reagan01's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The hype for this book is real, especially with a series from a certain mega conglomerate out. But this is fantastic source material. I enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other super hit, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so much that I was excited to take another trip down memory lane in Hollywood with her. This did not disappoint.
Jenkins Reid is remarkably talented at creating characters who feel raw and authentic, but ultimately motivated by good intentions. Her characters are flawed by vice - drugs, alcohol, hedonism, wanton sex - but you feel their humanity and you find yourself rooting for them.
This narrative style, where the entire book reads as an extended interview with the band and the people that orbited it, may not be for everyone. I love character-driven novels, so this dialogue-heavy and anecdote-laden book really worked for me. I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in rock and roll and its culture in the 70s, Fleetwood Mac enthusiasts, or anybody who wants a read with a lot of heart and occasionally, some real reflection on the things we do for family.
Jenkins Reid is remarkably talented at creating characters who feel raw and authentic, but ultimately motivated by good intentions. Her characters are flawed by vice - drugs, alcohol, hedonism, wanton sex - but you feel their humanity and you find yourself rooting for them.
This narrative style, where the entire book reads as an extended interview with the band and the people that orbited it, may not be for everyone. I love character-driven novels, so this dialogue-heavy and anecdote-laden book really worked for me. I’d recommend it to anyone with an interest in rock and roll and its culture in the 70s, Fleetwood Mac enthusiasts, or anybody who wants a read with a lot of heart and occasionally, some real reflection on the things we do for family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
enchantedelfie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Physical abuse, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Mental illness, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
thatonenerdygirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Addiction
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and War
heybbrae's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the first physical book I've finished since 2020 (I think). Originally, I was planning to give this a 3/3.5 because while it's a good book, I just didn't really get the hype and since this oral history format is kind of new to me, I had a hard time getting into it. That is until half of the way in when most of the introduction and set-up was done and the tension was ramping up and you could see what the author wanted to do with the story.
Some points before I do a more ~ thorough ~ review later on (hopefully):
1. Camila Dunne is one of the genuinely nicest characters I've ever read. She deserves the whole world and more. It's very refreshing to see a character like hers who's so trusting, genuinely believes in people, remains soft, but is also stubborn and knows what she wants and isn't scared to fight for it.
2. In connection to 1., I absolutely loved how the story set up the stage for us to see the similarities and differences of Camila and Billy's relationship vs. Daisy and Billy's relationship. While I was reading the book, the set-up just creeps on you and hits you at the right time and the payoff is extremely devastating in a good way. I really loved how the parallels made were seamlessly woven in, which made it easier to read.
3. The book said/showed so much and so little at the same time. For me, this is both a good thing and a bad thing.
a. The story was able to be told wonderfully without fully delving in to all the things happening with all the characters. It was super good on how it's concise in delivering what it wanted to say. The impact of the story and the emotions there are not minimized even though there's less time to sit on the tension and all the drama happening within it.
b. However, there are some relationships and conflicts that I personally would've wanted to seen more of, or I think lacked enough detail to fully drive the emotion through or for the readers to fully understand the weight of the conflict (ex. Billy and Graham's relationship).
I think what stopped me from making this a 5 star read, is just my personal preference. I'm not really into the history of bands, so the first part, while very important, felt very draggy to me. It's a good book. I really enjoyed my time reading it and there's a lot presented that would be fun to be discussed or even pondered on.
Now off to listen to the music from the TV adaptation (ngl what pushed me to read this after n years of being on my priority tbr is Sam Claflin).
Some points before I do a more ~ thorough ~ review later on (hopefully):
1. Camila Dunne is one of the genuinely nicest characters I've ever read. She deserves the whole world and more. It's very refreshing to see a character like hers who's so trusting, genuinely believes in people, remains soft, but is also stubborn and knows what she wants and isn't scared to fight for it.
2. In connection to 1., I absolutely loved how the story set up the stage for us to see the similarities and differences of Camila and Billy's relationship vs. Daisy and Billy's relationship. While I was reading the book, the set-up just creeps on you and hits you at the right time and the payoff is extremely devastating in a good way. I really loved how the parallels made were seamlessly woven in, which made it easier to read.
3. The book said/showed so much and so little at the same time. For me, this is both a good thing and a bad thing.
a. The story was able to be told wonderfully without fully delving in to all the things happening with all the characters. It was super good on how it's concise in delivering what it wanted to say. The impact of the story and the emotions there are not minimized even though there's less time to sit on the tension and all the drama happening within it.
b. However, there are some relationships and conflicts that I personally would've wanted to seen more of, or I think lacked enough detail to fully drive the emotion through or for the readers to fully understand the weight of the conflict (ex. Billy and Graham's relationship).
I think what stopped me from making this a 5 star read, is just my personal preference. I'm not really into the history of bands, so the first part, while very important, felt very draggy to me. It's a good book. I really enjoyed my time reading it and there's a lot presented that would be fun to be discussed or even pondered on.
Now off to listen to the music from the TV adaptation (ngl what pushed me to read this after n years of being on my priority tbr is Sam Claflin).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Abortion, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
dwhiting's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, Drug use, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Rape, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
forgettingtofly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Really cool book - definitely glad I read the audio. The narration and production was incredible; truly felt like a “behind the music” documentary. Loved the characters, even the sometimes unlikeable ones. Great story, great tension. And loved the resolution. I guess I’m leaving off a star because it just didn’t blow me away. It was great, it was fun, it was intriguing, but I felt like it just didn’t really wow me the way I had been expecting it to. Which is perhaps not the book’s fault and more the fault of the hype surrounding this book. Wanted to finish it before I watched the show, so mission accomplished! Definitely recommend (though trigger warnings abound, so check into that before you read)!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual violence
creativelifeofliz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In many ways, I'm not sure why I like this book so much. It was so intensely readable (I listened to it, which might be part of it) and I think I'll look back on the story in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Grief, Pregnancy, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Rape
oliviaburley's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think the book will benefit from the show adaptation songs because it got very boring very quickly for characters to keep saying “the song was slow and on piano and that’s all the description you get because obviously everyone’s heard this famous song before!” A huge section of the book is about the songwriting process and although we are given the lyrics, having the actual songs would enrich the book tenfold.
All the male characters were so aggravating. Warren and Eddie were annoying and underdeveloped, Pete was mentioned so infrequently I kept forgetting who he was. Billy was a complete prick start to finish, the narrative tried to provide a sympathetic angle for him but I hated him the entire book. Graham was tolerable until the last third of the book, but by the end I hated him as well. All of the record label/producer people were hard to keep straight.
Daisy was interesting but grating at times, and I wanted to hear more about her life: early childhood, what she’s up to now, etc. Simone was the most interesting character in the whole book and she was severely underutilized. Karen was a badass, I wish there were more Daisy/Karen moments throughout the book, it was weird how disjointed the women were from each other. I felt bad Camila put all her eggs in the Billy basket, I was waiting the whole book for her to divorce his sorry ass. The “Julia is the author” reveal did nothing for me except make it super weird her dad is going into detail with his daughter about cheating on her mom.
The interview structure worked well enough for me, and it was a quick read. This is my first TJR, will definitely be reading more in the future. I have high hopes for the TV show, as I think this story is probably better suited on screen with a soundtrack.
All the male characters were so aggravating. Warren and Eddie were annoying and underdeveloped, Pete was mentioned so infrequently I kept forgetting who he was. Billy was a complete prick start to finish, the narrative tried to provide a sympathetic angle for him but I hated him the entire book. Graham was tolerable until the last third of the book, but by the end I hated him as well. All of the record label/producer people were hard to keep straight.
Daisy was interesting but grating at times, and I wanted to hear more about her life: early childhood, what she’s up to now, etc. Simone was the most interesting character in the whole book and she was severely underutilized. Karen was a badass, I wish there were more Daisy/Karen moments throughout the book, it was weird how disjointed the women were from each other. I felt bad Camila put all her eggs in the Billy basket, I was waiting the whole book for her to divorce his sorry ass. The “Julia is the author” reveal did nothing for me except make it super weird her dad is going into detail with his daughter about cheating on her mom.
The interview structure worked well enough for me, and it was a quick read. This is my first TJR, will definitely be reading more in the future. I have high hopes for the TV show, as I think this story is probably better suited on screen with a soundtrack.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcoholism, Sexism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion
graceneverreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
kalemottison's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I listened to the audiobook which is the way this book should be consumed. It was so fun! Made the book so much more lively. The book handles a lot of heavy topics, which I appreciated. It was heavy at times, but I felt the humor off balanced it enough.
This book is so dense, so it feels like everything is a spoiler, so just in case:
Loved that the book handles abortion, and the difference between Camilla and Karen and that they both had the chance to choose. I was listening to this on the way home from my honeymoon just after the overturn of Roe V. Wade was announced, and my husband and I were hit hard by this part. Made me cry. I wish Graham and Karen got together in the end, but I understand who they both are as people and why it wouldn’t work.
Daisy is one of my favorite characters because of how the book treats her, the back and forth is so interesting and real. She’s not perfect by any means and you get annoyed and frustrated with her, but you do with everyone! I love that the characters aren’t perfect. Her ending was amazing, everyone’s ending worked well. Simone was just a fantastic foil to Daisy.
THE ONLY THING I DIDN’T LIKE WAS THE PLOT TWIST. Billy and Camilla’s daughter being the narrator is just weird to me, I can see passed it, but I would not want to hear about all the dirty secrets my parents have. However, I’m glad Billy and Camilla raised her right, to see people at their best, even when they are telling you their worst.<\spoiler>
Well worth the listen.
This book is so dense, so it feels like everything is a spoiler, so just in case:
Spoiler
I was happy that Daisy and Billy didn’t do anything more than almost kiss. I really loved Camilla, and I didn’t want her to get hurt. Her death at the end of the book is heartbreaking, and I’m a bit eh at the idea of Billy getting with Daisy, but felt at peace with it being open ended. The side characters were the best part. Some of them were fustrating and rude, and other were so lovely and wonderful! I forget so many names but I truly loved those characters.Loved that the book handles abortion, and the difference between Camilla and Karen and that they both had the chance to choose. I was listening to this on the way home from my honeymoon just after the overturn of Roe V. Wade was announced, and my husband and I were hit hard by this part. Made me cry. I wish Graham and Karen got together in the end, but I understand who they both are as people and why it wouldn’t work.
Daisy is one of my favorite characters because of how the book treats her, the back and forth is so interesting and real. She’s not perfect by any means and you get annoyed and frustrated with her, but you do with everyone! I love that the characters aren’t perfect. Her ending was amazing, everyone’s ending worked well. Simone was just a fantastic foil to Daisy.
THE ONLY THING I DIDN’T LIKE WAS THE PLOT TWIST. Billy and Camilla’s daughter being the narrator is just weird to me, I can see passed it, but I would not want to hear about all the dirty secrets my parents have. However, I’m glad Billy and Camilla raised her right, to see people at their best, even when they are telling you their worst.<\spoiler>
Well worth the listen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Vomit