Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Reid Jenkins
Released: March 5, 2019
Pages: 355
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Overall: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting & World-building: 3/5
Emotional Investment: 5/5
"I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else's muse.
I am not a muse.
I am the somebody.
End of fucking story."
And I finally read the 70's book by Taylor Jenkins Reid and let me just say wow. I have never read so much about the effects of drugs.
Quick Summary: It's the 1970's, a time full of the pressure of fame, sex, and drugs. But the most memorable thing about the 70's might just be the breakup of the iconic rock n' roll band Daisy Jones and the Six and why they broke up in the height of their popularity and fame. Daisy is a girl with raw talent and a drive to make a name for herself. She came of age in L.A, during a time of sneaking into bars and hooking up with older men. Despite her love for drugs and sex she always loved her music the most. The Six were a band lead by Billy Dunne, who found out his girlfriend was pregnant on the eve of their first tour. He succumbs to the pressure of drugs but keeps in mind his true love, rock n' roll. When Daisy and Billy cross paths by a meddling producer, their rise to the top was something neither expected. But can they handle it, living like legends?
I have absolutely no idea if my heart or soul can handle another Reid book. Like honestly all her books just have the most complex characters in such everyday heartwrenching situations. And then all of them almost always get their hearts broken. It's crushing. I do have to say though, I don't think this is Daisy's story. Well like it is, but I think underneath the normal story it is a story about the people who loved Camila Dunne. This won't make sense to anyone unless the finish they book, and no it's not what you are thinking.
Now Camila Dunne is Billy's girlfriend. Through everything, she was a bold but loving character. She understood what it meant to have a rockstar spouse and all she asked of him was his sobriety. Like she knew how much she needed from him to stay and she made it so clear from the beginning. And everything that happens in this book tests that trust. She just wanted to be a loving mother and take care of her kids and love Billy and help him reach his goals. She said some beautiful things about having faith in people. I like how she never wavered from what she wanted and made it so clear that she would walk if she wasn't treated with respect. Ugh, I kind of love her so much.
Now the actual main characters: Daisy and Billy. Daisy was a lonely person. She so desperately wanted to connect with someone and when she couldn't she misused drugs. Which then quickly became a very strong addiction. She underneath it all was an amazing storyteller and songwriter. She had such incredible talent and knew exactly what she wanted of the world. What I loved the most about her was her disregard for what society wanted for her. Like she would wear "provocative" clothing, not because she wanted to show anybody anything but because she liked the outfit. Like she really believed the idea that if men got turned on by what she wore that was their problem. Considering this book was set in the '70s that was so incredible and was like yes girlboss. Get it girl, hate all men. I did have initially a very hard time bonding with her because she was so spontaneous and when she exposed Billy to the newswriter I was pissed. I don't care if someone is your worst enemy, you never expose the secrets they shared with you. That's just cold man.
Billy was a whole other story, compared to Daisy. He worshipped the ground Camila walked on and loved his kids more than life itself. I really really respected that after the events of the first tour, he respected and maintained the boundary Camila set. He stayed sober the entire time for the next two tours and I was insanely proud of him. Sobriety was no joke. Neither is addiction. He worked his ass for his family and I was impressed. It's such a sad thing if I'm getting impressed by men doing the bare minimum. He did also piss me off when he went and changed the entire album and basically neglected his bandmates. When Eddie got pissed about this I actually understood because like bro your bandmates are people too. You could have literally just talked to them, instead of being an egalitarian and screwing everything up. This is why I said the band broke up because of Billy's daddy issues. Like he changed the album because Teddy (the producer) gave him full control and basically urged him to. Billy also looked up to Teddy like a father, so I'm just saying.
The romance or angst of Billy and Daisy was written so well. Like it isn't even really romance but they were soulmates. Soulmates in the sense they are literally the same people. That's why their music was soo good. When they sang, they sang as one soul and that was beautiful. I do like how it ended though, I think it stayed most true to their characters and I appreciated Reid doing that.
My second most favourite character has to be Karen. She is such a badass and a fucking amazing keyboardist. My heart soared when she came on the page and I was like yes girl. Now spoilers: I loved how she knew she didn't want a kid and stuck to it. Despite someone trying to change her opinion, she understood she would never want a child of her. I almost teared up where Camila came into the abortion clinic with Karen and said "I'm sad you don't want this kid because my kids bring me so much joy. But I understand your joy and happiness come from somewhere else and we just have to find it." Finally, someone understood her and my heart just was so happy for her. Karen was literally the only cool one, and maybe Warren but he was lowkey irrelevant.
Now I do have to say the book was kind of boring at some times. Like the whole explaining the meaning behind each song was kind of pointless for me. That process bored me out of my mind. I do have to say the one song written because someone said Daisy wouldn't be a good mom made me sad. That's not a spoiler. I really liked how that ended for her though and how Daisy thrived and lived after the band. I like how they all moved on and it helped me gain a little bit more respect for Billy.
Wow, this was one long review. But dang I really did have a lot to say because this book just made me effortlessly believe I was in 1970's L.A. It was a beautiful book that made you feel so much for everyone. I do hope everyone reads this book because it was an experience. I will say though, Mick Riva makes a five-second appearance and I was so mad. Hehe, you won't get that unless you read Malibu Rising. I was ready to punch a man. Anywho go read this book. :)
Quotes
"We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get much more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than Daisy Jones."
"If the rest of the world was silver, Daisy was gold."
"The truth often lies, unclaimed, in the middle."
"Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people."
"Confidence is being okay being bad, not being okay being good."
"Life is about who is holding your hand and, I think, whose hand you commit to holding."