It’s not often a novel captures the world of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll so perfectly that it enthralls an entire generation — but it’s safe to say Gen Z is caught up in the world of the ‘70s soap-opera life of Daisy Jones and The Dunne Brothers band.
The Amazon miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six dropped its first three episodes on March 3, along with the album “Aurora,” based on the fictional album produced by the band in the novel. “Aurora” made Daisy Jones & The Six the first fictional band to climb to No. 1 on the charts. And in under 24 hours.
Although its premiere got some lackluster reviews from outlets like The Guardian and Vulture, fans fell in love with Riley Keough and Sam Claflin’s portrayal of star-crossed Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne.
The miniseries has hours of new content for book lovers to consume. But if you already watched every episode and need more, I’ve got plenty of book recommendations to keep you busy while you wait for that next episode to drop. Believe it or not, plenty of authors aside from TJR have taken a crack at showing the damage the rise and fall from stardom can do. Here are ten novels that inspire you to be the somebody — not just a muse.
- Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
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Historical fiction might sound like a boring genre, but done right, it can whisk readers away to a forgotten time. That’s what makes Daisy Jones & The Six stand out in an overpopulated field of seen-before romances and second-best coming-of-age tales. The atmosphere TJR creates is unmatched, but Mary Jane mimics Daisy Jones & The Six’s setting. So if the aesthetic is what you’re looking for, stop here.
- Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
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A star is born. We’ve all heard the story before. Like Daisy’s early days, Jesse Reid charms everyone around him in Songs in Ursa Major with guitar riffs and his deep voice. At the tipping point, about to make himself a musical legend, he crashes his motorcycle and lands at Jane Quinn’s feet. And Jane is about to make Jesse face the music…. literally and figuratively.
- Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell
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Another successful ‘70s band turned into another ‘70s burn-out band. The psychedelic scene is unforgiving, and Utopia Avenue only released two LPs before the drugs dragged them into the abyss. Imagine a world where Billy Dunne doesn’t go to rehab and Daisy Jones & The Six doesn’t shy away from ‘70s politics. That’s Utopia Avenue.
- High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
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“A normal person probably would’ve let it go,” Daisy Jones says. Thankfully, Rob isn’t a normal person. He keeps a list. He doesn’t let it go. And he owns a record store where he can wallow in sad music and reminisce about his exes all day long. High Fidelity has humor, drama and good music — what else do you need?
- Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould
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You know that moment when you realize your parents are people? Capable of making mistakes and sometimes with a darker past than you thought? For Marie in Perfect Tunes, that moment is now. Her mother, Laura, has been keeping a secret about her dad. She always assumed he was a boring nobody, but maybe not. He seems to be alive and well… and topping the charts.
- Normal People by Sally Rooney
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Idiosyncrasies have always been at the forefront of good character studies. Daisy Jones & The Six examines “what went wrong” years after the wrong happened. Normal People lets readers pick apart a quieter conflict, played out with small gestures and body language rather than explosive arguments and guitar-smashing. If sex, drugs and rock’n’roll aren’t always the setting you’re craving, Normal People is a nice change of pace that explores similar complex relationships.
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
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You might need to take notes to keep this one straight. A Visit from the Goon Squad is narrated by 13 characters –– all connected to Bennie Salazar, a record company executive, and his assistant, Sasha. The drama and mystique is perfect for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six.
- Paint it Black by Janet Fitch
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Nepo babies have always and will always come out on top. Or at least, Paint it Black‘s protagonist Josie Tyrell counted on that when she fell in with Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist, Michael Faraday. Now Michael is dead and his infamous mother thinks it’s Josie’s fault. She quickly realizes the cutthroat world of classical music isn’t for the faint of heart.
- The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
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In a nutshell, The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is just Daisy Jones & The Six if they decided to go on tour again. Don’t just take it from me; here’s the Goodreads blurb: “An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour.”
- Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
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Daisy Jones. Iconic. Fierce. Crazy. Carrie Brownstein? All of those things, but real. Sometimes reality is crazier than fiction. Carrie Brownstein is here to remind you of that. A leader of feminist punk music at the dawn of the riot-grrrl era, Brownstein gives readers a deep look into the dark soul of rock’n’roll in Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl. Filled with anti-war, anti-tradition, sex-positive and women empowerment sentiments, Brownstein came to shake up the music industry.
Tap into any of these raw, lyrical novels if you’re hungry for more Stevie Nicks-esque characters. Daisy Jones & the Six is streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes coming out in batches of two to three each Friday. The finale, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide,” comes out March 24.