Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel chronicles the rise of a ‘70s rock band, including all the things you’d expect- drugs, booze, sex, groupies, band in-fighting, etc. Jenkins Reid starts by tracing the rise of the two band components as their own entities- Daisy Jones, an irresistible pop ingénue with a drug habit and an urge to write her own songs; and The Six, a rust-belt rock band helmed by a charismatic leading man trying to hold his life and his band together amidst his own spiraling drug and booze habit. Once Daisy joins The Six, the fireworks really start, with everything leading up to a big show on a big tour.
Jenkins Reid formats the story as a series of interview transcripts between the former bandmates, which seems to have polarized readers. I’m in the ‘love’ half of readers, although it did take me a little while to settle in- so if you don’t love it right away I encourage you to give it a few chapters.
Because there was so much hype surrounding this novel, my expectations were high and I’m not sure they were met. It was fun and quick and although the ending went a long way to redeeming my expectations, the majority of the book did not blow me away (I would have given this 3.5 stars if we could split them). If you moderate your expectations this is a great weekend read.
