If I’ve learned anything from reading, it’s that I should always put my trust in TJR!
Dare I Say… Taylor Jenkins Reid knows how to write a masterpiece. Several masterpieces, in fact.
I don’t pick up a TJR read for something lighthearted. I pick it up, knowing, expecting, a piece of literature. A piece of art. Well, actually, I am of the belief that each and every novel is a piece of art. But TJR’s are different to me.
She has the ability to write the most stunning prose and the most well-rounded characters. Each character, no matter how warm or how cold (Yes Carrie Soto, I’m looking at you), climbs their way into your heart and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t shake them.
TJR invites you into a beautiful new world in each of her books and oftentimes, has you crying by the end and feeling grateful you could simply be part of it.
Her books are not cliché, they are not uniform, and every time I read one, even one I don’t think I’ll be interested in, I find myself so emotionally invested and impressed. I haven’t experienced everything in her books, not nearly, but I’ve experienced so many of the same emotions as her characters and what I find so commendable about TJR is that I feel like she knows how to put my thoughts and feelings into words when I don’t know how to myself.
I spent the summer and part of the fall reading and/or re-reading her catalogue and I’ve ranked and written about each piece below.
The Final Rankings
- Atmosphere – 5/5 ✩
- One True Loves – 5/5 ✩
- Maybe in Another Life – 5/5 ✩
- Carrie Soto Is Back – 5/5 ✩
- Malibu Rising – 5/5 ✩
- After I Do – 4.5/5 ✩
- Forever, Interrupted – 4/5 ✩
- Daisy Jones & the Six – 4/5 ✩
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – 4/5 ✩
- Evidence of the Affair – 4/5 ✩
Atmosphere – 5/5 ✩
I’m not being dramatic when I say that this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
Although I’d read and loved many of TJR’s books before, I put off reading Atmosphere for such a long time. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t particularly interested in reading about astronauts. When I pick up a book, I’m usually craving a romance, and I had wrongfully assumed that this book was solely historical/literary fiction. I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I actually picked it up and realized the beauty within these pages.
Technically speaking, this book is incredibly well written. The flash forwards and the flashbacks are so well done and the foreshadowing that takes place throughout this book is mind boggling to me. It kept me on my toes, reeling in suspense, but also kept me so emotionally invested. Like the notes in December 29, 1984 – ”the very last person who should have to do the job”, “she is calm and at ease, not heartbroken, that will all come later”, “there’s no logical reason to be scared yet” – COME ON!! BRILLIANT!
I think the prose in this novel is just so profound. I was continuously pausing and unpausing the audiobook to write down quotes that stuck out to me. I often write little notes and mark passages I like as I read, but this was different. I’ve never been so invested in a book and I was stunned by way I felt like I needed to keep these words with me.
TJR has such a talent for placing her novels throughout different times in history, so not only was I impressed by how realistic this novel felt in that sense, but the relationships on the page also stopped me in my tracks, particularly Joan’s relationships with Frances and with Vanessa.
Joan’s love for her niece Frances was absolutely beautiful – I still get misty eyed thinking about, “Do you understand that I don’t care how big or small this world is, that you are the center of mine? Do you understand that, to someone, you are everything that matters on this entire planet…I should be thanking you, for the gift it is to be around you.” This love is complemented by Joan’s relationship with Vanessa. It takes her time to learn to love herself, to learn how to open up to loving someone else, then even more time to learn how to accept love from someone else and give it back in return. To see this development in Joan and to see the way that she and Vanessa can show each other such a healthy love… It makes me feel emotional and lucky and grateful. Their love makes the punch at the end of the novel feel even stronger. I cried throughout this book in a way I haven’t cried over many books.
This novel is so much more than words on the page. It is more than who we love and how we show that love. It is about the mark we leave on this world. It is about a world that is bigger than ours. It is profound.
I wish there was more at the end of this book, but at the end of the day, I just feel lucky to have it at all.
One True Loves –5/5 ✩
There is magic between these pages. It is raw, complex, and beautiful.
It’s a touching story of life and love and grief; it made me laugh and it made cry and I closed it feeling an intense ache but also like I’d been broken and mended back together. There’s no better way to say it than to say that each time Emma’s heart broke, I felt it deep in my bones, and each time she was able to put it back together, I felt that with her too.
This book is a reminder of what true, innocent love can be, while also showing you the struggles you will face when you’re in love. Each of us are faced with choices when we fall in love – we have to decide what to do with our heartbreak and we have to choose how to express that true, feel it in your bones, kind of love – and TJR so skillfully paints a realistic picture of these actions and emotions.
This book makes me feel nostalgic and reminds me of what love can be and should be at its core. It makes the emotions pour out of me and it’s such a reminder of the beauty of life holds for us.
Maybe in Another Life – 5/5 ✩
I’m absolutely obsessed with this book. No notes. Truly.
Something I am deeply fascinated by is the idea that there are versions of ourselves that exist in other worlds. I don’t know it’s true or not, but I like to think it is.
I loved the characters in this book and I loved seeing seeing the different paths Hannah’s life went down with one single choice being different. Both versions of her life resonated with me. I was taken by the romances in both lives and I think it’s incredibly eye opening to see the ways in which in our choices can have such an effect on our lives. Hannah grows tremendously in both lives she lives and it was truly spectacular to see on the page.
I loved both stories in this novel, but I’m going to leave you with the same quote TJR leaves us with, the one that probably captured me the most in the book: I was really taken with this one theory that states that everything that is possible happens. That means that when you flip a quarter, it doesn’t come down heads or tails. It comes up heads and tails. Every time you flip a coin and it comes up heads, you are merely in the universe where the coin came up heads. There is another version of you out there, created the second the quarter flipped, who saw it come up tails. This is happening every second of every day. The world is splitting further and further into an infinite number of parallel universes where everything that could happen is happening. This is completely plausible, by the way. It’s a legitimate interpretation of quantum mechanics. It’s entirely possible that every time we make a decision, there is a version of us out there somewhere who made a different choice. An infinite number of versions of ourselves are living out the consequences of every single possibility in our lives. What I’m getting at here is that I know there may be universes out there where I made different choices that led me somewhere else.
If this quote speaks to you, then this is the book for you.
Carrie Soto Is Back – 5/5 ✩
Carrie Soto is another book of TJR’s that I put off reading. I read Malibu Rising long before Carrie Soto, and after Carrie’s cameo at Nina’s party, I wasn’t feeling particularly open to letting Carrie in. Not to mention the fact that as much as I like playing tennis, I wasn’t exactly excited about reading a book where tennis plays such a large role in the plot. I feared the monotony of the tournaments and the technicalities of the sport would overpower what I was hoping would be a good story.
All that to say, I was wrong (again) and hooked from page one, and now, only one week out, I cannot wait for the US Open this year. I have limited knowledge on tennis, but I’ve followed the sport for about a year now, and instead of feeling burdened by the intricacies of tennis on the page, I felt excited that I actually, kind of, sort of, knew what Carrie was talking about.
Carrie is an interesting character. She comes off as very cold and very blunt and extremely talented, and she is all of those things, but she’s also warm and loving and doesn’t really know how to show the world the version of herself that we see behind closed doors. The media has decided who she is – she is single-minded, she is ruthless, she is a bitch – but that’s not all Carrie is and it was a pleasure to see the other side of her and watch her learn how to show the world someone new.
What I think is the most special thing about this book is watching Carrie show love. The world may not always see her do it, but when she does, boy is it special. She has a complicated relationship with her father, but seeing the way they come together, apart, and together again touched something very deep in my heart, as did her relationship Bowe. The end of this novel had me in tears, proud of the Carrie on the last page of the book vs. the Carrie on the first page of the book. She is a complex woman, but look out world: The Bitch is Back.
Malibu Rising – 5/5 ✩
Malibu Rising is a masterful example of storytelling. The shifts in perspective (and in timeline) elevate this story from something that could be static to something dynamic.
The characters in this novel are incredibly well crafted. Living a life of new-found glamor, the Rivas are far from happy and far from being the perfect family, but each character feels realistic and I admire the way the four Riva children have each other’s backs. Even when they make mistakes, they want to do right by each other and they want to show each other love and be present for one another, something they didn’t always get as children. They have faced more hardship than any children should have to face, though they will always be there for one another and it is this quality that I admire.
I also liked the way that TJR wrote Mick, I thought he was a brilliant example of character. Now, DO NOT confuse that with me thinking Mick is a good person. He. Is. Not. But to be able to create a character so in depth, so hatable, and to get inside his head while he’s doing these terrible things… I need to give TJR the props she deserves.
After I Do – 4.5/5 ✩
I put off reading this one for SO long because to be frank, this book seemed like it was going to be too sad. When I pick up a TJR book, I know I’m not getting a fluffy romance, but this seemed next level sad, which I did not think I was going to like. And honestly, I’m so happy to have been wrong.
Was this book incredibly emotional for me? Yes. Did I love it? Also yes.
Much like One True Loves, I found After I do to be extremely raw. We really got to peel back the layers of who Lauren is (and to an extent, who Ryan is) and that felt like an incredible privilege. After I Do is not your traditional love story, but it is a love story at heart. You feel the love Lauren has for her family, you feel the love Lauren has for Ryan, and ultimately, you feel the love Lauren has for herself and I think to be able to capture that on the page and to portray Lauren’s growth in such a way is so beautiful.
Forever, Interrupted – 4/5 ✩
Something I really love about TJR’s novels is that the older I get, the greater appreciation I have for her stories. I read Forever, Interrupted for the first time when I was twenty-four years old. I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t walk away loving it. I was happy I read it, but I also knew that I probably wouldn’t ever read it again. Reading it now at twenty-seven, I absolutely loved it. I haven’t experienced loss like Elsie, nor have I experienced that immediate, whirlwind type of love where you just know that the person you’ve just met is the person for you, but as I’ve grown, I’ve found a new appreciation for her story.
Elsie’s experiences and her emotions are real and they’re kind of refreshing to see on a page in front of me. Her story isn’t a wholly positive or happy story, but the realism in it is something I don’t always see in the books I read. I open TJR’s books and I know I’m getting something that feels real. And that, to me, is refreshing. I can’t honestly believe that this is TJR’s debut novel because it does not exude the freshness of a first time author. This prose is seasoned and has depth.
I truly loved the relationship between Elsie and Ben and how it felt like a whirlwind, yes, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the love they shared was as deep and as true as the most sacred of love stories. I especially love the line, “As long as I still have that sadness, I still have Ben.” I think that if you’ve experienced any type of loss in your life – be it a break up, the dissolution of a friendship, the loss of a loved one – you can resonate with a sentiment like this. And quite frankly, I think that a lot of writers are afraid to write things like this. We all have feelings like these at one time or another, but they’re not always feelings we’re proud of having. We’re not supposed to be consumed by our grief. We’re supposed to come to terms with it, we’re supposed to move on, we’re supposed to be okay. But there are moments when we’re not okay, sometimes there’s many moments when we’re not okay, and throughout her books – especially her first four, but I truly think across the board –Taylor is able to capture these emotions on the page and I will forever admire her for that.
The last thing I will say about this book is I love Elsie’s relationship with Susan, even, yes, the way that it began. We all choose to show our grief differently and Susan is no exception. She treats Elsie terribly, but Elsie isn’t handling her grief well either. And on top of that, she has to accept that the love she wants and the relationship she wants with her own mother is not what she has in reality. I think the relationship that Elsie and Susan eventually build, complex as it is, is beautiful, and that, in its own way, was almost as emotional to me as Elsie dealing with Ben’s loss.
Daisy Jones & The Six – 4/5 ✩
If you like 70s culture and are interested in band-life and the drama that can come with it, this book is for you! There are so many moving parts to Daisy Jones and the Six, and each and every character has so much depth that you can’t help but love them.
For me, I was drawn to this book initially because of the music aspect. Band culture, especially in the 70s, is fascinating to me and I think that planting the book in this decade set up the characters to have the much needed conflict to keep the plot moving.
I really did love all of the characters, especially Camila and Karen, but of course, Daisy and Billy took centerstage for me. Much like the characters in TJR’s other books, Daisy and Billy are both so fleshed out and feel incredibly realistic. Their struggles are real and seeing these struggles on the page made them into these raw characters that couldn’t help but be drawn to each other. Their chemistry was so powerful and the complexity of their relationship, and ultimately Camila’s involvement in it at the end of the novel, was so beautiful to read. I couldn’t keep the tears at bay at the end when Billy was sitting at the bar, struggling to remain sober, and Daisy hit rock bottom and Camila stepped in to help. Watching them struggle so deeply and simultaneously felt like the perfect way to close out the book and highlight the way their souls are tied together, even when apart.
Although I don’t think the book needs a sequel, I like the open endedness of the novel because it does leave room for us to hope that somehow, some way, Daisy and Billy find their way back to each other even if we don’t see it on the page. I think Billy made the right choice in not letting his life with his daughters and with Camila go, but even so, I can’t deny there was a part of me hoping Daisy and Billy would get together.
Lastly, I love that this book is written like an interview. I’m a sucker for a book that is written non-traditionally, and the success of this novel shows the range of TJR as a writer.
One note: While I always push for audiobooks if listening is your thing, I don’t think this is the best book to listen to. There are too many characters and it is incredibly confusing when just listening. I listened to it the first time I read the book, and honestly, I spent more time confused than anything. I didn’t enjoy it and rated it pretty low. I felt like the only person in the world who kind of hated Daisy Jones & the Six! But physically reading it was a whole new experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – 4/5 ✩
If I’m being honest, and I know people will disagree, I think this is TJR’s weakness novel. Not because the story isn’t powerful, it is. Evelyn is a force to be reckoned with and I truly did love following along with her life and her love story(s).
I think the way TJR told the story is powerful – I liked the shifts in timeline and perspective and I liked that the story was told through narratives and interviews.
Throughout the novel, Evelyn has an air of mystery about her and she’s a character that I feel like you could examine and examine and still find there are new things to learn about her. She is clever and crafty and calculated and loving and her world was a joy to be a part of. I was flooded with empathy for her as I learned of all the hardships she faced, especially how mistreated she was by so many people around her and the way she never felt she could truly be herself.
But my criticism – and it’s a big piece of criticism – is Celia. Particularly, her attitude. Cecelia is a huge part of Evelyn’s story, so my dislike for her colored much of my perception of the book.
Celia can be mean and cunning and I do not think she is a very understanding woman. She is Evelyn’s greatest love, but she is not always Evelyn’s greatest match. From the moment we met Celia, before we even knew she’d have a relationship with Evelyn, I was shipping them. I continued hoping they would work things out and ultimately be able to be together, but I did not like the way Celia treated Evelyn at times and I did not think that she was a good communicator, which Evelyn deserved. It was hard for me to look past this.
I understand that Evelyn wasn’t ready to come out and there were times when she did not treat Celia fairly either. Sometimes, it seemed she would rather play games in Hollywood than come out as who she really is. I also, though, understood why Evelyn would play those games and I don’t think she was ever cruel to Celia and I don’t think Celia was justified in hurting Evelyn the ways she did.
The worst moment for me was when Celia left Evelyn (for the second time, subsequently leaving Harry, John, and Connor as well) because Evelyn filmed a sex scene with Don.
I was not alive during this time and I do understand times were different and sex scenes weren’t as prevalent in media as they are today, but both Evelyn and Celia were ACTRESSES and I feel like Celia should’ve understood that and been able to compartmentalize that. She, as well as anyone, should know that you may have to be pretend to be intimate with others as a working actor or actress.
I found Celia’s behavior at multiple points throughout the novel to be childish and immature, this being the worst offense. I’ve read the book twice now, and Celia’s behavior made finishing the book the second time a little bit of a struggle. I appreciate her arc at the end, but it does not redeem her in my eyes.
The novel overall is good, and I love the irony of the title of the book given that Evelyn’s greatest love was not one of her seven husbands, but instead, a woman. But that is not to say the novel is not without flaws.
Evidence of the Affair – 4/5 ✩
Evidence of the Affair is a quick, epistolary story about a woman and a man who find out their spouses are cheating on them with each other.
This story checked my boxes from the jump: A non-traditional storytelling method. It made the story read quickly, but with no less depth than traditional TJR pieces. With so few words, TJR told such a powerful story. It’s a piece that makes you think, it’s a piece that makes you question morality, and it’s a piece that exemplifies wonderful character growth.
There are very few other authors I could possibly rate each of their books 4 ✩ or above, but it felt easy with Taylor Jenkins Reid. The hard part was ranking them. And honestly, letting them go. Several of her books, majority of her books, I wish I could just submerge myself into. I wish I could just fully immerse myself and live with these characters for a little bit.
Atmosphere easily holds the number one spot which I find funny because I really had no intention of ever reading this book once I saw that it was about astronauts. Now, no matter how many times I re-read these books, Atmosphere will never move from the number one spot. This book is about so much more than being an astronaut, but even if it was just about space, I think I would’ve liked the way TJR chose to write about it.
One True Loves will also never leave spot #2. There is something about these characters that speaks to me. I can’t even really name it. Nostalgia, maybe? I’m not sure that’s the right word, but this book fills my chest with this feeling, and nostalgia is the best label for it I can think of. I’ve read the book three times now and I walk away feeling the same each time. This most recent read through, or maybe I should say listen through, I was driving to work when I reached the part where Emma and Jesse were at the cabin and Jesse finds the letter. I knew what was coming, and yet, I was crying so hard I was hiccuping in the car. I had to turn the audiobook off and wait until I got home that evening to finish, when I was in a physical and emotional place where I could just let myself cry. The words are the same every time, but they affect me each and every time I read them like I’m seeing them for the very first time.
It wasn’t hard for me to drop Maybe In Another Life in at #3 –I’ve always had an affinity for theories about parallel universes and I just adore these characters – but when I took a look at Carrie Soto and how much I loved this novel, I couldn’t believe that I was ranking it fourth. #4? How?
But here it is: The beauty of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s universes. She is so talented that it truly became a challenge to even think about which of her books is best because they are simply all so special in their own rights.
The real struggle started at #6 – to me, ranking a book at #6 on your list means you didn’t like it, or at least that it’s spectacularly average. That’s not the case here. Even #10… There wasn’t a piece of Evidence of the Affair that I disliked. In fact, I can’t stop thinking about it and it’s driving me crazy.
I guess what I’m trying to say, seven longwinded paragraphs later, is if I could rank each TJR’s books highly, I would. They all deserve it. Taylor deserves it. I can’t wait to see what she has in store next and where The Last Days of Vic and Coco will ultimately shake out on this list.
