Taylor Jenkins Reid's Beloved Books, Ranked By Reviews

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

You never can quite guess what kind of book Taylor Jenkins Reid is going to write next. Her body of work spans time periods and subject matter, ranging from professional tennis tropes to the glamour of Golden Age Hollywood. Reid's novels can transport you anywhere, and wherever you end up, you can count on dynamic female characters, haunting love stories, and an immersive setting.

During a Goodreads Q&A, Reid revealed that her novels are shaped by whatever is personally captivating her interest at the time. "I spend a few months researching the areas I'm interested in before I start writing," she explained. "For ['The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo'], it was film and Hollywood. For 'Daisy Jones and the Six,' it was rock n' roll in LA in the '70s. I mostly start by thinking of what sort of atmosphere I want to spend the next year of my life in and then going from there." Her own enthusiasm for the subject matter is part of what fuels her absorbing, consuming prose. Because her books are widely adored, it made the most sense to turn to the masses to compile a review-based ranking.

Though Taylor Jenkins Reid is best known for historical fiction, fans love her contemporary romance novel, "One True Loves," which boasts 4.02 stars on Goodreads. When Emma Blair's husband and high school sweetheart dies, she finds herself swept up in a new love story. "This is an old trope revitalized with the wonderful voice the author instills in the main character," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. "I've said it before in other reviews of this author's books: she could write a grocery list and I'd read it."

"One True Loves" is Reid's fourth novel, and predates her foray into more researched period novels. "I loved her early books for having some interesting twists on typical rom-com type novels," wrote one Reddit commenter. Readers praised her ability to add her own distinct voice and feel to the genre.

Still, Reid sees her transition toward more researched narratives as a signal of the confidence gained to tackle more ambitious projects. "I think my faith in myself to take on bigger and bigger things has expanded," she explained in an interview with Big Issue North. "Because it turned out that I love research, I love losing myself in a time and place, and there was a lot of joy and inspiration on the other side of that." Still, even now, Reid's romance roots are apparent in her later novels, which prominently feature compelling love stories.

Taylor Jenkins Reid's talent for rich characterization comes into full view in her 2021 novel "Malibu Rising." Four siblings, all celebrities in their own right, converge at a house party in the hills of Malibu for a 1983 end-of-summer party that alters the course of their lives. Goodreads reviewers assigned the book 4.02 stars, praising the story's emotional power, deftly handled dual timelines, and intriguingly complex characters.

"This is easily one of the most beautiful books I've ever read," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. "This book is about family and it shows you how family can be the people that love you more than anything else in the world, but also the ones that cause you the most amount of heartbreak." Eagle-eyed fans of Reid also note that this novel takes place in the same period and universe as "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and "Daisy Jones & the Six," making for a fun sense of continuity between books.

Taylor Jenkins Reid turned her historical fiction lens to the late 1960s in "Daisy Jones & The Six," an absorbing novel partially inspired by the true story of Fleetwood Mac. The propulsive portrait of the Sunset Strip earned 4.2 stars from Goodreads reviewers. In a series of fictionalized interview transcripts, Reid constructs a narrative about rock star Daisy Jones, whose musical ambitions are braided into a toxic love affair with a fellow band member. She evokes the halcyon days of the Whiskey A Go-Go and The Roxy in vivid detail, making it one of the best historical fiction picks from Reese's Book Club.

Readers praised Reid's immersive historical setting, as well as the fast-paced plot. "There's this reader's high that you only get in the most immersive of reads — where the real world fades out and the one on the pages sharpens until it takes over your mind — and I got it here," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. "I absolutely inhaled this whole thing, and I didn't stop, couldn't stop, until it was all done."

The book was eventually adapted into an Amazon mini series, which even Fleetwood Mac front-woman Stevie Nicks couldn't resist. The "Rhiannon" singer shared a photo from the series on Instagram, writing, "It brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story." The endorsement reflects Reid's dedication to historical accuracy and reverence for her sources of inspiration. "This is so beautiful," wrote one Reddit commenter. "Taylor Jenkins Reid and [the show runners] really did their job if Stevie loved it.😍"

In this 2022 novel, Taylor Jenkins Reid follows tennis star Carrie Soto, who is set on a professional comeback. As with her other stories, Reid crafts a complicated female protagonist. In fact, she admitted that Carrie's unlikability was part of what drew her to creating the protagonist of "Carrie Soto Is Back." "What was very important to me in this book is that it is the story of a woman that nobody really likes, and they don't like her for a good reason. I don't want to put forth this idea that everyone thinks she's unlikable, but it's just because she's ambitious, and people can't handle female ambition. I think that's absolutely true, but I would like to push us one step past that, which is 'what if she's really, sincerely not likable?'" she said in an interview with Goodreads.

Difficult or not, Carrie's story resonated deeply with reviewers, who awarded the book 4.2 stars on Goodreads. The story is even set to be adapted for a Netflix series produced by tennis star Serena Williams. While tennis fans will find a lot to love in this book, its rich interpersonal dynamics were its true heart. "This is not just a sports book," observed one Goodreads reviewer. "There are more layers hidden inside it ... She took a realistic approach to the narration. Moreover, she also chose to discuss many important topics like sexism, body shaming, and many other issues affecting the game of tennis."

Taylor Jenkins Reid tackles a different era with her 2025 novel "Atmosphere," which follows a group of NASA scientists in the 1980s. Influenced by the Challenger and Columbia disasters, the story's dual timelines probe questions about capitalism's influence on scientific discovery, as well as women's place in STEM. "I also find it really interesting to think about who thrives in traditionally male-dominated spaces," Reid told Entertainment Weekly, naming a theme present throughout many of her novels. "What does Joan Goodwin have to have in order to be one of the first female astronauts to come into NASA's astronaut corps and start to change the way NASA does things?"

Still, at its heart, this story about space is actually a love story — a tragic story so compelling that it earned an average rating of 4.36 stars on Goodreads. "I couldn't put this story down," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. "The love story, the talk of the galaxy, the relationship between Frances & Joan — it was beautiful. This book made me feel SO MUCH." Plenty of readers agreed that the story moved them to tears. "Probably my favorite after Evelyn Hugo," wrote another Goodreads reviewer. "Picture me on my couch reading the last 9% sobbing." Plus, if you loved this, there's a good chance you'll love one of the absolute best books about women in science.

It's no surprise that Taylor Jenkins Reid's most famous work, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," is also her highest-rated. At least, that's according to Goodreads, where the 2017 novel earned an average rating of 4.4 stars. The period novel flashes back to the Golden Era of Hollywood to tell the story of Evelyn Hugo, a powerful and complicated movie star whose bisexuality is hidden behind a revolving door of famous husbands. It's perfect if you're looking for books that give Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" energy.

Reviewers praised the clear, engaging prose, the historic setting, and the rich character development — as well as the story's authentic queer representation. "I think to some degree Taylor Jenkins Reid might have even had Marilyn Monroe in her mind when she wrote Evelyn's character," wrote one Goodreads reviewer. "Another thing I appreciated was that every husband got a part of this book and even though there were seven of them, who all influenced Evelyn and left a mark on her character, none of them actually was her one true love."