The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid Review [NO SPOILERS]

If any of you remember, The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was one of the books I featured on my 2019 TBR. Unfortunately I didn't get around to reading it in 2019, but it's a book I had been wanting to read for a while. Luckily I received the book as my secret santa present last month (thanks Gabe) and finally got the chance to dive into it whilst in Portugal earlier this month. It has been a WHILE since I've posted a book review, so I'm happy to be sharing my thoughts with you all. Grab your tea/coffee - whatever your preference, and let's talk about this book!

First all of for any of you who are unfamiliar with the book, here is a brief description from goodreads:

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means--and what it costs--to face the truth

My thoughts: 

SPOILER ALERT I LOVED IT! 

This book has so many themes that you would think it would be a lot to read all at once but it was such an easy read and every theme was handled with so much care. It has themes of love, sexuality, race, friendship, fame and many more. I really didn't expect it to cover so much ground, based on the title. I knew it would refer to love, however  it tackles so many other important topics such as racial issues and power, but in such a subtle way.

I became really invested in this novel, to the point where I'd tell myself I'd only read one more page but would read several chapters. Speaking of chapters, I loved that each chapter varied in lengths. I'm not a huge fan of books with long chapters all the way through. In this particular book, some chapters were two pages long, whereas others were 10-15. It made it much more pleasant to read.

Evelyn Hugo is a very complicated woman and you often find yourself torn about your feelings towards her. There were moments that I admired her and other moments that I couldn't stand her. It made me empathise with Monique wholeheartedly. I wish the writer had gone a little deeper about Monique. Although this story was focused on Evelyn, I was left underwhelmed when it came to deciding how I felt about Monique because there wasn't enough information about her to work with. I did however love seeing her character development and her struggles with identity issues due to being a biracial woman in America. It was quite an enlightening insight into the realities of being biracial.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is someone I have heard so many good things about and this was a fab introduction to her work. I have other novels of hers on my TBR that I'm now so excited to read. Her writing style is so engaging and well done.  Everything was just done brilliantly. From the way she portrays each character to the name choices, it could quite easily be a real biography. I even googled a few character names thinking they were real Hollywood stars haha.

Overall I give this book 4 stars out of 5. The only things I wished was that Monique was slightly more developed on, and that the ending could have been more detailed. Perhaps that's just me not wanting the book to end though haha.

Have you read The 7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x

How to stay Organised: Spreadsheet Method

Back in November, I mentioned how I use a spreadsheet to keep myself organised during the semester. I got a couple of requests to share this method. This is not the only method I use to keep myself organised, however it has been a super helpful addition to my life, since I started using it in October. Hopefully this helps someone else, who may come across this post.

C H O O S E  Y O U R  P R O G R A M
I'm really unsure of what else to call this method, so spreadsheet method will have to do. Any spreadsheet program will work for this, however I choose to use google sheets rather than Excel, simply because it is so easy to add and check off wherever and whenever. I am an avid user of google drive, so I have my spreadsheet on me literally at all times. It makes it really convenient to keep on top of things.

P I C K  Y O U R  C A T E G O R I E S
What is it that you want to keep organised? Write down some of the things you want to keep on top of and make a little key or side note of each category. For me, a lot of my categories are uni related, however I also have some more personal categories too. My categories are:

• Study session - Anytime I have arranged to study with someone or catch up on a missed lecture
• Assignment - Deadlines for assignments 
• Exam - Dates of exams 
• Contact - Reminder to email or contact someone 
• Dance - Anything dance related, whether it be events, committee meetings or times to choreograph/teach
• Workshop - Dates and times of workshops 
• Shift - Days and times I am working
• Ministry - Anything to do with church responsibilities 
• Meeting - Any sort of meeting or appointment 
• Other - Extra reminders that don't fit into the other categories. E.g. errands 

C O L O U R   C O D E 

Once you have chosen your categories, assign a colour to that category. This is what will allow you to track everything. Make sure to make it clear which colour is associated with what category. I keep a key table at the side to remember the colours. My colours are:

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Besides the categories themselves, I also colour code the dates, to show their positions. If the task/event has been newly added to the spreadsheet or there hasn't been any sort of update to it, I keep the date blank. If it is in progress, for example exam revision or assignments, I colour the date in light green. If the task has been completed, or the date has been met, I change the date to be dark green. If the event was cancelled or an appointment has rescheduled, I colour the date red until it has been met. You obviously do not need to follow this exact colour pattern, however it is just what made the most sense to me and allows me to see what I have done and what is still progressing. 

F I L L   I N  Y O U R  S P R E A D - S H E E T 

And just like that, life is a bit more organised! Now you've set up your spreadsheet, all that is left is for you to fill it out. You have full control over what goes on your spreadsheet and how often you update it. I choose to split mine into months, however you can record things weekly if you prefer. I just find monthly sections are less overwhelming. 

You can even make individual spreadsheets if you prefer. I have a very similar spreadsheet for blogging, which is a little more minimalist. I record blog posts I want to post each month and then decide on dates I want to post them. Once I start writing them they become light green and once they are published, they turn dark green. Do whatever fits best with your lifestyle.

I hope this was a helpful blog post. If you make your own, please send me pictures because I'd love to see them!

Thanks for reading,

Have a great day x 

January Academic Goals 2020

It's the first month of academic goals! This month I have had what feels like an endless supply of work to do, but honestly that's probably my own fault. I definitely thought I had more time than I do. I only have a couple goals for the month of January (yet it consumes most my time). I don't want to waffle too much, so here we go!

N E W S   M E D I A   A S S I G N M E N T

In first semester I took a module called language in the news media. I actually really enjoyed it but I'm not enjoying the assignment as much. Not because I don't find it interesting, but because I left it last minute and gave myself a week to get it done. Submission day is Monday 13th 2020 and as I'm writing this, it's looking pretty good. I'm hoping to get it sent off tomorrow YAY. I've been making daily trips to the library and it's really helped me centre my focus. I work really well on my own, so as much as I want to have study days with friends, I think to get my work in on time, going alone is exactly what I need. 

L I T E R A T U R E   C A S E  S T U D Y

I took a literature module this year, which I really enjoyed and actually chose another literature module for second semester too. The assignment is a 3000 word empirical case study. AND BOY HAS IT BEEN STRESSFUL. We had the choice between a naturalistic or empirical study, and me being the one to love a good challenge, I chose the hardest one. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it's caused me a lot of stress at times. Thankfully all the data has been completely collected and recorded; all  that is left is to implement it into my essay and get it all written. I'm so ready to send this off soon and never see it again. It's taken up so much of my time! Hopefully I get a good grade and it all becomes worth it. Not only has it been demanding but it includes one of the things I hate writing the most.......literature reviews. Ew. 

G E T  A  N E W   U N I  P L A N N E R

This is quite a small goal for January, but before the semester begins on the 27th, I want to get a new uni planner. This is not the sort of planner you may be thinking of. I already have my diary planner and it has been saving my life as usual. I like to have a notebook where I am able to plan out my assignments and make notes before I begin coursework. I'm someone who cannot just type from nothing, to begin with. I like to come up with some sort of structure or ideas to go off. Having a notebook specifically for that is super helpful and I'm due to purchase another. I carried on using my previous planner book from first year and now the pages are getting limited, so what better time to get a new one than the beginning of the year and before second semester. 

I decided to document the process of meeting my academic goals, on my Instagram stories. If you want to see me achieve these goals and get a gist of what my day looks like as a uni student, follow me @chelle._babes

So these are my goals for the month! 

Thanks for reading,

Have a great day x

December Round-up 2019

My hair was a hot mess by that point in the night haha

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! Can't believe it's actually a whole new decade.....wow. First blog post of the year, we're going to take a look back at December 2019. It was quite a jam packed month and it is the final round-up of 2019. When this goes up, I will be chilling in Portugal....not a bad start to 2020 aye? Anyways, here is my December Round-up. ENJOY!