Keep reading for my full review of “Daisy Jones & the Six” with The Quick & Dirty version at the end!

This review has low-spoilers. The over-all plot of this book is pretty predictable and I mention some points but there is a little twist and I won’t spoil the ending!

TW for the book: recreational drug use and dependence, overdose, sexual assault of a minor off-page, verbal and physical abuse in relationships mentioned, abortion off-page, divorce, abandonment, infidelity

Synopsis:

The Six started out as a group of friends (and brothers) who formed a band in the 1970s. Their popularity only grew after a move to Los Angeles, where they started performing on the strip with their Canadian-tuxedo-wearing frontman, Billy Dunne. It isn’t long before Billy feels the irresistible pull of the sex and drugs to go with his rock ‘n roll and starts to slide out of control and into the depths of addiction. Time passes and associates of the band take notice of up-and-coming singer/songwriter Daisy Jones and her raw, untrained voice. From there, it’s only a matter of time until the newly formed Daisy Jones & the Six rockets to international stardom and eventually to its combustion at the height of fame. No one has ever heard the full story of what happened when the band suddenly imploded after a sold-out show in Chicago… until now.

The Verdict?

Top 10 Reasons You Will Love This Book

10. Brooding Billy Dunne and his tempting imperfection

9. 1970s: disco alongside rock, drugs, exhilaration, the fashion

8. Multiple redemption arcs

7. Barefoot and bra-less on the Sunset Strip(?!)

6. Camila dashes every stereotype of the nagging, bored wife of a band member while staying strong and true to herself

5. That Rolling Stone cover

4. We are all rooting for Daisy Jones like we root for a chaotic sibling

3. Demonstrates that recovery isn’t linear

2. Twist that doesn’t feel bad or shocking

1. Camila, at the end.

“Behind the Music”

Look into the format of VH1’s “Behind the Music” if you want to understand more about how this book feels. The show ran from 1997 to 2014 and each episode centered most often on a famous music group that was no longer active in the industry. Alternatively, sometimes the episodes were built around specific events, films, or other people who were influential in the history of music. During interviews with the members of each group and sometimes family members or friends, recollections would often conflict and from time to time, secrets would be spilled.

In “Daisy Jones & the Six,” it is made clear from the beginning that the novel is a tell-all that will reveal what happened to the group on the night they disbanded. Interviewees all respond separately to what sometimes seem to be the same or similar questions and it is obvious that they are at least mostly unaware of each others’ answers. Questions themselves aren’t shown unless they are repeated by the character and the interviewer is an indirect participant for most of the book. Much like the interviews and the band histories in “Behind the Music,” the many years between the events of the book and the writing itself provides a comfortable distance from which the band members can share their perspectives and sometimes seemingly process what happened for the first time.

TL;DR