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

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: Daisy Jones and the Six

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Pages: 369

Published: March 5, 2019

Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.

Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity...until now.

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.

Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.

Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

Review:

I've eyeballed this one and funnily enough this was picked for Book Club soooooooooo sure why not. 

Told in the format of an interview we get to the heart of the raise and fall of Daisy Jones & The Six. We'll get the behind-the-scenes that everyone has wanted. 

First thing first.....the format was wildly different. You know those documentaries where they interview people to tell the story? The author attempts this here. We get multiple people telling us the story of the band. It was interesting and refreshing. It was done alright. I do wish we had more descriptives of HOW the people were talking and feeling and looking. You could assume. There were some instances of the author putting a few descriptives like "[pauses]", but there should have been more instances and more descriptives. I'm sure if I had done the audiobook, the narrator would've taken liberties and it might've helped. But yes, more would've been a great benefit, because the reader is left to pretty much assume.

The beginning had me curious...and then it lost me for a few, but after a certain scene it had me in it's grasps again. I could only read small chunks at a time, but I was hooked. I had to know what the final straw to break the camel's back was. There was SOOOO much drama in this band. It was bound to erupt, but it was just waiting for that last straw to fall. 

I hated everyone BUT I was enraptured with them all. They are all selfish, emotional, and immature. But you gotta remember....they are young and they are "stars". LOTS of ego in the room. 

The ending felt...rushed in a way. And I don't agree with a certain email. Gah. I'm just going to say it.......no I'm not.....I am. EEE. Okay [SPOILER ALERT] Billy's wife passes and pretty much gives the AOK for Billy and Daisy to reconnect and make another "song". Which YOU KNOW was her giving them permission to finally be together. Gag. They are so toxic for each other. Billy being Billy, though, he'll do it. :S Plus it felt so reductive of the characters. You can love someone but it doesn't mean that you should be together. SIGHS. Plus....I feel like Camila would've NEVER wanted that. IDK. It just didn't vibe with the whole story [SPOILER END]

Other then that ending and how I wanted more from the format.....I did like this. It was different and entertaining. Toxic characters doing toxic things in the 60s and 70s. What more can you ask for?

All-in-all, I did find myself liking this. I had some issues especially the ending little curveball. Bleh. Other than that I liked it. I can't wait to discuss this one. I'm sure we will have a lot to talk about. Rating???? Mmmmm. This has been a struggle for sure. 3....yes....3 stars seems fine. 

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Conflicting

Challenge(s):

- Library Love #31

Book Review: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Title: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Genre: Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Contemporary, Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 398

Published: June 13, 2017

Where I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

Review:

Been eyeballing this book for a little bit, but then it was picked for Book Club SO I got the push I needed to read this emerald. 

Here we follow Monique and Evelyn. Evelyn Hugo is and was a Hollywood movie icon. She is aging and wants to tell the truth behind her glamorous and scandalous life. She tracks down Monique who is a nobody writer trying to make her way and now her husband has left her. Monique takes the job to tell Evelyn's story. Write a biography and maybe this will jumpstart her career. By the end of it, Monique will discover and learn so much about Evelyn and herself. She will also learn the tragic way her life intersects with Evelyn's. 

I was literally hooked from page 1. There is something about Monique and Evelyn that is dazzling. I literally stayed up way too long finishing this because I just HAD.TO.KNOW. There is a BIG reveal near the end that just cemented my love for this book. 

What I loved most about this was that Evelyn knew she wasn't a good guy all the time. She knew her flaws and what she was willing to do to get to the top. I love a good complex character like that. She had a heart and she wasn't evil, but she knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it. 

I found the format really interesting. Each section of the book (there are 7) is named after her husband. She had 7 of them and married them all for VASTLY different reasons. I also loved that we learn Evelyn's story as if we were listening to the recording. It is her story in her words. It felt right. 

Now...I shouldn't be surprised she fell in love with a woman. That is part of the whole story and not a spoiler. However, I was surprised by WHO she fell for. That was a bigger shock than the big reveal at the end. And to be frank.................I think she could've done better. That lady was meh and by the end, I did warm up to her a bit, but I didn't like her. I might be in the minority here, but I felt like Evelyn deserved better. But you love who you love I guess. 

I loved Harry. I loved his and Evelyn's friendship. 

The ending....damn. That was good. 

My only "issue" with the book is that I wanted more time with Monique and the aftermath of what she writes. We get to see a clipping of her feature (like an excerpt), but what did she end up doing? I want more. Maybe a sequel. Call it.....'The Seven Books of Monique Grant' and have another person take her story. GAH! That would be fun. 

But yes, I ended up really adoring this book. I feel like this is a good contender for book of the year. It's up against some goodies already, but I really liked this. I wouldn't mind checking out the audio one day. 5 stars from me.

Challenge(s):

- #16 for Romance Reading Challenge - Green dress