reagan01's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
enchantedelfie's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Addiction
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, and War
heybbrae's review against another edition
- 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
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).
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Abortion, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
dwhiting's review against another edition
- 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
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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Drug use
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual violence
creativelifeofliz's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Drug use, Alcoholism, Sexism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion
graceneverreads's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual violence
kalemottison's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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