Daisy Jones and the Six is the story of the rise of a rock band as told by the members and those who knew them. The story encompasses drugs, love and rock and roll in the 1970's. The use of a documentary-interview narrative style made the story come alive.
The characterization of a rock star is spot on. If one is a child of the '70's or reads about that period, you immediately recognize this story. This is the account of the "every band" of the 70's.
I loved that the characters were flawed no matter how put together they appeared to be. The depiction of each band member’s view of themselves and the band gave the reader insight into what makes a band succeed or fail.
I highly recommend this book, it is well written with characters who come alive on the page. The reader will root for them, cry with them and sometimes dislike them but no matter what, you are left feeling something.
Thank you to #Netgalley and #BallentineBooks for approving my request. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I’ll be honest: the only reason I picked up Daisy Jones & The Six is because it was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The whole sex, drugs, and rock n roll thing is not something I normally enjoy. However, TJR absolutely blew me away with Evelyn Hugo, so I decided to put my faith in her and pick up a book that was a bit out of my comfort zone. And I have absolutely no regrets. Because Daisy Jones & The Six is amazing.

It took me a bit to get used to the style of this book, because it’s told in short interview snippets, blended together to make a cohesive narrative. I don’t know that I’ve ever read anything quite like this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was done well, and was never disorienting and confusing, which can definitely happen switching back and forth between so many narrators, especially so quickly. Plus, it gave the book an added element of narrators almost engaging with each other – not directly, but it was clear when there was tension or disagreement, and I thought that was done in a really clever way. I also thought it was a perfect way to tell this particular story, and it made this book feel even more special.

I will say that Daisy Jones didn’t quite make me cry in the way Evelyn Hugo did (read: a lot). You might make it out of this book sans Kleenex. However, if you’ve read even one TJR book, you already know this book is painful. It might not be a tear-jerker, but it carries its fair share of gut punches. At one point, I was trying to sneakily read this at work – because I seriously couldn’t put it down towards the end – and almost got caught because I literally gasped out loud. I’ll admit I wasn’t quite sure about this book in the beginning. But it got me. It sucked me in without me even realizing it was happening, and then it hurt me. And I’m not even mad, because it was beautiful.

I loved Daisy Jones & The Six. I truly was not expecting to, but Taylor Jenkins Reid managed to take a subject that I usually don’t enjoy and turn it into a new favorite book. The story is engaging, and I loved all the characters (even when I was mad at them). By the time I put this book down, I felt like I had just read a rare piece of magic. And I can’t stop thinking about it.

4 1/2 stars. Another home-run for TJR. I thought the way the story was told was so fresh and interesting. I really could not put it down. The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars was its resemblance to the story of Fleetwood Mac. I am a giant FM fan and I couldn't help but notice similarities to them in the story-line. It was *JUST* different enough for me to forgive it and enjoy it immensely. I look so forward to the audio-book. The format lends itself to that medium and I can't wait to listen to every word.

This is an amazing ride. The cover! A front row seat to sex, drugs and rock & roll without taking the reader down into the gutter. Reid has used an unusual storytelling method in this new novel. The entire book is interviews arranged chronologically. You get to see multiple viewpoints regarding the same event. Included are all the band members, their manager, producer, sound mixer, the wife of the lead singer and the best friend of the iconic Daisy. There is an amazing twist regarding the interviewer. I predict that this book could be considered the best yet from Taylor Jenkins Reid. Highly recommended.

A big thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of this soon-to-be-released novel.

{My Thoughts}
What Worked For Me
The Format – I think readers are either going to love or hate the method of storytelling in Daisy Jones & The Six. Taylor Jenkins Reid told this in a way you rarely see, a series of interview snippets, a sort of oral history from the people who were involved. I LOVED it! The book itself is broken into chapters having to do with albums, tours, etc., but the story unfolds from the different perspectives of everyone involved with the band: the musicians themselves, their manager, producer, significant others, journalists, and more. Everyone owns a little piece of the band’s history and the pieces often don’t fit together perfectly. As is true with almost any history, people who were there don’t always remember things exactly the same and that is precisely what made Daisy so remarkable. Taylor Jenkins Reid gave a full picture, but sometimes parts were a little blurred. Brilliant!

Rock & Roll in the 70’s – I’m predisposed for having a bias toward a book like Daisy Jones & The Six because it’s from exactly the era when music and musicians really became big for me. I was a teenager in the 70’s, so reading this book I felt like I’d have been one of the legions of fans for this band. I’d have been at their concerts, just like so many other bands I saw in the 70’s. I loved being taken behind the scenes of making an album, performing, behaving badly, and trying to have some sort of a life. Add to that the personal dynamics of the band members and I was in heaven.

“When someone’s presence gives you energy, when it riles up something in you – the way Daisy did for me – you can turn that energy into lust of love or hate.

“I felt most comfortable hating her. It was my only choice.”

The band felt VERY real to me. It seemed like I was finally getting the inside scoop on a band I’d loved as a teen.

The Women – Three very different women beautifully balanced out a book heavy with male characters. Each was powerful and vulnerable in her own way. Daisy, a singer and songwriter, was everything you might expect from such a character and a little bit more. She lived life on the edge, making many, many mistakes, but inside we came to know just how fragile she really was.

“I can’t think of any two things that make you quite as self-absorbed as addiction and heartbreak. I had a selfish heart. I didn’t care about anyone or anything but my own pain. My own need. My own aching. I’d have made anyone hurt if it could have taken some of mine away. It’s just how sick I was.”

Karen, keyboards for The Six, was the only female member of that band and she knew how to play by the boys’ rules, but never lost herself. And the lead singer’s wife, Camila? She was one of the strongest women you’ll ever meet. In her own quiet way she really was THE driving force behind Daisy Jones & The Six. Without her the band might have gone in a totally different direction.

What Didn’t
Nothing – I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book. The ending was hard, even a little harsh, but I really don’t see how it could have gone any other way.

{The Final Assessment}
Daisy Jones & The Six had huge shoes to fill because I liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo so very much (my review). I’d seen a couple reviews where people weren’t completely enamored, but from the moment I picked this book up, I could not stop reading. I finished in just over 24 hours and that’s fast for me. I didn’t want to get to the end, but I also could not stop. There’s no higher praise than that. I highly, highly recommend this one!

Note: I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the publisher.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the tale of a famous rock band from the 1970s through interviews with the band members. It's a very unique format for a book and I really enjoyed reading it. The interviews helped the book move along at a brisk pace and it was interesting to read how different members of the band viewed the same set of events. Definitely engaging and intriguing. Highly recommend. Read and enjoy!

Daisy Jones & The Six is sure to be a bestseller. It's a novel told in transcripts, running from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s, and is about the metoric rise of both Daisy Jones, a young, privileged, beautiful, damaged woman living in Los Angeles, and of The Six, a working class rock and roll band that starts on the East Coast but quickly moves to Los Angeles. Daisy, a rising star in the music industry, is paired with The Six for a song, and then eventually ends up joining the group as they produce one album (Aurora) together before disbanding forever.

If you're at all acquainted with the former show Behind the Music (on VH1, which now that I think about it, may be a former cable network (?)) the storyline of Daisy Jones & The Six will be familiar to you--sex, drugs, rock and roll, with all the bandfights, substance abuse issues, fights with management, and everyone remembers everything differently stuff. And although I don't know a lot about them, even I could spot that a lot of what happens in Daisy Jones & The Six was heavily inspired by the real life story of Fleetwood Mac.

Daisy Jones & The Six has all the elements that make for a good read--it's fast-paced, (fictional) gossipy fun, and manages to be about both true love and heartbreak while presenting you with enough sex, drugs, and music, right down to about an album's worth of lyrics at the end. And it *is* a fun read, familiar and fast-paced.

But.

Daisy is every cliche you can think of for a female rockstar, from her beauty and talent, to the sad backstory, to the addiction, to the love life. Even her post-band trajectory is familar. And while it does work, it felt too familiar, too safe.

The same goes for Camila, the rockstar wife and anchor who always knows what to say and who always knows what to do (protestations about just hoping/wishing etc. aside) and who is presented, I think, as the flipside of Daisy, but is again too familiar and safe for me.

I wanted both Daisy and Camila to be more, to do more, than to be defined by the man they both orbited around. Have Camila be more Machiavellian, for a start. Have Daisy actually do the things she does (any of them!) with some agency rather than in reaction to something or someone saying that she can't.

However, my biggest problem with the book is Billy. The fact that I've had to look up his name should be the biggest indicator. How can I be expected to believe that he's the center of the book's biggest dynamic, the supposed push and pull between him and Daisy and Camila, when I can't remember his name immediately after I finish the book? His struggle with staying sober wants to be huge, but as he's done with rehab about a quarter of the book (or less) in, it isn't because he never seems to struggle. Oh, we're told he is, but that's not the same as feeling it, and the struggle that is meant to replace it--what do you do when two people call to your soul?--boils down to choosing gorgeous madness (Daisy) or gorgeous stability (Camila) and it's obvious from the get go what and who his choice is going to be. So that's not much of a struggle either.

Beyond that, Billy is boring. How and why these two women get tangled up with him to the point where he defines their lives is beyond me. Sure, we're told he's handsome and talented a lot (*a lot*), but to me he was Generic Rockstar With Issues. That's okay, but it's not enough to say it, i.e. give him the right attributes for the trope. He has to have a personality and Billy, aside from being torn! so torn! (see: trope) is a control freak, and frankly, a grumpy control freak. Why anyone would want to orbit around that? Well, that didn't come through for me.

My favorite part of the Daisy Jones & The Six was Karen and Graham's story. They, despite having less of the book, dominated it more for me. Karen's desire to be seen as a musician versus a "girl musician" felt very real for the time, as did Graham's struggle and eventual acceptance that being Billy's brother was going to define him to the world. I also liked that Karen and Graham's love story was about two people who saw each other as equals even as they never really saw each other like they thought they did. I think it's pretty telling that the most important story of Daisy Jones & The Six is the smallest. Maybe it's because it didn't need to be "epic," so it just felt real instead--two people who love each other, and is that enough? Can it be? Should it be?

So, while I think Daisy Jones & The Six is going to be a huge hit, and it's definitely obvious that Taylor Jenkins Reid can write, I liked the book but I didn't love it and I think that she's capable of doing more than she did here. Daisy and Camila could have been so much interesting, and Billy...well, for Billy I would have been happy for something (anything!) to make him memorable.

Tl;dr: The window dressing is gorgeous, but the store inside is only partially stocked.

This book is written in interview format about a band that had one hugely successful hit record in the 1970s and then broke up. I thought it was excellent. It was different. The story, the tension, the human experience of it was so deep and emotional. There was so much in this book...family relationships, relationships between brothers, drug use and drug addiction, abortion, unrequited love and of course, music. I learned a lot about the music industry and how it works and how people collaborate to make a record album. There is a twist at the end that I did not see coming. I would have liked a little more, but I don't want to say what that is because I don't want to spoil it. But it was very good.

** spoiler alert ** Daisy Jones & The Six.
This is what happens when a book has EVERYTHING going for it, but in the last 5% throw in a stupid plot device and ruin it for me.

But before we get to that...
Daisy Jones & The Six is an interview style history of a (fictional) band from the 1970s. Think...VH1's Behind The Music, Fleetwood Mac, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick... etc. With various points of view, all collected in a storytelling style, this story follows the rise and very quick fall of one of 'America's' hottest bands.

Clearly influenced by the turmoil of Fleetwood Mac, we meet Daisy, Billy...and everyone else. We see the tension between Billy and Daisy. Dugs, sex, rock and roll, money, drugs, and drugs, and drugs. The story is compelling and I was DYING to hear the 'songs' so I was listening to Fleetwood Mac a LOT during this time. It helped put me in the mindset I needed.

And here's the bad [spoiler alert]
The plot device of Julia being the interviewer took me out of the book. It DID explain the lack of details from Billy and how much Billy stressed he was in love with Camilla but still. I needed something from this. I needed more of a resolution.

STILL - I am really looking forward to the upcoming series based on this book.

Thanks to netGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

I started and finished Daisy Jones and The Six last night. This book is the definition of addictive. I enjoyed the roller coaster of a story, and had to find out what exactly happened. The format of the book is really unique and made for a very quick read. I definitely didn’t agree with all the characters’ choices but I loved how each of them had a voice that developed over the course of the story. A very entertaining read that comes out March 5th!
*
Thank you @netgalley for my free copy!

Reading a book like this reminds me as to why I love reading. This book reached deep into my soul and settled there as I feverishly read as fast as I could. It's very easily one of my favorite books of 2019. Pre order this book because I can guarantee that this book is going to be a huge hit. It's a combination of the story, of Billy and Daisy and all the other people who jump off the page. Happy reading!

I'm heartbroken that Daisy Jones and the Six were not a real band because all I want to do is listen to their music... This book could have gone wrong in so many ways... from the way it's set up in interview format with no "he said she said" to mashing a fictional band into the hardcore world of 70's and 80's rock n roll. Reid pulls it off though. Successfully. I'm fully invested... where do I sign up to be a Six Groupie?? Feels like I'm reading about Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac and I loved every second of it. Ready to purchase it... already pre-ordered it!

I'm a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid, so when I heard that her next book was based in music journalism history, I was ecstatic. This novel is told as a narration - members of bands Daisy was affiliated with, as well as Daisy herself, tell a love story, a band biography, and paints the 1960's rock landscape so perfectly you'll think you were there.

This book has such a unique style! Written as an interview of band members from the 1970s, I love how the story and conflict in this story unravels! As always, Taylor Jenkins Reid totally delivered!

Growing up music has always been an important part of my life. I remember listening to music with my mom and aunt so Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and all those 70’s rock groups have always had a place in my heart. So when I heard Taylor Jenkins Reid was coming out with a new book about a rock group in the ’70s my heart was happy and I couldn't wait to read it.

We meet Daisy Jones who was known to hang out within the rock scene. She was the IT girl when it came to that, she was a rich girl who didn't matter to her parents so she found her family with the rock stars who gave her attention if it was only for one night or to party. She soon discovers she wants more and thinks she has a gift when it came to singing and writing songs and in time she puts her energy in that.

The Six is a band on the rise lead by Billy who is the Six, he writes all the music and decides everything when it comes to them. He soon meets the love of his life in Camilla a headstrong girl who sees Billy’s potential and will do anything for Billy to make it there. She wants him to do what she knows he can and when she ends up pregnant and he turns into an alcoholic she makes him chose...it’s either her or the booze...he chooses her. She knows life on the road is hard and temptations are everywhere but Billy keeps his word and stays clear of the alcohol and the women but his biggest test is when he meets Daisy.

Its a thing of fate that brings Daisy and Billy together their hatred of each is so strong you know there is definitely something more there. While they fight and bicker when they come together and make music it's... magical. Daisy is soon asked to be a part of The Six and that's when the real story begins, while Daisy and Billy fight more the songs that come out of them makes the best album of that era. You see this passion between them but Billy made a promise to his wife and he is determined to keep it and that just makes Daisy fall deeper into her vices. Billy sees her potential but steers clear of her because he knows if he doesn't Daisy will be his downfall in more ways than one.

I loved how this story was told in an interview formed. You get everyone’s side of the story and as the saying goes there are three sides to every story, yours mines, and the truth. So to hear how everyone could see things entirely differently is interesting, to say the least. I especially enjoyed the chemistry between Billy and Daisy, they have this love/hate relationship but you know there are so many more layers to them. You see this push and pull between them that you want them together but you also want Billy to stay true to his wife but at the same time, you also want to cheer for Daisy. Daisy is someone you root for you want her to be happy and get help because all she wants is love. A true love, someone who wants her simply for her and not for who she is and Billy could be that guy. Plus Daisy gave me serious Stevie Nicks vibes whom I LOVE! This is another winner from TJR who constantly give us great characters and storylines we get consumed by. She hits a high note with this one, and the fact she made me believe this was an actual group blows my mind. Plus the little twist in the end as to who was the interviewer it was a great touch. So do yourself a favor and dive into the musical journey of Daisy Jones and The Six where the real story starts when the music ends.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a 2019 Ballantine Books publication.

Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll! I mean, that’s what the seventies were all about, man!! Right?

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done an admirable job of creating the atmosphere and mindset of the seventies and the rock bands that catapulted to success beyond their wildest dreams.

From their humble incarnation to their mega-stardom, to their slide down into relative obscurity, the author takes us on a journey back to the days when the music meant everything, the bands were serious about their art, and rock and roll lifestyle either made you or it broke you.

To tell the band’s storied history, the author employs a documentary style format, which is an interesting approach. It works in some ways, but it falls flat in others. As other reviewers have pointed out, the fictional band featured in this story is a thinly veiled Fleetwood Mac prototype.

Again, this works to some extent because many people are familiar with the outrageous dramas within the band and it feels a bit familiar, and therefore plausible. But, at the same time, I did wish this fictional band had not borne such a close resemblance to an actual group. I thought it took something away from the story, as it was less imaginative than it could have been. However, this might be what made the book appealing to some readers.

That said, as the story progresses, and the band follows an all too familiar and cliched path, riddled with pitfalls, drugs, relationship woes, and all manner of inner turmoil and temptation, the story makes an ever so subtle shift into something a little more substantial than the typical ‘Behind the Music’ ‘Rockumentary’ type of story.

Although the characters’ personas are very recognizable, they are also very well constructed and unique in their own way. They do prompt emotions, but are still enigmas, in the same way the rock stars of the seventies often were, adding to, and maintaining their mystique. The downside to that gamble is that one may not feel a deep connection with them.

While those thoughts were whirling around in my head, the realization that I'd finally become invested in the welfare of the band snuck up on me. I did, finally, find myself wrapped up in the drama, and was torn by the difficult choices that the characters made, questioning some, understanding others, but ultimately making peace with the way everything came together in the end.

I will confess I was very much looking forward to this book and with all the rave reviews I was confident this one would blow me away. But, as much as I love this author and wanted to love this book, it didn't rock my world- so to speak.

Don't get me wrong, I did like the book, but it didn’t come close to packing the emotional punch of Evelyn Hugo, and I thought it had the potential to do so. However, the big reveal in this case, which was centered around the group's final performance, was anticlimactic, in my opinion.

Still, this is one many will find compulsively readable, and some will enjoy the feelings of nostalgia the story evokes. In some ways the story feels like an alternate reality for the real rock band the story is so obviously based on, which is also a thought provoking and interesting concept.

Overall, although this one didn't have the impact on me, I'd hoped, I still enjoyed it for the most part. Due to the style and format, it is a very easy read, and many will be able to finish it off in one day or even in one sitting.

A little Fleetwood Mac playing in the background will make some nice mood music to go along with the saga of Daisy Jones and the Six.

3.5 rounded up.

This was so utterly readable and fascinating. Of course, it is so tragically cliche - guys who just want to make music come from nowhere and suddenly get their break. Fame brings the crazy lifestyle - drugs, sex, partying, money, temptations coming from every which way. People are bound to cheat and go off the rails and develop addictions and lose their freaking minds. Some are more grounded than others and survive. Others just struggle so painfully. And it is so compelling to watch it all unfold. This is mostly the story of Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, the unofficial leader of The Six. But, you get to see the story unfold from everyone's viewpoint - all the members of the band, Billy, Daisy, managers, producers, Billy's wife. Oh, I so loved Billy's wife. This story is told in short blurbs from each of the people involved, which made it all the more fascinating. There are truly three sides to every story - mine, yours, and somewhere in the middle is the truth. That was never more true than within this story.

I really wanted to love this book, and I've heard so many great things about it. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors, but I just could not get into this book. I think it would have worked better for me if it was told in Daisy's POV instead of just interviews. It was nice learning about her childhood and her other bandmates. I just think this wasn't the right type of book for me.

I am a huge fan of rock and roll and with this book Taylor Jenkins Reid throws the reader right in the middle of being in a 70s rock band. Was the author in a band?? Sure it was a little over the top and the topics (addiction) were a bit "heavy" but it was fun and fast read - just like an amazing album,

I'm pretty sure that anyone who's read Taylor Jenkins Reid loves her books. They're both fun and clever, and perfect for any other occasion. The book before this one, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, is probably my favorite (old Hollywood! family secrets!) but this is a very close second.

It's written like an oral history and it really does feel that way. Like with Evelyn Hugo, most readers will feel like these are legitimately famous people, ones that we grew up watching or, in this case, singing along with on the radio.

Parts of this story are actually devastating. It's not always easy or fun to read, and many of the people within its pages are self-destructive in heartbreaking ways. That obviously only adds to the realism factor; we've all seen this story play out a dozen different times on those VH1 and MTV documentary series (or in the pages of checkout stand magazines). 

This book is amazing and you should read it and you should make every actively literate friend you have read it.