I received this book for free (hey, thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this does NOT affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. For real.
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid Genres: Adult, Contemporary
Published by Random House on March 5, 2019
Also by this author: Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, One True Loves, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Evidence of the Affair, Malibu Rising, Carrie Soto Is Back
Format: eARC (368 pages) • Source: Publisher
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In 1979, Daisy Jones and The Six split up. Together, they had redefined the 70’s music scene, creating an iconic sound that rocked the world. Apart, they baffled a world that had hung on their every verse.
This book is an attempt to piece together a clear portrait of the band’s rise to fame and their abrupt and infamous split. The following oral history is a compilation of interviews, emails, transcripts, and lyrics, all pertaining to the personal and professional lives of the members of the band The Six and singer Daisy Jones.
While I have aimed for a comprehensive and exhaustive approach, I must acknowledge that full and complete accounts from all parties involved has proved impossible. Some people were easier to track down than others, some were more willing to talk than others, and some, unfortunately, have passed on.
All of which is to say that while this is the first and only authorised account from all represented perspectives, it should be noted that, in matters both big and small, reasonable people disagree.
The truth often lies, unclaimed, in the middle.
I still have one more TJR book to read that I’ve been holding on to for years now, just in case of emergency, but I still managed to read two books by her in 2018. I read her short story and this… I knew I couldn’t wait until closer to the release date. The vibe of the book seemed to be more in line with EVELYN HUGO than her traditional contemporary love stories like AFTER I DO, so I was pretty optimistic.
I’ll be honest – the first 30% of the book felt a bit generic to me. I was getting nervous but had faith she’d turn it around, like I knew she could or would. The story goes back and forth, introducing Daisy and tho other band members in The Six. There was a lot of “background” information and then stereotypical rockstar stuff. Sex, drugs, drama – the usual. I wasn’t overly impressed or excited but again, I was optimistic. The “generic rock star” bent didn’t really improve or change THAT much but I’ll admit that things did get more intricate
The stories from each of the members of the band, plus some staff/crew mixed in, blended together seamlessly to show where every single one of their heads were at. It’s like a successful version of All of This is True – people sharing their perspectives in an interwoven narrative. I love the format of “piecing together” a book through emails, lyrics, interviews, and more… It’s such a fun experience. The synopsis implied that there would be a lot of that, but it was realistically more like 95% interview transcripts. The format made the book a little odd and detached but honestly, I think it worked overall. I can’t imagine it working in any other format really.
The relationships in this were fascinating. I don’t want to really list them all out because of potential spoilers, but there was definitely a delicate web connecting everyone in different ways. All of the connections between people and certain plot points were shaken up through the middle/end but I expected a little more wow factor. There was some kind of ~twist~ (nothing huge) toward the end but that was it.
I feel like this book will look even better to me in hindsight, but I feel mixed overall. TJR has a way with words no matter the format. Her short story, written in letters, left a huge impact on me; she has a way of capturing emotion regardless of how it looks. It kind of sucks because I put TJR on a pedestal and tend to expect perfection, so I always run the risk of disappointment. I can’t help it though; SHE IS THE BEST.
I liked this one a lot. I can see how it was a bit generic but I just found it intensely readable. I like how she threw some things I didn’t see coming though. I will read anything she writes!
I will continue to read everything by her, for sure!! I think I just expected a bit more feels and more twists or something?? Maybe my expectations were just too high. The story itself felt generic but it was SO READABLE. I finished it in a day.
I’m on the edge on if I really want to read this one or not. It sounds pretty good but maybe just not my type of book.
I wish I loved it more!
So I’m reading this right now via audio and it’s really not what I was expecting?? It has a very “behind the music” feel to it (which works for the plot) but I’m just not getting the same wonderful vibe from it that I have from all of my other reads by TJR! I miss her romance novels 🙁
Right?! I didn’t mind the idea that it was “behind the music” sort of, but it just felt a little…boring as a result? Idk, it was too stereotypical rockstar story for me. It didn’t blow me away and I hold her to a super high standard now LOL