Spoiler free review
Daisy Jones and the Six is a Historical fiction novel set in the late seventies that chronicles the band Daisy Jones and the Six and how they formed, their highs and lows, and why they ultimately broke up at the peak of their careers. The novel handles topics of infidelity, substance abuse, abusive relationships, and creative differences. Something that sets this novel apart from others is its documentary style. All the stories we get are first-hand accounts from the people themselves, and it reads almost like a play in the beginning because whenever someone new starts speaking, you see the name change. I loved this choice because, although it was a bit harder to follow at the beginning, it made everything else feel so real that I even thought the band was actually real and didn't realize it was make-up until I tried looking for old performances.
For handling such heavy topics like substance abuse and abusive relationships, I felt like they were handled beautifully, and the author wasn't afraid to get ugly and descriptive with the lows the characters experienced, but also didn't feel the need to be overly descriptive, like scenes where certain characters were assaulted. Also, a TV show based on the book came out a few years ago, along with a soundtrack of all the songs they wrote for the book. I recommend playing the songs while reading the book because it gives you a better sense of what the author is trying to explain.
Overall, if you're someone who loves historical fiction books with complex storylines and characters, this book would be an excellent next read.
************************* Spoilers ahead **************************
Daisy Jones
This girl went to therapy, and it shows.
Throughout the book, I never really hated Daisy; only when it came to Simone did I dislike her, but everywhere else, it was just sad. Firstly, her parents were neglectful because they were egotistical stars that only cared about partying and appearances, so when their fifteen-year-old daughter started going out and partying, they really did not care or notice. Secondly, since she was a fifteen-year-old girl partying all the time with no support system, she was horribly taken advantage of! So many men throughout her teen years dated her, slept with her, and took credit for her work and then tried denying it, saying "it was the 60's"......... SIR, you are basically an eighty-year-old man sleeping with a fifteen-year-old, like let's be so fucking fr. Unfortunately, Daisy has been taken advantage of her entire life until she leaves the band. But it makes sense why she was constantly taken advantage of because when she left the band, she was only twenty-four! Girlie's frontal lobe hadn't even developed yet, and she was already sober, divorced, in an ex-popular boy band, in two abusive relationships, and so much more.
Overall, Daisy's situation mirrored that of Billy's, but only when they were both in bad addiction, because both of them really went out of character when they were deep in addiction, for example, Billy cheating, and Daisy telling the Rolling Stones reporter all about Billy's affair and drug addiction. Both are horrible things to do, but they are within the traits of an addict.
But one thing I did like about Daisy's storyline was how she tried to replace her addiction with writing songs because even though it wasn't successful in the end, it finally gave her an outlet to be creative and assert herself, especially to Billy when he wanted total creative control.
Billy Dunne
I was a hater of this man at the beginning, but his redemption arc is too good not to admire. Firstly, it's the 60s, and they're a popular band, so I understand why he got so addicted to drugs, like it's literally shoved in your face. The one thing I'm not down with is his cheating and how much he really didn't care; it wasn't really until his daughter came that he's like "oh, I need to get my shit together". But with the help of his producer Teddy, he finally does go to rehab and gets sober. And also, I applaud him for avoiding all temptations to get high or drunk again because it was everywhere. His bandmates would do coke and bang girls left and right on tours. When Daisy joined the band, she was basically Billy before rehab, and he also had a lot of problems, so who doesn't want to forget about them? But with the love of his wife and kids, he held on. I will say that when Daisy got involved in the band, I honestly thought he was going to fall back into all his addictions because he was forced to be in proximity to her at all times. He had to be open to her about his life and struggles so they could write songs together. And, probably a popular opinion, Billy had every right to trash-talk Daisy in the Rolling Stone interview after she shared all of Billy's struggles with addiction. Like, she wasn't in her right mind when she revealed everything, so it's understandable why she said it, but that doesn't give her the right to be mad at Billy about it. I do live that she heavily regrets it after the fact.
The one aspect I honestly did not like about Billy throughout the book was his egotism; it was awful at the beginning, when he was the central star because he had the talent and knew it, which made him insufferable. It does tone down after he had his kid and went to rehab, but he still has this weird sense of power over the band, which I didn't quite like, because he knew how to make an album good, and he knew that, which made him quite annoying, especially when others tried to interject.
Camilla Dunne
She deserved so much better. Camilla Dunne is the most loyal, down-to-earth character who stuck with Billy through his worst moments, and when she had every reason to leave.
The first obstacle in their relationship was when Billy got his record deal, and they broke up because they were going to be long-distance. In the end, Camilla decided to follow him to Los Angeles so they could be together, but only on the condition that they marry. And Camilla continues to give Billy ultimatums because, after he reaches the peak of his drug abuse and infidelity, she forces him to go to rehab before he can meet their daughter. And while many might believe that needing to give constant ultimatums to have a successful relationship isn't healthy, it works for them because they both love each other so profoundly that Billy is willing to provide Camilla with anything she wants. And that includes giving up his music career at the end of the book so they can be together and live in the mountains with their kids. But even though Billy did love her so deeply, his infidelity during his first tour and his almost affair with Daisy is what makes me feel like she deserves so much better because no woman should be forced to put up with so much humiliation at the hands of a MAN. I believe the only reason she wanted to stay with Billy, no matter what, was not only because she loves him, but also because she is stubborn, and once she became fixated on her life with Billy, she was going to make it work. And this aspect of being stubborn and not compromising for what she wants is why she got along with Karen so well, because they are at opposite ends of the same stick.
At the end of the book, Camilla gets what she wants: a loyal Billy, two kids, and a house in the mountains, and you know, so I can't hate on her/pity her too much.
Graham Dunne
Overall, I didn't hate Graham until it came to him being a little bitch about Karen getting an abortion.
Throughout the book, Graham is a side character who doesn't do much; we only get first-hand accounts of drama involving other members, and we only hear about him whenever he tries to hit on Karen, whom he has been feigning over for YEARS! Finally, he gets with the one he is basically Owen from Grey's Anatomy. He's a family man who wants to settle down, eventually have a wife and kids, and he chooses the girl who OPENLY doesn't want to settle down, then gets mad at her when she refuses. So when he was moping about the relationship and how he couldn't understand why she didn't want kids, it just pissed me off because he went into the relationship knowing that their outlooks on life were different, but refused to accept it. But unlike Owen from Grey's Anatomy, he did end up with a wife and kids, just not with Karen.
Karen
A woman who knows what she wants! And refuses to compromise for ANYONE.
When we first meet Karen, she is already an experienced keyboardist who has played with another band, but decides to leave them to join The Six. Being the only girl, she attempts to defy their expected role and wears long turtle necks and pants for all performances to avoid being sexualized by both the band members. Throughout the novel, Karen plays a minor role until she finally gives in to Graham's advances and begins sleeping with him. And through this relationship, we see how even when you deeply love each other, it's never enough to sustain a relationship. This is due to their differing outlooks on life. Karen wants to be a musician, travel with bands, and play music without anyone telling her what to do. And with his lifestyle, she wants; she knows kids are not a part of that plan, and she makes that very clear, but Graham doesn't understand that, so when Karen gets pregnant and ultimately terminates the pregnancy, Graham can't understand because he wants a life like Billy's. Wife, kid, maybe music on the side. But also, Karen was someone who knew the hard truth. She knew that once she had the kids, her career would end, and she wouldn't be able to continue making/playing music, and deep down, she knew that if that happened because of a kid, she would end up resenting and hating it.
Eddie
Eddie is nothing but an egotistical little bitch.
I know another character that I absolutely despise!! OMG WHO WOULD'VE GUESSED.
But throughout the novel, Eddie was the most annoying because he so obviously wanted to be the main talent in the group, but it was Billy who had the star quality and the vocals. But Eddie couldn't accept that fact, and he tried to make the band a team effort, with everyone having a say, even though everyone else had accepted that Billy was the one in charge. I will say I do understand him being mad at their concert when he was kicked off stage so Billy could play the guitar with Daisy instead of him, but that is the only scene where he's understandable because everywhere else he is a little bitch.
Even when they're all old and "wiser", he's still egotistical because he claims he's the only one who didn't fall off and stayed in the music industry as a producer. 😒
But I guess once an annoying little bitch forever an annoying little bitch.
Pete
Again, my unproblematic loyal man. Got his first girlfriend, stuck with her till the end, and I love that for him.
(visual representation of Pete throughout the novel).
Warren
My hot unproblematic man.
There is literally nothing to this man aside from wanting his check and girls, and you know what? I love that for him.
(visual representation of Graham throughout the novel while all the drama goes down)
Julia Dunne
???!!
Julia, being the one conducting the interviews, was the biggest plot twist ever because throughout the novel, she was a symbol of Eddie's sobriety and trying to do better. Still, it makes so much sense because the majority of the band's members probably wouldn't have done the interviews for anyone else, but since they saw her grow up and she's Eddie's and Camilla's daughter, they most likely have a soft spot for her. And I loved when she finally involved herself in the narrative and gave clarification on the event that made Daisy leave the band, because she didn't make her into a villain that many probably saw her as, but humanized her and made her an idol every girl probably looked up to at the time.
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