This is truly a masterpiece. Incredible. Unforgettable. Intoxicating. This is a deeply human story about the love, loss, and the bond that connect us. The relationships that are always complex, and the conflicts and tensions that arise as a result, ultimately ending in the breakdown of certain relationships with people.
It is a beautifully written, emotional novel that will stay with me for a long time. This is a must read for anyone who loves drama, unforgettable characters, and a testament to the power of music. And obviously anyone who loves TJR.
Also being a commentary on the nature of fame and the toll it takes on those that have achieved that. The Six are shot up to stardom almost overnight, with the ongoing pressure to maintain their success, which took a heavy toll on the band members personal life, but also their self-respect, self-control which quickly went out the window leading to the well known problem of addiction.
As with all of TJR’s books they have strong messages throughout the book … and this was no exception …
The women in this story were such strong female characters, especially Daisy, she is such a compelling character, with her raw talent, rebellious spirit causing both admiration and friction with her bandmates. All the characters though are so incredibly developed, even the side characters are more layered and developed than most books main characters.
It made me fall in love with each and every one of the characters, they each have their own quirks, character, and personality. Honestly, I have no idea how someone could have written this as a work of fiction that just screams real life drama.
Capturing the spirit and essence of the 1970s music scene, the Rock’n’Roll music scene. Like a love letter to rock and roll, capturing the excitement and energy of the bands live performances, and the way music bring people of all ages, background, and preferences together.
Rock and Roll and the 70s have never been one of my interests, but one of TJR many talents is making you love something you never, ever thought you would, (I felt this when I read Carrie Sotto Is Back as well, I am now officially a tennis fan!).
Addiction is a very heavy topic to write (and read) about and who better to do this than Taylor Jenkins Reid! It perfectly captures the dark side of addiction, the real side of drugs, not just the idealistic version where you are high and happy, but the guilt that comes with addiction, people not being able to cope when they are sober when they NEED to get their next high to be able to function.
As well as the struggle towards sobriety, how it affects those around them, the guilt that they feel … this just perfectly sums it up ….
“Simone: I was getting a lot of phone calls from Daisy at all hours of the day. I’d say, “Let me come get you.” And she’d refuse. I thought about trying to force her into rehab. But you can’t do that. You can’t control another person. It doesn’t matter how much you love them. You can’t love someone back to health and you can’t hate someone back to health and no matter how right you are about something, it doesn’t mean they will change their mind."
Written in an unusual format, through a transcript of interviews with the band members, their friends, and family, as well as others that were involved in the band’s journey. This made the book have a sense of realism, making it feel as though we are reading a true account of a band’s rise to fame.
Many people felt though, that because of this they struggled to connect with the characters and story but I couldn't agree any less, I thought this added to the intimacy of the story, giving more depth to the characters, and helping to have a more flowing story with hearing about the same event through multiple POV’s.
This has become another of my 5 star reads, beautifully written and with unforgettable, deep characters, I haven’t got a bad word to say about it … except maybe … it wasn’t long enough!