Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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

Daisy Jones & The Six had me hooked right from the beginning. So much so that I read it in one day, glued to each page and absorbed in the story of Daisy and the famous band. Raised by wealthy parents who paid little to no attention to her, Daisy was on her own from a young age and spent her time in bars and clubs she wasn’t old enough to be in. While a life of drugs and sex was thrilling for a time, her dream was to sing her songs and to truly be seen. While her voice and electric presence began to be noticed, a band called The Six was on the rise, gaining popularity and fame. When the opportunity for a collaboration presents itself there is no mistaking the onstage chemistry between Daisy and Billy, the lead singer of The Six. After that there is no turning back, and a legend is born.

Written entirely in an interview format that mimics a music documentary, Daisy Jones & The Six is a story told from the perspective of the band members and the people that knew them during that era. This type of storytelling format can be a little hit and miss, but in this case it works perfectly. Each character/person interviewed has a distinct voice and personality and the flow of how the story unfolds through the various soundbites is seamless. Growing up I loved watching VH1’s documentary series Behind the Music, and this novel really delivered just that, but in novel form. I would imagine that the audiobook version of this would be excellent to listen to just because of the format alone. This is another page-turning novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid, who has really shown to be a master storyteller. With Daisy Jones, she delivers a gripping story of not only a band’s rise to stardom, but one of ambition, love, loneliness, longing, and above all music.