Why I Loved the ‘Daisy Jones and The Six’ Series Almost As Much as the Book

Last summer I could not put down Daisy Jones & The Six, the 2019 Taylor Jenkins Reid novel stylized like a VH1 behind-the-music memoir. It’s honestly the greatest beach read of all time. 

When I finished it, I felt emotions I hadn’t felt in years, over the fictional tale of unrequited love between two musical twin flames. Other things happened, too. I suddenly found myself streaming Fleetwood Mac, a band I’d only listened to in passing or at rock shows, and becoming obsessed with songs like “Go Your Own Way” and “The Chain.” 

Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I heard about the Amazon Prime Video series (produced by Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s production company), starring Riley Keough in the title role. I was even more ecstatic when I learned that the “Daisy Jones and The Six” series soundtrack — a work of fiction from that fictional band — had come to life. 

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But then the reviews started pouring in, and heaps of criticism. TIME’s critique was especially scathing: Though the reviewer noted that “Daisy Jones tries with painful earnestness to capture an inchoate love between two geniuses making a classic album… the series is more hallowed and hackneyed than the album.” 

A few pieces of criticism are fair: a few reviewers have noted that Sam Claflin, who plays Billy Dunne in the series, was deficient in bad-boy-rockstar energy, and the music isn’t quite on par with Fleetwood Mac’s epic record Rumors.

Yet, I think many of the reviewers are too cynical for their own good. I am unashamed to say that I still loved streaming the series, in and of itself, almost as much as I loved the book. Here’s why: 

THE MUSIC

It’s one thing to imagine the music, with only lyrics written out in a novel. To actually hear the songs in real life was incredible. The Daisy Jones soundtrack featured 25 original tunes with input from Phoebe Bridgers, Marcus Mumford and so many others ), and they’re REALLY good.  I still stream them, months after they first became available. My favorites are definitely “Honeycomb” — the hook is really catchy, and I love the way the keys infuse themselves into the song slowly — “The River,” and “Regret Me.” Claflin and Keough’s harmonies are stunning. Elvis would have been proud. 

THE FASHION

Both Riley Keough and Daisy Jones are style icons, and the series does not disappoint. Every episode, Daisy traipses across town in cutoff shorts, cowboy boots and boho shrugs, and suddenly everyone is craving ‘70s fashion. It feels fun and vibrant. So when Free People launched its brilliant capsule collection, I couldn’t resist. I bought a really cute, flowery tube top a birthday present to myself in March.

SIMONE’S BIGGER ROLE

Daisy’s musician BFF Simone Jackson, a disco singer, is very much secondary character in the novel, which only touches on the overwhelming sexism, and some of the racism, that affected Black female artists in the ’70s. But in the series, Simone plays a much bigger roles: As Variety noted, Prime Video’s series adaptation gives the disco diva, played by singer-songwriter Nabiyah Be, a much more significant arc, including a queer romance alongside Bernie (Ayesha Harris), a musical partner and romantic interest. The storyline ties into the whole narrative really nicely, thanks in large part to the chemistry between Be and Harris, both outstanding actors in their own right. 

LOCATIONS THROUGH A 1977 LENS

I love historical fiction, and seeing Los Angeles in full ‘70s mode, between Laurel Canyon and the Chateau Marmont come to life through a vintage lens was just plain cool. Everything had a cream-and-burnt orange veneer and the period signs and furnishings were really on point. Also, seeing the Greek island of Hydra — where Daisy ventures, initially to clear her head, about halfway through the series— was also cool. 

It still blows my mind that set designers are able to pull off shoots, and edit real-life locations that have changed over the course of 45 years, so they’re believably vintage. Entertainment Weekly did some reporting on this process: Apparently the process of reimagining and transforming Sound City Recording Studios — where, incidentally, Fleetwood Mac recorded — was quite an extensive process.

RILEY, CAMILLA AND KAREN

The parallel storylines between the three main female protagonists — Daisy Jones, Karen Sirko, and Camilla Dunne — is the crux of the Daisy Jones novel. Each woman’s journey emphasizes the obstacles that were so familiar at the time, around career vs. family, fidelity, and how societal expectations influence life trajectory. The way their stories play out in the series’ final episode, is nothing short of masterful and moving, as the narrator reveals her true self, and we see how their lives changed so dramatically between 1977 and 1997 (in the book, characters reflect on the events of the band’s breakup about 50 years later). I cried and I laughed, because I absolutely loved the way it ended. 

Suki Waterhouse knocked it out of the park playing Karen Sirko, as did Camilla Marone, who played Dunne. I’d definitely recommend watching this to anyone who’s already read the book. And if you haven’t read the book, I’d definitely recommend doing that first. 

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.