To say that my hatred for this book is my biggest surprise of the year is an understatement. I’ve read four of TJR books before this one, and I’ve loved every one of them. But then I read this book. Oh this book. The writing style sounded super interesting and I’ve got no complains there, but the characters, especially Daisy, were so insufferable. How am I supposed to root for a main character that learns nothing throughout the book, that has talent just because. The band members literally lose a member due to war and it’s never brought up again. The emotional deepness of this book feels fake, the relationship between the brothers feels fake, even the “love triangle” just feels forced.
It honestly surprised me how many people on Goodreads praise this book, it’s one of the times that I just wonder if I accidentally read the wrong thing.
by Prior-Throat-8017
38 Comments
your points are valid, but there’s no requirement to root for–or even sympathize–with the protagonist
I remember giving this book 3.5 stars and it was cause I’d listened to it on audiobook. I for sure would’ve given it 2 stars if I read it. I just remember feeling so sorry for Camila throughout the whole thing.
It was a DNF for me.
I’m struggling with the series already, both the leads are so bland and uncharismatic it’s hard to believe a book was built around them, it’s not giving me any interest in reading it.
Even the title is somehow irritating lol
written for tv/film adaptation was all I thought about while reading
i liked the setup but it lost me
It was a DNF for me, as was Malibu Rising. I got lost at the plot as well as the set up.
I don’t think she necessarily meant for us to sympathize with them. I think it’s just a story about some washed-up rockstars as told by themselves (probably pretty unreliably). I listed on audio and enjoyed the ride, even if I didn’t really love the characters or what they were doing in that moment. Their different tellings and random commentary of the same wild story was what made it interesting for me. Daisy is definitely not a heroine, but I imagine most rockstars aren’t.
Me too! Hated the book.
What a relief to hear I’m not alone!!! I really didn’t like it and I wanted to. I’m still looking forward to watching the show (I think I might like it more than the book), but the book just wasn’t for me…
I was really enjoying it, but DNF’d due to being annoyed with Daisy and strangely for her depictions with drugs and alcohol? I never have issues with that, and definitely used to partake, but for some reason it turned me off in this book.
But I do agree that the audio version is done well, and I’m excited to watch the series.
I couldn’t finish Carrie Soto is Back. I tried, but just couldn’t get into it, so I’m reluctant to read this one.
I didn’t hate it, but it was no tour de force of literature, that’s for sure. Forgettable and kind of vapid.
I wasn’t a fan either. DNF’d about halfway through.
Isn’t it based on Fleetwood Mac?
Glad I’m no alone. Way over-hyped. Interesting premise but the characters themselves just weren’t interesting, particularly Daisy.
Yay I’ve found my people! I didn’t finish it and just couldn’t understand the hype! Daisy just made me angry. Can’t even put my finger on why just threw the book down and never went back.
This book grew on me as I read it.
Warren is the best and I’m all for Karen.
However, I never liked Daisy. You’re right she’s insufferable. She’s the reason, I disliked the book at the start.
I also didn’t believe the love triangle or rather I believed there was a triangle of sorts but I didn’t believe that one side of it was love.
I therefore thought the “How I Met Your Mother” ending cheapened the book.
I did audibly go Ooh at a reveal though.
I actually loved it
I also hated this book. The writer never showed, only told. We get it, Daisy is sexy because she has flowy hair and doesn’t wear a bra. Also, I’m guessing this is loosely based on Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac drama? So, if I wanted to read about that, I would read a biography of Stevie Nicks.
Sorry you didn’t like it. I on the other hand adored it. It was like reading an episode of Behind the Music.
And the TV adaptation on prime is actually pretty good.
I loathed it…why read a fictional rock bio that is so toned down and utterly lame compared to the real thing…there are genuine rock bands out there that did/are doing spectacularly lurid/creative/reckless/innovative/self-destructive things that are a hundred times more interesting than Daisy Jones and The Six.
I listened on audio and loved it! I hate this style to read (similar to “scripted”) so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s being adapted. I was entertained by audio and since it was a commute book, it served its purpose. I didn’t like daisy either but I don’t think I was required to lol.
Agree completely. Hated Daisy – couldn’t understand and empathise with her at all, gave off im-not-like-other-girls and born-talented vibes… not what I enjoy in characters. Didn’t like the main dude either – cheated Brad Pitt style. Both of them unlikeable. Plus it wasn’t like the writing was stand-out. Felt like a waste of time by the end.
Omg- exactly! I finished reading it last night and HATED it. I have never read a book and hated it. Of course, I’ve felt bored/dnf’d/ didn’t like/understood the hype behind books, but I literally hated it. And that is so disappointing because I had such high expectations for this TJR book. I’ve also read Evelyn Hugo and Carrie Soto and loved both of them so much. But Daisy Jones made me sick. I absolutely hated Daisy and Billie. Their emotional affair made me sick to my stomach. I was honestly so shocked/ take aback when I figured this was the direction TJR was taking the book (the cheating and romance between Billie and Daisy). Especially because I was rooting so much for Camila and Billie. I felt so sorry and heartbroken for Camila that I couldn’t connect with Daisy and Billie (and their love) at all. The only reason I kept on reading was because I wanted Billie to redeem himself to Camila and actually be worth of her, but I just hated him more and more. The same with Daisy (she was incredibly selfish and bratty) but Billie was the married one and the only one who owed Camila anything. I’m so sorry for her and she deserved SO much more than him. And the fact that she just settled for and accepted a man who was in love with another woman made me furious. I really wish she had left him. Billie never deserved her and he knew it. Other than the emotional affair, I liked Karen and Grahams storyline, and I like Pete too. But I just can never get over/ forgive Daisy and Billy. Then add to this the unreliable narrator and the ending letter from Camila- that just did it for me. Billie and Daisy deserve no happy ending together from Camila. I was really upset about that. If I had known this was the direction the novel was going to take, I wouldn’t have read it and saved myself all the upset ( it wasn’t worth it- in this case).
So glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like it, I listened to the audiobook after watching the first episode of the series. The book just felt that there was no depth, no character arc. Very one note and felt really unresolved.
They definitely overhyped it and overplayed the whole “it’s based off fleetwood mac and is being made into a series” to get you to buy it but it’s way less interesting than fleetwood mac.
Also disappointed about how in the series (now I’ve watched the first 3 episodes) they seem to have left out any interesting little things from the book from the series aswell.
Considering Daisy isn’t necessarily the protagonist here, I think Billy is, she has done a fanatic job on making us feel a certain way about specific characters. Maybe I need to give her books another chance.
I can’t even finish it. I’m about halfway through. Even the scenes with coke are a snooze fest.
It’s really a stupid series. I’m done trying to watch. I feel nothing watching it.
The ending gave me How I Met Your Mother vibes. Loved the first few episodes and then just wanted to get it over with.
I 100% agree with you.
Comments with people saying you’re not always supposed to like/root for the protagonist.. ok sure.. but it’s not like this book is called ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ — there was no alluding to the fact that Daisy would be so unlikeable, since in the beginning she was not. I don’t know, just seems like a disconnect.
Have you watched the Prime adaptation? I enjoyed the book but the adaptation made so many changes I hated. And then with the following social media push and the greed from the clothing sales to the album. I lost respect for TJR as the sell out I think she is.
I just hate that it’s Fleetwood Mac fanfiction tbh
I really don’t feel like a lot of people in this thread understand what the objective of this book was. Is it my favorite book? Absolutely not. I generally find TJR’s writing very popcorn-eater-y and overly explanatory, but I did find this book’s plot really intriguing in the complexity of Daisy and Billy and the willingness to make them unlikable. Especially with it being in that doc format, you really get a well-rounded perspective on who they are in all of the good and bad angles of their characters. Characters, and authors, don’t owe you likability, and even so, we were bound to be led to see the ugly sides of the protagonists because there were so many other perspectives to balance. More than that, Billy and Daisy are foils for each other – an example of what happens when you match fire with fire. The scenes where Billy was saying how scared of Daisy he was, because he saw all of his darkness in her, was so poignant. And I personally loved the emphasis it put on the unpredictability of falling in love versus the solidity of *choosing* to love someone day in and day out. This wasn’t a love triangle – far from it. It was a demonstration of what it’s like to choose the solid thing and cling to the good in your life, despite how good the bad feels. Camila is such an amazingly complex character, and I think that the way she approaches Billy and her understanding of his feelings for Daisy removes any idea that it was ever intended to be a love triangle.
Also, to clarify, I feel like my experience with the book was directly influenced by the fact that I listened to the audiobook, but I’ve found that’s the only way I enjoy TJR’s books.
I just finished reading it an hour ago. Camila was the only well written character in the book.
The story had all of these individual plot points that in the end went absolutely nowhere. The ending felt like the author ran out of motivation and just cut the story short.
I’m so annoyed this book was SO hyped on on tiktok and I just finished it.. it was nothing special. The whole time I was like how did they make an entire tv show about this? Nothing ever happens 🙃 super boring. I do not understand the hype.
Feels like a lot of people in the comments missed the point of the book. Talking about not “forgiving“ Daisy and Billy 😅
The book does a great job at displaying the difference between twinflames and soulmates. People may not be able to control how they feel but they can control how they behave and the fact that Billy never cheated with Daisy or acted on his attraction towards her speaks volume. This isn’t an enemy to lovers story – Billy and Daisy are clearly very attracted to each other from the very beginning but Billy is fighting this, even statin that he felt more comfortable hating Daisy and that it was his only option.
The characters are genuinely human and flawed and no one is ever liked by everyone! Everyone was portrayed really well. I understand why Billy is the way he is as a husband and father, the doubts because of his father’s abandonment. Daisy’s recklessness and being lost due to the indifference and emotional neglect from her parents. Camilla’s stability and maturity coming from a more well-rounded family with caring parents. They’re literally a product of their upbringing. It’s all very human and relatable.
These characters are not here to give a false sense of perfection or do and say all the “right things”.
A lot of people really lack the ability to read between the lines and not everyone will get it!