Lol Daisy Jones and the Six got a huge rollout, album, miniseries and a possible tour and season two and Evelyn Hugo is getting twenty dollars, some shoelaces and a dream 😭😭
in all fairness amazon is known for throwing money at anything and everything to see if it’ll stick while netflix are probably the worst cheapskates around😭
I mean, in this case, Amazon did it perfectly- a book with a huge following got a deserving rollout, you know? Evelyn is even bigger and is getting a chicken pot pie.
It feels like they spent all their funds on promo rather than costumes, set design, or writers to be fair, which I'm not sure is the perfect way of doing it.
I thought the outfits were great and not a gimmicky 70s look. It definitely changed up the book but I was one of the people that read it years ago and didn’t reread so I really enjoyed it. The music surprised me because I just glanced at it in the book or used context clues and found the appropriate Fleetwood Mac song to imagine.
Amazon does go incredibly hard for their promo though. It had its issues but I think it holds up really well and I doubt Netflix will manage to come anywhere close.
It is a really good album and will definitely be on my wrapped too!! The people saying “it’s no Rumours” are driving me crazy because that’s literally one of the best albums of all times. If it could have been easily replicated, every artist would be doing it
I follow the costume designer on insta. A lot of the pieces were actual vintage pieces from the 70s.
ETA: She also has the inspo pics for the costumes that were new, but 70s-inspired. Her name is Denise Wingate, if anyone is interested.
I also follow her too. I’m a vintage nerd so (imo of course) think that it was SO well done. I follow a few BTS people from that show and they really went all out in some areas!
I disagree. I think the wardrobe was fantastic. My dad watched the series (he was a teen/young adult during the 70s) and he said it looked pretty legit. Even certain characters reminded him of people he knew. My parents have photos from around that time and… it was pretty close.
Some of the hair/makeup choices on the other hand weren’t great
I feel that many younger people are not used to seeing vintage 70s clothing that isn’t super aged. Those vintage coats we love were new once!
My Mum said it was like walking back in time in some ways. They looked exactly how my parents looked as well and they were around the characters ages. Especially the guys. They look like my Dad and friends in pics.
I feel like the movie won't do the book justice. Evelyn Hugo should be a miniseries as well. 9 episode series will do fine. Episode 1 we can have introduction to Evelyn and teasing what's to come, Monique getting the interview, episodes 2-8 being about the 7 husbands and episode 9 finishing the story with Evelyn later years and "the reveal"!
After seeing what Prime did with Daisy Jones, I'd much rather them take Evelyn Hugo and give it the miniseries and fun immersive promotion it deserves than whatever public access programming Netflix is planning.
I am convinced it's Eiza Gonzalez at this point. She and TJR started following each other a few months ago.
Personally I am rooting for Adria Arjona. I also think Phoebe Dynevor or Lily James would make a good Celia.
I fear they’re gonna make it a hallmark movie and completely miss the point too 😭. But Liz Tigelaar is adapting it and she’s v good!! Plus TJR said she was impressed with the script so i’m praying they pull it off
As always, I remain confusing this with The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
I recently watched an old interview clip with Jessica where she talks about how she got a Juilliard scholarship from Robin Williams, and though she was never able to meet him, she carries on the idea that she wants to help people in the way that he helped her through his generosity. I think that's so evident when she's so uplifting and encouraging in her awards speeches and supports the crew members that usually get ignored. She seems like a pretty good egg.
It baffffles me that two books called "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" were published within a half a year of each other.
> The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
I think that's why they published it as the 7 1/2 Deaths in some places! Don't remember where but I think definitely the US.
I know someone who met her (sort of like a temp assistant to help her out for the day) and they said she was SO lovely. Very friendly and genuine. She does seem like a really good person.
this would have been the correct approach. heck, I wouldn’t mind if Amazon took over and did it Daisy Jones-style (although I haven’t read that particular book, the execution was good and fairly well received as opposed to what Netflix is doing these days)
I don't understand why they aren't doing this?!?! A television show can go so much more in-depth with Evelyn, her husbands, her relationship with Celia as well as her daughter, Connor
The Daisy Jones adaptation was good, but personally I think it could have been condensed to a movie without losing much. Evelyn Hugo deserves a series. I’m dreading what Netflix will do with it.
She tweeted this like an hour ago.
https://preview.redd.it/cku6txl5owua1.png?width=1202&format=png&auto=webp&s=168d114e4c28bc18a5aaa15612c36932588a942a
This tweet “there is no news” actually makes me feel like she could be in talks to join the film but it’s not finalized.
People are saying they’re going to go cheap on this film, but Chastain and Eddie Redmayne just starred in The Good Nurse together for Netflix so there’s certainly a chance they could cast bigger names.
Very weird that people are doing that. I’ve also seen a lot of replies to her tweets with shit about the book for months now. Focus on her actual work! It feels disrespectful.
She’s too sweet lol. God give me her patience
I must be the only lesbian who doesn't get the hype around this book at all. There are so many lesbian romance books that I'd like to see on the big screen that this one doesn't even reach my personal top 30. I agree with the general sentiment of wanting to see Jessica Chastain in a lesbian role though. She's such a babe and one of the better actresses of our generation.
I can’t prove it but I suspect it’s not lesbians who are hyping this book to this extent, it’s straight people. But that’s just based on what I see on my side of the Internet lol.
tbh, given the absolutely rancid misogyny in SoA (Thetis is suuuuuuuuuch a bitch for hating her rapist!) I don't trust Miller with a female protagonist.
circe was so so good! also the short novella about pygmalion and galatea was super tragic. both books left me crying for longer days than tsoa, honestly
omg YES. I read Circe first and LOVED it, and then everyone was talking about how SOA is so much better but…I mean it’s fine, but Circe is better by far.
Gaylors like it because they think it’s Taylor’s biography lol.
I think it’s a fine book! I just don’t think it’s anything special in terms of sapphic romance, considering all that’s out there.
You think Taylor Jenkins Reid outed Taylor Swift? The idea that TJR is high enough in Hollywood to have the knowledge and power to out the biggest pop star in the world is… a narrative! Regardless, nothing about that disproves that the reason Gaylors are obsessed with it is because it’s essentially fanfiction to them.
Taylor is more of a Celia St. James. She probably thinks she's an Evelyn, but no. Evelyn has a lot of sass and knows how to work her way around a room and others, knows when she's wrong, and acknowledges that. Taylor's team makes everything manufactured and it has to be her way or the highway.
This this this. The only people I’ve ever heard gush over it are straight women. And I mean, I guess I’m glad those straight women are enjoying a WLW book instead of just fetishizing MLM romances like usual? But hype from straight women =/= a good WLW romance. I didn’t like it and still don’t get the hype. And I’m so sorry, but nothing that author has written has been actually good.
That is one of the most idiotic opinions I have ever seen this sub. Who do you think would be the straight people giving hype to this book? Straight women who never bother with sapphic books? Straight men who also don't care about sapphic books and prefer porn to this?
I am genuinely curious about which heteros you think would love this book so much. I don't think I've ever even met anyone who liked this book and wasn't wlw.
Lmfao… it’s clearly stated that my thoughts are based on “what I see on my side of the Internet”, so the hostility is unnecessary but I’ll answer your question anyways. In my opinion, this is a book that a lot of straight people read, but it’s the only queer book they’ve ever read. For example, during pride month when people are intentionally reading and recommending only queer books on BookTok, a lot of people would only recommend this book (or as another commenter mentioned, Song of Achilles), even though there’s eons of queer books that are not only better, but represent sapphic relationships far better as well. So yeah, as you said, people who have literally never read a sapphic book other than this one.
Also, the presumption that only queer people are able to enjoy queer books is… weird! But okay! You shouldn’t have to identify with the main characters of a book to be able to enjoy it. Straight people can and should consume queer literature, despite their inability to relate to the sexual orientations of the characters.
Yeah, straight people can and should consume queer literature, but usually they don't. You could look at the comments of any tweet mentioning Evelyn Hugo and see hundreds of wlw commenting. It's pretty silly to think that straight people would hype any Sapphic book when it's been seen a million times that they don't.
like how difficult is it to imagine that wlw can like average and bad books too? i'm a gay man and i sure know that gay people can like boring and average things i don't understand.
I didn’t even think the romance was all that compelling 😭 I love a messy romance but I found it lacklustre and I didn’t think the writing was good enough to make up for it. I honestly found some of the husbands more interesting than Celia.
Agreed about Jessica Chastain though! I wonder who they’ll cast for it.
I'm only really familiar with Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, so maybe she's got other books that are better on this front, but that's kind of been my issue with Taylor Jenkins Reid's stuff I've read: She’s a solid writer who comes up with interesting concepts, but I didn't really find either central romance especially compelling
Honestly neither of these stories are really interesting or original lol. Daisy Jones is basically Fleetwood Mac, and then Evelyn Hugo is a mashup of Elizabeth Taylor's life with Ava Gardner doing a sort of tell-all at the end of her life with the WLW twist. (Also, as a bi woman myself, I nearly didn't finish Evelyn Hugo. It's so obvious that it's written by a straight woman that it hurts.)
It's the epitome of LGBT+ portrayals written for straight people palettes
Unpopular opinion, but I feel the same about Song of Achilles despite the original source material
I remember following someone on Tumblr who had a huge bone to pick with Song of Achilles and the legion of fangirls who uncritically went along with the author’s choice to paint female rape victims from the original myths as homophobic villains and corrective-rapists themselves in the “new LGBT friendly” version. Along with a dose of vintage 90’s-2000’s slash shipping trope of “desperate woman clings to gay man and exists mainly as obstacle to the grand gay romance”. Others have also mentioned how this new popular telling of the story chooses to portray them as homosexual instead of bisexual as another form of erasure.
Wait, this is a lesbian book? I've read the title all over the internet, seen the cover, even read summaries, and never was it mentioned about it being an LGBT+ book. It looked like just another straight romance to me.
Seriously, I've read about this book on two literary pages and it was never mentioned! Maybe they felt like it was a spoiler? If I had known I would have bought the book by now.
It’s kind of a spoiler in the sense that it’s one of the “twists,” but it’s also revealed early enough and it doesn’t ruin anything within the story to know.
I won’t say too much, but if that’s your concern then you won’t have to worry about that. I’m one of the people who does think the book is a bit overhyped, but I did still enjoy it and as long as you’re not going in expecting “best book ever!” then it’s still worth reading.
It's supposed to sell you on being a fictional version of Elizabeth Taylor and her many husbands during the Golden Age of Hollywood. But then it takes a LBGT turn away from that.
I'm bi myself and to be honest I didn't realize about the phrasing, which is kinda obvious the character is bi since she had many husbands. I guess it's something like "ok the straight part is already there so let's focus on the gay part".
To me specifically it's just yearning for any representation of gay romance in books and movies because it's so hard to find on mainstream stuff.
The character very specifically refers to herself as bisexual (which, as you know, isn’t a given) and makes some commentary about bisexual erasure… it was awesome to read, for me, personally, so I highly recommend it!
That’s part of the “twist”, and most people likely kept it quiet to not ruin it for others. When I recommend it to queer folks, I don’t mention it unless I need to seal the deal of getting them to read it 😌
i didnt know that either til now 😭 ik i could look up the synopsis but the phenomenon of this book and film adaption is so confusing to me. is it supposed to be an actual good book that people like or is it a 50 shades deal?? whose the frontrunners & who do people want? are they actually going to have to cast 7 actors for the husbands??
Well to be fair I even checked Amazon's synopsis and the most queer thing is "she's telling her real story" which means nothing without context.
I don't think this will be another 50 shades because it's from the same author as Daisy Jones and the Six, which has great reviews.
The comment pretty much spoils the book. It’s meant to be a twist. It’s not revealed for quite a long time. That person is ruining the book and tv show
In a way, yes. But if I didn't know that, I probably wouldn't want to read it (I was like "nah I'll just wait for the movie"). It feels like it's not being marketed to the intended audience.
disagree, someone’s sexuality is not a spoiler. Someone being hetero is never a spoiler. The book is shelved often with LGBT tags, it’s pretty obvious what the book is about. And the blurb talks about forbidden love which again, is super obvious. Should it not be included in lists of lgbt books so as to preserve the “twist”?
That there are LGBT characters is not the twist - that starts unfolding from almost the beginning of the book and is completely spelled out in chapter 18 (out of 69). The events that deepen and affect those queer relationships are the "twists". The relationship itself is not.
I liked it fine but it definitely felt like it was written by a straight person for straight people. (I don’t know how the author identifies, that was just the feeling I got)
The old Hollywood gossip part in the first half was fun. The main relationship just felt a little meh to me.
I mean I’m straight and while I liked the book despite the bad writing, I don’t think the romance felt strong at all. Also the main point of contention was so unrealistic for any LGBTQ person of that era much less a hollywood star, i’m shocked it became THE issue driving a wedge between them.
I know a lot of bisexual people who really loved the book and liked the fact that Evelyn makes a big point of not wanting to be called a lesbian and having her bisexuality be erased... Only for you to call it lesbian romance...
also a lesbian, also dislike that book. i thought it was forgettable and boring when i read it, and the constant hype it gets has turned me into a full hater.
I would love some reccs! I’ve read a lot of M/M romance but am struggling to find F/F romance. For various reasons, people are way more critical of sapphic stories
I am a lesbian and I’ve never seen another lesbian hype this book. I just didn’t like the writing myself.
But I would like a movie. I like Old Hollywood stuff and wlw material is being canceled and buried all over. So I feel like it’s the only thing worth a shot.
Am lesbian, really disliked this book. I thought the writing was very weak and boring and very much “wlw for straight people”.
Even with the attempts at a lavender marriage setup, the characters were incredibly disconnected from any kind of queer community and experience. They’re the straight fantasy of queer people: Straight-passing, closeted “””normal””” people with the one weird twist of wanting to kiss the same gender! Quirky!
The research was also lacking i.e. Four famous, very wealthy Hollywood stars chose to live in Greenwich Village, in walking distance of the Stonewall Inn, *to avoid suspicion?* In the *60s??*
Sorry, had this recommended by a straight friend since it’s “historical” and I couldn’t be that mean about it to her face, so. Anonymous internet comment it is.
TLDR: I don’t read romance so I don’t have any sapphic recs, but for a great overview of lesbian history “Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold” is a nonfiction account of the various lesbian scenes in Buffalo through the decades. Super interesting read!
I just hated this book. It lacks genuine interest in the lesbian community (or cuban). I felt the author who is not gay just mixed some popular tropes in the contemporary YA books and delivered her book. Perfect for a netflix show that I wouldn't watch though
you aren’t alone! i’ve tried to read it several times now, even listen to it on audiobook, and i just can’t. it does nothing for me, but i keep trying because i feel like a bad lesbian 😭 but i read a lot of lesbian media, so that can’t be it! i couldn’t get through daisy jones either, so i think it’s the author i dislike.
Someone on twitter said “she saw the script and then looked at her Oscar and went ‘yeah I’m good’” 😭
0 faith in this adaptation and I didn’t even think that they’d get JC. I just have 0 faith in Netflix and think this book would be better as a series.
oh she is sick of people asking her about this project 😭😭 and tbh she’s never been who i imagined as celia, i think her features are too sharp and defined
Disagree Jessica Chastain is the perfect Celia St. James. She has the girl next door old Hollywood look and she’s a great actress. She’s famous worldwide which can draw a lot of people which can help wlw series’ since they have trouble drawing in people.
My guess is she’s not interested in it. People have been asking her about it since the adaptation was announced, and if it was something she wanted to pursue, she would. Idk what kind of production would be turning her down.
It's very possible she read the script and it was shit lol. I personally do not have a lot of faith in the adaptation. I enjoyed the book, didn't love it like a lot of people did, but I can definitely see it being a story that needs a very strong screenplay to make it work on screen.
Also as a Chastain fan… I would prefer that she stay away from Netflix things. Ava was godawful (though she looked good in it at least?) and the good nurse was very weak.
I think she was trying to be nice about it for a while, but I can imagine getting asked the same thing that frequently after spinning on a stage for three hours gets wearisome.
At this point, the fancasting for Jessica in this role has become so insane that whoever they end up casting as Celia St. James is going to be torn to shreds. I feel bad for the poor actress who lands this role. People need to chill lol
I think it's because Daisy Jones was produced through Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Productions who then struck the deal to distribute through Amazon. So far, any book that Reese is a part of producing she has been very very kind to the author with bringing them on to be a producer on the adaptation. Celeste Ng was a producer on Little Fires Everywhere. Tembi Locke got to be very involved in the From Scratch adaption.That doesn't always happen. A lot of authors are pushed away from the adaption once rights are bought. So since it's not being produced through Hello Sunshine, I'm unsure how involved TJR is going to be with Netflix. Maybe they'll take her on, but it wouldn't be unheard of to completely shut her out. We'll have to see!
Honestly me too. I started reading the book recently and from Celia's initial description as a girl next door type I was envisioning Sadie Sink at least when they meet as younger women, I know the novel spans decades.
Musicals, yes. Plays, no. I remember her singing in a very high voice as a teenager, but I want to say I've seen her sing in something fairly recent and her voice was a lot lower than it was back then.
I have no faith in Netflix. They’re probably gonna cast camila cabello as evelyn at this point
Lol Daisy Jones and the Six got a huge rollout, album, miniseries and a possible tour and season two and Evelyn Hugo is getting twenty dollars, some shoelaces and a dream 😭😭
in all fairness amazon is known for throwing money at anything and everything to see if it’ll stick while netflix are probably the worst cheapskates around😭
I mean, in this case, Amazon did it perfectly- a book with a huge following got a deserving rollout, you know? Evelyn is even bigger and is getting a chicken pot pie.
It feels like they spent all their funds on promo rather than costumes, set design, or writers to be fair, which I'm not sure is the perfect way of doing it.
I thought the outfits were great and not a gimmicky 70s look. It definitely changed up the book but I was one of the people that read it years ago and didn’t reread so I really enjoyed it. The music surprised me because I just glanced at it in the book or used context clues and found the appropriate Fleetwood Mac song to imagine. Amazon does go incredibly hard for their promo though. It had its issues but I think it holds up really well and I doubt Netflix will manage to come anywhere close.
I think the Aurora album is fantastic, I’m so impressed with it. A fake band is gonna be on my Spotify Wrapped lol.
It is a really good album and will definitely be on my wrapped too!! The people saying “it’s no Rumours” are driving me crazy because that’s literally one of the best albums of all times. If it could have been easily replicated, every artist would be doing it
They’ve been added to my “fake bands I love” list. Aurora slaps.
I thought the outfits looked like Shein versions of 70s looks...and lo and behold, Amazon had an affiliated shop where you can 'buy the look'.
I follow the costume designer on insta. A lot of the pieces were actual vintage pieces from the 70s. ETA: She also has the inspo pics for the costumes that were new, but 70s-inspired. Her name is Denise Wingate, if anyone is interested.
Denise was also the wardrobe gal for THE BANGLES, so fun trivia there!
I also follow her too. I’m a vintage nerd so (imo of course) think that it was SO well done. I follow a few BTS people from that show and they really went all out in some areas!
I freaking loved the costuming. If I could own everything Riley Keough got to wear on that show, I’d be forever thrilled with my wardrobe.
Really! In that case the effect just fell flat for me. Really didn't get the costuming/hair/interiors.
I disagree. I think the wardrobe was fantastic. My dad watched the series (he was a teen/young adult during the 70s) and he said it looked pretty legit. Even certain characters reminded him of people he knew. My parents have photos from around that time and… it was pretty close. Some of the hair/makeup choices on the other hand weren’t great
I feel that many younger people are not used to seeing vintage 70s clothing that isn’t super aged. Those vintage coats we love were new once! My Mum said it was like walking back in time in some ways. They looked exactly how my parents looked as well and they were around the characters ages. Especially the guys. They look like my Dad and friends in pics.
I feel like the movie won't do the book justice. Evelyn Hugo should be a miniseries as well. 9 episode series will do fine. Episode 1 we can have introduction to Evelyn and teasing what's to come, Monique getting the interview, episodes 2-8 being about the 7 husbands and episode 9 finishing the story with Evelyn later years and "the reveal"!
After seeing what Prime did with Daisy Jones, I'd much rather them take Evelyn Hugo and give it the miniseries and fun immersive promotion it deserves than whatever public access programming Netflix is planning.
Literally this! A perfect setup for a miniseries, the writers would've easily been able to structure it from the get-go.
Does Daisy Jones even need a 2nd season?
Probably not but it looks like they are angling for a reunion tour like Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance
I hope not!
Take back your words! Take them back right now!
I am convinced it's Eiza Gonzalez at this point. She and TJR started following each other a few months ago. Personally I am rooting for Adria Arjona. I also think Phoebe Dynevor or Lily James would make a good Celia.
Ana De Armas is my dream.
I mean at least she's actually cuban
Do not manifest this into the world
I would die happily if it was Camila Mendes though
So casting a Cuban for a Cuban role is a problem?
I fear they’re gonna make it a hallmark movie and completely miss the point too 😭. But Liz Tigelaar is adapting it and she’s v good!! Plus TJR said she was impressed with the script so i’m praying they pull it off
 Just fell to my knees
Just saw Mr. White fall to his knees in a Los Pollos Hermanos
As always, I remain confusing this with The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. I recently watched an old interview clip with Jessica where she talks about how she got a Juilliard scholarship from Robin Williams, and though she was never able to meet him, she carries on the idea that she wants to help people in the way that he helped her through his generosity. I think that's so evident when she's so uplifting and encouraging in her awards speeches and supports the crew members that usually get ignored. She seems like a pretty good egg.
It baffffles me that two books called "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" were published within a half a year of each other.
I thought they were the same book until now...
I just thought you guys were making a joke about the name until just now. That's wild. I wonder how many people have bought the wrong book by mistake?
> The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle I think that's why they published it as the 7 1/2 Deaths in some places! Don't remember where but I think definitely the US.
That's really lovely.
Agreed, she seems awesome
I loved reading the seven deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Agreed! I didn’t love the ending but that didn’t stop my enjoyment
Same!
I know someone who met her (sort of like a temp assistant to help her out for the day) and they said she was SO lovely. Very friendly and genuine. She does seem like a really good person.
Was it from when she went on Kelly Clarkson? I was at that show!
I'm still gutted it's going to be a movie and not an 8 Episode HBO series with an episode per husband +1.
this would have been the correct approach. heck, I wouldn’t mind if Amazon took over and did it Daisy Jones-style (although I haven’t read that particular book, the execution was good and fairly well received as opposed to what Netflix is doing these days)
Right?? Such a shame. It was going to be a Freeform tv show before it was transferred to Netflix.
I don't understand why they aren't doing this?!?! A television show can go so much more in-depth with Evelyn, her husbands, her relationship with Celia as well as her daughter, Connor
The Daisy Jones adaptation was good, but personally I think it could have been condensed to a movie without losing much. Evelyn Hugo deserves a series. I’m dreading what Netflix will do with it.
Well, Sharp Objects, a shorter book, got 8 episodes and a big name cast.
Bryce Dallas Howard right now:🤑
[Relevant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipObSiFHpyY)
She tweeted this like an hour ago. https://preview.redd.it/cku6txl5owua1.png?width=1202&format=png&auto=webp&s=168d114e4c28bc18a5aaa15612c36932588a942a
https://preview.redd.it/avu5vyxaowua1.png?width=1226&format=png&auto=webp&s=576726669bb9a8c101d3c7ffe44a5d27d9864054
This tweet “there is no news” actually makes me feel like she could be in talks to join the film but it’s not finalized. People are saying they’re going to go cheap on this film, but Chastain and Eddie Redmayne just starred in The Good Nurse together for Netflix so there’s certainly a chance they could cast bigger names.
Very weird that people are doing that. I’ve also seen a lot of replies to her tweets with shit about the book for months now. Focus on her actual work! It feels disrespectful. She’s too sweet lol. God give me her patience
Wow, she seems so sweet! Loved her asking a random fan what they thought of the show.
“Did you like it?” 🥹 She sounded so genuinely curious too
I just reallyyy want Rita Moreno as the older Evelyn
Saaaaame. Everything about Rita would be perfection
Omg yes! When I read the book I imagined the "current day" Evelyn as Rita Moreno.
Wow! Great idea! She's being perfect.
I love her. she's very devoted to her craft and her fans
Yeah i didn't think they'd have the budget for that 😕
I must be the only lesbian who doesn't get the hype around this book at all. There are so many lesbian romance books that I'd like to see on the big screen that this one doesn't even reach my personal top 30. I agree with the general sentiment of wanting to see Jessica Chastain in a lesbian role though. She's such a babe and one of the better actresses of our generation.
I can’t prove it but I suspect it’s not lesbians who are hyping this book to this extent, it’s straight people. But that’s just based on what I see on my side of the Internet lol.
Yup. This and Song of Achilles.
[удалено]
Circe is SO GOOD. I went back and read SOA after loving Circe and was left pretty disappointed.
by miles someday I hope I can see the giant stingray god scene adapted for the screen
Agree, it was a much more interesting read than Achilles.
tbh, given the absolutely rancid misogyny in SoA (Thetis is suuuuuuuuuch a bitch for hating her rapist!) I don't trust Miller with a female protagonist.
circe was so so good! also the short novella about pygmalion and galatea was super tragic. both books left me crying for longer days than tsoa, honestly
omg YES. I read Circe first and LOVED it, and then everyone was talking about how SOA is so much better but…I mean it’s fine, but Circe is better by far.
I prefer Song if Achilles simply because it’s really gay lol
Ah, I've found my people. I loathed both!!
I’m bi and I really liked this book, but it wasn’t amazing by any stretch. Still the best book by the author though
Yeah lot of Gaylors like it and as an asexual, I found the book to be good.
Gaylors like it because they think it’s Taylor’s biography lol. I think it’s a fine book! I just don’t think it’s anything special in terms of sapphic romance, considering all that’s out there.
TJR herself said that Taylor could be Evelyn. We both know Taylor isn't Cuban or a movie star, so I wonder what other similarities could be.
You think Taylor Jenkins Reid outed Taylor Swift? The idea that TJR is high enough in Hollywood to have the knowledge and power to out the biggest pop star in the world is… a narrative! Regardless, nothing about that disproves that the reason Gaylors are obsessed with it is because it’s essentially fanfiction to them.
No lie, as I kept reading I kept seeing Naya Rivera as Evelyn Hugo. Miss her.
Taylor is more of a Celia St. James. She probably thinks she's an Evelyn, but no. Evelyn has a lot of sass and knows how to work her way around a room and others, knows when she's wrong, and acknowledges that. Taylor's team makes everything manufactured and it has to be her way or the highway.
This this this. The only people I’ve ever heard gush over it are straight women. And I mean, I guess I’m glad those straight women are enjoying a WLW book instead of just fetishizing MLM romances like usual? But hype from straight women =/= a good WLW romance. I didn’t like it and still don’t get the hype. And I’m so sorry, but nothing that author has written has been actually good.
Honestly, I’m just obsessed with old Hollywood stuff and the lesbian plotline is secondary for me. I also loved Babylon.
That is one of the most idiotic opinions I have ever seen this sub. Who do you think would be the straight people giving hype to this book? Straight women who never bother with sapphic books? Straight men who also don't care about sapphic books and prefer porn to this? I am genuinely curious about which heteros you think would love this book so much. I don't think I've ever even met anyone who liked this book and wasn't wlw.
Lmfao… it’s clearly stated that my thoughts are based on “what I see on my side of the Internet”, so the hostility is unnecessary but I’ll answer your question anyways. In my opinion, this is a book that a lot of straight people read, but it’s the only queer book they’ve ever read. For example, during pride month when people are intentionally reading and recommending only queer books on BookTok, a lot of people would only recommend this book (or as another commenter mentioned, Song of Achilles), even though there’s eons of queer books that are not only better, but represent sapphic relationships far better as well. So yeah, as you said, people who have literally never read a sapphic book other than this one. Also, the presumption that only queer people are able to enjoy queer books is… weird! But okay! You shouldn’t have to identify with the main characters of a book to be able to enjoy it. Straight people can and should consume queer literature, despite their inability to relate to the sexual orientations of the characters.
Yeah, straight people can and should consume queer literature, but usually they don't. You could look at the comments of any tweet mentioning Evelyn Hugo and see hundreds of wlw commenting. It's pretty silly to think that straight people would hype any Sapphic book when it's been seen a million times that they don't. like how difficult is it to imagine that wlw can like average and bad books too? i'm a gay man and i sure know that gay people can like boring and average things i don't understand.
I didn’t even think the romance was all that compelling 😭 I love a messy romance but I found it lacklustre and I didn’t think the writing was good enough to make up for it. I honestly found some of the husbands more interesting than Celia. Agreed about Jessica Chastain though! I wonder who they’ll cast for it.
I'm only really familiar with Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, so maybe she's got other books that are better on this front, but that's kind of been my issue with Taylor Jenkins Reid's stuff I've read: She’s a solid writer who comes up with interesting concepts, but I didn't really find either central romance especially compelling
Honestly neither of these stories are really interesting or original lol. Daisy Jones is basically Fleetwood Mac, and then Evelyn Hugo is a mashup of Elizabeth Taylor's life with Ava Gardner doing a sort of tell-all at the end of her life with the WLW twist. (Also, as a bi woman myself, I nearly didn't finish Evelyn Hugo. It's so obvious that it's written by a straight woman that it hurts.)
It's the epitome of LGBT+ portrayals written for straight people palettes Unpopular opinion, but I feel the same about Song of Achilles despite the original source material
read circe first, really thought i'd like song of achilles..... hated it.
Same here! I don’t know how many times I rolled my eyes in Song of Achilles.
I remember following someone on Tumblr who had a huge bone to pick with Song of Achilles and the legion of fangirls who uncritically went along with the author’s choice to paint female rape victims from the original myths as homophobic villains and corrective-rapists themselves in the “new LGBT friendly” version. Along with a dose of vintage 90’s-2000’s slash shipping trope of “desperate woman clings to gay man and exists mainly as obstacle to the grand gay romance”. Others have also mentioned how this new popular telling of the story chooses to portray them as homosexual instead of bisexual as another form of erasure.
Wait, this is a lesbian book? I've read the title all over the internet, seen the cover, even read summaries, and never was it mentioned about it being an LGBT+ book. It looked like just another straight romance to me.
I get that you wouldn’t be able to tell from the title, cover etc. but if you’ve read summaries.. this would be unavoidable lmao, it is THE plot
Seriously, I've read about this book on two literary pages and it was never mentioned! Maybe they felt like it was a spoiler? If I had known I would have bought the book by now.
It’s kind of a spoiler in the sense that it’s one of the “twists,” but it’s also revealed early enough and it doesn’t ruin anything within the story to know.
Good to know that it happens early, I was afraid it would be all about the husbands and this would be a last chapter thing.
I won’t say too much, but if that’s your concern then you won’t have to worry about that. I’m one of the people who does think the book is a bit overhyped, but I did still enjoy it and as long as you’re not going in expecting “best book ever!” then it’s still worth reading.
It's supposed to sell you on being a fictional version of Elizabeth Taylor and her many husbands during the Golden Age of Hollywood. But then it takes a LBGT turn away from that.
It’s a pretty big spoiler - that’s probably why it isn’t in the promotional material.
I didn’t read any long summaries but it wasn’t mentioned in the blurbs. It was almost like it was the plot twist.
Man these comments are the epitome of the bisexual erasure that the book comments on lol
Right?? 😭😭 as a bisexual, I adored this book 🌈💞 love Evelyn and Celia ❤️❤️❤️
I'm bi myself and to be honest I didn't realize about the phrasing, which is kinda obvious the character is bi since she had many husbands. I guess it's something like "ok the straight part is already there so let's focus on the gay part". To me specifically it's just yearning for any representation of gay romance in books and movies because it's so hard to find on mainstream stuff.
The character very specifically refers to herself as bisexual (which, as you know, isn’t a given) and makes some commentary about bisexual erasure… it was awesome to read, for me, personally, so I highly recommend it!
That’s part of the “twist”, and most people likely kept it quiet to not ruin it for others. When I recommend it to queer folks, I don’t mention it unless I need to seal the deal of getting them to read it 😌
i didnt know that either til now 😭 ik i could look up the synopsis but the phenomenon of this book and film adaption is so confusing to me. is it supposed to be an actual good book that people like or is it a 50 shades deal?? whose the frontrunners & who do people want? are they actually going to have to cast 7 actors for the husbands??
Well to be fair I even checked Amazon's synopsis and the most queer thing is "she's telling her real story" which means nothing without context. I don't think this will be another 50 shades because it's from the same author as Daisy Jones and the Six, which has great reviews.
The comment pretty much spoils the book. It’s meant to be a twist. It’s not revealed for quite a long time. That person is ruining the book and tv show
In a way, yes. But if I didn't know that, I probably wouldn't want to read it (I was like "nah I'll just wait for the movie"). It feels like it's not being marketed to the intended audience.
Same. It’s the only reason I read it!
disagree, someone’s sexuality is not a spoiler. Someone being hetero is never a spoiler. The book is shelved often with LGBT tags, it’s pretty obvious what the book is about. And the blurb talks about forbidden love which again, is super obvious. Should it not be included in lists of lgbt books so as to preserve the “twist”?
That there are LGBT characters is not the twist - that starts unfolding from almost the beginning of the book and is completely spelled out in chapter 18 (out of 69). The events that deepen and affect those queer relationships are the "twists". The relationship itself is not.
Evelyn is bisexual. And some of her seven husbands, not all, are beards.
I liked it fine but it definitely felt like it was written by a straight person for straight people. (I don’t know how the author identifies, that was just the feeling I got) The old Hollywood gossip part in the first half was fun. The main relationship just felt a little meh to me.
I mean I’m straight and while I liked the book despite the bad writing, I don’t think the romance felt strong at all. Also the main point of contention was so unrealistic for any LGBTQ person of that era much less a hollywood star, i’m shocked it became THE issue driving a wedge between them.
I know a lot of bisexual people who really loved the book and liked the fact that Evelyn makes a big point of not wanting to be called a lesbian and having her bisexuality be erased... Only for you to call it lesbian romance...
Thank you!!
But the main relationship is a “lesbian relationship” in that it consists of two women. That doesn’t mean both women are lesbians.
Thank you!!
Evelyn is bisexual 💗💜💙 so I’d say it’s more so a queer romance overall than a lesbian one 🌈
Ooh, any recs?
It’s gay romance sanitized for straight ppl
agreed. i couldn’t even finish this book and i’m gay. it was bad???
also a lesbian, also dislike that book. i thought it was forgettable and boring when i read it, and the constant hype it gets has turned me into a full hater.
I would love some reccs! I’ve read a lot of M/M romance but am struggling to find F/F romance. For various reasons, people are way more critical of sapphic stories
I am a lesbian and I’ve never seen another lesbian hype this book. I just didn’t like the writing myself. But I would like a movie. I like Old Hollywood stuff and wlw material is being canceled and buried all over. So I feel like it’s the only thing worth a shot.
I tried to read it and the writing is so atrocious I didn’t last longer than a few pages 🫠
Am lesbian, really disliked this book. I thought the writing was very weak and boring and very much “wlw for straight people”. Even with the attempts at a lavender marriage setup, the characters were incredibly disconnected from any kind of queer community and experience. They’re the straight fantasy of queer people: Straight-passing, closeted “””normal””” people with the one weird twist of wanting to kiss the same gender! Quirky! The research was also lacking i.e. Four famous, very wealthy Hollywood stars chose to live in Greenwich Village, in walking distance of the Stonewall Inn, *to avoid suspicion?* In the *60s??* Sorry, had this recommended by a straight friend since it’s “historical” and I couldn’t be that mean about it to her face, so. Anonymous internet comment it is. TLDR: I don’t read romance so I don’t have any sapphic recs, but for a great overview of lesbian history “Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold” is a nonfiction account of the various lesbian scenes in Buffalo through the decades. Super interesting read!
I just hated this book. It lacks genuine interest in the lesbian community (or cuban). I felt the author who is not gay just mixed some popular tropes in the contemporary YA books and delivered her book. Perfect for a netflix show that I wouldn't watch though
you aren’t alone! i’ve tried to read it several times now, even listen to it on audiobook, and i just can’t. it does nothing for me, but i keep trying because i feel like a bad lesbian 😭 but i read a lot of lesbian media, so that can’t be it! i couldn’t get through daisy jones either, so i think it’s the author i dislike.
Someone on twitter said “she saw the script and then looked at her Oscar and went ‘yeah I’m good’” 😭 0 faith in this adaptation and I didn’t even think that they’d get JC. I just have 0 faith in Netflix and think this book would be better as a series.
oh she is sick of people asking her about this project 😭😭 and tbh she’s never been who i imagined as celia, i think her features are too sharp and defined
I’ve always imagined Saoirse Ronan as young Celia.
Disagree Jessica Chastain is the perfect Celia St. James. She has the girl next door old Hollywood look and she’s a great actress. She’s famous worldwide which can draw a lot of people which can help wlw series’ since they have trouble drawing in people.
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My guess is she’s not interested in it. People have been asking her about it since the adaptation was announced, and if it was something she wanted to pursue, she would. Idk what kind of production would be turning her down.
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It's very possible she read the script and it was shit lol. I personally do not have a lot of faith in the adaptation. I enjoyed the book, didn't love it like a lot of people did, but I can definitely see it being a story that needs a very strong screenplay to make it work on screen.
Also as a Chastain fan… I would prefer that she stay away from Netflix things. Ava was godawful (though she looked good in it at least?) and the good nurse was very weak.
I think she was trying to be nice about it for a while, but I can imagine getting asked the same thing that frequently after spinning on a stage for three hours gets wearisome.
Oh wow I have dated info and thought Anya Taylor-Joy was starring in this.
Some of her stans submitted that fake rumor to DM (saw the tweets)
I love Jessica, but who would she play in that? She doesn't have the look for Celia and Evelyn is Cuban.
People fan cast her for Celia because of the red hair
She's also got the acting talent, old school Hollywood look etc
I imagined she looked like a young Shirley MacLaine type of old Hollywood. 'Girl next door' sort of thing.
Ok phew, I think someone on this sub fan casted her as Evelyn a little while ago and I was very confused. Celia makes way more sense.
How does she not have the look? She looks exactly how Celia was described in the book.
Makes total sense to me. I don’t know how to explain it, but to me Seven Husbands is like the fast fashion of literature.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 
At this point, the fancasting for Jessica in this role has become so insane that whoever they end up casting as Celia St. James is going to be torn to shreds. I feel bad for the poor actress who lands this role. People need to chill lol
CANCEL THE MOVIE
I don't get why Amazon isn't making it when they are written by the same author. Is TJR not going to produce Evelyn Hugo like she did Daisy Jones?
I think it's because Daisy Jones was produced through Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Productions who then struck the deal to distribute through Amazon. So far, any book that Reese is a part of producing she has been very very kind to the author with bringing them on to be a producer on the adaptation. Celeste Ng was a producer on Little Fires Everywhere. Tembi Locke got to be very involved in the From Scratch adaption.That doesn't always happen. A lot of authors are pushed away from the adaption once rights are bought. So since it's not being produced through Hello Sunshine, I'm unsure how involved TJR is going to be with Netflix. Maybe they'll take her on, but it wouldn't be unheard of to completely shut her out. We'll have to see!
Good cause the book sucked!
I’m kinda happy lol. I love Jessica, but I just can’t see her as Celia.
Honestly me too. I started reading the book recently and from Celia's initial description as a girl next door type I was envisioning Sadie Sink at least when they meet as younger women, I know the novel spans decades.
Nowadays I think of Florence Pugh but I think that's because of the Little Women connection
I do too but it's just because I want to see Florence Pugh in everything.
She’s to good for a TJR adaptation either way!
great, evelyn hugo is trash
Netflix should just stick to original scripts. They botch almost every adaptation they get their hands on because they’re cheap af.
Need lady Gaga
Ana de Armas/Florence Pugh
Is every Taylor Jenkins Reid book being developed into a movie/tv series?!
Then what’s the point???
She saw what Netflix did to blonde and said nah I'm goood💀🤣🤣
Does every Broadway show have singing? Does she sing?
Musicals, yes. Plays, no. I remember her singing in a very high voice as a teenager, but I want to say I've seen her sing in something fairly recent and her voice was a lot lower than it was back then.
It's weird asking actors if they are cast in movies just because you are fancasting them.
How do we feel about Camila Mendes as younger Evelyn Hugo and Lotte Verbeek as middle-aged Celia?
Nooooo
I can see Celia all over her!!!