“Daisy Jones and The Six” ended with a bittersweet feeling. While I was excited to read a happy ending, I felt gloomy about its completion. I kept waiting for quite some time for season 2 of “Daisy Jones and The Six” but news from fellow readers had it there won’t be any. This left me disappointed but I began my search of finding out some more interesting reads like this. And guess what? I found some delightful books and couldn’t wait to read them.
Imagine sitting on your swing chair, grabbing your favourite mocktail and reading through these alluring stories where each book offers a thrilling storyline, near-to-real characters and plots full of twists and turns leaving you in awe. I know you’re excited already.
So, if you want to satisfy your reading cravings just like me, stay hooked as I take you on a literary journey where you wouldn’t even want to blink your eyes while reading.
7 Best Books like Daisy Jones & The Six:
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie
- Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry
- Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas
- The Music Shop, by Rachel Joyce
- A Tale of Two Wise Fools by Arin Keshishian
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton:
Summary:
Just like Daisy Jones and the Six, this book is also written in the format of oral history. Sunny Shelton who happens to be a journalist interviews Opal and Nev to solve a music mystery. The book is narrated in the music scenario of the 1970’s. Nev is a white Britisher who comes to New York to become a singer. Here he meets Opal who is a black woman. Opal is not extraordinarily beautiful but has a powerful voice that she uses to rock the music she sings.
Nev and Opal agree to sign an album together with Rivington Records company managed by Howie Kelly. Nev starts developing feelings for Opal but is Opal also interested in him? Not really. Who do you think is she developing feelings for? Well, it’s Jimmy Curtis who happens to be the drummer of the band.
| Publisher | Ink |
| Publishing Date | First published March 30, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 368 Pages |
| Title | The Final Revival of Opal & Nev |
| Literary awards | Audie Award for Best Fiction (2022), Hurston/Wright Legacy Award Nominee for Debut Fiction (2022), Women’s Prize for Fiction Nominee for Longlist (2022), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction and for Debut Novel (2021), Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize Nominee for Fiction and Poetry (2021), Aspen Words Literary Prize (2022) |
| ISBN-10 | 198214016X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1982140168 |
Nev and Opal are performing in a show when a riot attacks and injures both of them and kills Jimmy. Meanwhile, Nev gets addicted to drugs and ends in in rehab. Years later, Nev and Opal perform together and Sunny discovers a secret about Jimmy and tells Opal. Any guesses? If you’re hooked up now and want to uncover the secret, read the novel to find out.
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid:
Summary:
It is a family drama about four famous siblings and a trendy party that is thrown every year at Malibu Beach. The book is beautifully woven with two halves where the first part talks about the history of this family that has struggled for years and the second half is about the place of the party.
Mick Riva is the head of the family and has four children. He hosts a party and it is attended by someone we all already know. Guess who? Let me unveil. It’s Daisy Jones. Oh, how much I am intrigued by characters paying a visit in different stories. Mick leaves his children to chase his dream of becoming a musician. Their mother is drowned and the eldest sibling Nina takes the responsibility to raise her siblings.
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Publishing Date | First published May 27, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 369 Pages |
| Series | Reidverse |
| Literary awards | Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction (2021), Book of the Month Book of the Year Award Nominee (2021) |
| Setting | Malibu, California (United States, 1983), California (United States, 1983), Los Angeles area, California (United States) |
| Characters | Nina Riva, June Riva, Jay Riva, Hudson Riva, Kit Riva, Ricky Esposito, Brandon Randall, Mick Riva |
With time, the struggle of these siblings continues and finally Nina becomes a swimsuit model. She throws a spectacular party each year which is attended by stars and celebrities. Years later their father Mick comes to make peace with his kids but they do not accept his confession. Now here starts the real plot. When leaving, Mick throws a cigarette that brings the whole house to ashes. While this happened, Nina was leaving for Portugal to live her dream life. I found this such a fast-paced story which was a plus. No drags and long pauses.
Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie:
Summary:
This is a romantic fiction novel penned in the era of the 1960s. The story is about Jesse Reid and Jane Quinn who happen to share the same profession of musicians. Jesse is a tall handsome guy who got fame after a great performance but unfortunately had an accident on his way to the music show.
Jane lives on Bayleen Island and so does Jesse. Jane is asked to perform Jesse’s music show and BOOM! Jane gets catapulted after this performance. Soon Jesse and Jane become friends and this friendship gradually turned into catching feelings for each other.
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Publishing Date | First published June 22, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 336 Pages |
| Title | Songs in Ursa Major |
| ISBN-10 | 0593318625 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0593318621 |
Jane tries to hide her relationship from getting noticed by the public but gets dragged due to Jesse’s fame. Although Jane has a profound bond with Jesse she is unaware of the dark meaning of secret song lyrics that Jesse writes. Jane works on her music and lyrics and tries to settle down things with her family. The novel ends with a question: what are females ready to sacrifice to achieve their dreams? What is your answer though?
Book Lovers’ by Emily Henry:
Summary:
Book Lovers’ is an easy breezy rom-com read about two sisters Nora Stephens and Libby who live in New York. Nora is a literary dealer and her younger sister Libby’s guardian too after the death of their parents. Libby convinces Nora to spend their summer vacation in Sun Shine, California.
Nora happens to meet Charlie Lastra in Sun Shine who is also a book editor and is running a local bookstore here. Gradually both Nora and Charlie become colleagues and they work on projects for their clients together. While working and helping each other, Nora and Charlie develop affection for one another. Later, Sadly Nora has to return to New York and Charlie cannot leave his bookstore since this is where his bread and butter come from.
| Publisher | Berkley |
| Published Date | First published May 3, 2022 |
| Original title | Book Lovers |
| Language | English |
| Literary awards | Goodreads Choice Award for Romance (2022), Swoon Award for Contemporary Romance (2022) |
| Setting | New York City, New York (United States), Sunshine Falls, North Carolina (United States) |
| Characters | Charlie Lastra, Nora Stephens |
| Pages | 377 Pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0593334833 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0593334836 |
Nora is upset about this long-distance relationship and isn’t sure about its future. Nora comes back to New York and to her surprise, Charlie moves to New York too. Nora’s sister tries to pay for the sacrifices her sister has made for her until now by taking over Charlie’s bookstore so that her sister and Charlie can be reunited in New York. Things fall in place and Charlie is all set to propose the love of his life Nora. Did Nora accept it or make some legitimate excuse? Dig into the book to enjoy the ending.
Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas:
Summary:
Punk 57 is a story about two fifth graders Misha and Ryen who get paired up as pen-pals by their teachers in high school by mistake due to confusion in their names. Who do you think is Misha? A girl or a boy? Keep reading to find out.
Time passed by and after 7 years of writing letters to each other, they became best friends who were aware of everything about each other from likes and dislikes to favourites and non-favorites. Since they had a very sweet and real friendship, they did not want to ruin it and established a simple rule that they would not exchange phone numbers, would not follow each other on social media platforms and would not ask for pictures.
Misha is a famous lead singer in a band and his inspiration in writing lyrics is none other than his best friend Ryen. Ryen is a soft-spoken young girl but pretends to be rude in front of others. Misha’s friends arrange a party and he meets Ryen there. But this Ryen was not the same he was exchanging letters with. Misha was disappointed and made a plan.
| Publisher | Penelope Douglas LLC |
| Publishing Date | First published October 18, 2016 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 343 Pages |
| Title | Punk 57 |
| Literary awards | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Romance (2016) |
| Characters | Misha Lare, Ryen Trevarrow |
| ISBN-10 | 1952646049 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1952646041 |
All of a sudden, he disappeared and changed his name to Masen. He chases Ryen and they pretend that they both hate each other but in reality, they are attracted towards each other. Gradually, they develop feelings and start unveiling the secrets they have been hiding from each other.
The Music Shop, by Rachel Joyce:
Summary:
As the name suggests, the story revolves around a music shop and its owner Frank. The book is located in Unity Street and has a threat from the housing authority that they might crumble his shop any moment to construct houses. Frank’s music shop is the go-to place for many people who are struggling in life for one thing or the other.
Customers tell their feelings or expectations to Frank and he chooses the right kind of music for them. Customers are really happy with him as he never disappoints them. They are indebted to Frank for introducing them to songs and genres they would have never discovered themselves. One fine day, a lady named Ilse Brauchmann loses her consciousness and faints outside Frank’s shop. This is the moment Frank was spellbound by IIse’s charm.
| Publisher | Random House |
| Publishing Date | First published July 13, 2017 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 320 Pages |
| Title | The Music Shop |
| ISBN-10 | 0812996682 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0812996685 |
Later, Ilse asks Frank to teach him music and they meet frequently which leads to being close to each other. A shaky relationship gradually becomes stable but none of them has given their confession yet. What do you think will be the end of their story? Will they carry any emotional baggage or things will be happily ever after for them?
A Tale of Two Wise Fools by Arin Keshishian:
Summary:
The story is from the 1970’s era which is about a 19-year-old boy named Adrian who is struggling to forget his first love. He is passionate about music and isn’t letting his passion die in vain.
Meanwhile, he gets acquainted with Max who is 2 and a half times his age. Max is 70 years old and is habitual in doing drugs. Both Adrian and Max found hope after meeting each other and discussing their pasts while sipping beer. Both Adrian and Max are trying to figure out things in their lives.
| Publisher | Bookbaby |
| Publishing Date | Published July 6, 2020 |
| Language | English |
| Pages | 382 Pages |
| Title | A Tale of Two Wise Fools by Arin Keshishian: |
| ISBN-10 | 1543991319 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1543991314 |
The novel has conversations between the two main characters Adrian and Max where the readers are told about the mistakes and regrets in their lives. It is about self-discovery and the healing power that friendship holds irrespective of age and other parameters.
Conclusion:
Did you notice a common theme among all books? Hopefully, you did. Yes, it was MUSIC!! Characters have a strong passion for music which has led to different stories. For some, music has been a reason for developing love bonds between each other due to similar interests while others never had a chance to make their love affairs successful.
All of these are interesting reads where the writers have skillfully introduced the characters convincing us to imagine what would they look like if they were in real life. That’s the beauty of writing artistically; making readers so absorbed in the character development and storyline that it makes it hard to believe that one is reading fiction stories. Pat on all the writers’ backs. The novels revolve around themes of friendship, romance, heartbreak, hope, mental health and wry humour.
I found all the books engaging but my favourite was “Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie” because of Jane’s powerful character. The author has portrayed Jane’s character as a strong iron who is willing to fulfil her dreams against all odds. The writer has kept the story to the point without making it unnecessarily complicated.
What’s your favourite pick out of all these interesting and captivating reads?