😪 taylor jenkins reid = problematic and evelyn hugo is problematic too

[@xcsbooknook]

I am definitely going to be in the minority here. I absolutely agree that the twist at the end of Evelyn Hugo isn't great and the actions of Evelyn Hugo are absolutely despicable. But the book never tried to say they were right, it never tried to justify them. And I've noticed this a lot more lately that lots of people call books problemtic if they don't clearly state that things are bad when they are bad. Idk if that's just me. Evelyn Hugo was a horribly flawed human throughout the entire book, unapologetically so and that remained until the end imo

[@Jazzy115]

Even if Evelyn wasn’t sorry for her actions it doesn’t mean Monique shouldn’t have called her out about it and how race play a huge role in why Evelyn story was believed in the first place just like Evelyn was allowed to call Monique out on her biphobia. It also doesn’t excuse how black characters are written into the story. I think ppl use the “characters are suppose to be horrible” as a cop out tbh. I don’t think Taylor Jenkins Reid really thought through at all how she was portraying black characters in her book.

[@brooke5258]

Evelyn was absolutely horrible. But the idea had to first come from the brain of TJR. As a white woman, she thought "You know what this story needs..." Evelyn was already depicted as a monster. The drunk driving accident, the killing of a queer Black man, Evelyn hand picking his daughter, Monique, to give her death bed confession to... and Monique has to not only rehash her father's death and what she thought she knew, but that Evelyn left him there like trash and hid the truth to protect a yt man. TJR made a choice.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

​@@brooke5258 exactly. the fact that this commenter ignored all of those points and tried to make it an issue i had with evelyn's character. which i never once even said i was mad at because again, the issue is with the CHOICES that the AUTHOR chose to make. i even said, she's a wealthy white woman living in an anti black society who needs to think critically about the way she depicts Blackness/race in her text. but no, reduced to 'you're just mad the book didn't outright say this is wrong'. its so disheartening that even when black ppl are 'calm' and try to 'educate patiently' our voices are still rolled over this way. heartbreaking.

[@xcsbooknook]

@@JesseOnKZbin I apologize if my comment reduced your argument to 'you're just mad' that was not my intention and I will do better. In fact I do not think that at all. I did not bring up your other arguments in my comment because I agreed with those. Monique absolutely was underdeveloped and barely there as a character, and her being bi-racial did feel included just for diversity points. After watching the video again, and reading some other comments under this video I realize that I am absolutely wrong here and you were not at any point criticizing the actions of Evelyn, but the choices TJR made. Once again my apologies and I will do better in the future.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

@@xcsbooknook thank you so much for these words. was not expecting this gift of a comment. we're all a work in progress, me included, and i'm happy my words could be helpful rhetoric on your journey 🙂

[@saturnitiez]

i loveeee this book, but my BIG issue with it was the way monique was used. she felt so out of place and like a filler for the author to utilize another POC character and I'm so glad you mentioned it. it's really unfortunate when people don't acknowledge the failures of a novel because they love it so much. like goddamn, yes I liked the book, but acknowledge the faults people. 😭

[@JesseOnYoutube]

right like go off, love the book, it’s totally fine to do that! but yeah def also don’t be afraid to have nuanced discussions about it. love this take, Lainey✨

[@El1society]

i forgot evelyn was even latina 😭 it was mentioned like 3x in the entire book and it was only like ‘oh shit i’m latina….anyway’ like what?

[@donaldsamoyed23]

Maybe because for Evelyn money and fame was more important than discussing race issues?

[@dahjiat.8562]

@@donaldsamoyed23 sorta? she does say that she essentially erased that part of herself to achieve fame but with how little focus they put on it they might as well have just made her white

[@ultravioletpisces3666]

It was mentioned more than that

[@grayzeer]

I am.. so late to this party. I'm sorry if you get this notification but I can't stop myself from replying. But I felt like that was purposeful. She had to change everything about that part of herself to fit in in Hollywood and even had to "dig it up" when she started connecting to it more. She left everything about that part of herself behind for money and fame. "Oh shit i’m latina….anyway" actually seems pretty aligned to what she would have thought in the early parts of the book. That's kinda the point.

[@sissiphos_]

@@grayzeerThat’s what I thought as well. Also for me she intentionally „passes“ as a white American. She only shared her Cuban background when she needs to with a few people and never publicly. For me, Monique also wasn’t underrepresented. She had quite a lot of important scenes for a book that is basically an autobiography of someone else’s life. I also read it like although society has supposedly changed for the better, E and M have the same problems about being categorized into one box, that they don’t even fit in. They embody nuances, that patriarchy and white supremacy don’t allow to exist (bisexuality, multiple (ethnic) identities). And both still struggle with being fully themselves in a world where aspects about them are either ignored or portrayed as something else entirely - although growing up in different times. For me, it shows that there are many things that haven’t changed yet, that need changing. It’s also a debate about what true freedom is and how we can find it - or not. And a critique of stereotypical binary boxes we put ourselves and others into, because of our restrictive society. An argument for the complexities of being human. It makes sense to criticize how race is portrayed, but I feel like the author did a lot of things intentionally to get the above mentioned points across. This escalated I am sorry. 😂 I hope this kinda makes sense. Don’t want to take away from your points though! I am just thinking about writing my BA thesis about this book and that’s how I perceived it when I read it 🙈

[@doublepoly123]

Im a queer poc. And i wanna say that while i still loved this book. You can tell the author is white. She misunderstands race and sees it as only superficial. Also, usually Everytime race was brought up in the book, the author made the poc characters feel ashamed of their ethnicity.

[@anastasimankesemokgobu1724]

Very true

[@Saphiera270]

THISSSS!!! nothing felt genuine, it felt like both Monique's and Evelyn's races were only played for points

[@sai8301]

i'm latino, queer and a person of color. i enjoyed the book when i read it, but honestly i feel very normal about it, no strong opinions. it was just okay. any piece of media written by a white person trying to adress race from the perspective of a bipoc makes me uncomfortable, so i didn't think a lot about it, but i think this needs to be adressed because white people are recommending this as if it is the best piece of representation for queer bipoc (spoiler: it isn't). this video is very important for white authors and white readers. also, as a lesbian, the fact that tjr refused to use the word lesbian unless it was in a negative context annoyed me very much. by the way, this is the first time i see one of your videos and i really liked it. keep it up 👍

[@JesseOnYoutube]

hi sai! thank you for sharing ur perspective and for watching this video :) really appreciate it and am glad you enjoyed it ❤️ also what anime is ur icon from (if its an anime?)

[@sai8301]

​@@JesseOnKZbin thank you for making this video! my icon is from an anime called madoka magica. i'm bad at making summaries so i'll just say it's very fun to watch and it has only 12 episodes (there are also movies but i haven't watched any).

[@tiredbooknerd]

I like this book, but it always bothers me when people recommend books about a minority written by authors who don't even belong to that group. It's the most obvious when it comes to books about gay men written by non-male authors. These books have a right to exist and some are quite good but I don't think they deserve more attention than books written by actual gay authors :( I feel like currently the "white authors having biracial/ bipoc MCs" is getting more common, and they often lack in nuance and sensitivity ;-; and people act like they have better rep than books by actual bipoc authors?! (btw love your pic, madoka magica was the anime that surprised me the most, ever)

[@dianeyoung8130]

it bored me that her mom called her mija. Thats a mexican thing not a cuban thing. Like did she even do her research?

[@Noaartetc]

@@dianeyoung8130 Oh no, even me, a Russian, thought "Huh, isn't "mija" a Mexican word?" when stumbled upon that part, and I know almost nothing about the country.

[@DuskEverheart1308]

I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo back when I first joined booktube in 2018 and ever since I have always felt like Monique was underdeveloped as a character, especially as a main character. Like she was just there for us to hear about Evelyn Hugo and eventually learn the plot twist. She herself was a plot device and this is the first time I have heard anyone else mention it. Excellent video.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Thank u Anne-Marie💗✨

[@vvn2325]

THISSS, she feels soo random

[@tanvi7532]

I prefer if we just have a story about Evelyn the whole telling a story to someone plot point is my least favourite

[@NoOrdinaryScholar]

I also think authors in the situations NEED to read more books by the groups of people they're writing about. And not just one or two. They need to put work into seeing how others see the world, see/describe themselves, see/describe people like the author. That is all a part of the research one should take to write a book and write it well

[@cancelledavac]

It’s not even just books or memoirs. I want them to go all out. _listen_ to those groups of people. These best selling authors have enough money to travel outside the country. Do that. Get to know a different culture. Research. The world is your page. There’s no limit to how you can represent a group of people. This is why I have so much beef with white authors. Their representations of us are so… limiting. It never feels like they did enough research because it’s painfully obvious they didn’t. Characters of color *(as written by YT ppl)* have the most predictable backgrounds, character traits, character arcs, etc. Like, clearly POC were barely being spoken to during the writing process! Don’t just add us to appease us, _try to understand us._ They say books are proven to increase emotional intelligence (aka empathy) and allow us to almost literally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. If you’re a YT author and your characters of color are just not giving, you’re not writing them with the intent to _understand_ them. You’re fishing for diversity points. Now I’m not the type to say “YT people need to stop writing POC” HOWEVER COMMA, if they’re not going to give it their all, maybe they should consider sticking to their all-white casts instead 🤷‍♀️ Disclaimer: I wish no ill will to stories with an all white cast of characters. I have nothing against that 😇 I fully approve writing characters u actually care about 🥰

[@NoOrdinaryScholar]

@@cancelledavac Wonderfully put 👌🏿👌🏿👌🏿

[@Grace-zq6kd]

I just finished this book and immediately searched for reviews on youtube because of how yucky I felt about the race dynamics in the book and I’m glad I’m not overthinking it 😭 At first when TJR was placing emphasis on Monique being biracial I thought that it would play a larger role in the book and be more developed upon. Like when Monique kept mentioning her mother raised her to be polite and kind, I thought that would maybe be analyzed in the context of white supremacy and how politeness but not necessarily kindness is valued and how that could have resulted in Monique being an insecure character for half of the book. But then absolutely nothing comes of Monique’s character being biracial????? Like???? Also as someone who’s also biracial but definitely perceived as white by society I thought the whole “I’m not black I’m mixed” thing was corny but I gave it some grace because I think nearly every mixed person has gone through that frame of mind while growing up in such a black and white race constructed society. However…… after discovering that the author is a white woman I’m giving that some serious side eye. I think the book concept was interesting but the writing was average and the racial dynamics made the book eh for me.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

all of this!!!! one hundred percent

[@WheelieToasted]

What gets me about seven husbands is that we know from the beginning that one of the reasons she COULD have chosen Monique would be because of the dignified death article. It really didn't have to be because of her dad at all, that didn't have to be a plot point. Even if the rest of the book is left as is. It would honestly still be such an intriguing book otherwise.

[@melmarie6083]

Trueeeeee

[@avitalbider]

One of the things that made me confused when reading the book was how there was little to no conversation about how Evelyn had to literally erase all of her identity. I am a child of immigrants - I've lived my whole life in this kind of ping-pong game between my culture at home and outside of it. I could never imagine myself just denying that part of me and forgetting about it without giving it a thought. It came up maybe 3 times in the book and every time I was confused at how she just suddenly remembered that oh! she was Latina! right!.... what. Also, I completely understand your view on Monique. I also felt that her characterization was lacklustre - I didn't care enough about her by the end of the book, so I didn't really care for the plot twist. I had other problems like the relationships felt insincere - they went from 0 to 100 really fast. Many characters developed off-screen and came back into the story completely changed. I just felt so jarred by the end and confused about why people loved the book so much. Usually, I understand why someone likes a book even if I don't, but this one just radiates mediocracy to me. And every review I watched afterwards just stated how emotional and impactful this book was without going into specifics...

[@franklinmendoza4087]

That’s Hollywood 😂 in the 50s

[@itsjaymone]

Every time I see someone have this book in their video, I get less and less interested in it (I wasn't interested in the first place) because they never talk about what happens in the book. They rave about it, but they never talk about specifics from the book that made it so great. I'm glad you made this video.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

the 'i wasn't interested in the first place' lmao

[@amandaredd3057]

same!

[@BandysBooks]

I appreciate your review of this book. I read this last year and didn’t really get the hype. The story of Evelyn having to hide who she was to be famous was alright, but the ending was so uncomfortable. I know the author’s intent was for it to be uncomfortable and to show Evelyn has this flawed person. I think that she could’ve done that without the racism though. The fact that the only two Black characters in the book are linked through tragedy speaks for itself.

[@ElianalaDivina]

The characterization and description Evelyn's Latina identity always struck me as strange too. There wasn’t really much of a conversation surrounding the erasure of such a big part of her identity when she came to Hollywood besides maybe a few lines from what I remember. As a Hispanic myself, for a long time I didn’t embrace my ethnicity and only really stuck to the whiteness that I knew. Now as I’m trying to reconnect with my Hispanicness, it is a really profound thing for me, which just didn’t feel as prevalent in Evelyn. Monique’s characterization was something I also immediately noticed as not right. It definitely felt like a diversity grab along with her father. I remember distinctly thinking when I read the plot twist “why did he have to be black though?” So while I enjoyed the novel a lot and enjoyed the queer representation and conversations surrounding biphobia, I just couldn’t vibe with it completely because it just felt odd.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

All of this

[@ByrdCamp]

^^^^ We didn't even need a physical description of Monique at all. Like... her being a POC had no impact on her part of the story.

[@fabiolabarral8979]

ALL OF THIS! I felt the exact same way as a white-passing Cuban who heavily leaned into whiteness as a kid/teen. Her seamless transition into whiteness felt so unrealistic for me, and killing off Evelyn's mom early and having her dad in jail (which, side eye for that stereotype also...) felt like a cop out so that Evelyn would never have any ties to her past or have to reckon with it at all. UGH!!! I hated this book.

[@donaldsamoyed23]

It totally fits Evelyns character. She wanted to erase her youth as a poor girl with an abusive father. For me it makes sense that she does not want to embrace her heritage because she wants to create her own story.

[@ElianalaDivina]

@@donaldsamoyed23 not discrediting that at all. It is a part of her character. However, her being Latina is also part of her character, and if an author is going to include race the way TJR does, there should’ve been a reckoning or acknowledgement of Evelyn’s life besides her speaking Spanish in Spain, especially when she clearly still shows disdain for her ethnicity

[@JFPennywise]

I'm glad this video was recommended to me by the algorithm. As someone who had enjoyed Evelyn Hugo a few years ago and had recommended it to many of my friends, I needed to hear the articulation of these issues from POVs that aren't the same as my own. Learned a lot and hopefully this helps me become more discerning when consuming literature and media.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Thank you, Jan!!!

[@renee_3364]

I freaking hated this book so much and got absolutely crucified for voicing that opinion on Goodreads when it just came out... I'm happy to hear someone with similar opinions to mine speak to it. I think I described it as "feeling like the POC characters were being used as props to further Evelyns story, to be discarded when it was convenient", or something along that line. I also felt like it was very much a "surface-level" book; written about a minority, but for an audience that isn't within that minority themselves. It's being praised as the pinnacle of LGBTQ+/latino fiction, while it's only scratching the surface of a genre that has so much more to offer.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Yeah can only imagine what it was like disliking this book back in the day. Assuming u read it awhile ago. But so many of us read it years ago and like…people grow. So it makes sense that so many of us, myself included, missed it

[@mariam19554]

So so true!!! The book being set in the 60s and 70s also didn't sit right with me because why was Celia getting angry at Evelyn for trying to keep their relationship a secret? Sure, she grew up privileged but there's no way a lesbian woman living in the 60s no matter what background she came from would react so poorly for having to keep it a secret. It was so frustrating!

[@peteywinney]

tbh before watching, I hadn’t properly considered the potential danger that comes with writing POC characters this way. After some thought as to why I didn’t have much issue with the twist, I noticed that I was judging the book as if it were written in a world that wasn’t actively anti-black, which takes weight away from the misrepresentation, and consequently some of the responsibility of the author. I’m still in the process of unlearning racial biases within myself and I’m really glad that I watched this video because its opened my eyes as to WHY bad representation is dangerous, more than just knowing that it IS, which is a very important message that i’ll be internalising in my own writing. ty for discussing this

[@booksandteatime2197]

y’all’s reviews and analyses always motivate me to be better, more self aware, more inclusive and diverse as a reader and reviewer and to translate what i learn into real life so thank y’all so much for that and for just being my fav booktube and absolute rays of sunshine (ps LOVE the earnings 😍)

[@crazybiogeek]

I have only read Seven Husbands recently, and I read Daisy Jones a couple years ago. So I never really had any further context to think the TJR is problematic or anything. I do recall feeling uncomfortable about Evelyn as a character, but chalked it up to Evelyn doing crimes and not getting caught, and the reader being lead to be sympathetic. Anyway, I appreciate the labor you've done to make this video and explain to people why even things that could have been a result of ignorance can create problematic writing. I hope that TJR is able to listen and learn and be better in the future.

[@crazybiogeek]

(Just to clarify, I didn't feel all that much sympathy for Evelyn and ended the story thinking it was a shame she never got caught for the crime. But the writing kept pointing the reader to... forgive? forgive her? CAN you forgive a fictional character for a fictional act? I'm not sure I have the energy to be mad at a fictional character, but if Evelyn was a real person, I'd never forgive her. I'm not good at explaining, sorry.)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

no this makes PERFECT AND COMPLETE sense i feel like you’re not SUPPOSED to sympathize with evelyn. like it’s ok if u do ofc but i imagine that Reid very intentionally was trying to send the message that “this is not a sympathy character she made her own choices” haha

[@happybirthday5467]

You worded your points so well. I also agree that we shouldn't be afraid to call out authors so that they can improve their work. I personally loved the book the first time I read it, but your points make me want to reread it aaaaaaaa. Also I think people who love the book should be more open-minded when it comes to criticism, especially if it's related to problems in the real world.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

honestly going to reread it again too!!! its weird how some people are SO against their books being critiqued or books being critiqued in general. books = art. art = open to critique. i think its healthy and important and GOOD to have these conversations. even if you dont agree, at least you heard someone else's point of view and tuned in to a discussion. thats a good thing in my book

[@fatunicorncakes]

Completely agree! I found a similar problem with her other book, Daisy Jones and the Six and Daisy's "supposed" best friend, Simone Jackson. Simone was supposed to be Daisy closest friend but I found her only to ever to be supporting Daisy no matter what antics she gets up to. She flies to multiple countries just to help her when she goes off the rails and Daisy barely asks her about anything in her life or thanks her. She's only deemed as Daisy's super successful friend who's always there for her and I feel like this is another instant of TRJ writing her Black characters to only prop up her non Black characters, like in Evelyn Hugo. That whole relationship in DJ6 reminded me how in Queen's Gambit where the white protag is allowed to go wild and be insanely passionate about their work but no one can stand them except for their one black friend that swoops in at the right moments to support them. Both Simone and Jolene having backstories that they're tremendously successful (jolene becoming a lawyer and being engaged with a rich white man and Simone's extremely successful music career) now and seemingly have no more problems for the viewer/reader to see so now they have all the time to support their "friend" whenever they need to. I did have an enjoyable experience reading the book initially but I always had a problem with her writing POC characters and at times her portrayal of queer relationships and struggle in this book. Excellent video!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

love this comment fantastic points all around thank you for sharing your perspective

[@KhmerSelbokor]

Omg thank you. I was hoping someone would mention that!! This book tube review was much needed 💌

[@adamnreader4599]

oh my god, your experience with the book is SO MUCH like mine. and i think i did give the book 5 stars immediately after reading it because hey, 1) it's tragic & shocking & 2) i've always liked stories about famous queer people & the book seemed hyped enough for me to read it. but even after that, i ALWAYS had this niggling feeling. and i kept decreasing the rating from a 5 to a 4 and then to a 3. but you explained EVERYTHING that made me uncomfortable with this book in the first place in such a succinct way!! how i could never picture evelyn as a queer poc and how i actually genuinely HATE her relationship with celia, especially given celia's constant biphobia throughout the book which only apparently changes at the very last of the book. so yeah, thank you so much for making this video. now, in the future if i ever find myself unable to explain my thoughts on this book, imma just pull out this video.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

You’re so welcome, friend!!!

[@jellierfish]

i had similar experience! i rated the book 5 stars RIGHT after i finished it and i think it was mostly because of the turning point that i didn’t expect. but after that, i kept having this feeling that something wasn’t right with this book and it was bothering me but i couldn’t explain then. so yeah the rating has now been changed to 3 stars.

[@itsalexistruedat]

YES 👏🏾 THANK 👏🏾 YOU👏🏾 that book made me extremely uncomfortable and I could tell after reading the first page that it was not written by a person of color (I didn’t know who the author was at the time and I’m a biracial POC. I literally put the book down after the first page, googled her, saw she was white and thought “ooooh. This makes sense”). I felt the book was disingenuous and she added all those half thought through ideas to sell books at the expense of POC.

[@user-yl2so8db5t]

I literally did the exact same thing except I read the “freckles from my white mom” line and immediately flipped to the little author blurb with her picture and I was like, “yup.” And put the book down.

[@CestKevvie]

I've been avoiding this book. I didn't know much about it but I was getting some real bad vibes from it. Really appreciate this conversation, it's a shame that this author uses Black characters as vehicles for trauma and plot devices. Definitely not going to read this one now.

[@Nanetys]

Honestly, what bothers me the most about this book (and it may be seen as controversial but oh well) is how it follows a trend of writing latino characters who are also white so that the author can pretend to care for POC while still writing only about white people (and I say this as a white latina myself). It bothers me so much because all it does is encourage white latines to proclaim they can't be racist because they are POC too. (Also I could never relate to Evelyn because the trope of "being rich and famous is also hard" just awakens a little communist in me to scream "well then stop hoarding money!!!!")

[@JesseOnYoutube]

this tbh

[@brooke5258]

OOF! A WORD!

[@gideongrace1977]

"awakens a little communist in me" is the perfect way to put it. I feel that way too.

[@caiolucas8257]

Excellent point, white latinos became the ideal minority (the same goes to light skinned asians and, to a lesser extent, biracial/lighter skinned black folks) so representing these types of characters feels closer to whiteness thus ends up being the POC choice of white folks with race issues

[@saltairtherustonyourdoor9944]

@fernandagodoy Sorry if this is a bad question but what exactly is a white Latino?

[@beesandbookcases9962]

I love this. Reading Seven Husbands, even I felt apprehensive towards the way TJR used race in the book. Obviously, though, I'm unable to definitively say what is or is not good BIPOC representation. You encompassed everything I felt was wrong with the author's portrayal of race and then some. The points you make are phenomenal, and I'm definitely recommending this video to others in the book club I'm in. As a bisexual woman, though, I have m a n y gripes about how TJR handles sexuality in this book. The Bury Your Gays trope is real, and I am so sick and tired of seeing it. ALL of Evelyn's husbands died before she did. Why are the only deaths we witness those of gay people (aside from Connor)? ADDITIONALLY, I have a very deep and intimate understanding of cancer due to my job: breast and gynecologic cancers, specifically. The line about Evelyn's "ample breasts" and how Monique realizes that what made Evelyn would also kill her? I can't think of a more tasteless way to handle that. I guess I could chalk it all up to naivete, and maybe I'm taking things too personally, but I genuinely do not feel I can respect TJR as an author or a person because of this book. It feels like a lazy cash grab propelled by its representation of minority groups for representation's sake. Its chapters are short, the language isn't challenging, and the reader never has to think too hard. Of course it gained so much popularity. I don't get the impression that the author cares for minority groups in any meaningful way from her storytelling. Seven Husbands smells like greed to me. It really does. :(

[@JesseOnYoutube]

This comment was very well thought out and touching. Thank you.

[@lemontreeleaf]

That is such a great point you made about how it's so cheap to have the twist be that the black characters are related. I think tjr thinks that being biracial is akin to being bisexual. There is such a strong similarity in the way that Evelyn explains that she is not gay or straight, but bi, and the way that Monique explains that she is not black or white, but a secret third thing. It's just such a shallow and bizarre way of thinking about biracial identity. The most insane bit imo is when Monique thinks about how it's good that her husband is white, because he'll never tell her she isn't black enough. lmao.

[@krystenkeffer1059]

Actually this made a lot of sense as a biracial person. You get rejected by both sides. And from my experience it is really like that. So I understand what she meant when she said that and made that choice about her husband. As well as why she said she is not one or the other but both. Being biracial is complicated and how it goes can depend a lot on how well you can pass for either race. But even if you do, they can you can and will still be rejected for it at times.

[@alizahhernandez06]

i can only speak for the latina representation through evelyn,, and although i can understand that her life was a reality for many latin stars in old hollywood, the way she portrayed it was very obviously told through the lens of a white woman. when the twist at the end happened, i was shocked however knew immediately she doesn’t understand race at all which is so very disappointing. a biracial black reporter and a cuban bisexual woman as the main characters could’ve been handled with more care than they were. monique’s character could’ve been so interesting and just as fleshed out as the white characters. beautiful writing to me in literacy and the romance aspect but painfully white overall. monique’s character was just used as a way to sympathize with evelyn and harry even though her story as a biracial woman could’ve been something that many readers could’ve connected to but couldn’t because of taylor’s white lens. it could’ve been a beautiful love letter to queer poc through monique’s father and evelyn but fell so so short :( your points were very amazing and made a lot of what i had been uncomfortable about but couldn’t place click in my head so thank you ❤❤

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Doesn’t it feel so good when someone else provides language for something you’ve struggled to articulate? Love that feeling. So glad I could provide it in this video. Thank you

[@frenchtoastnbooks5955]

It's crazy to think of all the things I missed while reading this book way back when booktube raved about it. Although: 1. I listened to the audiobook, which automatically makes me miss things. 2. I was a completely different person back then, much less self-actualized in my anti-racism decoding and how white-centeric my worldview was and still is. I'd like to think I would be uncomfortable if I read this now, but I also have to acknowledge that I might not be due to my whiteness. I also haven't read any other TJR book because none of her other works have interested me, so I guess that's that. Thanks for making this video!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Right!!?? Honestly same!! It means we are growing. I missed so much about this book during my first read and I feel like I’m so much more of a well rounded reader now. I’m happy for us both to be honest :)

[@G-Swizzel]

This discussion is very insightful. I believe I read 7 Husbands 5 years ago now and have not revisited it since, but this year I started reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's backlist. I actually work for the Australian publisher of Evelyn Hugo and her 4 other backlist books (prior to Daisy Jones, her newer books here have rights with PRH AU). Through my job I started reading more from her and became a fan and honestly our team have been celebrating the success of 7 Husbands for the records it's continually breaking and as someone from a Lebanese background living in Australia, I could resonate with someone like Evelyn Hugo in hiding my racial identity to get ahead in my professional life. This is why pretty much worshipped Evelyn, but as I remember the plot twist of this novel - the use of Monique's family in it wasn't okay. I've recently even had a problem with Marvel movies/TV shows killing off a POC in scenes to convey the danger and severity of a situation. This happened in Multiverse of Madness when someone sacrificed themselves to destroy Wanda's magical book and additionally in the most recent episode of Ms Marvel. Plot devices shouldn't be diversity points, but also if this is what Hollywood or writers think representation is, they are incredibly wrong. I'm still a fan of TJR as I love her first 4 books prior to Evelyn Hugo a lot and heck - I even mentioned in some videos I pre-filmed that I was planning on making a video ranking her books after reading Carrie Soto (of which I actually didn't yet read the synopsis of because I was planning to do so after I read Malibu Rising) but this is a reminder to acknowledge that TJR has capitalised on problematic representation and they must do better going forward. Thank y'all for raising this! x

[@JesseOnYoutube]

WHEN THAT HAPPENED IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS WE WERE FURIOUS. we know EXACTLY the character u were talking about and we were like.....??? WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

[@TheKayAngelina]

I have only read Evelyn Hugo, and I couldn't agree more! I also feel so uncomfortable with the German cover of the book that shows a white woman with jewelry and a fancy dress. Thank you for your video!

[@Sarah-tf7yv]

Jesse! Y’all had me terrified in the first seconds😭I had to be brought back to life there! I’m so glad y’all made this video, I find it unsettling that I’ve never heard of this issue within this book before considering just HOW MUCH people love it…..

[@JesseOnYoutube]

HEHHEHEE GOTCHA lmao just had to throw in a LITTLE smidge of torture for yall

[@csd8204]

Interesting commentary. I'm not queer but am a POC and a writer myself. You made some very insightful observations regarding how the author approached race while not really doing so. I mean, if the MC is passing and never 'lives' their POC experience as a POC...are they really (for all intents and purposes) a POC? This isn't my genre, and I'd never read it, but I did hear about it a lot when Daisy Jones came out. It's interesting seeing what concerns various elements of the community and being educated on their concerns and sensibilities.

[@musicst4r2012]

I definitely agree with you at the beginning of the book. There is very little that actually “draws you in”. I really wish it had more detail. It seemed almost like an “overview” of her life when it appeared there was much more than that. Everyone knows she’s a “survivalist” and will do what is necessary to either land on top or to survive. Until almost the very end, (in my opinion, there does not seem to be a reason to read the book.

[@CatApocalypse]

I never even heard there were BIPOC characters in the story from other Booktubers, but the fact that some folks view Evelyn's sexual orientation as a spoiler or plot twist never sat well with me. TJR's books have never appealed to me, and Sarah Waters' books very much do, so I guess it works out in the end 🥴

[@MonicaSilva-rh7lm]

Hey! I read the 7 husbands at a time in my life where I was questioning my sexual orientation and seeing a saphic relationship being portrayed - although in a tragic way - really resonated with me. However, there was something about her that felt weird to me, don't know if it was this, but either way I am thankful for this analysis of the book and your commentary on the way race was portrayed. Haven't read the synopsis to her next book yet, but I'm not sure if I want to read it now.

[@MonicaSilva-rh7lm]

@sewer~rat I definitely have! Just read Delilah Green Doesn’t Care and 100% reccomend. 💕

[@henitinker8808]

It made me so uncomfortable how Monique looks up to Evelyn as an inspiration: the woman who left her father's body by the side of the road, even after she learnt what Evelyn did!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

This is a good point…

[@vteodora3544]

Nooo, this was published on my birthday about my favorite book/author. 😭😭 But thank you for this, people need to be aware of the problematic sides ❤️

[@JesseOnYoutube]

happy belated birthday :) 💗✨💗 i hope you did something nice for yourself. and if not i hope you can soon!!

[@vteodora3544]

@@JesseOnKZbin thank you so much, awesome video I will subscribe❤️❤️

[@BrokenDarkFire]

I loved this book when I first read it, and it still means a lot to me, but this HAD TO BE SAID. Thank you for articulating it, Jessie, and I’ll have to hop on over to the Instagram review you mentioned to check it out. The way Monique’s character was barely in the story and felt like a first draft character sketch and then the way her father’s death was handled have always felt icky to me, but I assumed I was being too sensitive because I never heard anyone on Booktube vocalize that opinion. I’m relieved that I wasn’t wrong but also, really fucking disappointed I was right. For a book that got a lot of things right for me, it’s beyond frustrating that these story elements and characters were blundered. Like, I reread it recently and I really wanted to love it as much as I did when it came out, but the issues felt even more obvious now that I knew the twist was coming.

[@LochsLibrary]

oop can’t wait to hear this bc i had so many issues with evelyn hugo and i love validation 💀

[@lizzien5846]

Me too! I’m so intrigued!

[@aimee8135]

I was literally about to start reading this book today, I’m gonna wait now to see why it’s problematic 😅

[@valentinareyes9882]

I completely agree with everything you said. What was the point of Monique being biracial and Evelyn being Cuban? I'm not having the POC experience with these characters and certainly the addition of these characteristics seems like adding dIvErSiTy for the sake of addding it

[@IsabelleReads]

Just finished it today (fell for the booktok hype) and I am SO glad all those thoughts and genuine discomfort while reading it was not just me.

[@justabookholic]

Y’all aptly summarized the issues I consistently had with Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing but didn’t catch on to the pattern until y’all made this video. I especially hated Carrie Soto’s characterization in Malibu Rising which was a best, one-dimensional and at worst, played into problematic stereotypes against Asian women (she gave me uncomfy “dragon lady” vibes in Malibu Rising). Great video Jesse!

[@DoctaSab]

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I was having a difficult time putting an articulate description of why this book made me so uncomfortable and you encapsulated it perfectly. From the first chapter I was doing a triple-take to the author portrait on the back of my book to be sure my eyes did not deceive me… The context of the “twist” ending is completely inexcusable and left me disliking this book much more than I originally anticipated. Again, thank you for doing the work on pointing out the issues with this author and her work!

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you, Sabrina

[@bellaaguirre649]

Okay I already commented but I didn’t finish the video but holy shit she really did just sprinkle 2 black ppl in the book and then gave them no depth -.- I didn’t realize while reading that the only purpose to making them back was that they were related… I like how you explained that because I knew the author was white and while reading I was kinda feeling weird ab how she implements diversity and ur right it was literally just to have diversity like how fucking hard is it to write these characters like any other and give them a more lifelike and genuine feel?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

exactly!! someone else pointed out that in daisy jones the Black female character existed only to follow daisy around and i genuinely don’t even remember that character at all lmao but i’m hoping to read the book again

[@bellaaguirre649]

@@JesseOnKZbin I haven’t read that book but y I k e s 🤦‍♀️

[@nelvalostinpages5846]

I would like to point out that Rita Hayworth was not Latine, she is of Romani and Hispanic descent through her father side. She did have to hide and go through a lot to hide that heritage as at the time they might have thought she was Latine, but she's isn't. Edit: Great video, this book has been one of my faves but this video definitely made me think deeper about that so I'm grateful! Just wanted to point that out bc as a Latine myself Spaniards passing off as Latine and taking our cultured is upsetting.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Yes ty 😊Several others pointed this out too!

[@nelvalostinpages5846]

@@JesseOnKZbin oh sorry i didn't see any! but thanks for acknowledging and again thanks for the video. I will be checking out Sarah Waters!

[@shannonneese952]

T J R used Rita Hayworth - born Margarita Cansina in Mexico as a model for Evelyn. Rita Hayworth was anglicanized by having her name de-Latined, her hair dyed red, and her eye brows plucked. In Hollywood in the "Golden Age" you couldn't be a POC (Rita), or you had to be a painfully racist stereotype just to have a job (Carmen Miranda)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

yes!

[@MrsWestReadThat]

I find the difference of opinions that humans can have while eating the same sandwich, drinking the same beverage or even watching the same movie, as one of the most beautiful things about life. With that being said, I loved this book, like really loved it. And I’m actually shocked that I got none of these vibes reading the same novel especially with everyone around me deeming me as the pro black friend or relative most of the time. LGBT reads aren’t even my thing when it comes to lit picks, however this was great writing for me. I genuinely felt like Evelyn did what she did to protect her friends legacy because they did so much to hide who they were and protect what they built for so long, not because she seen a black man on the passenger side and thought it would be better to frame him for it all. She thought her friend was going to live and removed him from the scene completely, knowing his lover was already gone, even if the lover was white or yellow, I don’t think the move for Harry should have been different because she truly loved her friend and knew how he felt about being outed let alone did she want the father of their child in jail. I didn’t see any of this, but to each his or her own.

[@franklinmendoza4087]

As a Latino living in the states and as a fan of classic literature and also old Hollywood movies, the book depicts a very accurate picture of what the show business back in the 50s and later years. The book is realistic, of course it will be problematic as that era was all problematic compare to today standards. What matters is how well written the characters are instead of a representation on their race.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

As a latino living in the united states and as a fan of classic literature and also old Hollywood movies, I'm amused by your little patronizing comment where you regurgitate basic history that even 6 year olds understand. because at no point did I even critique the depiction of show business OR the fact that there was racism in this period. again, we ALL KNOW THIS. I literally only critiqued how poorly developed the 2 Black characters were & that I didn't appreciate it given that she was able to write ALL the other characters well with fleshed out back stories. "what matters is how well written the characters are instead of representation--" and yet i gave multiple examples of how they WEREN'T well written even if we pretend they weren't brown. 💀 your dismissive comment erases many of my points and just shows u weren't listening to what was actually being said.

[@mizoreshirayuki1301]

As a fully black person i knew within the first 20 pages that Monique was *one of those* biracials & it made me completely check out of her character. Evelyn’s story was beautiful but the plot twist was still overshadowed by Evelyn taking her own life imo

[@stilltainted922]

I read Daisy Jones last week and loved it so much that I moved on to Evelyn Hugo. I finished it today and while I fell in love with a lot of it, the Monique's father twist made me angry. I immediately felt uncomfortable with it and I just can't love this book on that level. I agree with everything you said in this. Truly.

[@nowtwdontalk]

Rita Hayworth wasn’t Latina tho, her father was Spanish, so in any case she was Hispanic. But technically she was actually an American girl and white, but considered non-white because of her Spanish heritage. I think! Correct me if I’m wrong. I just see people getting race, nationally and ethnicity mixed up so often to the point I start to get confused myself. Also, just finished reading this book after waiting for 2 years to read it cause I wanted to read it in its original language and English fiction is nowhere to be found where I live, and I must say I have mixed feelings and I agree with all your points! Honestly, by the time the plot twist happened I had so little recollection about Monique’s life (because we get pretty much none) that I had forgotten her surname and her father’s name (idk if that’s even mentioned before), so when I read the line about the accident I was so confused and didn’t understand why that was there and why it was important that Harry was in love with a black man. Then it clicked, but I just think why was it necessary to say ‘black man’? Cause Monique would have known it was her father anyways? Idk if I’m reading too much into it?? But in midst of my confusion it made me think that that was the shocking part

[@JesseOnYoutube]

no you're not wrong! a bunch of folks corrected me on that and i'm glad for it :) also random but i love ur icon

[@leandrathetbrzero]

The hype over this book has made me never interested in reading Evelyn Hugo, and I genuinely didn't know one detail about the plot, but thank you for making this video because now I have far better, important reasons not to pick it up 🙌

[@Monicareads15]

First the way you eloquently put this video was perfect. I’ve read this book once (also rated it 5 stars) and when I got to the “plot twist” I didn’t think of it being problematic (as I now do), in my head I was thinking what a piece of shit thing to do, and then with Monique… I didn’t care for that story line at all (as someone that is mixed it was just weird how it was written, and it seems when most characters are written to favor one “side” over the other it’s usually favoring the white side. And since we have a main character that is already having to pass as white, I would have like to see Monique embrace herself fully and really flesh out how that would effect the book). When I saw this video as upcoming I thought I would do my research and finding out Monique is named after her good friend and bookstagramer (Moniquebartley) I was like okay maybe she wanted to add her friend in there… but this story would have been a wonderful period piece without that “plot twist” just having Hugo give Monique her story because she wanted to help raise black voices in media etc. But your elucidation on her other books and the picture as a whole was spot on and I never saw it that way before. If she continues to make books with BIPOC characters, I hope she asks for help writing them until she fully understands and can write a character like she would any of her others and that we aren’t just casual points for diversity (even if she doesn’t see it that way in each book, looking at the big picture it shows she has work to do). And I love how you just want Jenkins (and others) to do better and I hope that she takes the criticism and does better for now on. Such a great video and can’t wait to see more from you! And will definitely be picking up Tipping The Velvet! 🤎

[@brooke5258]

Exactly! The racist plot twist wasn't needed. Evelyn's story could stand on its own.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

seriously!!! WHY WAS RACE BROUGHT INTO IT AT ALL!??!?!?!?!

[@litera.dreams3274]

I think I would have been less angry with the ending has the little fandom talked about it like at all. Like they never mention the plot twist at the end at all and I really don’t think they or TJR are aware of huge racial implications of James being black has on the story. It all just rubbed me the wrong way.

[@marigabyteyssier2279]

I read Seven Husbands about three years ago and loved it, it even became a favorite book at the time (as a Hispanic lesbian woman), but at the same time I recognize that it's not the masterpiece that many people claim it is. The sections about Monique were definitely the weakest part of the novel. If it was cut out it would have probably made the book better. I was surprised by the plot twist at the end, but I don't think it was necessary. Why not write the book in the format of a fictional memoir? I never knew that people were defending Evelyn's actions about the car crash. It was definitely a horrible thing to do. Evelyn tries to justify herself, bit it doesn't really work. Makes you wonder in which other ways did she manipulated the story to make herself look better. I never noticed the way black people were treated tho. I agree that Malibu Rising was not that good. What was the line that bothered you?

[@JesseOnYoutube]

unfortunately i cant remember the exact line agh its so frustrating. and to clarify, the issue isn't that ppl were defending her actions about the car crash. i think it added to the 'omg she's so morally gray and terrible' fascination with her character which i get. we LOVE watching pretty people do terrible things. the issue was that the white author put 2 black characters in her story and CHOSE to use them in this way. for them to be surprise related (another Black stereotype), for one to be killed, and for both to be given 0 characterization. so personally my issue isn't even that evelyn left him on the side of the road, its that Taylor Jenkins Reid chose to write that ending for a Black queer man in the first place.

[@madisonk7452]

Thank you for noting this. I think it's really important to call out. When I got to the "twist," I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd ever read. Along with the Black and POC rep, I also felt uncomfortable with the queer rep. You could tell it was written from a heteronormative and allonormative perspective, and she resorted to long queerphobic tropes too. To me, it felt like Reid really wanted to tell this story about women's empowerment and sexuality, and then last minute, dropped a bunch of "representation" in random places, and that left a bad taste in my mouth.

[@kyeoptawerk93ah]

when i read 7 husbands of evelyn hugo last year, i did really enjoy it, i think i gave it 5 stars. but reading these comments, some other book reviews, and watching this video, i will think more critically about it. i felt a little weird about parts of it but couldn't pinpoint why but now i think i know what/why i was uncomfortable with in the book. i don't like the other book i read from tjr (daisy jones was awful for me and i actually gave that a 0 star haha and even in daisy jones, the one black character was just a sidekick to a rich white girl. i wanted to read more about her than the main cast/band) so i'm not heartbroken over cutting her out of any future readings. there are plenty of white women authors that don't use pocs in weird, harmful ways in their books

[@LaRosaReads]

I’ve never read TJR books and the only one I somewhat had interest in Daisy and the Six. I don’t even consider that one a must read. I appreciate y’all’s thorough, thoughtful and wise review. I hope she listens and acts accordingly.✌🏾

[@RaspberryDevil]

I remember how popular this book was when I first got into booktube videos! The only reason I haven't read it yet is because my library doesn't have it :') Knowing the plottwist now, I'm not sure if I'll ever read it, but if I do I know what I'll get into. On a side note, I'm glad y'all spelled it out for the people in the back that this is a pattern of writing race. It should be obvious, but often it's not and that's why I trust y'all when it comes to these kind of discussions.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

its SO simple. is this brown character for shock value? don't write it. so simple

[@chexmixbaby44]

With this and RW&RB, I feel like I really need to pay better attention to race issues in these books I read them both a while ago (I think back to back), so maybe I've gotten better since then, but hearing y'all's reviews for both these books I've been like 😲 how didn't I notice that??????

[@cyanraleigh8548]

I hope she improves as an author because I really did love some of her books, i just got back into reading and I honestly don't know how to properly assess a book or themes so thank you this was really informative...shes honestly my favorite author and i did feel like tshoeh was uncomfortable for me

[@nctwethedreamchaser4972]

my issue with the race stuff with evelyn hugo is a lot of it felt hollow and taylor was imitating what she thought other POC felt about race? it felt like she saw a twitter thread of biracials sharing their experiences and was like "ooh spicy let me write that down!" for monique's character and then for evelyn it felt like an imitation of twitter discussions of white passing latinas nothing felt authentic about it

[@eglathren]

I didn't like this book and it made me angry, but no one that I know understands why. Your video is really spot on and goes beyond the stuff I noticed, so I now hate it even more LOL

[@shannonboote4483]

I am so glad to hear someone else had a problem with this book. I DNF'd it at the car accident, I was so done. I thought I had overreacted since so many people loved this book. At the time it reminded me so much of my experience with Donna Tartt, The Secrete History and The Goldfinch to be exact. Being disabled, chronically ill, queer, and nonbianary, I tend to run hot when marginalized people are used as plot devices, leading to racist/homophobic/ablest content not being challenged, or when problematic content surrounding race, gender, sexuality, and disability garners fame or attention for a creator/author based on constructs that mislead and harm our communities. It not only makes me screaming mad, but it also hurts to know that people who have no experience within a community can do so much damage while adding nothing to the conversations that need to happen or challenge the stereotypes that still plague our marginalized communities. The fact that these kinds of books are so widely praised and that there is little to no pushback on their problematic content, shows how tone deaf readers can be that they don't even recognize what is problematic. Thank you for always adding something profound to the conversations surrounding books.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Slow clapping at this entire comment. God Donna tartt’s books are the most vile, hateful thing I’ve read from a modern authors never again. Never ever again.

[@shannonboote4483]

@@JesseOnKZbin I thought I had missed something when I read The Secret History because I hated it and it was such a booktube favorite. Which is why I picked up The Goldfinch biggest mistake to date besides my once marriage to a white man, as you said, never again. Never ever again.😆

[@rendeukie9212]

"do you know Scooby-Doo?" HELP I was so focused and I was taken aback Thank you for this video.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

LOL ur the only one who seems to have noticed that HAHAHAHA I thought I was so clever 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@shreyamathur5963]

yes. YES!! thank you for articulating why Seven Husbands immediately went to my DNF better than I could

[@avsambart]

The car part was so messed up... Also the way Evelyn thinks she's doing something good and releasing her guilt by telling her story and truth to Monique 😒😒 the ending part rubbed me the wrong way.

[@joyellis6792]

Thanks for the video! I was excited to read this book because it was so hyped and I was looking forward to what I was hoping would be a beautiful and complicated queer love story….but honestly it left me so sad and disappointed…and uncomfortable as you said. I almost immediately felt that Monique was biracial to counterbalance Evelyn’s bisexuality and to earn brownie points for representation. It also made me so uncomfortable that Evelyn not only dropped the bomb to Monique at the end after building so much rapport and trust and then shattering that… but also the fact that because of Evelyn’s actions after the car crash, Monique and her mother’s grief was so tainted by thinking he was a drunk driver. That was so horrible to me because it didn’t characterize him at all. I was so sad and disappointed that she made that choice along with going along with the “kill your gays” trope that literally killed all the queer characters in a book that I thought was going to celebrate queer love and condemn the way that they had to hide. Instead- even though Evelyn constantly says she did everything for Celia- til the very end she consistently makes choices to increase her own notoriety at the expense of others- Monique being her last victim. So, so, disappointed. A shocking and riveting book doesn’t mean that it’s a good one and deserves 5 stars.

[@HasabeMizurukara]

I've been so on the fence about reading this book. And honestly I don't get the draw to Taylor Jenkins Reid. As a White person I write White characters. I feel hurt when people often write trans, queer, disabled people and do it wrong, because they do not have these identities. I think it's a slippery slope to write outside of your own experiences. And when you do you should have a lot of advice from people in those groups. A lot. I feel like authors do need to listen. It's okay to be wrong. It's not okay to not learn and keep doing the same bad things.

[@ericazahn9689]

With that mindset, no men should write men, and no men should write women. If you are ok if that, you are a hypocrit.

[@HasabeMizurukara]

@@ericazahn9689 What about the trans and non-binary people. Like me. What are your thoughts on that lol. Or are you a bot?

[@idek7438]

So your books only feature white people? Yikes

[@VanessaMarieBooks]

I think you can write outside of your experience, if you're willing to do the work needed to make them an actual character. The main character in one of my stories is adopted. I've been looking into adoption/adoptees, looking up things online, checking out books from the library on adoption, listening to adoptees stories on tik tok, and I plan to work with sensitivity readers for my character when I'm ready. Now this doesn't mean I'm guaranteed not to make a mistake, but I'm willing to continue to learn and grow. That's all any of us can do. The problem comes in when you have a writer who isn't concerned with doing the necessary research or finding sensitivity readers, and just wants to throw in a token minority character for the sake of "diversity" points. But if you're willing to put in the effort and do your due diligence, then I think writers definitely can write outside their experiences. A Curse So Dark and Lonely and the Diviners series I think are proof of that.

[@HasabeMizurukara]

@@VanessaMarieBooks Yay. Finally a real human responded to my comment. Not sure why a lot of trolls are here. You are exactly right! That was what I meant in my comment. I think if you write outside your own experience you need to put in the extra work. Your concept sounds amazing. My brother was adopted, out of our family, and I feel like there is very little rep out there for adoption/foster care. I hope one day when you're published that I run into your book! :)

[@thatskums]

I think the book could have been so wonderful if that whole section was cut out. Evelyn could have chosen Monique because of her talent and not for anything else. Monique could still be depicted as a biracial women without the death of her father. It's the freaking shock factor that I hated so much. The book seriously could have been epic.

[@sofiaverdeja8757]

Sii amigaaa, justo lo empecé a leer y sentía que la inclusión de la raza de ciertos personajes estaba hecha de una manera muy forzada y muy superficial. Como dices, necesitamos historias verdaderamente inclusivas que reflejen de manera adecuada las complejidades que viven las personas de los grupos a quienes se pretende representar. Desde la primera hoja cuando leí la descripcion de monique y frankie, sentí que algo no cuadraba y con este video me pude dar cuenta de qué era aquello que me hizo sentir incómoda.

[@mysslei7298]

i was really excited to read this book because i am both bi and cuban so this book was really the best piece of media ever for me but after finishing it i feel very disappointed with how race and heritage were handled. in evelyn’s case, while her bisexuality was a big part of her story and her identity, her cuban roots were not really the same way. they were both things she had to hide and repress and yet while she was very interested in portraying herself as a strong queer woman at the end as a conclusion, her cuban roots never really went along with that. if the author is going to write her as a non-white cuban character that has to pass as white to thrive in Hollywood then that should be given the same attention as her sexuality. i would have liked to see more attention brought to latinx issues, her fully embracing her roots, would have liked it very much if she donated to them too and a conversation with her daughter about what that means for her. overall very obvious the author is not cuban or latina. i expected better

[@MeganPhillips-k8z]

The way I was screaming during this whole video!!! Yes!!! This book made me feel so icky and seeing it get so much praise makes me so sad!! I wish authors like Alice Walker got as much praise. If anyone needs a refresh after reading this pile of garbage you should try The Color Purple💜

[@makebablondell3177]

And when Evelyn said she supported MLK during the civil rights movement and then left Monique's father to die on the side of the road for Harry.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

LMFAO!!!!!!!

[@virtualgamers9022]

this!! I felt like the race discussion was SO lackluster and UNimportant (which in turn defeated the ENTIRE purpose of the book). It was just. . . There? It had no point, it had no reason. It served no purpose. (Mentions do NOT get to be an excuse here). Also, would like to add, the romance of Evelyn and Celia felt rushed and random. Half of the book it was just them fighting and being horrible to each other (so. many. pity. points). It was never REALLY drawn out to its fullest extent as a sapphic / queer book. It was just there, again. It was repetitive and dragged. . . Oh and there was Connor for a split second LMAO

[@JesseOnYoutube]

connor lmaoooooo

[@grff_]

The issue i have is that imo not all books w poc writen by someone who is not that race/ethnicity should be taken as "representation". Stories are just stories and we put way too much pressure in poc/queer/disabled/etc people who create stories to make it "activism" or to be "righteous" to us. Monique didn't have a fleshed out personality because that wasn't what the book was about and I can only speak for how Hugo was handled and I had no issue. I agree w the one black characters being used for shock value and it did bother me as much as the entire reveal surprised me. I think in my life i will just read books and enjoy them (or not) without always looking for it to be always morally righteous and fair to all minorities, especially if i know the book is from a white person. I will also not applaud them when they get it 'right'🤷🏻

[@JesseOnYoutube]

You’re definitely allowed to read books in whatever way that feels good for you. Critics frequently assume I’m going into my books w a magnifying glass, actively seeking imperfections. I’d rather love a book than critique it, but being honest about my reading experience is a value to me. Thanks for sharing ur perspective and I hope ur having a good day.

[@madeleinemay3317]

Just started this book, a quarter in, and I can pinpoint what's wrong with this book. All of the time reading this I imagine Evelyn as a caucasian, as a fictional Marilyn. Her potrayal as Cuban descent felt less realistic by how easily she's accepted in Hollywood (in a time where it supposed to be very racist & segregated), and how her PoC characteristic is just her tan skin (and yet the book cover model is not even tanned). Maybe if she just written as a white, the story will make more sense.

[@kiandrarodgers3436]

stay safe in witness protection y'all. In all seriousness though, thank you for this video. Ive never read anything by TJR (I am the person in the pineapple under the sea) and all I knew about 7 husbands was that she was a Hollywood starlet married 7 times and gave an interview. Eventually, I found out it was sapphic as well. But having it recommended asa queer book has always made me uncomfortable because to my knowledge TJR is straight and so the most celebrates sapphic book on the internet not be by a sapphic writer felt very fake-ally-ey to me. I had no idea the racial elements though. I'd been considering reading this for quite a while now though but something was just telling me "nope don't do it" and now I'm so glad I saved myself the time. I hope TJR grows and stops writing these harmful tropes and allows herself to be called in before she becomes like JKR.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Literally so jealous you haven’t read anything by her omg what is it like to be this pure

[@kiandrarodgers3436]

@@JesseOnKZbin lol like a gift apparently

[@PorschaWrites]

I don't usually comment but I couldn't past the actual writing in this book to see why people liked it so much. The writing felt so mid. I thought about trying again at some point but nope I'm good on all of that. Thanks for another great video.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Hi porscha!!!! It’s a treat that u commented :) the writing was mediocre. So. So. Mediocre :(

[@kandikane33]

you put the feelings i have about this book into words so concisely. thank you for this

[@JesseOnYoutube]

thank you =]

[@gigigrassoknight3]

I've learned to sideeye books by yt authors that majority of people rave about. I've usually been disappointed when I finally get to read the books. I try to scour the comments to find someone that sees the problems I saw in the book. I feel like there are ppl who delete negative comments bc there are some books with all the raves and not one person commented negatively. Not one? Not even the standard I hate everything person?

[@samanthamillette3358]

Thank you SO MUCH for making this- I found myself feeling more and more uncomfortable as I read the book. I didn't look TJR up ahead of time, so I had no clue how she identifies, but something just felt off. I looked it up, and was so confused because I couldn't find anyone commenting on this. I was really grateful to have found your video because it's the most in-depth commentary I've found on it. I am white, cis, and straight, so I am 100% not an authority to speak on this, but I've been sharing your video with others in my social circle (especially my white, straight, cis friends who keep saying this is their favorite book of all time and pushed me to read it). I'm just really frustrated that so many people are going to walk away from reading this book thinking that it adequately captures the experience of being a BIPOC, queer human in the 50's/60's. It just reeks of one of those "woke" books that people read to say to their white/straight/cis peers "Look see! I'm not racist or homophobic, I read this book and it's amazing! You should read it too so we can all saw we are not racist or homophobic together!" Thank you for the recommendation at the end though- I will 100% be checking that book out :)

[@bellaaguirre649]

I loved the book but I agree and I wanted so much more depth from Monique and her father. After all he was a black and queer man in the 50s to 80s so like why not shine light on his experiences she could’ve done that through maybe her mothers words etc.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

!!!!!! exactly

[@abbadonne8342]

Something I also feel uncomfortable with but that is well loved is Breakfast at Tiffany's I felt like I was in the twilight zone because everyone I ran into seemed to love it But like There is a part where Holly and the dude (sorry forgot his name can't be bothered to remember) are riding a horse, then suddenly some >>loud, whooping black young boys come out and evilly(?) scare the horses>> i can't recall verbatim but something like that And this was just ONE of the instances throughout the book where for no reason, black people were thrown into the story as plot devices Negative plot devices as that, either as pitiable props or as minor antagonists And the part where the cat gets lost and they have to emphasise how ethnic the place cat gets lost in was Like It is so so so jarring I prefer the movie over it 100 percent cause what the frik did I read

[@mithzelluque4754]

i absolutely HATED the plot twist at the end, especially how much i wanted to know more about monique's parent's relationship more than that of evelyn hugo and fucking shitty as female love interest (i can't be assed to remember that blond's name, jesse. i can't (and yes, i never forgave the woman for being a biphobic binch (even tho it was meant to reflect the times, i couldn't forgive her especially when she was getting jealous i alks;dfjal;kdsjfa (i'm bitter about the book as y'all may have observed.... not healthy)))) but i thank y'all for the overall message of it being necessary to correct an author's inclination towards stereotypes and the need for them to hear criticism so that they may not end uo using their self-righteousness as a shield. thank you for the video.

[@ilsenleon2378]

I actually really liked the book but I definitely agree with your take on it. They really didn’t need to be black!! I also felt the same feeling as you because I gave the book a lower rating than I thought (I thought it was because it was overhyped) but yea, the fact that black people are used as a plot device is just so wrong. Also as a White Cuban myself, I can say that I always forget that she is Cuban because it is only mentioned by name. It is never explained in the story. So it just seems like it was just there for diversity points. I think I can still acknowledge these terrible choices while still regarding it as an enjoyable book. I hope that the author can do better as well because I loved Daisy Jones and the Six (more so than Evelyn Hugo) and I just want to enjoy her books without worrying about it harming other people and their representation. Great video by the way!

[@AR36-45]

Thanks for this video. One correction I want to make is that Rita Hayworth is Spanish and therefore not Latino. I know the two get conflated a lot but Latinos see her as a white European.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

others made this correction too! ty!

[@alexisf1613]

I couldn't help noticing when Evelyn threw in "I was very interested in Martin Luther King Jr.'s work" during the bit when she was married to Harry. Felt very "I have black friends I can't be racist" 😭😭😭

[@JesseOnYoutube]

THE MLK THROW IN ALWAYS KILLS ME LMAO

[@arielcampos2493]

I read this last year and it did not sit right w me at all. Everyone who hyped it up did not mention any of the erasure and horrible handling of race. I was in shock the whole time. Additionally, the way bisexuality was handled did not feel authentic either.

[@Sad.Purple.unicorn]

Finaly someone else who thinks this book was bad and problematic. I feel so validated. I gave it one star.

[@TJReadstheStars]

This was such a beautifully insightful video. As much as I do think that TJR has a lot of strengths as an author, but EVERYTHING you're saying is both valid and accurate. The way race is discussed in Evelyn Hugo was very surface level, especially considering her main character is Cuban... I think TJR's problem is that her narratives seem to prioritise plot and builds her characters around them, hence why she falls into all of the traps that she mentions. And totally with you on the point about white authors writing non-white characters. It's just a matter of giving them good amounts of depth as actual human beings as opposed to plot devices and/or ticks in diversity boxes. Basically, you're incredible and I'm so thankful that this community has someone as critical and considerate as you to point all these problems out. Forever in awe of you. 💙💫

[@yinyin8769]

I was willing to give Taylor Jenkins Reid another chance but honestly Carrie Soto is back just terrifies me💀I still don’t know what her race is supposed to be, I first heard that she was black, then Latina, and now I’m hearing that she’s Asian and I haven’t been able to find a clear answer so I just have no idea anymore. But what I’m wondering is why TJR feels the need to write poc main characters in the first place. I know this is controversial but personally I wholeheartedly believe that no representation is better than bad representation, and also just think that writing about the poc experience should be left to actual poc. I just don’t see the benefit in letting white authors take this opportunity from poc when it more often than not goes horribly wrong, but TJR is doing it again and she’s already being praised for it even though the book isn’t even out yet

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Why is Carrie Soto every race under the sun omg

[@caiolucas8257]

I agree on this instance, bad representation is more harmful than no representation, if you're going to half ass it then don't do it. I do think white authors can write poc characters, i believe art should be free, but at lot of times it feels they're not researching enough, they don't know the type of people they're writing about because they really don't bother to do that so we get a bunch of offensive cliches.

[@refillpan]

just finished the book and doing this review, and i wish the book was just a queer love story tbh :/ everything pertaining to race just felt so unnatural (like monique really not doing anything or evelyn being latina)

[@JesseOnYoutube]

honestly lmaoooo 💖✨💖✨

[@em_em06]

Im latina and bisexual and in my opinion is that the book had potential the general storyline was interesting which is why I picked up the book and the overall setting as well. The poc representation is horrible and so is the queer rep especially for lesbians I think that if it were rewritten (and 100% not by a white person) could be a really good story. Ik Netflix is planning on making a movie of it and it would be nice if they could fix all these issue but knowing Netflix I’m not sure that’s a probability:(. I recommend reading last night at the telegraph club good representation and good queer representation set in 50s secret queer clubs

[@JesseOnYoutube]

wait NETFLIX IS MAKING IT INTO A MOVIE?!

[@em_em06]

@@JesseOnKZbin yes they are! I really hope Netflix does a good job but I’ve been let down by Netflix one too many times so my expectations are incredibly low

[@miquesbookvlogs372]

Thanks so much for making this video! I learned a lot, and admittedly so much of this went over my head when I read Evelyn Hugo. I hope TJR sees this vid and applies these valid critiques to her subsequent works!! Important stuff for sure 👏

[@JesseOnYoutube]

Love u miqueeee

[@argieMJ]

Thank y'all for making this video, Jesse. We need callouts to critically write and consume media. I didn't know I need it, but here we are. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@KD-CD]

I recently read the review from blackgirlthatreads then bam this video drops. It's a good week to be a critical reader. Once I asked around and found out that the author was straight and not Latine I knew I wasn't going to pick that book up. It's actual own voices I have time to put first and I'm glad I did. THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO🐙

[@cuppleschristopher]

Threw the book across the room when I read THAT part. 😡

[@bailey3645]

This is such a great video. Admittedly, I hate TJR's writing style and didn't like Daisy Jones or Malibu Rising, but I was so uncomfortable with how she "handled" (if you want to be generous) race and sexuality in Malibu Rising. Those "plot points" (again, being generous) were such throw-aways in the overall story that it read like a check box of "identities to include" from her publisher. I have no interest in reading anything else by her and have found way better historical fiction novels recently that deal with similar themes and plots in a much more articulate, interesting, and sensitive manner. EDIT: Should have waited 2 seconds before adding my comment because you mentioned the exact line that made me so uncomfortable in Malibu Rising. The second she tried to make a social justice point about the cops showing up I noped out of there.

[@JesseOnYoutube]

YES!!!!!!!!!! THAT WAS SO WEIRD?! it was COMPLETELY out of line with the whole tone of the book. blatant attempt to look woke and it didn't sit well. can also see why you didn't like the daisy jones writing style but MAN did daisy jones WORK for me. LOVE that book. but now we are scared to reread it lmao