This book, it has took me a bit to write the review as i needed to let my mind and body settle from reading such an amazing story. I love the cover and its beautiful colours and image, the blurb totally got me hooked. But the story wow, it transports you literally to another time and place, where the music was life, the people lived wild and free at times!! As living wild and free brings its own consequences, a truly beautiful and engaging story that takes me back to an era and location i would have loved to see. Go read this book

https://books-and-thebigscreen.co.uk/books/daisy-jones-the-…lor-jenkins-reid/

This is a fictional biography about the rise to stardom of the band Daisy Jones and the Six, in the 1970s - the heyday of drugs and rock and roll.

It is unusal in that the story is told in the form of interviews with the band members and those close to them, and I was impressed by how well this worked. This could have come across as cold and factual, but instead it serves to really convey the self-destructive relationships and emotions between the characters very effectively. I really liked the way the different viewpoints of the characters added layers to the story, and it is a very convincing portayal of the bands of the era.

The story does inevitably get a bit bogged down in the middle, when the band is creating their albums, because there is so much about writing the fictional songs - it is very difficult to relate to the back stories of lyrics for songs you do not know. I liked that the lyrics were added at the end of the book, though.

Reece Witherspoon is working with Amazon on a tv series based on this book, and I can see this working really well, because adding the music will really bring the story alive.

To begin with I was not sure if I was going to get into this but once I got into the reportage style I was hooked. It was such an unique way to tell a story and it fit perfectly. I actually thought I was reading about a real band I could not get enough of the backstage drama. Sex, drugs and rocknroll makes for one hell of a riveting read. Brilliant.

There is nothing I don’t love about this book. As I was reading, I 100% felt like I was reading about a real rock band from the 70’s. The characters are completely believable and as I read the lyrics dotted through out the book, I wished I could listen to their music (which we may soon be able to as Amazon have ordered a series adapted from the book).

There are many fascinating and fun characters in the book, but Daisy is the central and most interesting. Her journey from the young schoolgirl constantly being ignored by her parents to international rock star is a fast he, but filled with a great many bumps along the way.

The way the chapters are set up as interviews with different band members, and the friends, family, managers etc around them at the time works very well. The way they so often contradict one another about what happened shows how unreliable people can be and how subjective the past is.

A great many subjects are dealt with in the book, including substance abuse, infidelity, birth, death and so much more.

I highly recommend reading this if you love music, the 70’s, strong female characters and great writing.

You know when you read one of those books and you can just picture it playing out as a movie in front of you-this was just like that! If you loved the style of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo-this is a very similar conversational style and you are going to love it. It is actually unlike anything I've read before.

So one of my favourite kinds of movies is a biopic and I think that's because of my love of books about people, just like this one and I think that's why I enjoyed this one so much, it plays out like a biopic on the pages. Although you expect the books to be predominantly about Daisy Jones, with her being on the cover and all, this book is actually about all seven of The Six and so you get to hear from everyone, find out about them all and you also get to hear a little bit about a couple of other people in their lives. Sp if you love a character drive story, this one is for you.

I also love the climate that this book is set in. We begin in LA with people on Sunset Strip and all that that was for musicians who were going to 'make it' and we meet these people who are somehow thrown together. I loved the dirtiness of the whole thing and the newness of the particular scene that they are entering. At one point Daisy says she knows that she has to go without a bra in order to be a rock star and that kind of just says it all for you really!

I've already mentioned the conversational style of this book but I think that's exactly what made this such a quick read for me. I love the fact that this was an interview style so we always got to listen to various people's perspectives on any given situation-I love that! I like the fact that we often get differences of opinions from characters we might not expect to have them and also that we get to hear both sides of disagreements and certain fall outs. When it is revealed at the end of this book who the author of the 'interview' is, I did do a little gasp so you've got that to look forward to.

I listened to this book on audio over 2 days, it accompanied me in the car, the movie theatre, the gym and in bed and I would definitely recommend the audio. It has a full cast of characters, some big names in there and I think this particular media really makes the book come to life and makes you believe you are listening to real people in a real interview. I would definitely recommend this book and I am thrilled and terrified to hear that it has been optioned for a TV series, I really hope they do it justice and if they do, I am all in!

‘Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something.’

Daisy Jones and The Six was easily one of our most anticipated stories for 2019. The moment we saw the cover and read the synopsis, we thought…’this book is for us’ and so we were over the moon to receive an advanced copy.

‘They each seemed like they thought the other one was the only person in the room. Like we were watching two people who didn’t realize thousands of people were watching them.’

We’re music addicts and rock star romance junkies. The turmoil, the lifestyle, the drama, the passion, in fact, everything associated with a rock star theme draws us in time and time again, and some of our favourite rock star reads which have been in a similar format to this book, and have completely wowed us.

‘The chosen ones never know they are chosen. They think everyone gets a gold carpet rolled out for them.’

We really did enjoy this book; however, there were times we felt a little disconnected and put it down to the whole book being delivered in an interview format. Reading this way doesn’t have the same impact as hearing it, seeing it, and so we think the audio version of this book is going to be phenomenal, as will the television show already in the works. The way the story is written had a feel of The Defiant Ones documentary about it, which, as a music documentary film works brilliantly, you can see the expressions, feel the emotions, sense the uneasiness or revel in the camaraderie, but in written form it would be like reading a very long interview in a magazine, which wouldn’t have the same effect, and that’s how we felt with Daisy Jones & the Six.

‘It’s like some of us are chasing our nightmares the way other people chase dreams.’

We love when rock star books manage to combine the interview process interspersed with the ‘real life’ moments, where we’re allowed to be present with the characters, living and breathing them in, feeling their story, their drama and pain, and really wish we could have lived those pivotal moments in Daisy, rather than being told about them, our connection with the characters would have been far greater had we been afforded that experience.

‘I was paying the price for the parts of himself he didn’t like.’

In saying all that, there was much of this book that did work for us. The story had a Fleetwood Mac tortured feel about it which also lent itself to the seventies pop culture and music which we particularly loved. Taylor Jenkins Reid certainly took us back to that era where we could visualise the settings and at times it was reminiscent of those ‘Behind the Album’ insights which we devour.

‘We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn’t get much more obviously broken and classically beautiful than Daisy Jones.’

We were desperate to find out how, coming into an already established band, Daisy received top billing, and why, at the peak of their fame, they walked away from it all, with the ending of the interview having us welling up, it was such a poignant, moving and beautiful moment.

We can’t wait to hear the Audiobook, with each different perspective being brought to the fore, to see this story come to life on screen, will transcend beautifully, it’s going to be a real treat! The characters each had their own personalities, strong or laid back and it’ll be interesting to see them depicted on screen. Bring it on!

“Where do you see this band in five years? Ten years?”
“We’ll be the biggest band in the world.”

I'm sure this book will do very well commercially because it's a quick, "brain candy" type read, but, if I'm honest, the story felt kind of pointless to me and, except for the who main leads - Daisy and Billy -, most of the supporting characters were basically interchangeable.
Overall, this book didn't really work for me, and I would suggest reading one of the many great rock biographies/memoirs instead of this fictional oral biography of a made-up and rather cliché 1970s rock band.

Really enjoyed this. Evocative, brilliantly paced and with a really vibrant cast of characters that you can't help but be invested in. The female characters (not just Daisy, but Karen and Camila too) were refreshingly drawn. Loved it.

I downloaded this book because it has a pretty cover and it's about the music industry - and I love music! However, I didn't realise it was written in the style of magazine interviews, with rapid changes in points of view. Normally I hate that kind of thing but fortunately I stuck with it, and was immediately drawn into the story, falling completely in love with the characters. It is utterly, utterly brilliant!

The Six are a rock band founded by Billy Dunne and his brother in the mid-1960s. By the 1970s they have a certain level of success but their manager suggests they should join forces with Daisy Jones for their second album. Daisy is an original wild child. Her wealthy parents don't care what she does and she spends most of her time hanging around bands, getting stoned, and trying to write edgy songs when she has no real experience of life. Billy, now a reformed addict/alcoholic, only wants to write happy love songs about his wife. How are they going to make this album work without killing each other - or falling for each other?

Daisy Jones and The Six is an incredibly detailed, behind-the-scenes style story about a rock band, and the writing and recording of an album, with all the drama and clashing of egos you might expect. (I suspect the author was inspired by Fleetwood Mac!) The characters are not immediately likeable: Billy leaves his wife at home to go on tour, spiralling into various addictions and womanising, and Daisy is completely self-absorbed, needy, and entitled. But it's a lot of fun watching them learn to work together, and help heal each other.

The best bit about this book is that it is so well-written and the author's research is so detailed (she's even written songs for the band), you'll start believing The Six are real. My favourite character was Warren, because he's so matter-of-fact about the benefits of being in a rock band, but I also loved Billy because he tries so hard to do the right thing. Daisy is fascinating, but I really wouldn't want to be her friend!

In conclusion, Daisy Jones and The Six is absolutely brilliant, and particularly recommended if you're a fan of music, or films such as A Star is Born.


Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid and Cornerstone (Random House) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

This book did not work for me at all. I disliked how the author had compiled the interviews with various band members and hangers on. I think it spoiled my overall experience of the story reading short accounts of events rather than one longer narrative divided by chapters.

I've read a few of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books over the years and have always really enjoyed them but unfortunately Daisy Jones and The Six didn't hit the spot for me. Whilst the interview style was a brilliant narrative device and very clever, I found it very difficult to connect with the characters or the plot. I think it took me outside of the book and I struggled to get immersed as it felt disjointed. Thankyou for the opportunity to read and review, this was most definitely a personal thing and not a reflection of the book or the writer (in fact, I have just bought The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) and it just wasn't my cup of tea.

‘Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something.’

Daisy Jones and The Six was easily one of our most anticipated stories for 2019. The moment we saw the cover and read the synopsis, we thought…’this book is for us’ and so we were over the moon to receive an advanced copy.

‘They each seemed like they thought the other one was the only person in the room. Like we were watching two people who didn’t realize thousands of people were watching them.’

We’re music addicts and rock star romance junkies. The turmoil, the lifestyle, the drama, the passion, in fact, everything associated with a rock star theme draws us in time and time again, and some of our favourite rock star reads which have been in a similar format to this book, and have completely wowed us.

‘The chosen ones never know they are chosen. They think everyone gets a gold carpet rolled out for them.’

We really did enjoy this book; however, there were times we felt a little disconnected and put it down to the whole book being delivered in an interview format. Reading this way doesn’t have the same impact as hearing it, seeing it, and so we think the audio version of this book is going to be phenomenal, as will the television show already in the works. The way the story is written had a feel of The Defiant Ones documentary about it, which, as a music documentary film works brilliantly, you can see the expressions, feel the emotions, sense the uneasiness or revel in the camaraderie, but in written form it would be like reading a very long interview in a magazine, which wouldn’t have the same effect, and that’s how we felt with Daisy Jones & the Six.

‘It’s like some of us are chasing our nightmares the way other people chase dreams.’

We love when rock star books manage to combine the interview process interspersed with the ‘real life’ moments, where we’re allowed to be present with the characters, living and breathing them in, feeling their story, their drama and pain, and really wish we could have lived those pivotal moments in Daisy, rather than being told about them, our connection with the characters would have been far greater had we been afforded that experience.

‘I was paying the price for the parts of himself he didn’t like.’

In saying all that, there was much of this book that did work for us. The story had a Fleetwood Mac tutored feel about it which also lent itself to the seventies pop culture and music which we particularly loved. Taylor Jenkins Reid certainly took us back to that era where we could visualise the settings and at times it was reminiscent of those ‘Behind the Album’ insights which we devour.

‘We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn’t get much more obviously broken and classically beautiful than Daisy Jones.’

We were desperate to find out how, coming into an already established band, Daisy received top billing, and why, at the peak of their fame, they walked away from it all, with the ending of the interview having us welling up, it was such a poignant, moving and beautiful moment.

We can’t wait to hear the Audiobook, with each different perspective being brought to the fore, to see this story come to life on screen, will transcend beautifully, it’s going to be a real treat! The characters each had their own personalities, strong or laid back and it’ll be interesting to see them depicted on screen. Bring it on!

“Where do you see this band in five years? Ten years?”
“We’ll be the biggest band in the world.”

I was nervous about picking this book up — not going to lie. Daisy Jones & The Six was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and, thankfully, I adore every second.

This is the first novel I’ve read by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I’m thoroughly impressed. I am definitely going back to read her other books. She has done an incredible job recreating the atmosphere and culture of the 70s along with the crazy lifestyle surrounding those superstar bands. This is especially impressive given the book isn’t told in a traditional format.

Daisy Jones & The Six is told in the traditional style of other oral history music biographies. It reminds me of the Please Kill Me: The Uncensored History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain. The narrative is pieced together with interviews from Daisy and the band, along with music producers, friends, family, managers and music journalists. Each interview has been cut up and mixed together to create this rich tapestry of events.

The interviews form the storied histories going back to Daisy’s childhood and the formation of the band The Six. It includes everything from how Daisy joined the band to their rise to stardom and their swift implosion. Yes, the band has the explosive feel of Fleetwood Mac. There are too many personalities, too many drugs and harsh, angry songs about each other. The homage to Fleetwood Mac I don’t feel is a rip-off or inauthentic in any way but rather a celebrates them and the classic rock'n'roll lifestyle.

The thing I love most about the style is the contradicting the story is from person to person. It goes to highlight the subjectivity of memory. What you were fixated on or what you remember is different from those around you. Add in drugs, alcohol and a touring band then you're faced with a whole cast of unreliable narrators. You're left to sieve through the stories and events to get to the heart of what happened.

The overall tone of the characters interviews is conversational. It feels like they are sitting across from the coffee table. I was never bored even though there is quite a lot of telling rather than showing. The characters personalities colour their interview. Daisy and Billy are headstrong and, at times, unapologetic; Karen is more reserved, focusing on the music; The bitterness and unresolved rage is the key feature to most of Eddie's interview; and there's a wistful sadness in Graham's recollection. Going through the history it’s no wonder this band broke up and even as they tell it years on, you can feel the emotion, ego and pride coming off the page.

Although the band is fictional, I love the nods Reid includes to the actual history and setting of the California music scene. The band plays at the iconic venue the Whisky Go Go and record at the infamous Sound City recording studio. These features work to ground the narrative in the place and era.

I have my fingers and toes crossed that there be a miniseries or movie waiting in the wings for this book. The story has this cinematic feeling. Also, Reid has included the lyrics of the band’s songs. I need to hear these songs.

The only thing I love just as much as books is music and Daisy Jones & The Six is the perfect combination of the two. I highly recommend. It’s perfect for fans of Fleetwood Mac or just the fans of old-fashion rock’n’roll.

Thank you to NetGalley & Cornerstone for the review copy!

"It's like some of us are chasing after our nightmares the way other people chase dreams."

I was a little wary going into this one for a couple of reasons -
1. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favourite authors (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is an actual MASTERPIECE.)
And 2. A lot of my blogging and booktubing friends who had already read the ARC had either DNF'd it or rated it poorly, so I was very anxious about reading it . . .

. . . But I was pleasantly surprised! I can TOTALLY understand why some people might not enjoy this book. It's written entirely in interview answers (we only find out who is asking the questions at the very end of the book), and this writing style may not appeal to everyone, but I thought it was really cool! The way the author pieced together these pieces of interview answers into a coherent story outlining how this famous band got together and how they ultimately broke up was really effective in my opinion. It seemed far more real to me (and I know TJR has a way of making fictional characters feel so real that people try to google them after reading her books lmao) and more plausible that this is the way a band's story would be told - through interviews! I didn't find it took anything away from the story and if anything, I was even more engaged than I might have been reading this in first person! We got to hear from all sorts of characters within the narrative, and hear their side of the story!

Another reason that some people might not get along with in this book, is that the story focuses HEAVILY on music (songwriting, recording, producing, touring) and it goes into DETAIL on how the band went through all of these processes and to some, it might seem a little tedious to get through, but for me, I REALLY LOVED THIS PART OF IT (I have a background in music and could connect to so many of these elements).

I think the way that this book also examines a lot of important issues like addiction, cheating, family issues and death was done really well. Taylor Jenkins Reid REALLY knows how to be respectful while also not holding back, guys.

One thing that I didn't really like about this book however, was the fact that there could have been way more intrigue and tension added in regards to who was ultimately interviewing everyone to write this 'book'. If there had been some build up that made me think "ooooooo i wonder who's interviewing them, i wonder how they know these people, etc", the reveal of who it actually WAS would have been way more effective, but instead, it just kinda came out of nowhere.

Overall, if you're a music lover who doesn't mind a different kind of writing style, I think you'll really enjoy this! But don't expect it to pack as much of a punch as Evelyn Hugo.

TW - drug use, alcohol use, addiction, cheating, death caused by war, death caused by heart attack, death caused by complications from having lupus, abortion.

This is a really fun novel, telling the fictional story of a band, which reminds you more than a little of Fleetwood Mac. I remember reading – and loving - another novel about a fictional band, “The Thrill of it All,” by Joseph O’Connor. However, that fictional band begun in Luton, which is not, perhaps, quite as romantically placed as this novel, which is mostly based in sunny California.

We know from the beginning that the band in this novel split on tour in the 1970’s. They begin as The Six, formed by brothers Billy and Graham Dunne. Daisy Jones is the daughter of a British artist and French model; beautiful, lost and pretty much ignored by her parents, she grows from a groupie to a songwriter. When she is introduced to The Six she is, at first, resented by Billy, who relishes the control of what he sees as, ‘his’ band. However, Daisy Jones brings something special to the music, while changing the group dynamic.

During this novel we have all the ups and downs, not only of a band, but of all the individual members of that band. The romances, affairs, power struggles, jealousies, creativity, drugs, parties, alcohol and general excess, and over indulgence of the music industry. The author has done a wonderful job of creating a band which feels real and characters that you can sympathise with. A fun and enjoyable summer read. This would be ideal by the pool on holiday this summer. I received a copy of this from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This is a story told in a series of interview excerpts.  It charts the course of a fictional band The Six in the early '70s and the addition of Daisy Jones. I was gripped from the start. It reads so much like a documentary that sometimes I had to remind myself that this is a work of pure fiction.

My favourite movie in the whole world is Almost Famous.  If you haven't seen it it's about a young rock journalist in the 60s going on tour with a band and writing an article for rolling stone.  This feel of this book reminded me of that movie, especially in the first half.

The main characters are Billy Dunne who is the lead singer of the Six and of course Daisy Jones.  Billy gets married early in his career and during the first tour of the Six gets swept up in the rock and roll lifestyle.  They hang out in legendary places such as the Hyatt House in L.A and play at the Whisky.  It is a tale of sex drugs and rock and roll, groupies, addiction and ultimately coming back down to earth with a bang.

Daisy Jones is an only child to parents who were far too self-absorbed to pay much attention to her.  Her father a painter and her mother a model they are "all but indifferent to her existence."  She moves in with a friend aged 16 and her parents don't even notice. Growing up fast, hanging out on sunset strip aged 14 and blagging her way into bars. She is free and easy with drink, drugs and her sexuality and ends up getting herself into trouble because of it.

The other members of the band are important, but often in their reaction to Billy and Daisy's relationship.  At times they often descend into caricatures. Most of the minor band characters seem to be fairly two dimensional but it doesn't really matter.

The insight into a writing relationship between the two later in the book seems fairly authentic, and I would like to hope that the author has done her homework.

The ending is more like a fizzle than a bang, but that is to be expected as things in real life rarely end in much drama.  There is a reveal of who the narrator / fictional author was, but as it wasn't something I had thought about, it wasn't much of a twist. 

I can't say I really liked any of the characters, with the exception of  Billy Dunne's wife Camilla, they all seem very egocentric, as many rock stars are, but I was entranced by them.  I never felt much of an emotional connection though.
If you like rock documentaries about 70's bands and the like you will love this.  The format is unconventional but it really works.  It is an easy, compulsive read and comes highly recommended.

Daisy Jones and The Six tells the history of the rise and fall of legendary 70s rock band. The book's format is very unique, transcribed as oral history from the band's members and other people in their lives such as family, manager and their sound editor to name a few. We hear how The Six formed, Daisy Jones's history, how she came to collaborate with them and how it all came crashing down so suddenly.

This story is the epitome of sex, drugs and rock n roll. The descriptions are so rich and delicious, from the fashion choices (denim on denim for Billy, the long luscious locks for the Daisy along with all her bangles and big hoop earrings) to the simmering and sometimes explosive tensions between band members. There's one scene where they are shooting their album cover and it's clear that the photographer is focusing on Billy and Daisy and while the other band members hate it, there's nothing they can do about it. It reminded me of the Don't Speak by No Doubt music video. Though let's be real, while reading this there's only one band on your mind, Fleetwood Mac. It's so evocative of their story, Jenkins Reid takes elements of it and makes it her own. I liked that there were layers in the band's story. Going in I thought it might be one dimensional but so much is touched on, who despised who, those that had more of a love/hate relationship, who was there for the good times, who loved who. You go in thinking that the downfall of the group is going to be one thing but see that it's a combination of different personal relationships as well as individual demon's that causes the implosion.

The writing style is done where the people are interviewed individually and then the story is told in chronological order. I liked the nuances where one person recounted an event one way only for the next line to be a different character relating it a different way. The only problem I had with this format is that it would have been cool to have the individual interviews but also have sections where two or more people were interviewed together so you could see more of a discussion between them about the events. It would have added a nice extra layer, to see the characters interact with each other some bit rather than to just hear how they had previously interacted. I also thought the climax would have a much bigger impact, possibly because I was expecting something like The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo so I was a bit disappointed by that. However this book still has me super excited about a number of things

1) the audio book has multiple narrators, one for each character, which I think sounds like such a fun way to consume this book, like an audio documentary. I might listen to it again once it's released.

2) It's being made into a TV series because Reese Witherspoon loved the book so much and if done correctly it'll be such a visual treat

3) The end of the book has song lyrics and if they can nail the Fleetwood Mac vibes then it'll be incredible

4) There's a Spotify playlist to go along with this book which I just love the idea of

You know you've read a good historical fiction book when you want to know everything about what you've just read. Reading this book will make you want Daisy Jones and the Six to be real. You'll want to know everything about them. Unfortunately as they're not real you'll have to do what I'm doing now, Googling 60s Sunset Strip, 70s fashion, delving into the history of Fleetwood Mac while listening to the Rumours album, waiting for the TV show to be released.

I enjoyed this but it wasn’t my favourite read and I found the narrative a bit wispy washy and all over the place at times. I like the characterisation but found I struggled to engage at times

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This was great fun! The interview structure is used to fantastic effect - I really couldn't put the book down and kept thinking "just another chapter" as there was so much to intrigue. I did think the character of Daisy was a bit underdeveloped and perhaps too good to be true - I actually wanted to read more about the other members of the band, especially Karen who is by far the standout character. Despite a couple of small flaws this is a gripping and enjoyable story which will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers.

I don't like not finishing a book that Netgalley and the publishers have provided in exchange for a review. But this one is one that I have tried to enjoy, but can't. I read to 5% and took a break, then read to 10% and decided to give up. It's like reading an article in a celeb magazine that goes on for page after page after page after page. A very unusual way of delivering a story and not one that I find acceptable or enjoyable.