Are you a Taylor Jenkins Reid fan wondering how all her books connect? Or do you want to know which Taylor Jenkins Reid books have crossover characters? Looking for a timeline that tells you what Evelyn Hugo was doing when Daisy Jones and the Six were breaking up? Want to help me find Easter Eggs hiding in Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto is Back? Join me and let’s explore the Fictional World of Taylor Jenkins Reid!
The Fictional World of Taylor Jenkins Reid
This post will contain:
A list of Taylor Jenkins Reid books in order of publication (and in order of the date in which they are set).
Reading lists if you want to know more about the worlds that each of the books explore
A timeline of how all Taylor Jenkins Reid books fit together
A list of crossover characters that appear in more than one Taylor Jenkins Reid book
Easter Eggs when someone in one book mentions something in another!
Note: the timeline will contain some spoilers, which will be marked. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this site.
List of All Taylor Jenkins Reid Books:
First, let’s talk about the settings, the vibes, and the (possible) inspiration behind each Taylor Jenkins Reid book!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Set in New York and Hollywood between the 1950s and the 2010s, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo features a brash actress who will stop at nothing to get the roles she wants and the fame she craves. But can she find happiness and love as well?
Raised in New York City, Evelyn sees right away that Hollywood fame is a game with rules for getting ahead. She sets out to follow them, and, eventually, to break them.
Taylor Jenkins Reid books are always a VIBE!
What was the overall vibe of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo? Old Hollywood Glamour!
What were some of the real-life inspirations behind The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?
I think Evelyn’s seven husbands would seem to be (partly) inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, who was also born in the 1930s, also married seven times (eight if you count two marriages to the same man) and a prominent supporter of the LGBTQ community. After her close friend Rock Hudson died of AIDS, Taylor co-founded amFAR in 1985, and testified before Congress to get funding for HIV research and patient care.
This article in the Calliope Journal makes a very interesting case for an actress I didn’t consider as an inspiration for Evelyn: Rita Hayworth. Like Evelyn, Hayworth was born in New York to parents from Spain. She changed her name from Margarita Carmen Cansino to Rita Hayworth.
In addition, as the article points out, Evelyn makes a reference in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to Gilda, Hayworth’s most famous movie character. Evelyn says: “all I could think about was Rita Hayworth’s famous line: men go to bed with Gilda, but wake up with me.”
Another possible inspiration for Evelyn: Katharine Hepburn. Like Evelyn, she starred in Little Women (1933) and she definitely lived life on her own terms.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo also starts with a bitter rivalry between up-and-coming actresses Evelyn Hugo and Celia St.James. Maybe inspired by these two famous feuding divas?
Reading List for Fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969 by William J. Mann
Looks at the gay experience in studio era Hollywood: movie stars, directors, producers, screenwriters, cameramen, agents, executives, set and costume designers and more. Though they often had to keep their sexuality a secret, they influenced the taste of the entire world.
Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1968-1998 by David Ehrenstein
Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this book spans seventy years and offers vivid portraits of many of Hollywood’s foremost gays and lesbians, often in the words of the principals themselves.
Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine
They were two of the most talented beauties Hollywood ever produced: the elegant Joan Crawford, a former chorus girl who rose to stardom with MGM, and the brash, tempestuous Bette Davis, a Broadway star notorious for refusing to bow to the studio bosses.
Their work together in the hit film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? sowed the seeds for a mutual hatred. Glamorous yet bitter, their feud became legendary.
Based on interviews the author conducted with both actresses and more than a decade of research, Bette & Joan shows the battling duo at their best and worst.
How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood, by William J. Mann
This book follows Elizabeth Taylor as she makes her ascent at MGM, falls into (and out of) marriages, wins Oscars, fights studio feuds, and combats America’s conservative values with her decidedly modern love affairs.
It also shines a light on Elizabeth’s rich private life, revealing a love for her craft and a loyalty to the underdog that fueled her lifelong battle against the studio system.
Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Elizabeth Taylor won two Academy Awards and starred in over sixty films. She is also famous for her tempestuous personal life, marrying eight times .
This book traces Elizabeth’s journey through the dark (and often lonely) world of Hollywood fame and also details her philanthropic work as an AIDS activist in the 1990s.
Movies with that Evelyn Hugo vibe
All About Eve (1950)
A star takes a naive young actress under her wing, only to find herself used in the young woman’s ambitious climb to the top.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Detectives dive into the underworld of 1950s Hollywood to solve a murder case.
Daisy Jones and the Six (2019)
Daisy Jones and the Six is primarily set in 1970s Los Angeles, plus some band touring and a romantic jaunt or two to Italy.
VIBE: the crazy, drug and alcohol fueled rock and roll world of the 1970s.
The book starts with a band fronted by a pair of brothers, Billy and Graham Dunne.
They and their band, The Six, are headed for a collision course with a free-spirited aspiring songwriter, Daisy Jones.
Inspiration for this one? Taylor Jenkins Reid has said in interviews that Daisy and Billy were partly inspired by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, a band that also had LOT of interpersonal drama.
Reading List for Fans of Daisy Jones & The Six
Stevie Nicks said in 2021 that if she did write a memoir, it would be long. Or in four parts like Twilight (lolol). Love her!
But here are some 70s rock and roll memories and autobiographies!
Fleetwood Mac: The Authorized History by Samuel Graham (1978)
This book chronicles the group from the late 60s to the late 70s and includes some rare photos.
Never Break the Chain: Fleetwood Mac and the Making of Rumours by Cath Carroll (2004)
This behind-the-scenes look at the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours explores the strong personalities behind the band and the creative tensions between the members that helped to shape the lyrical content of this era-defying, classic album.
New interviews reveal the technical challenges and excessive drinking and drug abuse that went on during the album’s production and the complex relationships within the group.
The two rocky romances within the band, including the breakdown of John and Christine McVie’s marriage and the increasingly strained relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, are also discussed, as are the songs on the album they influenced.
Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album by Ken Caillat and Steve Stiefel (2012)
Ken Caillat, co-producer of Rumours, tells the full story of what really went into making the album—from the endless partying and relationship dramas to the creative struggles to write and record.
Filled with new and surprising details, such as how the band coped with the pressures of increasing success, how the master tape nearly disintegrated, and the incredible attention paid to even the tiniest elements of songs.
Movies with the Daisy Jones and the Six vibe:
Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe.
A young journalist goes on tour with a 1970s rock band and falls in love with a groupie, played by Kate Hudson.
Malibu Rising (2021)
Malibu Rising is set in Malibu, California and features the children of a minor character in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, singer Mick Riva. The book alternates between a narrative of Mick’s early career and first marriage, and Mick’s children hosting their annual blow-out Malibu beach party in 1983.
The vibe of Malibu Rising is 1980s Malibu surf life. Both Nina Riva and her brother Jay are professional surfers, but the whole family loves to surf together.
For those who want to know more about 1980s surfing, especially as it relates to women:
Surfing Photographs from the 80s by Jeff Divine
The 1980s were a tumultuous period in surf history, as the “everything’s groovy” communalism of the previous decade was blown apart into splinter groups. Professionals, rebels, punks and world travelers all banged the drum for their personal vision of surfing.
The result was loud and vivid and drenched in fluorescence and neon. Photographer Jeff Divine was on the case, documenting the changes from surfing’s twin power poles: southern California and the north shore of Oahu.
While Wall Street and Madison Avenue were doing their damnedest to monetize the style and freedom of surfing, the sublimity of the ride itself remained unsullied.
Girls Can’t Surf, a documentary by Chris Nelius
It’s the 1980s and the world of professional surfing is a circus of fluoro colours, peroxide hair and radical male egos. Girls Can’t Surf follows the journey of a band of renegade female surfers who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world to achieve equality and change the sport forever.
People say this documentary brought them to tears and I look forward to watching it. I’m also really enjoying Surviving Summer, a teen show about surfing girls in South Australia on Netflix.
Also check these websites and articles out:
History of Women’s Surfing project
Riding Waves, Forging Communities: Surfing, Gender, and Feminism in 20th Century California
Carrie Soto is Back (2022)
Another book with crossover characters, Carrie Soto Is Back is about the woman who stole Nina Riva’s husband (but gave him back).
Yes, Carrie slept with Nina Riva from Malibu Rising‘s husband. Nina who is the daughter of Mick Riva, one of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Right?
Carrie Soto Is Back takes place on the tennis court, first and foremost. The book starts in Santa Monica with Carrie’s parents, then Florida, then Carrie is pretty constantly on tour.
Carrie Soto is Back is a little less steeped in its main time period of the 1990s, when Carrie decides to try to re-enter competitive tennis and play tournaments at age thirty-seven. There are a few cultural references to the 1990s, but this is a sports book, a redemption story like Rocky.
I’m a terrible tennis player and don’t follow the sport, but I still really loved this book. If you want to read more about the world of tournament tennis from the 70s through the present, here are a few book suggestions:
We Have Come a Long Way: The Story of Women’s Tennis by Billie Jean King
This book is (sadly) out of print, but you might find a copy in your library or used book store. Billie Jean King was not only an icon of tennis, but fought constantly for gender equity in the sport. In the book, she pays respect to the female players who came before her and discusses the Virginia Slims tour (mentioned in Carrie Soto Is Back) which played an important part in providing tournament opportunities for women and showcasing women’s tennis.
The Match: Althea Gibson and the Portrait of a Friendship by Bruce Shoenfeld
This book takes place in the 1950s, long before Carrie Soto played, but it’s a fascinating story.
The daughter of sharecroppers and fiercely competitive, Althea Gibson turned to athletics in an effort to belong to a community that would welcome her.
Angela Buxton, the granddaughter of Russian Jews, grew up in Liverpool. England.
Both women faced prejudice on the tennis circuit, where they were excluded from tournaments and clubs because of race and religion.
At the 1956 Wimbledon, despite their athletic prowess, each was shunned by the other female players. They found themselves without doubles partners. Undaunted, they decided to play together. And, though they had never so much as practiced together—they triumphed.
King Richard on Amazon Prime
Being Serena on HBO MAX
Yes, Serena and Venus came well after Carrie Soto. However, they also broke down racial and gender barriers in tennis and their relationship with their father mirrors Carrie’s close bond with Javier, her father and coach.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Emma Stone and Steve Carrell star in this re-creation of the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and former men’s champ Bobby Riggs.
Master Timeline of All Taylor Jenkins Reid Books
Key: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (EH), Daisy Jones and the Six (DJ), Malibu Rising (MR), Carrie Soto is Back (CS)
NOTE: there will be some spoilers toward the end of the timeline for Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo.
The 1930s-1950s
1933
Mick Riva is born. (MR)
1938
Evelyn Hugo is born in New York. (EH)
1951
Daisy Jones is born in California. (DJ)
1953
Fifteen year-old Evelyn Hugo goes with her first husband to Hollywood (EH).
1957
Mick Riva marries June. (MR).
Evelyn marries Don Adler (EH)
1958
Nina Riva is born to Mick and June Riva. (MR)
1959
Mick tells June that he is leaving her for another woman. (MR)
Evelyn Hugo gets divorced from Don Adler and dropped by Sunset Studios. (EH)
The 1960s-1970s
1961
Mick marries Veronica Lowe. The marriage only lasts four months. (MR)
In September, Mick is divorced and telling the press he wants to marry Evelyn Hugo. (EH)
In December, Evelyn Hugo marries Mick Riva in Las Vegas. They annul the marriage right away. (EH)
1962
Evelyn marries Rex North. (EH)
1967
Evelyn marries Harry Cameron. (EH)
1969
Camila meets Billy Dunne at a hotel. He and the band are playing a wedding. (DJ)
1973
The Six release their first album. (DJ)
1975
Daisy releases her first album. (DJ)
1976
The Six release a second album that has Daisy and Billy’s duet, Honeycomb. (DJ)
1977
Daisy joins The Six and the band is renamed. (DJ)
Daisy throws a party at her cottage at Chateau Marmont and Mick Riva shows up, orders a bunch of liquor, and invites a bunch of friends. (DJ)
1978
Nina and her siblings throw the first Malibu party, which is always the last Saturday in August and started out being held at the Riva’s Malibu beach cottage. (MR)
Daisy Jones and The Six release their first album. (DJ)
1979
Daisy Jones and the Six splits up. (DJ)
Carrie is dominating women’s tennis. She has four Grand Slam titles but wants to hold the record for the most Grand Slams ever. She drops her father as coach. (CS)
The 1980s-1990s
1980
At the Riva’s Malibu party, Doug Tucker, the new head of Sunset Studios, gets drunk and tells everyone he has proof that actress Celia St. James is gay. (MR)
1981
In 1981, Nina Riva, who is 23, meets professional tennis player Brandon Randall, 25.
1982
Nina and Brandon marry that spring and he buys the Malibu house without asking her. (MR)
1983
Carrie Soto’s father tells her to find a “nice guy like Brandon Randall.” (CS)
In July, the press catch Brandon cheating with Carrie. Brandon tells Nina he’s leaving her for Carrie. (MR and CS)
Brandon comes to the beach party in August and asks Nina to take him back but she rejects him. Brandon goes back to Carrie but leaves her for another woman in December 1983. (MR and CS)
Nina and Brandon’s house burns down. (MR)
1988
Evelyn tells Celia she is ready to give up everything and be with her. (EH)
1989
Harry Cameron dies in a car accident with his lover, James. (EN)
Injured and having to pull out of tournaments, Carrie announces her retirement from tennis. (CS)
1990
Evelyn marries Celia’s brother, Robert Jamison. (EH)
1994
Carrie begins her comeback training. (CS)
The 2000s
2000
Celia dies of heart failure. (EH)
2012
Camila dies. Before her death, she asks her daughters to tell Billy to call Daisy after she’s gone. (DJ)
2013 or 2014
Evelyn’s daughter Connor dies of breast cancer. (EH)
2017
Evelyn Hugo, suffering from breast cancer, takes an overdose and dies. (EH)
Crossover Characters in Taylor Jenkins Reid Books
Mick Riva
Mick is first mentioned in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as Evelyn’s third husband.
He pops up in Daisy Jones and the Six in 1977 at a party that Daisy is hosting at Chateau Marmont. (The one where Daisy steps on broken glass.) Billy is there and mentions “an old geezer .. probably only forty” who is drinking with Daisy. This is probably Mick, who is 44 at that point! Billy leaves and goes home to write “Impossible Woman.”
He reappears as the father of main character Nina Riva in Malibu Rising. Mick is also a major character and his rise to fame and his own multiple marriages are discussed.
Mick is also mentioned in Carrie Soto is Back, when Carrie’s father is trying to find her a boyfriend, Javier says he can’t stand Mick.
Carrie Soto
Carrie is a minor character in Malibu Rising as the woman that Nina’s husband Brandon Randall left Nina for. Carrie is then the main character in Carrie Soto is Back.
Brandon Randall
Brandon is a minor character in both Malibu Rising (Nina’s cheating husband) and Carrie Soto is Back, as a fellow tennis player that Carrie sleeps with.
Vivant Magazine
Not a character, but mentioned in most if not all the books.
Vivant is the magazine that Monique Grant works for in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
In Malibu Rising, a modeling scout for Vivant magazine approaches Nina at the beach. She appears in the June 1979 issue with a headline that reads California Cool: The New Beach Bum.
In Carrie Soto is Back, the editor of Vivant writes a letter entitled Why I’m Thankful for Carrie Soto, praising her comeback.
Easter Eggs (mentions of one book or character within another):
At the Rivas’ Malibu party in 1979, Warren Rhodes (band member of Daisy Jones and the Six) and Lisa Crowne (musician who marries Warren) get naked in the Rivas’ pool. (Malibu Rising)
At the Rivas’ Malibu party in 1980, Doug Tucker, the new head of Sunset Studios, gets drunk and tells everyone he has proof that actress Celia St. James (a character from The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) is gay. (Malibu Rising)
Carrie Soto’s father Javier tells her to find a nice guy like Brandon Randall. She says that Brandon is married to Nina Riva, daughter of Mick Riva. Javier says about Mick Riva: “I cannot stand that guy.” (Carrie Soto is Back)
On tour in 1995, Carrie Soto is reading an unauthorized biography of Daisy Jones and the Six so she can find out who is sleeping with whom. (Carrie Soto is Back)
Mick Riva gets a deal with Runner Records in the 1950s, the same company that signs both The Six and Daisy Jones in the 1970s.
Thanks for reading The Fictional World of Taylor Jenkins Reid! If you think I missed any connections, crossover characters, or Easter eggs, PLEASE tell me in comments and I will add them and credit you!
Also Check These Related Taylor Jenkins Reid Posts Out!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: Spoiler Discussion and Movie News
Daisy Jones and The Six: Spoiler Discussion and Movie News
Malibu Rising: Spoiler Discussion and Movie News
Wasn’t Don Adler one of Evelyn’s husband’s? He shows up at the Riva party!
Yes, he was. He is at the Malibu Rising party? Thanks for the tip. I will add it.
Is the Monique that writes the interview with Evelyn the same one Carrie’s agent leaves her husband for??? Actually probably not cause wouldnt she still be a child at that point…
Hi Olivia!
Can you give me more details? I just searched my Carrie Soto e-book and didn’t get any results for Monique. I also searched Malibu Rising, since Carrie is in that one. Gwen divorces her husband, but that’s all I found.
And I agree, Carrie Soto takes place in the 80s and Monique was born in 1982 so yes she would be a small child in the Carrie universe.