre. Lush, sensual and full of self-invention.
  • Beautiful Ruins — Jess Walter. Moves between 1960s Italy and modern Hollywood, with a long-buried romance at its heart. Cinematic and bittersweet.

Sweeping love stories

  • The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue — V.E. Schwab. A woman cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, across 300 years. A gorgeous meditation on love and being remembered.
  • One Day — David Nicholls. Two people revisited on the same date across twenty years. Funny, tender and quietly devastating.

Ambitious women & buried secrets

  • Lessons in Chemistry — Bonnie Garmus. A brilliant 1960s chemist refuses to be sidelined. Sharp, warm and full of a woman defying her era — Evelyn would approve.
  • The Midnight Library — Matt Haig. A woman explores the lives she might have lived. For readers who loved reflecting on Evelyn’s choices and regrets.

Whichever you pick, jot the one line you want to remember when you finish — the heart of our Read, Remember, Recommend challenge. For more in this vein, browse the best romance novels or the wider best books to read this year.

Books Like Evelyn Hugo FAQ

What books are similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

The closest matches are Taylor Jenkins Reid’s own novels — Daisy Jones & The Six, Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto Is Back — which share her confessional style and complicated heroines. Beyond TJR, City of Girls, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Lessons in Chemistry capture the same mix of glamour, ambition and sweeping love.

What should I read first after Evelyn Hugo?

Start with Daisy Jones & The Six. It is by the same author, uses a similar interview format, and delivers the same can’t-stop-reading momentum. It is the most natural next step.

Are these books like Evelyn Hugo also about LGBTQ love?

Several explore queer love and hidden relationships. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and City of Girls both feature bisexual heroines, echoing one of Evelyn Hugo’s central threads. Themes and depth vary, so check each book if that is what you are after.

Which of these is the best for a book club?

Daisy Jones & The Six, Lessons in Chemistry and The Midnight Library all spark great discussion about ambition, choices and identity. Pair any of them with our book-club question set for an easy, lively meeting.

I want more old-Hollywood glamour specifically — what should I read?

Go for City of Girls and Beautiful Ruins. Both drip with mid-century glamour and self-reinvention, with romance and regret threaded through. They scratch the exact itch Evelyn Hugo leaves behind.

Are these books emotional like Evelyn Hugo?

Yes. One Day, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and The Midnight Library are all genuine tear-jerkers, while the Taylor Jenkins Reid titles carry the same emotional gut-punch beneath the glamour.

Do I need to read these in any order?

No — every book here is a standalone. Read them in whatever order appeals to you. The only loose grouping is by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and even those are unconnected stories you can read independently.

What makes a book "like" Evelyn Hugo?

Usually one or more of these: a complicated, ambitious woman at the centre; a sweeping life story told across decades; glamour and fame; a hidden love; and a confessional, can’t-look-away narrative voice. The books here each deliver at least one of those in full.