There are certain authors that are ALL over the book community. Be it Booktube, Booktok, Bookstagram etc – some authors seem to get all the hype, all the time.
So, I decided to find out what the heck the fuss was about and make my way through some of these authors. This is going to take a while (considering just how many seem to come and go), so I decided to start with a simple one.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
So…. what to say about this book. I think I understand why people like it. Taylor has an easy to read writing style, and the structure being written as interviews was really fun. There was just more reasons for me NOT to like this book than to like it.
I am so sick of reading books that are sad, twisted up and un-romantic in almost every sense of the word. Cheating tropes are NOT for me. Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll are NOT for me either. I will do some R&R but I don’t appreciate it being attached to the others. I didn’t like reading about drug addicts who screwed everything and anything on two legs. I didn’t like reading about cheating – because whether you think so or not, emotional cheating is TOTALLY a thing. I didn’t like reading about selfish people who can’t see past their own desires and hurt to actually do the right think.
BILLY
I didn’t like Billy. At all. I appreciated that he wanted to do the right thing by his wife Camilla, and props to him for “mostly” sticking with that once he decided to get sober. But seriously, if someone is becoming a dangerous draw to you while you’re trying to remain sober and stick to your wedding vows – RUN!!!! RUN AWAY!!!! Screw the band, screw the fame and money, just run as fast as you possibly can. Don’t stick around and give her hope there could be something more between you, or that you could keep going in limbo. Just get the heck out.
DAISY
Daisy was so strung out all of the entire book, and I lost my empathy for her. She didn’t care that she was hurting people, she didn’t care enough to get help for herself, and it quite honestly didn’t seem likely that she had that much talent with not that much heart. The book bent over backwards to try and paint her as someone who felt everything very deeply, and was just a “messed up kid” type of character, but she came across as shallow, selfish, irritating and a pain in the backside. I didn’t care about her arc, or where she ended up at all.
KAREN & GRAHAM
This relationship had me rooting for them in the beginning.. but somewhere along the line it lost me. I say somewhere like I don’t know EXACTLY when I decided that one of these characters was the most selfish human being on the planet. I know this is going to be a controversial view point, but I’m honestly so unimpressed with the way their story progressed and the ultimate conflict happened. I think one of them was so utterly selfish, and the other didn’t express their desires in an appropriate way. It’s one thing to make unilateral decisions in a relationship, but it needs to be discussed at length, and also agreed on by all parties. It would be the same if one of these characters wanted to move to mars, and the other didn’t – you wouldn’t just write someone a note and say “see you when I get off the space shuttle in another fifteen years”. I liked them together, until I realised that one person was far more interested in their career than actually building a relationship. So when their conclusion came to a head, I felt like my rooting for them the ENTIRE book was utterly wasted.
EDDIE, PETE & WARREN
Eddie was a dickhead, and Pete was barely there. I liked how there was really only ONE interview from Pete at the very end, telling the author he didn’t care to make much of a comment. It was totally in line with his character.
Eddie was just an absolute tool, and I don’t even know why he was necessary to the story… basically everything could have happened in this book without Eddie, Pete and Warren and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference that they weren’t there.
Warren was the MOST chill out of all these characters, and quite honestly felt very out of place with the rest of the chaos. But I liked that he didn’t give a crap.
THE RECORD PEOPLE
Background people like agents and record producers (who did hold central to several plot points) were fine and important to the plot but it was hard for me to feel connected to them. There were SO VERY MANY CHARACTERS, it was hard to keep track.
SIMONE
She was the ONLY character in the whole book who I actually liked. She was also the only one with any common sense and self awareness, and she really only popped up every so often. Dragging your friend away from a toxic situation when she can’t do it herself is one of the only sane things that happened in this book… so yup, I liked her.
There was more cussing than I’d appreciate, and a lot of topics that even as a musician and person who LOVES music, I didn’t care about. There were too many characters to keep track of, and too much happening all at once. I did not find myself caring much about anything at the end, and where it ended felt a little like How I Met Your Mother… So yeah, that was my first TJR book.
Have you read Daisy Jones & The Six? Do you agree, or disagree with my points? What about the coming television adaption, are you excited or not? Tell me in the comments!
See You in the Adventures
Christy Grace
Christy Grace Scarlet Pen 