There was only ever one choice for me on this prompt. Daisy Jones and the Six has been on my TBR since last year. And while it may not be the most original choice – its actually the Popsugar suggestion for the prompt- it is one I was looking forward to.

What it’s about:

From Goodreads:

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.

What I think:

I had put off reading this book because music and band life isn’t really my thing. What a mistake! I loved it!

I really like the interview style structure of the story so that you got to see things from different perspectives. The same event could be told differently depending on who was telling the story. I think this really helped make the characters more appealing. Daisy and Billy in particular could come across as being completely selfish and irresponsible at times if the story is only seen through their eyes.

I also really liked Daisy Jones. I found her determination to be taken seriously as a female artist and songwriter admirable. Although she uses her beauty to her advantage throughout the book, she is also more than just a pretty girl. She has a real gift with language and imagery that comes out in her song writing. And how great is it that the novel also has the full lyrics to te album adding to the sense of realism,

Her relationship with Billy, which is central to the book, is fascinating. Billy struggles with his feelings for Daisy and his love for his wife. While is physically faithful, his connection with Daisy is extraordinary and is both beautiful and tragic. It allows them to create wonderful songs that resonate with people around the world but it also drives them apart.

I found it fascinating that a group of people who are living and working together all of the time can know so little about that is going on each other’s life. The side story of Karen and Graham is equally absorbing and just as tragic.

There is a lot of fun, partying and glamour in this book. But it also shows the darker sides of the music industry. Drug misuse, addiction, mental health and loneliness are along side the awards and the adulation.

Part of the tragedy of Daisy’s career with The Six is that despite the fans and fame she really has no one to turn to when she needs help. There are very few genuine relationships in her life.

I really enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo when I read that last year, and this was just as compelling. I’m looking forward to reading Malibu Rising in May. Taylor Jenkins Reid is definitely going to become one of my automatic reads I think. I have been thinking about this book all week and will probably read it again!