REFINE Reviews: Daisy Jones & The Six

By Ariana dos Santos

The 1970s were a time of love, drugs, and most importantly, rock and roll. You’ve probably heard of The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, but it’s most likely you haven’t heard of Daisy Jones & The Six.

That’s unsurprising because Daisy Jones & The Six are a fictional rock band from the mind of Taylor Jenkins Reid in her novel of the same name: Daisy Jones & The Six. From the first page, Reid is able to make you question your musical knowledge and wonder if you’ve somehow missed out on discovering the music of a legendary band.

The New York Times Bestseller Daisy Jones & The Six came out on March 5, 2019 and was Reese's Book Club pick in March 2019. The novel is being made into a TV series on Amazon with Riley Keough playing Daisy Jones and Sam Claflin playing Billy Dunne. It’s being produced by Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s production company, and Amazon Studios.

Daisy Jones & The Six is the story of how Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, the lead singer of The Six, join forces to become a musical power duo. Daisy is an undeniably talented singer who is lost and in search of something more. Billy is a force to be reckoned with and is killing it when it comes to his musical career, but is struggling to be the man his wife deserves. These characters have a lot in common––they both struggle with substance abuse and they don’t want to work together. Daisy and Billy have to quickly learn that they are better together than they are apart if they want to gain worldwide stardom.

The main characters are complex and troubled, but they have redeemable qualities. I was rooting for them the whole time and hoping they accomplished what they were after––not just musically, but also personally. Daisy lacks confidence and searches for love in all the wrong places, and Billy loves his family immensely, but in some ways lacks the ability to love himself properly. Reid’s characters may be flawed human beings, but aren’t we all?

The story is told in a unique way that works in every aspect. It is formatted in an interview-style that makes you feel like you’re watching a full documentary in your head. It’s as if you can see each character sitting in a room telling their own version of the story as you fly through the pages of the book. It’s told as an oral history and that doesn’t take away from the story at all––if anything, it adds an extra layer to the storytelling. As a reader, you’re able to hear how different members of the band remember the same events completely differently. It makes it feel like you’re reading a biography of a real band. I’ve never read a book like this before and now I know I want to read more books formatted like this one!

The pace of the story is just right––not too fast and not too slow. It’s the perfect book to read in one day or even in just one sitting. This novel leaves you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Honestly, you won’t want to put it down and when you’re done, you’ll crave even more. That’s what the best books can do––leave you wanting more.

Daisy Jones & the Six is a stunning portrayal of a fictional band that doesn’t feel fictional at all. Reid is able to throw those of us who weren’t alive to experience the ‘60s and ‘70s into the world of rock and roll––at least for a little while.