“That’s me. And no matter where we are, no matter what time it is, the world is dark and we are two blinking lights. Flashing at the same time. Neither one of us flashing alone.” Daisy Jones and the Six perfectly encapsulates a sense of community and family within the crisp pages of the book. Taking place in the late 60s to early 70s, the story follows the titular band as they deal with their own hardships within the music industry. The novel mostly follows Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, who butt heads creatively when creating music. But when they use this tension to create beautiful music, a relationship sparks between them. Although their musical relationship is admirable, lines become crossed between a publicity stunt and reality. With Billy Dunne being a husband and father, Daisy’s growing fondness for him becomes misplaced and misguided.
Told in an interview style, the story makes you feel as though these are actual events that occurred between a real group of band members. Author Taylor Jenkins Reid, who also wrote the acclaimed novel, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, does an amazing job of bringing the reader back to the era of the 60s to 70s creating a beautiful sense of nostalgia. Although Reid includes the spectacular aspects of 70s era, she also tackles serious issues regarding addiction, alcoholism, toxic relationships and abortion. The tactfulness behind writing such difficult topics proves overwhelmingly impressive, as most authors are not able to write with a sense of transparency that Reid contains within the novel.
Personally, I finished the book in a day and a half, flicking through the pages with incessant need. The margins of my copy are filled with sticky notes and annotations, chronicling my thoughts as the events of the novel unfolded. Whenever I feel down, I am able to pick up my copy of the book and read back my notes and reminisce over the first time that I read the book. If you are looking for a quick read that also harbors great emotional depth, then I highly recommend choosing Daisy Jones and the Six as your next read!