“Never let anyone make you feel ordinary.”
If you’re a fan of contemporary fiction, chances are you’ve heard of Taylor Jenkins Reid – an author renowned for her unforgettable characters, gripping plots, and emotional storytelling. But with an expanding collection of novels, it can be tough to know where to begin. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to the best Taylor Jenkins Reid books in order, helping both new and longtime readers navigate her bibliography. From fan favourites like Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to her other novels, this list here at What We Reading ranks her works in a way that’s perfect whether you want to read her books chronologically, or simply start with the most compelling stories. Whether you’re looking for a book list, want to know the best reading order, or are curious about which of her novels to tackle first, this guide has you covered.
The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo (2017)
Kicking off our list of the best Taylor Jenkins Reid books in order is the American author’s global bestseller, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Ageing and reclusive Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to reveal all about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she selects unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Regardless of the reasons why she was chosen, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, naturally, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn paints a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendships, and a great forbidden love. Monique soon begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star. However, as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo
Daisy Jones & The Six (2019)
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 ‘n’ roll that she loves the most. By the time she is twenty, her voice is beginning to be noticed, and she has the sort of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed are The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. With the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road.
Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realises that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable Taylor Jenkins Reid novel in a story that brilliantly captures a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.
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Malibu Rising (2021)
Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Riva siblings. Together, the four 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 festivities is Nina herself, who hates being the centre of attention and who has just abandoned her pro tennis player husband.
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 have shaped this family’s generations will all be brought into the light. In Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid crafts a book about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they choose what to keep from the people who made them, and what they choose to leave behind.
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Carrie Soto Is Back (2022)
By the time Carrie retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen. She has shattered every record and claimed twenty grand slams. And if you ask her, she is entitled to every single one. She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach. But six years on from her retirement, Carrie finds herself sitting in the stands of the 1994 US Open, watching her record being taken from her by a brutal, stunning British player named Nicki Chan.
At thirty-seven, 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 her body doesn’t move as fast as it once did. Even if it means swallowing her pride and training with the man she once gave her heart to: Bowe Huntley. In spite of it all: Carrie Soto is back for one epic final season. One of the best Taylor Jenkins Reid books, Carrie Soto Is Back, charts the story of the cost of greatness and a legendary athlete attempting an incredible, impossible comeback.
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One True Loves (2016)
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They built a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every possible opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive and has been trying to come home all this time. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma now has to work out who she is, who she wants, all while trying to protect the ones she loves. Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
Atmosphere (2025)
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars ever since she was a child. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her quiet life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University. That is, until she discovers an advertisement for the first women scientists to join up with NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan yearns to become one of the few people to make it into space.
Selected from a pool of thousands in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training alongside an exceptional group of talented candidates. As the new astronauts become close friends and prepare for their first flight, Joan begins to question everything she thought she knew about her place in the observable universe. Then, in December 1984, on mission STS-LR9, everything changed.
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Maybe In Another Life (2015)
At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating from college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one evening with Gabby and runs into her high school boyfriend, Ethan. Just after midnight, Gabby asks if she’s ready to leave. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride home. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with far-reaching consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love, making for one of the most poignant and reflective Taylor Jenkins Reid novels.
After I Do (2014)
When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes. Lauren sets out on a journey of self-discovery, soon finding that her friends and family have their own ideas of the meaning of marriage.
2014’s After I Do is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything that you have. Above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game – and searching for a new road to happily ever after.
Evidence Of The Affair (2018)
A desperate young woman in Southern California sits down to write a letter to a man she’s never met – a decision that will forever change both of their lives. The correspondence between Carrie Alssop and David Mayer reveals, piece by piece, the painful details of a devastating affair between their spouses.
With every commiserating scratch of the pen, they confess their fears and bare their souls. They share the bewilderment over how things went so wrong and come to wonder where they go from here. Told entirely through the letters of two comforting strangers and those of two illicit lovers, Evidence of the Affair explores the complex nature of the heart. And, ultimately, for one woman, how liberating it can be when it’s broken.
Forever, Interrupted (2013)
Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething, and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.
Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside, but by the time she makes it there, he’s already being whisked away. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists. Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s book, Forever, Interrupted, will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending.
FAQs
Which Order Should I Read Taylor Jenkins Reid Books In?
While most of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels are standalones, you can read them in publication order, or start with some of her more famous titles like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo or Daisy Jones & The Six.
Which Is The Best Taylor Jenkins Reid Book To Start With?
Many readers recommend starting with Daisy Jones & The Six or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as these novels showcase her signature storytelling style.
Are Taylor Jenkins Reid Books Connected?
Whilst they are all technically standalone, there is actually a Reidverse that connects some of the more recent Taylor Jenkins Reid novels. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, Malibu Rising, and Carrie Soto Is Back all feature overlapping characters, shared settings like the fictional Vivant Magazine, and subtle Easter eggs that link them together in the same literary universe.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
