If you love Taylor Jenkins-Reid’s books then you need to add these 10 amazing books like Daisy Jones and the Six to your reading list!
Daisy Jones and the Six was a smash-hit bestseller when it was published in 2019 and for good reason. An original and creative novel, it tells the story of an iconic 1970s rock band in a series of tell-all interviews. It’s authentic, it’s full of twists and turns, and it shows the gritty underbelly of addiction in the music scene.
READ MORE: Daisy Jones and the Six Review
If you’re looking for books similar to Daisy Jones and the Six then check out these ten books. They share similar themes of rock-and-roll and the pressures of fame, and they could hit the spot if you’re looking for your next read.
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Books Similar to Daisy Jones and the Six
Paint it Black by Janet Fitch
Paint it Black is unafraid to explore what it means to lose everything. Delving into the darkest depths of betrayal and distrust, it follows Josie, an art model whose lover, Michael, turns up dead.
Josie has to come to terms with what happened to Michael while trying to find out more about him from his mother. The two women have a twisted relationship, which makes Paint it Black an intense read.
Like Daisy Jones and the Six, this is a story of a man, slowly unfolding, scandalously, bit by bit. It’s Michael’s life, as told by the two most important women in his life.
Fitch is a beautiful writer, and some of the prose is almost lyrical. She portrays the LA rockstar lifestyle incredibly well.
Buy Paint it Black: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
Part of what makes Daisy Jones so irresistible is the authentic depiction of the music scene. If that’s what you loved most about it, you have to read The Final Revival of Opal and Nev.
It follows the interracial rock duo in the 1970s, during their incredible rise to fame, and their catastrophic breakup.
The characters are excellent. Opal is a fierce Afro-punk woman with a determination to have an exciting, unusual life.
Neville is a singer-songwriter who happens to find Opal just at the right moment. Until Opal’s protest against racism brings unexpected consequences.
Like Daisy Jones, this book reunites Opal and Nev years later, after a journalist decides to uncover what truly happened to them. Her interviews uncover some shocking truths that both main characters have to grapple with.
It’s an unusual book, the kind that stays with you long after you put it down. It’s similar to Daisy Jones but asks some different questions about society in the 1970s and today. A great choice for a book club.
Buy The Final Revival of Opal and Nev: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
A modern classic, High Fidelity is an excellent book about the ending of relationships, and how history shapes our experiences of music (and how music influences our lives in return). Set in the 1990s, the main character Rob picks over a list of ex-girlfriends in the wake of a devastating breakup.
He is, at times, incredibly selfish. But he’s also real, making questionable decisions and refusing to grow up until he has to.
Music is an integral part of this story, not only because Rob works in a record shop, but because his passion for music overspills into every area of his life.
It’s a funny, witty, and heartwarming novel about friendship, love, and growing into adulthood.
Buy High Fidelity: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
Utopia Avenue is a gorgeous read for fans of Daisy Jones; if you adored being lost in nostalgia along with the incredibly in-depth music scene, you’ll enjoy Utopia Avenue.
Written by David Mitchell (author of the amazing Cloud Atlas), this story follows musicians Elf, Dean, Jasper, and Griff as their respective struggles in the music world cause them to cross paths.
The resulting band, Utopia Avenue, enjoyed a brief period of success in the wildly unpredictable 1960s, and the book follows what happens to the members as they navigate sudden fame. The atmosphere is really electric – Mitchell has clearly done his homework here, bringing the swinging ’60s to life.
For fans of Daisy Jones, this is an absolute must-read: it’s one of those novels that makes you wish the characters (or at least, the music) were real. It’s a fairly chunky book but absolutely packed with revelations. If you’re into music and you like the time period, definitely give Utopia Avenue a try.
Buy Utopia Avenue: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
Set in the late 60s into the early 70s, Songs in Ursa Major is a story about fame, ambition, and the dark side of parties and glamour.
Jesse Reid is a famous folk musician, poised to play the headline slot at a folk festival until a motorcycle accident leaves him unable to play. Jane Quinn, a local musician, steps into his shoes.
What follows is a story with multiple themes. Jane and Jesse’s intense relationship, Jane’s intoxication with the darker side of fame and fortune, sexism in the music industry, and hidden secrets.
Like Daisy Jones, it creates a picture of the folk music scene so vividly that you can almost hear the music while you read it.
Based loosely on James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, this is a warm, funny, and passionate novel that you won’t be able to put down once you get started.
Buy Songs in Ursa Major: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
How to Kill a Rockstar by Tiffanie DeBartolo
A love story set in the rollercoaster world of rock and roll, How to Kill a Rockstar follows Eliza, a young music journalist, as she falls in love with up-and-coming musician Paul Hudson.
The story takes a turn when Paul disappears shortly after being signed with a major music label.
How to Kill a Rockstar hits all the right notes: it’s mysterious, it’s moving, it’s funny, and it tells an honest love story without the sheen of perfection that you sometimes find in romance novels. It’s an excellent summer read.
Buy How to Kill a Rockstar: Amazon
Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D Jackson
Let Me Hear a Rhyme is a surprising and satisfying mystery that clicks into place beautifully, keeping you hooked from the first page until the last.
Packed with old-school hip-hop references, it’s an excellent YA novel that adults can enjoy too.
The story follows three friends as they attempt to turn their friend into a rap star. The twist is their friend is dead. Their quest to have his music heard is full of twists and turns, and keeping the secret starts to become much more difficult.
Set in the late 90s, this is a good read for hip-hop fans if you want a hit of nostalgia.
Buy Let Me Hear a Rhyme: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
If you loved the realism of Daisy Jones, why not try a real memoir? Written by feminist punk legend Carrie Brownstein, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl documents the rise of her band Sleater-Kinney, and gives an honest and moving account of the punk music scene.
If you’ve ever wondered what it must be like to be a female guitarist in a rock band, this is the book for you. Brownstein is a beautiful writer, and her observations are thought-provoking.
As a side note: Brownstein went on to co-develop and star in the hit TV comedy Portlandia, but if you want behind-the-scenes gossip about that, you won’t find it here. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl is focused on Brownstein’s career in music and how it shaped her as a person.
Buy Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
Mary Jane is a sweet, kind fourteen-year-old, growing up in 1970s Baltimore. She lands a job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor, only to collide with a famous rock star and his movie-star wife.
It’s the story of a girl caught between two worlds: her straight-laced, prim and proper family, and the celebrity couple she is rapidly getting to know.
This is a story for all the ‘good girls’ who had a rebellious moment growing up. It’s a book for all the girls who feel torn between family loyalty and becoming a person in their own right.
It’s a coming-of-age story accelerated by sex, drugs, and celebrity. It’s also an absorbing, addictive, and quick-witted read.
Buy Mary Jane: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Of course, if you loved Daisy Jones and the Six, you’d do well to check out other books by Jenkins Reid. Malibu Rising is one of her most recent novels.
It tells the story of the Riva siblings: surfer and supermodel Nina, championship surfer Jay, talented photographer Hud, and baby sister Kit. Beautiful and confident, it seems the siblings have it all.
As the story unfolds, you start to learn the truth about their upbringing. Abandoned by their rockstar father Mick Riva, they had to fend for themselves. It’s a story about sibling bonds, the pressures of fame and fortune, and long-held secrets finally coming to light.
Like Daisy Jones, this is an unputdownable book, full of twists and turns, and it’s one of my personal favourites from Jenkins Reid.
Buy Malibu Rising: Amazon | Blackwells | Waterstones
I hope this has helped you to find your next addictive read. If you like Daisy Jones and the Six and you’ve got a gap in your life for a music-fuelled story, why not give one of these books a try?
If you liked this post, why not check out these:
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Megan Bidmead
Guest writer
Megan is a freelance writer based in Somerset, England. When she’s not writing about books, videogames, and pop culture, she’s running around after her two kids and trying to squeeze in the occasional walk in the countryside.
[This post was updated in 2024 with even more books!]
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