Ranking Taylor Jenkins Reid
How Taylor Jenkins Reid reignited my love for reading and why I’m hooked on every twist, heartbreak, and unforgettable character in her books.
I owe my reading revival to Taylor Jenkins Reid. Back in 2021, after years of chaotic flings with books the kind where you fall hard for three chapters and then ghost for eight months I picked up The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and fell headfirst. I read it everywhere: on the tube, in cafés pretending to sip an oat flat white, even on the treadmill (not recommended, especially mid Celia St. James reveal).
So when The Atmosphere: A Love Story dropped last week, I did what any rational person would do: locked my phone in a drawer, lit a candle I couldn’t afford, and devoured it in one sitting.
Because about two of you enjoyed my chaotic but heartfelt Emily Henry ranking, I thought: why not do it again? This time, I’m diving into the Taylor Jenkins Reid Cinematic Universe with a lovingly messy ranking.
For context, here’s the order I read them in:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Daisy Jones & The Six
Malibu Rising
Carrie Soto Is Back
One True Loves
Evidence of the Affair
After I Do
Forever, Interrupted
Atmosphere
Maybe in Another Life - Not Read
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Hollywood icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell all and she chooses unknown journalist Monique Grant to write her story. As Evelyn reveals her scandalous past, Monique discovers their lives are unexpectedly linked. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a dazzling story of love, identity, and ambition.
Am I painfully basic for putting this at number one? Almost definitely. Is anyone even remotely surprised? Absolutely not. I am obsessed with Old Hollywood glamour: the satin gowns, the whispered scandals, the impossibly high cheekbones, and this book delivers all of it in spades. The heartbreak, the betrayal, the kind of sweeping love that knocks the wind out of you. It’s everything I want in a novel.
When I was in New York back in March, wandering around Greenwich Village near the Stonewall Inn, I couldn’t stop thinking about these completely fictional characters like they were real people I might bump into in a bar. That’s how alive they are. Evelyn is sharp, complicated, flawed, brilliant, a woman you adore and mistrust in equal measure. And somehow, Taylor Jenkins Reid manages to give us a dozen unforgettable characters in one book. I know I’ll reread it one day, but I also know nothing will ever quite match the magic of that first time.
Carrie Soto Is Back
Carrie Soto, a retired tennis icon with 20 Slam titles, returns at 37 to defend her legacy. Fierce, focused, and coached by her father, she faces critics, rivals, and herself. Carrie Soto Is Back is a powerful story of ambition, resilience, and what it means to fight for greatness.
You know that giddy feeling you got as a kid when Disney Channel would do a crossover special: Hannah Montana, Suite Life, Wizards of Waverly Place, all colliding in one glorious evening of television? That’s exactly the energy of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Hollywood universe. The joy of spotting a character, and then watching them get their own story? Pure magic. And Carrie Soto Is Back is the showstopper.
Even if you’ve never watched a minute of tennis in your life, you’ll be fully converted. TJR makes every match feel electric, like you’re courtside, heart in mouth, whispering “please win” under your breath. Carrie is a force: unapologetically ambitious, relentlessly disciplined, and deeply human. Her relationship with her father undid me. Her grit made me sit up straighter.
She might secretly be my favourite because she reminded me that it’s okay to want to be the best, and that greatness doesn’t have an age limit.
Daisy Jones & The Six
Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but no one knows why they broke up. Told as a raw, addictive oral history, this novel unravels the rise and fall of a legendary band. Fame, chaos, heartbreak, and electric chemistry collide in a story that feels too real to be fiction.
You know those rare books that make you stop and check if the band’s actually real? That make you google the characters just to be sure they exist somewhere out there? This is absolutely one of those books. I wanted to meet them, to sit down and talk; flaws and all. That’s how impeccably crafted these characters are.
What’s even more brilliant is how the TV adaptation (which, by the way, is a perfect 10/10) plays with that unreliability. When Daisy and Billy kissed on screen, I remembered wait, did that even happen in the book? No mention. Because the characters lie in their interviews. It’s such a clever narrative twist that completely blew my mind.
Atmosphere
Joan Goodwin has always looked to the stars, content as a physics professor and devoted aunt, until a NASA ad upends everything. In 1980, she joins a fierce astronaut training program, forging unexpected friendships and falling for the magnetic Vanessa Ford. But on mission STS-LR9, everything changes. Atmosphere is a sweeping, emotional story about ambition, identity, and finding your place in the universe.
Every kid dreams of space, or at least I did. Reading Atmosphere gave me that same wide-eyed wonder, paired with the kind of unexpected emotional punch only Taylor Jenkins Reid can deliver. Like Carrie Soto, it’s packed with niche knowledge (in this case, all things NASA), and you can tell TJR became an expert while writing it. You feel it in every detail. I was emotionally invested before I even hit 5%, a true testament to how masterfully she builds characters and connections. And just when you think you know where it’s going … boom. A twist that completely floors you.
Malibu Rising
It’s August 1983 and the Riva siblings are throwing the party of the summer one that starts with surf, spills into secrets, and ends with their Malibu mansion in flames. Supermodel Nina doesn’t even want to host, freshly heartbroken and overwhelmed. But over 24 chaotic hours, everything changes: siblings unravel, truths surface, and the past refuses to stay buried.
On paper, Malibu Rising should’ve been my everything. Dysfunctional siblings, daddy issues, glamour, heartbreak, parties that end in flames; a dream. And yet… something just didn’t click. Maybe I was spoilt, gorging on the TJR universe like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, but I found myself drifting a little. The dual timelines tangled me up, and I could’ve done without the random side-character chapters (sorry to the man doing tequila shots in the guest bathroom).
Nina and June broke my heart, women who gave up everything to hold their families together while no one held them. That part hit. And the exploration of whether we’re doomed to become our parents or capable of rewriting our own scripts was compelling. I didn’t deeply feel one particular character, but I was happy to bob along on the Malibu surf. Still, I lost interest at times, so this one didn’t quite make the top tier.`
Evidence of the Affair
Evidence of the Affair is a quietly devastating novella told through letters between two strangers linked by their spouses’ affair. What begins as shared heartbreak deepens into unexpected intimacy, as raw, vulnerable exchanges explore love, betrayal, and the strange clarity that emerges after everything falls apart.
This was my first novella in ages, and honestly, I loved every one of its 88 pages. It kept me hooked, eager to see how it would wrap up, though, full disclosure, the ending was pretty much what I expected. No jaw-dropping twists here. I did find some of the gushy exchanges between Carrie and David a bit much. They quickly become the “I don’t know what I’d do without you” type, which, sure, makes sense given the situation, but after a while it felt like a broken record a bit much, a bit repetitive. Still, the format totally worked for me. Told through letters, it’s clever how so much unfolds off-page, and we piece it all together through their back-and-forth. Nice little slow-burn.
Forever, Interrupted
Forever, Interrupted is a poignant story of love and loss. After a whirlwind romance and sudden marriage, Elsie loses her husband just nine days later. Grieving and alone, she forms an unexpected bond with her mother-in-law. A tender exploration of heartbreak, healing, and the unexpected shapes of happy endings.
This was a bit of a late discovery for me, Taylor Jenkins Reid mentioned it as one of her favourites during her London talk, so naturally, I had to dive in. It’s an emotional journey that really made me think: who are we to judge how someone grieves, or even if they should grieve at all? I found Elsie frustrating at times; yes, she’s grieving, but her selfishness and rudeness were tough to sit with. That said, as someone who’s experienced loss, I get how grief can change you into someone you barely recognise. I suspect authors might cringe at their earliest work, but this one still holds up and I’m glad I finally read it.
One True Loves
Emma marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse, and they build a life of adventure. After Jesse’s helicopter disappears on their first anniversary, he’s presumed dead. Years later, Emma falls for Sam and gets engaged until Jesse returns. Torn between two loves, Emma must discover what her heart truly wants.
I found myself really frustrated with this book. Jesse honestly came across as a bit of an arsehole, sure, nearly dying is traumatic, but expecting everything to snap back to normal after Emma grieved for four years? Not realistic. The pacing didn’t help either; everything happened so fast. In under 300 pages, Emma ages fifteen years, falls in love multiple times, endures huge personal losses, and makes a huge life decision, all within just a few days in the story. It didn’t give me enough time to really connect. And the ending? Emma completely did Sam dirty by disappearing for that weekend.
After I Do
When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage crumbles, they take a year apart, no contact allowed, to rediscover love. During this time, Lauren reexamines marriage, loyalty, and commitment, influenced by friends, family, and her healing journey. She questions what love really means when romance and loyalty begin to unravel.
I know what happens in this book, but honestly, it’s kind of forgettable. I appreciated Taylor Jenkins Reid’s effort to explore different types of relationships and show they all have value. I actually liked Lauren’s sister, Rachel, the most. But Lauren and Ryan’s relationship? Super toxic, and their communication breaks down instantly. What frustrated me is that Reid doesn’t really address that toxicity; there’s no real growth, reflection, or change from either of them. Instead, they take a year apart and then magically fall back in love, without tackling what caused the problems. Honestly, I doubt they’d stay together long after the book ends.
There you have it a wild, subjective dive into the Taylor Jenkins Reid universe. Want me to keep going? I’d love to hear which TJR book you’d rank number one.
About Twenty Five Reset
Hi, I’m Niamh, and everyone was right 25 really is a turning point. I finally know who I am, what I want, and my purpose… but it’s nothing like I expected.
I work in TV, but it doesn’t define me. This space is my reset embracing the mess, reflecting, and creating again. You can expect:
Pop Culture and a lot of chats about 2000 - 2020 TV Shows
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