DAISY JONES & THE SIX BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID // spoiler-free book review: why is this band not real?

You won’t be surprised that I, in fact, did not read this book recently. But back in July. Welp.

I’ve become a broken record: better late than never?

But I NEEDED to talk about how SPECTACULAR this book was!! I mean HOW COULD WE NOT?

*fumbles on words*

Title: Daisy Jones & The Six
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Page count: 351
Date published: 5 March 2019
Genre: Adult historical fiction

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Synopsis:

For a while, Daisy Jones & The Six were everywhere. Their albums were on every turntable, they sold out arenas from coast to coast, their sound defined an era. And then, on 12 July 1979, they split.

Nobody ever knew why. Until now.

They were lovers and friends and brothers and rivals. They couldn’t believe their luck until it ran out. This is their story of the early days and the wild nights, but everyone remembers the truth differently.

The only thing they all know for sure is that from the moment Daisy Jones walked barefoot onstage at the Whisky, their lives were irrevocably changed.

Making music is never just about the music. And sometimes it can be hard to tell where the sound stops and the feelings begin.

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STAR RATING (5 out of 5 stars):

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Huge thanks to Penguin Random House South Africa for sending a review copy my way!

This book really slapped from the first page though.

Woweeeee

I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo for the first time this year because everybody and their mother was talking about it. And of course, the hype was well deserved, it was a fantastic book! So well written and the characters!! Wow, what a ride. But the moment I’d heard about this book I knew I that it would be amazing. Mainly because I ADORE old music! Specifically music from the 80s, which isn’t the 70s like in this book, but close enough okay. I’m just fascinated with the era. And my oh my did this book just blow my entire mind.

The book is a lot, there’s a lot happening. And I know some people didn’t like it that much, which well can’t relate. And actually, I’d started reading it, but my mind just wasn’t ready so I put the book down for like A WEEK?! It’s fine, I’m just really bad at reading books okay. Really calling myself out over here.

I also didn’t listen to the audiobook, I really want to now though, because everyone’s been talking about it. I’m also DYING to reread this masterpiece of a book. Obviously, I read it physically and it was still P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L. But I want this full experience you all keep squawking about.

Taylor Jenkins Reid just has such a way with storytelling and slowly building up to the epicness of the endings of her books. We’re all just vibing with the book until like two thirds in and this thing happens and your mind just combusts into nothing-ness. It’s a real thing, people.

And although Evelyn Hugo felt like she could also be a real person, the story still felt fictional. Yeah, that kind makes no sense, I don’t know how to phrase this properly… I think it was the way this book was told, the documentary-like style. Whereas, with Evelyn, the novel is told in past and present narratives so it felt more fictional? If that made any sense at all Ruby wow.

Speaking of the format WOW! What a way to tell this story. You’d think it’d be hard to connect to any of the characters because it’s all dialogue BUT NO. It’s the complete opposite. The interviews bring you so much closer to them. WHY IS THIS BOOK SO GOOD?!?!

• Eddie Loving: I have not been this angry at a character in a while. This idiot got on MY NERVES, HE WAS SO ANNOYING!! Omg please stop being an idiot. He literally complained the whole time that Billy just made all the decisions but he made no move to stand up for himself nor did he offer to put in as much effort as Billy did. I mean yeah, Billy is controlling BUT STILL. I just… * wild strangling gestures*
• Simone Jackson: the greatest of best friends!! Loved her and how she looked out for Daisy.
• Graham Dunne: he’s a character you’re kinda lukewarm about at the beginning, you quite like in the middle and then by the end want to spit at. Enough said tbh.
• Karen Karen: an actual icon!! So funny and strong and such a unique female character. We have no choice but to stan. Also, love that she can play the keyboard. Fun fact: so can I so I felt like we connected. Did we really?
• Camila Dunne: what a queen and AMAZING female character. I have so much respect for her, she put up with so much but her love was just so pure. I WANT TO CRY. I at first didn’t understand her but now,,, *internally screams* [if you know, YOU KNOW]
• Billy Dunne: we weren’t the biggest fan at the start, didn’t really get why he wanted to control everything still don’t but he grew on me and by the end, I WAS SCREAMING!! The man has talent and passion and wow CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Such a complex and well-written character. Round of applause for TJR!
  
• Daisy Jones: ah this chick. I mean there’s so much to say. She’s a hot mess with a lot issues. But just WOW. She doesn’t take sh*t from anyone and she comes across as fame-hungry at first but also CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. I just,,, am in awe. I keep saying well-written BUT IT’S TRUE!

I also absolutely loved how unreliable the characters were. Like who was lying and who was telling the real truth? They all remember events in a certain way and at the same time are protecting themselves during the interview and trying to make themselves look good. AND I DON’T KNOW WHO TO TRUST ahhhh!!

Shoutout to TJR making me think I could find this music somewhere. I’ll really just have to listen to Fleetwood Mac until the show comes out huh? Sidenote: LOVED the part of the book when Billy and Daisy actually writing the songs. Such an interesting process!!

AND THE ROMANCE AHHH!!! How how how how?!?!?! I’m losing my mind over here. It’s just so good I CAN’T EVEN. Just the tension between Daisy, Billy and Camila. You don’t know who you like more or who is wrong and who’s not. The chemistry between Daisy and Billy is undeniable, everybody knows it and I just… ITS A LOT AND IM DEFINITELY NOT CRYING!

And finally: WHAT WERE THOSE PLOT TWISTS!! Wow, this is storytelling at it’s finest. The final few pages of this book had me shooketh to the core. My poor brain could not handle. THE DAMN ENDING I WILL NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT!!! IT!! WAS!! SO!! BRILLIANT!!

“I used to think soul mates were two of the same. I used to think I was supposed to look for somebody that was like me. I don’t believe in soul mates anymore and I’m not looking for anything. But if I did believe in them, I’d believe your soul mate was somebody who had all the things you didn’t, that needed all the things you had. Not somebody who’s suffering from the same stuff you are.”

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“She had written something that felt like I could have written it, except I knew I couldn’t have. I wouldn’t have come up with something like that. Which is what we all want from art, isn’t it? When someone pins down something that feels like it lives inside us? Takes a piece of your heart out and shows it to you? It’s like they are introducing you to a part of yourself.”

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“No matter who you choose to go down the road with, you’re gonna get hurt. That’s just the nature of caring about someone. No matter who you love, they will break your heart along the way.”

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“But loving somebody isn’t perfection and good times and laughing and making love. Love is forgiveness and patience and faith and every once in a while, it’s a gut punch. That’s why it’s a dangerous thing, when you go loving the wrong person. When you love somebody who doesn’t deserve it. You have to be with someone that deserves your faith and you have to be deserving of someone else’s. It’s sacred.”

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“I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else’s muse.
I am not a muse.
I am the somebody.
End of fucking story.”

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“Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.”

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“But knowing you’re good can only take you so far. At some point, you need someone else to see it, too. Appreciation from people you admire changes how you see yourself.”

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“I love you as much as I’m willing to love anybody.”

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“But at some point, you have to recognize that you have no control over anybody and you have to step back and be ready to catch them when they fall and that’s all you can do. It feels like throwing yourself to sea. Or, maybe not that. Maybe it’s more like throwing someone you love out to sea and then praying they float on their own, knowing they might well drown and you’ll have to watch.”

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“Life is about who is holding your hand and, I think, whose hand you commit to holding.”

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“I’m not saying that I didn’t care. I cared a lot. I’m saying that when you really love someone, sometimes the things they need may hurt you, and some people are worth hurting for.”

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“People say it’s hard to be away from the people you love but it was so hard to be right next to him.”

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“I wore what I wanted when I wanted. I did what I wanted with who I wanted. And if somebody didn’t like it, screw ’em.”

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“It’s so strange, how someone’s silence, someone’s insistence that something isn’t happening can be so suffocating. But it can be. And suffocating is exactly the word, too. You feel like you can’t breathe.”

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“You can’t control another person. It doesn’t matter how much you love them. You can’t love someone back to health and you can’t hate someone back to health and no matter how right you are about something, it doesn’t mean they will change their mind.”

ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THIS BOOK!

Mind = blown

WHERE IS THE TV SHOW AND WHERE CAN I LISTEN TO THIS MUSIC?!?!?

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? HAVE YOU READ ANY OF TAYLOR’S OTHER BOOKS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ADULT BOOK? LET ME KNOW!

xo