Tells the story of the creation, rise, and fall of a rock band in the 70's. I really liked the structure of this book. It's basically a transcript of all of the various members telling the story as they remember it. It was very choppy, a quote from one person followed by a quote from another person, but in a way that was interesting. There were inconsistencies with some of the details from person to person and that made it seem authentic, everybody has different memories and they don't always jibe. There were many characters, but it never felt confusing or hard to keep track of who was who. It felt like a real story. I wanted to listen to the music and see the pictures described.

In 1975 every girl wanted to be Daisy Jones, and every guy wanted to date her. She was beautiful: face, hair, body, tan; she was talented: she could sing soft and sexy or belt out a hard rock song equally well. And she was a wild-child of her generation and her times. She started sneaking out of her wealthy parent’s house at 15 yrs. old to the clubs on the Sunset Strip. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll was her motto before it became everyone else’s. In the L.A. area she knew just about everyone involved in music and most in show business. Funny thing though, she wasn’t aching to be in the limelight, she just kind of fell into it somehow. Man, did she fall into it big.
While Daisy Jones is a fictional character in a damn good book, she could be the culmination of several superstars of that era; like Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Grace Slick. Some of the best of the sexy and extremely talented women that led their bands to global notoriety. These women were worshiped and respected in their industry and just a few of many in the rock genre. (Hundreds more in R&B, Soul, Jazz, etc.)
And Billy Dunne, so many men could represent his type of edgy lead-singer showman from the seventy’s era. From Roger Daltrey of the Who, to Mick Jagger of the Stones, to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Don Henley of the Eagles, not to mention Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and countless others. You didn’t even have to single out any of them for drugs and alcohol, since eighty percent of most band members were usually high on something. Maybe not all the time, certainly not all, but many indulged and freely talk about it now, amazed they’ve survived this long.
In this fictionalized account of the band, Daisy Jones & the Six, Billy was already singing in a band, had a girlfriend, and was messing up all on his own from time to time. It wasn’t until he met Daisy that this tightrope dance began. They were competitive artists immediately, especially in their song-writing skills. Billy thought Daisy was an immature, rich-kid, always high and just playing around with singing in a band. She was right, he didn’t take her seriously. But when Daisy was on the stage, Damn, she could deliver a song with power and emotion; and when they sang together; watch-out – it was as if they were alone up there, just the two of them, making love with words, and their eyes and their voices. Whew! Hot! It was hot!
The songs they wrote separately or together were hit-makers. On tour, the sexual tension was a tease. Look but don’t touch. It played well on stage, but it drove both of them mad back at the band’s hotel. Billy was married with kids and he made promises; Daisy made promises to no one, but she didn’t want to be the cause of any breakups; not Billy’s marriage, and not the bands.
Daisy Jones & the Six traveled to every city and became phenomenally successful, more than they ever imagined. Incredible story; exquisitely told. Capturing the seventy’s music history in one novel with astounding musical knowledge and original songs written by Reid herself.
An unbelievable accomplishment. My hat’s off to you, Taylor Jenkins Reid. READ!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, Random House, and Ms. Taylor Jenkins Reid

I loved this book! It was written in such a way that it could be the transcript from an episode of VH-1's old series Behind the Music and you could imagine various still photographs on the screen as the people in the band and those around them share their memories.

The Six was a rock band with a successful album and tour under their belts despite the sex and drug-fueled meltdown of their lead singer. For their second album, their producer suggests making one of the ballads a duet and he has the perfect singer in mind.

Daisy Jones was a free-spirited child of Hollywood who hung out at all the right places and became a groupie and started writing her own songs. She had some notoriety just for being on the fringe of the music business and for her sense of style. She got a record deal, but they wouldn't let her sing her own songs. The producer promised that she could record her own songs on the next album. A duet with Billy Dunne of The Six would be a great opportunity for her.

What follows is reminiscent of the relationship of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham in Fleetwood Mac as they worked on the Rumours album. It is not a fictional rehash of that turbulent pairing, but I can tell that this served as inspiration for the characters of Daisy and Billy.

I don't often gush over books, but when I do find one that I like a lot, I have to tell everyone. Read it!

'I learned about sex and love the hard way. That men will take what they want and feel no debt, that some people only want a piece of you.'

I have to agree with all the other readers, I felt like I was reading about a real band. Daisy seems born for the 1960’s, a gorgeous beauty with a free spirit (maybe at times a bit too free) who loves drugs and sex and rock and roll. Her voice may be an instrument, but the girl can write too, if only people would let her! One of my favorite lines in the novel sums up, I imagine, how a lot of women felt back then, hell likely now too, “That’s how it was back then. I was just supposed to be the inspiration for some man’s great idea.” But she isn’t playing any man’s game when it comes to her passion, and decides to write herself. The Six is a band on the rise, first as a blues-rock band, the Dunne Brothers Billy (lead Singer) and Graham take on Warren, Eddie (after they lose band member Chuck to the draft), Karen and Pete. The novel reads like a long interview, with each rocker having their say. With Billy’s early marriage to Camilla and all the trouble that follows for the marriage tested by life on the road and children, too readers get a glimpse into how a band is made from the reason’s for their clothing choices, idols they emulate and how their partners handle the wild times, infidelity. Karen is a great character, “Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.” She has much to lend to the band, it isn’t all Billy leading the group like it’s master.

Daisy longs to ‘make a name for herself outside of the sunset strip.’ Dating the front man of a band, she gets her chance when he asks her to come on stage, where she sings a song that has all eyes on not just her beauty but mesmerized by her gritty voice, a shock coming out of such delicate beauty. She finally has a manager, her friend Simone takes care of her like a mother would, making sure she survives the drugs and alcohol in her system while working towards her own career as an R & B singer internationally. Daisy is a mess, absolutely. Simone parties with her but tries to anchor her too.

In need of a female singer for their duet, Billy relents, enter Daisy at Graham’s behest who is signed to the same record label. Naturally her beauty stuns them but Billy is less than enthused. At this time, he is struggling with sobriety and to keep his word to his wife Camilla (also a fantastic character, the women aren’t shirking violets here). The chemistry between Billy and Daisy is undeniable, but it is a battle of the wills too. He is angry about how the song has changed because of Daisy. He definitely doesn’t feel the band needs her, doesn’t want her, she definitely unsettles him.

Then they go on tour. Daisy joining the band is what leads them to legendary status but the pressure causes cracks until the bands splits, so follows everything that happened beofre the fall. Drugs, sex, marriage, self-destruction, groupies, abusive love, friendship, chemistry, temptations- that’s just a taste. Daisy is wildly talented, tough in some ways, childlike and lost in others. If only she could rein herself in. There are a lot of sad things inside of her, drugs feel so good to some people because it takes the edge off reality. Billy says it best about her, “It hurts to care about someone more than they care about themselves.” She floats through life, and it’s not all carefree and sweet. Band members faking it on stage to sell the image, resentment brewing behind the scenes, it’s amazing more bands don’t collapse.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel written as it is, as if during an interview for a rock and roll magazine, like having a long conversation with your favorite band and learning all the intimate details. Yes, add it to your TBR list for 2019!

Publication Date: March 5, 2019

Random House

Ballantine Books

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book! I was already a fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid but this book took her to a whole new level. Completely addictive, moving and well written - this book really has it all. I can't wait to recommend it on The Select 7 in March!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is getting a ton of press, and for good reason. It reads like the dirty laundry tell-alls of 70s rock, about the prototypical Manic Pixie Uppers Girl, and the Tortured Genius Man she tempts and taunts into a perfect album.

Daisy is the unsupervised wild child making a name for herself in the early 70s in LA, dabbling in songwriting and doing coke and champagne like they're air. Billy Dunne is in a band with his brother and friends, and they've had some minor hits and have made it to LA and a record contract. When Daisy meets The Six and she and Billy butt heads, musical magic appears.

The book is split into eras, and then within each, it's a series of oral history interviews with members of the band and those in their orbit. This is a great way to lay out the tensions between various band members, and the Rashomon-like way everyone's takes on events contrast and overlap.

My greatest complaint about this book is that Daisy and those like her aren't unfamiliar characters-- we know this story, the one with the thoughtless beautiful girl who's strung out and makes haunting music while being a sex symbol of the era, it's been told a million times. The stories I wanted to know more of were those of Karen Karen, the Six's keyboardist who refused to settle to make someone happy, or of Camila, Billy's wife and guiding light. Billy's motivations come from his musical chemistry with Daisy and his promises to Camila, he's never making promises to himself. And while it's a fun and enjoyable read, in the end, it's a story I've read before and I'm tired of reading.

WOW.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has done it again, folks. Daisy Jones & The Six more than lives up to its extreme (and well-deserved) hype. That was one of the most original and creative things I’ve ever read. Written as an interview with band members, producers, and the like, similar to a Behind The Music transcript, we follow the rise and fall of one of the biggest rock bands of the seventies, which I had to keep reminding myself was fictitious.

What TJR did with Evelyn Hugo, she did again with Daisy Jones & The Six, though in a completely different way and a wildly original format. She once again created a world of characters so vibrant, so well-developed, and so REAL, that at times, I caught myself just as I was about to Google these people, songs, and album covers, so completely swept up in their world that I forgot I was reading a work of fiction.

Now excuse me while I spend the rest of the day listening to Fleetwood Mac and trying to keep myself submerged in a world at least somewhat resembling that of Daisy Jones & The Six.

My deepest thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing - Ballantine, and Taylor Jenkins Reid for the ARC.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid relates the story of the popular seventies band -- their rise to stardom and their surprising split at the height of success. Told solely through interview format, Taylor Jenkins Reid provides a personal and intimate account into the Daisy Jones, the members of The Six, and the people around them. The writing was so unique and moving that I frequently had to remind myself that this was not a real band and I couldn't pull up a YouTube playlist of their songs while I read. There were parts to make you laugh, smile and cry and I didn't want it to be over. Reid always knows how wrap-up a story in a way that will make you rethink everything you just read in a different light, but also makes complete sense. A WONDERFUL book!

Expected Publication: March 5th!

ALL THE STARS!!! SERIOUSLY, FIVE IS NOT ENOUGH!

I adored this book so much. It is only the 6th day of 2019 and I would venture to say that this will probably be in the top 5 books I read this year, if not the best book I read this year. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a powerhouse. After reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I considered myself a fan of her storytelling. But Daisy Jones & the Six blows it out of the water.

Daisy Jones & the Six is a story about the fictional rock band... you guessed it... Daisy Jones & the Six. It tells the story of their rise to stardom and their later collapse. But the characters are the magic. The individual subplots are superb, and I was able to make a connection with each and every character in the book. I loved the way Taylor Jenkins Reid tied everything together with the ending expertly crafted and told. Although the entire story was fabulous, the last 10% of the book gave me all the feels and really brought it home for me.

The formatting was so unique and different. Written in the form of a transcript, with different characters telling their version of the story was super interesting. It also added a real element as everybody's version of events was at times different, as they would be if actual people were telling their own accounts of the same story. And the humor. Perfectly placed. I found myself chuckling and laughing many times throughout. It was not overtly humorous by any means. But the way the author crafted conflicting accounts of certain events made me smile.

As this was a story about a rock band, there was mention of the various songs they wrote and performed. And not only did TJR allude to the band's songs. She wrote them. At the back of the book are the lyrics of all ten songs for the reader to enjoy. Now if only we could have an accompanying soundtrack, my life would be complete. A girl can dream, right?

I will be recommending this book to everybody I know. And I have to thank BookSparks for helping a sista out with the request for this ARC. Hearts!

You will definitely want to preorder this one so click here to take yourself straight to Amazon and do it! This is one of the most highly anticipated books of the year, and I have a feeling it will be one of the most talked about after it is published.

-I was gifted an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

In what may be the coolest thing to ever happen to me, I received an advanced copy of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid! She is one of my all-time favorite authors so I have been waiting for months to be able to read her new book (especially after I heard that another one of my faves, Reese Witherspoon is making this into a Amazon miniseries!)

Friends, the wait was worth it because this book was SO GOOD. One of those stay up way too late/avoid all my responsibilities kind of read. It is written as an oral history covering the rise of the fictional 1970s rock band Daisy Jones & The Six. This book was so compelling, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always interesting. I think it’s my favorite Taylor Jenkins Reid book ever, which is saying a lot because I love everything she writes.

This book officially comes out in March, so get ready! In the meantime, if you want to read other books by TJR, One True Loves and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are some of my favs.

Review found at: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsQtlGrHp7Y/ and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40597810-daisy-jones-the-six

Daisy Jones is a natural born star with a penchant for the dirty side of Rock and Roll. Spiraling into a world of drugs, sex, and music, Daisy Jones is a captivating beauty that causes the world to stop in their tracks. When she joins the group the Six, stardom and drama take flight in equal parts. Told in a unique oral format, we follow them as they tell the tale of the tour that launched them into legends.

There was not one part of this novel that I did not utterly adore. Written in the form of a documentary, it was so easy to glide through the pages as if I were binge watching old VH1 Behind the Music episodes. Daisy is a character that you love, hate, and want to be, and Billy is the bad boy gone so right that every girl can't help but obsess over him. Even the secondary stories of the other members of the Six are so real and poignant that I found myself wishing they were real so I could start following them today on Twitter. For a drama that will reel you in, pull at your heart, and then have you searching for your cutoffs and layered bracelets, Daisy Jones and the Six is a must read. Like, now.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors. Her ability to take what should be a simple this or that life circumstance and examine the complexities and nuances is unparalleled in contemporary authors. Daisy Jones and the Six does not disappoint in this experience.

Daisy Jones and the Six is told as an ongoing interview between the members and sound production crew of a rock band named The Six and an up-and-coming solo artist Daisy Jones. When the two entities collaborate on an album, nothing will ever be the same.

Set in the glamorous sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll culture of the '60s and '70s, the narrative ricochets rapidly from character to character, perspective to perspective. The story races along as impending disaster looms and walks the razor edge of tension between wanting the magic never to end and desperately needing resolution. Characters who could be tropes: the little brother, the druggie, the bitter sidekick, are instead complex, sympathetic characters. I wanted a happy ending for all of them, even when those resolutions were at odds.

Daisy Jones and the Six is a fast-paced, nostalgic dream filled with memorable characters, crisp writing and artistic magic. I loved every moment.

Thank you to Net Galley for a free copy in return for an unbiased review.

Wow!! This was one of the most satisfying reads in ages. I absolutely loved it. If you were ever a fan of Vh-1's "Behind the Music" (am I dating myself here?), then you should enjoy this book. Written in an interview format, involving members of the band, The Six, Daisy Jones, and a few others, all involved reminisce and recount the whirlwind that led up to their mega-successful album, Aurora, and the tour that followed.

It isn't just a recounting of the making of the album and the tour, it's the evolution of their personalities and interactions with each other. The beautiful way it was written and the character development made me feel like this all actually happened. Last summer I read the Stevie Nick's biography and felt this was written in the same vein, although it is fictional. It just felt so real, I felt I was there witnessing it.

I am a huge fan of Taylor Jenkins Reid and she did not disappoint with this latest book at all. The originality was out of the ballpark!

The writing just flowed I was not sure at first how I would like all the characters commenting like they were being interviewed but I found it actually flowed really well. Reece Witherspoon commented that the author " transported her back into the 70's music scene " I felt the same way. The reader feels like your getting a glimpse into how life really was for them it was kind of magical. Overall, though, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I was going to.

Is it too early to say this is going on my top books of 2019? My first read of the year did not disappoint and I absolutely loved it!
🎶🎶
Daisy Jones & The Six is the tale of a rock band in the 70’s, their whirlwind rise to fame, and the truth behind their shocking breakup. Daisy Jones is a young girl growing up in LA. Everyone knows her as the fun party girl but finally people are starting to realize that she has an amazing voice. The Six is a band trying to make a name for themselves, with lead singer Billy leading the way. Their manager puts these two powerhouses together and it’s utter magic. They go on to become Daisy Jones & The Six, an iconic rock band of the 1970’s. This story is beautifully told and all of these stories are intricately put together. This is told in interview format, which is not confusing at all and only adds to the rock n roll vibe. This is a beautifully written and captivating story and I am all in as a groupie for Daisy Jones & The Six! Like the band, this book is magic! 💥 For me, Daisy Jones & The Six was ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Thank you @randomhouse for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review. Put this one on your TBR’s friends, this book hits shelves in March and you do NOT want to miss it!

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an incredible author. Honestly, when I read the description of this book (about the rise and fall of a fictitious band in the 1970s), I thought that if it wasn't written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I wouldn't have read it. This story was just incredible. It was heartbreaking, beautiful, and just so raw. I felt a rollercoaster of emotions. I loved the interview format-it was so perfect for this book! I pretty much loved everything about it, except one thing towards the end, but it wasn't enough to change my rating from five stars. I rarely give out five stars, but this book is absolutely worth it. I want to start all over from the beginning!

Just like she did in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid has written another book that I loved and am happy to give 5 stars.

Daisy Jones & the Six is a fun, fast-paced book about the rise and fall of a fictional rock band in the 70s. It’s about a heroine who is equally fearless and flawed, confident and vulnerable. It’s about complicated love, where I empathized with and understood both party’s motivations, although that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking.

The atmosphere of this book completely transfixed me. It made me want to hear this band perform these songs so badly. This book delivered an emotional gut punch that I didn’t see coming, yet left me smiling at the end.

Prior to reading this book, the only other book from Taylor Jenkins Reid I've read has been The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This book is SO GOOD!! Throughout it, I had to continuously remind myself that this wasn't a real band, although I wish it were. The writing style is amazing, and much like Evelyn Hugo it was as though I could see it while reading!

There aren't many authors whose works I put at the top of my TBR list when they write something new, but TJR is now one of them!

Librarian: This book is brilliantly fun. It's easily readable, with likable characters and an interesting format. Unfortunately it could prove difficult to get into the hands of those who would enjoy it most. This book feels like a YA novel. That's what it reads like. Except the subject manner is... less than YA friendly. (Also the characters are older than those found in YA, being in their mid-to-late twenties rather than teenagers). Instead I would classify this as a New Adult novel. But most libraries don't have New Adult sections (yet), and a lot of the readers who fit into that category still naturally look for books in YA, rather than in the Adult sections. That could make it difficult for readers to find this book in the first place.
Hopefully that will be mitigated some by the upcoming Amazon show. As we all know, nothing causes patrons to become interested in a book quite as quickly as a movie or TV show being made about that book. And the fact that this one has been ordered to series before the book even releases might give it some buzz that it wouldn't otherwise have.
Reader: You know how sometimes reading feels effortless? Like you pick up a book and next thing you know it's 3:30 in the morning and you have to get up in 3 hours, but you can't fall asleep because your brain is still caught up in the story you just read? That's what reading DJ&TS was for me. It was a brilliant thrill ride of a book that caught me completely by surprise.

Reading Challenge: 52 Weeks - Week #1: A Book Releasing in 2019

What's not to love about this book? The "oral history" made it a quick and fun read--loved all the insight into songwriting, band dynamics and the music industry in 1970s LA. Daisy Jones & the Six seem like a perfect combination of Fleetwood Mac & The Eagles.