Books
Taylor Jenkins Reid. We know her, we love her.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is a female author that lives in Los Angeles, California. Reid graduated from Emerson College in Boston where she majored in media studies. Starting out as a casting assistant, she moved to Los Angeles after graduation to work in film production. A lover of all media, Taylor wrote her first novel, Forever Interrupted, and was signed with her first literary agent by the age of 24. Her first novel was released in 2013.
For the first four years of Taylor's writing career, she released four romance novels. Forever Interrupted (2013), After I Do (2014), Maybe In Another Life (2015), and One True Loves (2016). At the start of 2017, Taylor had no idea the fame that would hit her with the release of her fifth novel.
The Beginning Of The Hollywood Era
In 2017, Taylor released The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. The release of this novel was the starting point to her rise to fame. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo hit the shelves and was soon a global phenomenon. The first of a four part Hollywood universe, Seven Husbands has sold millions of copies around the world.
Summary from Taylor's website:
"Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. When she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn’s life unfolds—revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love—Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn’s story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways."
Evelyn Hugo Was Just The Beginning
After the phenomenon that was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor released another three Hollywood novels. In the same universe as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back all dominated the charts upon their release. We are introduced to new characters and new storylines in each novel, but you will see characters intersect and storylines intertwine through these four compelling stories. Taylor has said that Carrie Soto is the end of this universe and that she is on to something new.
The first to follow Seven Husbands was Daisy Jones & The Six. This novel was released in 2019 and earned its spot in Reese's Book Club, and won Book of The Year in Book Of The Month, a monthly subscription box.
Summary from Taylor's website:
"A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous break up.
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the real reason why they split at the absolute height of their popularity…until now.
Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things.
Another band getting noticed is The Six, led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend."
Continuing on in the Hollywood era, next came Malibu Rising in 2021.
Summary from Taylor's website:
"Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.
Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface."
The last novel of the Hollywood universe is Carrie Soto Is Back, which was released in 2022.
Summary from Taylor's website:
"Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty Slam titles. And if you ask Carrie, she is entitled to every one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach. Javier—a former champion himself—has trained her since the age of two.
But six years after her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record be taken from her by a brutal, stunning player named Nicki Chan.
At thirty-seven years old, Carrie makes the monumental decision to come out of retirement and be coached by her father for one last year in an attempt to reclaim her record. Even if the sports media says that they never liked “the Battle Axe” anyway. Even if her body doesn’t move as fast as it did. And even if it means swallowing her pride to train with a man she once almost opened her heart to: Bowe Huntley. Like her, he has something to prove before he gives up the game forever."
We have gone into detail about Taylor's journey through Hollywood, but let's backtrack for a second. Just because Evelyn Hugo was her claim to fame, does not mean that her first four romance novels should go left unnoticed. Evelyn Hugo changed the game and won the hearts of people all over the world, however; Taylor's romance novels will steal your heart, rip it out, and put it back together again. These novels are phenomenal. If you are a romance reader and have not read these yet, put them at the top of your TBR (to be read) list. You will cry, and cry, and probably keep crying.
Success and Acknowledgments
Taylor's novels have been chosen in Reese's Book Club, Book Of The Month, and Best of Amazon. Her novel Daisy Jones & The Six is currently in post-production for a tv series by Hello Sunshine that will be released on Amazon Prime this March.
One True Loves, one of Taylor's earlier romance novels, is being made into a movie starring Phillipa Su, Luke Bracey, and Simu Liu which will be released later on this year.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has certainly been a trailblazer on the best sellers' lists for several years now. With the rise of social media and TikTok, her sales and popularity are only continuing to skyrocket. If you want to stay up to date on Taylor's new releases, events, and movie/show adaptations, we highly recommend that you subscribe to her blog via her website. Every couple months, she will send out an email with updates and also provide recommendations for books, shows, music, and podcasts that she is loving.
Which Taylor Jenkins Reid novel is your favorite? What book made you fall in love with her writing? For us, it's all of them!
Books
This blog is in the BOOKS category on our blog. There, you'll find a place to discover new authors, get book recommendations, and read reviews. We also host book clubs and provide resources for readers. Our team is dedicated to highlighting the best and most interesting books in a variety of genres, and we strive to provide honest and informative reviews to help you find your next great read. Whether you're a fan of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in between, you'll find something of interest here. So come back often to stay up to date and find your next great book!
Sources:
Haubner, Julianna, et al. “The TJR TBR: 5 Taylor Jenkins Reid Novels You Must Read.” Off The Shelf, 26 Feb. 2019, offtheshelf.com/2019/02/books-by-taylor-jenkins-reid. Reid, Taylor Jenkins. “Malibu Rising.” The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo / Taylor Jenkins Reid, taylorjenkinsreid.com. Accessed 5 Jan. 2023. Reid, Taylor Jenkins. “Malibu Rising.” Carrie Soto Is Back / Taylor Jenkins Reid, taylorjenkinsreid.com. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
Reid, Taylor Jenkins. “Malibu Rising.” Malibu Rising / Taylor Jenkins Reid, taylorjenkinsreid.com. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
Reid, Taylor Jenkins. “Malibu Rising.” Daisy Jones & the Six / Taylor Jenkins Reid, taylorjenkinsreid.com. Accessed 12 Jan. 2023.
“Taylor Jenkins Reid: How I Became a Bestselling Author.” USA TODAY, www.usatoday.com/story/money/careers/getting-started/2018/05/08/taylor-jenkins-reid-how-became-bestselling-author/580271002. Accessed 5 Jan. 2023.
