While I was a bit late to the game on reading Taylor Jenkins Reid, I was no stranger to the love that her books received. Atmosphere was released last June, and that ended up being my first introduction to the world of TJR, and it forever changed me. It also truly set the standard, and I can’t say any of her other books have even come close to being that magical for me (but I do still love them). A space romance just hit home for me.
As it turns out, Atmosphere hit Reid as hard as it hit us, readers. In an exclusive interview with ELLE, she shared that she felt creatively spent and couldn’t stop thinking about Joan and Vanessa from Atmosphere. Then she had a shower thought, and everything changed.
Forever, Interrupted (2013)
After I Do (2014)
Maybe in Another Life (2015)
One True Loves (2016) // On my TBR
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017) // 3.5★
Evidence of the Affair (2018) // (Technically a short story)
Daisy Jones & The Six (2019) // 4★
Malibu Rising (2021) // On my TBR
Carrie Soto Is Back (2022) // On my TBR
Atmosphere (2025) // 5★
➡️ What is your favourite Taylor Jenkins Reid novel?
It all started with one social media post on July 10th. Taylor Jenkins Reid posted an image of a license plate reading TJR 27, captioned ‘See you on 3.2.27’. If that isn’t an already brilliant start, I’m not sure what is. I love a release date more than anything because it gives me a countdown and something to look forward to. A synopsis without a release date is an empty promise. Simply dropping the release date already gets the conversation going, and the comments were filled with theories about what was happening. A few days later, another post teased images and videos. We saw glimpses of pool, bright lights, road trips, bells and more. The caption continues to tease us: ‘Stay tuned…’
She gave the readers what they wanted without giving us anything.
Then, on July 16th, we got everything. The cover. The inspo. The synopsis. Special edition copies. Custom endpapers. Exclusive release on ELLE.
As Reid puts it, the story is about “two female pool hustlers on the road in the 1970s, tricking men out of their money. And in the summer of 1974, for reasons that will be revealed, they settle down in a small town called Canyonville, Arizona. And when they do, Vic starts to fall in love and Coco starts lying about exactly what she’s up to. And both of those things are going to send them on a collision course to realize that the gambit is up and they can’t continue this way any further.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, ELLE
The idea of pool hustlers first came to Reid in the shower. Writing about pool was never something she had thought about before, but she had some help from her agent, who happened to be a nationally ranked pool player. Reid believes this had lived in her subconscious for a while, similarly to how Malibu Rising came about: When she mentioned the surfing story to her manager, he reminded her that he had been a surfer in the 80s.
Like many of Reid’s other novels, friendship is a huge theme showcasing that they’re never as simple as they seem. She wanted to explore how women platonically love one another and the devastation that only friendship can bring to somebody’s heart. She recalls a specific high school memory of watching the guy she had a crush on, Colin, pursue her best friend, Ashley. Since then, Ashley and Colin have gotten married, and Reid has gotten over her crush.
“We look back on it now and laugh because Colin’s like a brother to me and the idea that I had a crush on him is absurd and he’s so clearly supposed to be with Ashley.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, ELLE
A lot of 17-year-old girls wouldn’t get over it, but the depth of Taylor and Ashley’s friendship allowed them to.
Reid states that she isn’t a visual learner and thus never had a vision for this cover or her past ones. Her publisher, Atria Books, sent her two options for The Last Days of Vic and Coco. One of the options is essentially what we are seeing today.
The only tweaks they needed to make was regarding the font, and Reid shares that she felt heard and understood; like she did her job with this book.
“They got it. They knew the vibe.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, ELLE
I have zero notes on the cover; I think it’s stunning. What I’m most excited by is the vast number of special editions across booksellers in Canada and the US. She also tells her readers in the UK, Ireland, and Australia to stay tuned for their editions.
What does each version include?
Indie Exclusive Version: Includes a letter from Taylor Jenkins Reid and an essay about books, movies, TV shows, and friendships that served as inspiration
Target Version: Includes a sketchbook drawing with key locations.
Barnes and Noble Version: Includes an “in conversation with” author interview
Walmart Version: Includes behind-the-scenes journal pages from Taylor Jenkins Reid's notebook.
Indigo Version: Includes a letter from Taylor Jenkins Reid in her handwriting.
First and foremost, the marketing leading up to this book was perfect in my eyes. The next ACOTAR book is out in 3 months’ time, and we have no synopsis, let alone a title or a cover… It’s still an auto-buy read for me, but I love the build-up of a new release, and I feel like Taylor Jenkins Reid and her team pulled it off so incredibly well. Dropping the release date, a teaser, and an exclusive article felt so natural to me, and I love seeing authors get their moment to shine. That combined with an ongoing conversation with readers is the best way to announce a new book in my opinion.
As for the book itself, I’m so here for it. In the past, I have loved how Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. Where I fall short is the toxicity of some of the characters and their romantic interests. Take Billy in Daisy Jones and The Six or Evelyn in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. All in all, those were incredibly written books, but I couldn’t look past those characters and the decisions they made. Joan and Vanessa in Atmosphere gave me the exact opposite feeling, and I found myself rooting for those two the entire book.
When it comes to Last Days of Vic and Coco, I have a feeling I’m going to feel both joy and anger. We know the story will lean on female friendship, but that won’t be without some speed bumps along the way. When it comes to friendship-centric novels like this one, I often find myself choosing a side, even when I don’t want to. Thus, I’m hoping I can stay a bit more neutral during this one. Female friendships already feel like a topical conversation right now, especially for women in their 20s, so I feel like I need this right now. I want to root for both of them, but I’m also okay with some tears and feeling like I want to throw the book across the room.
Everything else about this novel has me immediately intrigued. Reid is one of the few authors I read outside the romance, fantasy, and thriller space, but I’m almost never left disappointed. I feel like I am learning new things with every book, and it truly just hits me harder than a romance novel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a romance reader at my core, but for the comfort and joy they bring. Taylor Jenkins Reid keeps me on my toes a bit more.
This woman has managed to make me care about tennis, messy privileged Malibu surfers, astronauts and now, pool hustlers in the 70s, apparently???? I’m sure I will inhale this in a few days like her other books — Ivana, Goodreads
Now, I can’t play pool to save my life, but I think the vibes around pool combined with hustling make so much sense. I recently read Lucky by Marissa Stapley, and the con-artist storyline was so fun to read, so I’m envisioning a similar vibe.
And as I mentioned previously, I’m obsessed with this cover and will be heading over to Indigo on release day to purchase the exclusive edition. That is not something I do lightly, but this cover deserves the spotlight.
The Last Days of Vic and Coco will release March 2, 2027.
It follows two female pool hustlers, Victoria Lucchese and Colette Wilson, travelling across the US, leaving overconfident men with empty wallets in their wake.
The idea for this story originally stemmed from a shower thought.
The themes around the story centre on platonic love and female friendships.
Each major bookseller has different exclusive versions of the novel.
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