Book Review: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Feel the beat of the bass. Feel the pavement under your feet as you raise your hands above your head and jump to the music. The concert experience is a visceral event in the lives of music fans. And no matter what concert you attend, everyone there is experiencing the rhythms in their own unique way. What is the true story behind the musicians on the stage? What lead to the very song that you are now singing at the top of your lungs? The rock documentary and the rock biography have given us an inside view behind the scenes. But what happens if an author decides to create a rock documentary in novel form about a fictitious band. Would that be as exciting as the real thing? The answer is a resounding... YES. 

  Daisy Jones & the Six is written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It is published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. In it we are introduced to Daisy Jones, a tall, red-haired beauty that lives by her own rules and asks for no one's forgiveness. She is head-strong and constantly on a roller coaster ride to the dark side. She is inherently lonely, with a fashion-model mother and famous-painter father basically checking out on her parenting. Her friends are not really friends, and her life is filled with blurry days of alcohol and drug abuse (a possible trigger for some). But Daisy is a star. No matter where she goes she is the center of attention. And when she sings she is the center of the universe. Her rise to fame is a slow and often tough one. Then she meets Teddy Price, a representative of a band called the Six. They are looking for something different on their latest album, and he thinks she would work well with their sound on a duet. Since Daisy is already under contract with the same recording company as the Six, it seems like a wise deal.

  The world of rock and roll can eat the weak alive, and Daisy Jones is not weak. Daisy comes from money and she has some feelings of entitlement. This clashes with the Six's front man, Billy Dunne. A recovering substance abuser and family man, Billy is trying to keep himself on the straight and narrow. Daisy is a double threat to Dunne. He is attracted to her and afraid that his sobriety is being tested when he is around her. Their chemistry is evident on their duets and the two of them are gold together musically. When Daisy is asked to join the Six, she agrees and gets top billing: Daisy Jones & the Six. But at the height of their notoriety the band split. And no one knew why....until now. Take a trip back to the 1970s as Daisy Jones and the Six reveal their darkest secrets, and bear their souls to one author for a new tell-all book.

  Daisy Jones & the Six was a love letter to music fans everywhere. I was completely immersed in Reid's writing, as she presented her novel in an interview style that was juicy and filled with drama. I loved all of the characters and kept reading to find out more of this band's fate. The tours, album creation, and even the album cover shoot was so entertaining that I ate up every word. Reid's writing was often lyrical, as if the entire book was one big hit song. The characters were well fleshed out and three-dimensional, carrying the burdens of their mistakes in a very real way. Reid gave the reader characters that I wanted to love and ones I wanted to loath. The genuine emotion that played out during this book was often heartbreaking. While the sexual tension between Billy and Daisy was palpable.

  Daisy's drive to make her life better was dizzying from her point of view, as she grappled with wanting to be clean while those around her enabled her addiction. Taylor Jenkins Reid handled all of the book's drug and alcohol addiction respectfully. From Billy's rehabilitation to Daisy's constant battle, Reid cared for her characters as if she were their nurse. As I neared the end of the book I was shocked as I discovered the identity of the author writing this documentary. Once I knew their identity it gave the story even more weight and value. And Jenkins' "where are they now" feature made me teary-eyed as I saw how all the players progressed. But it was the deaths of two characters that made me sit quietly and fondly reminisce about their lives and contributions to the Six. Very powerful writing.    

  I read Daisy Jones & the Six in part with the full-cast audio presentation. The genius work behind this audio book was immense. Each character had their own voice actor, who were perfectly chosen to read the narratives. The best work was actress Jennifer Beals (Flashdance) as Daisy Jones. Her raspy voice and candid style brought the fiery rock star to life. Other stand-outs were Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as Billy Dunne; Fred Berman as Eddie Loving; and Judy Greer (Halloween) as Karen Karen. Jonathan Davis and Benjamin Bratt are also among the large cast giving this novel a Rockumentary Podcast feel. There is even an instrumental version of the song "Honeycomb" at the end of the presentation. This is a fantastic way to experience this book, and I recommend it highly.

  Daisy Jones & the Six was a phenomenal journey into the past of a band that I wish was real. I would love to hear Billy and Daisy sing their hits and see the Six in concert. This five star read was thrilling, filled with drama, and was juicy from cover to cover. I cannot get enough of this world that Reid has created. This book has made me determined to read more of Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels. Run, do not walk to the book store, because this book will be the talk of the book community for a long time. A phenomenal read!


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