Malibu Rising

Reidverse

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Malibu 1983. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of one night, each of their lives will be changed forever in this propulsive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six .

Malibu is buzzing with anticipation for Nina Riva's annual party. Everyone wants to be in the company of the famous Rivas: Nina, the surfer and model; her brothers, Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other his renowned photographer; and Kit, the adored baby of the family. As if that picture-perfect family isn't enough, their father is Mick Riva, the legendary singer.

By morning, the Riva mansion will have burned to the ground. And no one will know how the fire started. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play and the loves and secret yearnings that shaped this family across generations will all come bubbling to the surface to make for a night no one will ever forget.

This is a story about family: about what you choose to keep from the people who made you, and what you must leave behind.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Romance, Contemporary, Book Club, Summer

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2021

About the author

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. Her newest novel, Atmosphere, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[el · Rating 1 out of 5]

ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

white nuclear families will literally surf instead of going to therapy for their trauma

this is one of those rare and extraordinary instances where my rage over a book propelled me through its pages at a speed i am totally unused to. i'm typically a slower reader, especially when losing myself in a world i love. this is because i enjoy soaking up details, really sitting with and unpacking the many layers that i've come to expect of long-form fiction. my experience with malibu rising was the utter opposite. i flew through the pages in a fit of wrath. if a five star novel is an onion, this was a single sheet of tissue paper.

when i saw the overwhelmingly positive reviews this book has been racking up, i felt a similar confusion as i had last year, after finishing the invisible life of addie larue and finding that i was pretty alone in my dissatisfaction. i want to chalk this up to the fact that in both scenarios, i had never read a taylor jenkins reid or v.e. schwab book, respectively, and so had no biases or expectations coming into either book. i had never experienced these authors’ writing styles. i didn't know what to expect. i had no preconceived opinions to contend with. i was just along for the ride.

part of me also wonders if maybe these books suffer from the cult classic syndrome so common on goodreads—the question of whether everyone genuinely enjoys these authors as much as they claim, or if, perhaps, their universal popularity among goodreads users has begun to affect the dimensions of public opinion/reviews. sometimes this website does feel like a bit of an echo chamber.

i can't say for sure. i can only speak for myself when i write that i remain unmoved by author popularity or proclaimed talent. beloved books have no effect on me. neither do my goodreads friends' opinions (just as i'd hope my own opinions won't "change" anyone else's true feelings). even despite all of that, though, i know i'm not the wrong audience for these books. romance and found family are some of my favorite things to read about and when done well, it's not hard for a book to sway me, even with glaring faults.

having said all of that, malibu rising was something of a disaster from start to finish. i feel like this preface is necessary because i know reid has garnered a very loyal fanbase. after combing through other reviews, i see that a few who have more extensive experience with her books feel this was a huge departure from fan favorites like daisy jones and the six and evelyn hugo. that's relieving to hear (even if i have no desire to ever pick up a book from this author again). this was very much commercial fiction and i'm wondering if that—commercial/genre trends—hasn't had some kind of effect on the quality of writing.

before launching into the many issues i had with the novel, i want to warn you that i'm going to be laying out a good amount of spoilers.

to begin to illustrate the many emotions i felt over the course of this novel, i have handpicked some annotation—of the 146 or so i jotted down—highlights from my kindle:

• that's enough heterosexuality for today
• fathers will be like hope i am not a person to you guys but a concept then disappear in a cloud of mist and wonder why you are deeply and irrevocably traumatized
• what in the name of filler
• IS IT EVERY BITCH IN THIS BOOK?
• why i hate malibu rising? i will try to be brief (1/435)
• and then the entire audience gasped
• first plot point that doesn't piss me off (annotated 75% into the novel)
• the men in this book: I HATE GETTING ACCUSED OF SOME SHIT I ACTUALLY DID 😡 WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU
• this reminds me of the great gatsby when jay is throwing the party to end all parties and then suddenly goes Everybody Log Out I Wanna Be alone with my hunny Rightnow LIKE BRO YOU LITERALLY INVITED THE ENTIRE TRISTATE AREA TO YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE? A LITTLE LATE FOR THAT
• "eww she fuck the tennis man for tennis balls" - a bitch that's fucking the tennis man for Large Midcentury Unglazed Terracotta Planters on Stands

now, let me defend my one star rating. there are—generally speaking—three major components i look for in a novel and build a rating around (though they are often adjusted according to the parameters set by each individual book i read). plot is not listed among them because, in many cases, fully fleshed out characters are enough to carry a book for me.

1. writing
2. characters
3. world

to begin with: the writing.

reid's is not particularly impressive. more often than not, i found the prose in this novel aggravating, prone to drama, awkwardly descriptive in places and absolutely barren in others. certain stylistic choices, like the third person omniscient perspective, make the novel feel clinical and impersonal—not because this perspective is inherently impersonal, but because reid's execution is.

because the writing style keeps readers at arm's length, it does not feel like i know these characters. instead, it feels like i know someone else who does, someone relaying facts about people, with little to no introspection or interesting, informative character interaction. this drove me up the wall because i love third person omniscient—it might be my favorite point of view to both read and write—and i've seen it done fantastically, in ways that humanize characters, that make you feel intimately, humiliatingly connected to fictional people. this was not that.

readers travel backwards and forwards through time, watching the story of the riva children's parents unfold in the past, then catapulting back into the present as these children grapple with what it means to grow up parentless in old hollywood over a 24 hour time period. the structure is designed to create an impression of cause and effect, but because reid lays it on so thick, vaulting back and forth through time quickly becomes tedious.

since we're on the topic of laying it on thick: the melodrama, dialed all the way up, sits at a resting 100% throughout the novel, while any sense of reward falls flat. it's a lot like listening to a radio station that's nothing but static at the highest possible volume setting. i'm getting this outpouring of sound, but it's doing nothing for me, evokes no reaction, is more grating than it is gratifying.

in a prologue that seems to want to emulate celeste ng's little fires everywhere, readers are informed through foreshadowing that nina riva's big hollywood party is doomed to end in flames. this prepares readers for a habit the narrative is guilty of repeatedly and unapologetically committing: melodramatic foreshadowing, or preemptive, godlike observations. sometimes this foreshadowing arrives chapters before a certain realization or reckoning unfolds in real time; sometimes, pages. others, mere paragraphs. this writing device colors the novel completely, making eventual emotional payoff feel cheap, and unearned. it blunts the impact of conflict, stifles anticipation, and turns a mounting sense of tension into a plateau of exhaustion.

the consequence of this choice is that i was no longer willing to be surprised by reid's writing. i expected every plot twist. i saw things coming from a mile away. i was biding my time while i waited impatiently for the book to end, and even after finally getting my emotional vindication as things came to a close, i was left ultimately unsatisfied. why? because i'd figured out the plot of malibu rising by the 10% mark.

this tediousness is never more true than with the novel's failed romance, which brings us to characters.

in the goodreads version of this review, i'm only going to touch on one of those romances: june and mick riva. if you want my take on nina and brandon, you can check my blog.

aside from the fact that mick is a grown man seducing a seventeen-year-old girl, we know from the beginning that his romance with june is doomed to end in tragedy. more of that pesky foreshadowing: "the story of june and mick riva seemed like a tragedy to their oldest child, nina."

as readers come to learn, june is the victim of a serial cheater who up and abandons his children on a whim to fuck what we can only assume are hundreds of women (at times as young as eighteen) over the course of his music career, fathering clandestine children while married, divorcing his wife to remarry one of the many women he's having a public affair with, returning to briefly atone for his sins to his family, then running off to remarry again. and again. and again. it was exhausting to type that little summary out. now imagine reading an unreasonably drawn out retelling of that story, when you know every step of the way what kind of man mick is, and just how eagerly june is going to open her doors for him despite it.

the worst part isn't the fact that june is cheated on, over and over, without remorse, while she sits at home performing domestic labor for her (ex-)husband. no. the worst offense is that mick is the crux of june's entire character.

while he is permitted a career, a more fleshed out origin story, and desires wholly independent of the women of this world, all june ever aspires to be is the housewife and mother waiting at the window for her cheating husband to return. she has no personality beyond loving mick. from introduction until death, she is waiting and hoping mick will return in order to complete her, to give her what she needs to become a functioning human again. because, "...to june, it was, always and forever, a romance."

that, to me, is most egregious.

all the time spent trying to paint a picture of generational trauma to explain the gleeful ways in which mick exploits women for personal gain—the ways he sees them only insofar as they can perform for him as sexual objects—could have gone to understanding june and her family outside of a man.

it is choices like these that sabotage the characters in malibu rising, which is a bit of a lead-in to its world.

at times, i forgot that i wasn't reading contemporary fiction. it's only offhand details like random celebrity name-drops (occasionally real celebrities, occasionally fictional) that remind readers these characters are living in the past. malibu rising features a weak facsimile of old hollywood, only believable in that the men of this world are unrepentantly shitty and more often white than not. imagine if the great gatsby were a lifetime made-for-tv movie adaptation. that's the way this book reads.

reid expends most of her effort trying to build a believable party in the second half of the novel that feels vintage enough to convince you it could be real. how is this achieved? no, not through lush detail and three-dimensional characters. through slipshod head-jumping.

which brings me to my next point: filler.

i would argue that over half of this novel is filler. in fact, i have counted at least nineteen filler chapters (or "sections") in this book—meaning, had they been discarded during the editing process or even condensed into larger combined chapters, the narrative landscape would have remained completely and totally unchanged. in other words, they serve no real purpose. they exist to take up time and space. in a book that is 384 pages long, this choice is particularly needless.

malibu rising's second half (aptly called "part two") displays the very worst of this habit. as is often the case with sloppily executed omniscient narration, we head-jump from secondary character to secondary character—though i think calling them "secondary characters" is being generous; they're more like throwaway characters—spending brief, vignette-like interludes with hollywood caricatures who have no time to make any kind of lasting impression on readers. these filler sections are typically around 1-3 pages long and are characterized by washed up celebrities who are either a.) extremely horny, b.) looking to find their "true love," or c.) some combination thereof.

i can see that reid was attempting to humanize or at least fill up the party nina throws through these odd perspective shifts. and yet, rarely does the choice to inhabit secondary characters' heads pay off for writers. here, it is a spectacular failure. time that should gone to the riva siblings and their far more interesting chafing and tenderness is thrown away on...what...? censored threesomes? scummy movie stars groping women and getting away with it? in what world does a three page chapter outlining a celebrity's fictional film successes take precedence over actual plot and main character development?

in malibu rising's second half, there are at least eighteen characters whose heads we're flitting to and from. yes, i counted. at times, these shifts aren't even marked by new chapters or sections. sometimes a perspective leap takes place over a single paragraph, in a fleeting interjection from one character before we melt back into whoever the book has decided is the main show for the moment.

of over twenty badly written characters, i liked a total of two. nina and kit, one of which i was pleased to accurately predict was—spoiler—gay. the other pissed me off up until around the 80% mark, before her character development really kicked in and i finally breathed a sigh of relief.

even still, the way the novel fought tooth and nail to try to convince us that mick is a complex man right up until the bitter end made this experience decidedly hair-pulling. if malibu rising wanted a morally grey character, the book did a terrible job characterizing him as such. he was unambiguously awful from start to finish. so throwing in lines like, “‘i think he’s an asshole. but i can’t be sure. i don’t actually know him well enough to say,’” from his own permanently traumatized child after we’ve spent 350+ pages watching him abandon his blood to live without either parent or even a stable income is more than a little patronizing. i mean, come on. can the novel have some backbone?

this book gets one star from me because it didn’t check off any major components from my informal list and because i experienced not one ounce of personal enjoyment over the course of this harrowing journey. i wanted to rage-quit this book like a video game with bad graphics and worse writing more times than i can count. questions like, what do men have? fueled me for nearly 400 pages, all so i could give an answer i already, deep in my heart of hearts, knew: the audacity.

if i had to sum up my feelings on this book using one of its own quotes, it would have to be...

“tarine shook her head. […] ‘you people are revolting.’”

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good prank as much as the next person, which is to say: kind of, sometimes, hypothetically, and not when it happens to me.

So the fact that I am forced to assume that this book represents the culmination of a years-long trick you all have been playing on me is NOT good news.

I have read everything Taylor Jenkins Reid has ever written, from when she wrote exclusively in the tiny micro-genre of Chick Lit About Bad Things Happening To Kind Boring Women And The Aftermath, to now, when she writes exclusively in the tiny micro-genre of Historical Fiction Set In The Back Half Of The Twentieth Century About Good Women Doing Bad Or Neutral Things In The Name Of Generic Feminism.

I have never given any of it below a 2.5 rounded up, and even that was of the "this is trash but fun trash" variety.

SO I ANTICIPATED THIS WITH GREAT EAGERNESS. An eagerness that was only FUELED by the ENDLESS loving reviews and GLORIFYING hype and UNDYING high average rating!

But you guys!

This book isn't good!

It's been so goddamn long since I've been in this position. I got tired of being the unpopular opinion girl. I got sick of yucking your collective yum, but more importantly, I was not super into dreading checking my own comments on a regular basis.

So I worked on myself. I was in the brain equivalent of a superhero workout montage. (I'm realizing now - why would a superhero really need to work out? They're magic. I think I'm making this up. I don't watch superhero movies, because again, I GOT TIRED OF BEING THE UNPOPULAR OPINION GIRL.)

(It all comes full circle.)

I actually tried to pick up only books I really thought I would like. And it worked! Kinda. My average rating hit ever so slightly above 3 stars for the first time in years. Huge for me, depressing for anyone else - which is my wheelhouse, generally.

And then this book came along. WHICH I SHOULD HAVE LIKED.

And it ruined...everything.

I'm just going to say it: This book is poorly written. It tells without showing. The descriptions are insane. The chapter endings are continually bizarre, alternating between saccharine and nonsensical and a combination of both. Compared to TJR's other books, I feel like somehow an early draft was published by mistake and everyone just has to run with it to avoid embarrassment.

It is, top to bottom, overly sweet.

And, while I typically do care about the often-boring sometimes-not characters that popular Reid's books, and I feel for the nightmarish scenarios that nonstop befall them almost too much, that wasn't so true here. In essence, I felt bad for these people without caring about them.

Does that make sense? In other words it was all the downsides of empathy with none of the ups.

AND I LOVE BOOKS ABOUT SIBLINGS. I am someone with three of them, and I downright adore those bozos. There's nothing I love reading about more than found families and real families. But the goddamn Rivas didn't even feel like siblings, to me. More like weird friends, each with half of a personality, so on the 2 pages they're together you can pretend there are only two and they're real people.

I am so upset.

Bottom line: Ms Jenkins Reid, please go back to the chick lit. Just for one book. Then we can talk about this later.

I need a break.

------------------
pre-review

okay. honesty hour. everyone knows this isn't good and is just pranking me, right?

...i can't be the unpopular opinion girl again. i won't do it.

either way, review to come / 1.5 stars

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currently-reading updates

brought this on a train because i thought it'd be a pleasure to binge read. instead i had to force myself through the first 100 pages.

send thoughts and prayers.

------------------
tbr review

look at me. look me in the eyes. anything taylor jenkins reid writes. ANYTHING. i will read it.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatatataaaa! May I present to you one of the best reads of 2021?

During my read:

• I cried a lot…
• I sniffled…
• I giggled at the sarcastic humor of the author when she described the party-animal celebrities!
• My heart warmed at the close, honest relationships of the four siblings.
• I was mesmerized by the whirlwind time travel between the ’50s and ’80s!

I was shaken to my core—emotions were all over the place after reading Mick and June’s tragic, explosive, heartbreaking story!

TJR is one of my all-time favorite historical fiction authors! She masterfully tells unique and original life stories by creating flawed, broken, but resilient characters who never stop fighting.

In this book, she focuses on the Riva family, with two main storylines: (1) the Riva family’s history starting from the mid-1950s, and (2) Nina’s annual Malibu house party, attended by powerful socialites, famous artists, including popular actors, musicians, athletes, surfers, and tennis players who really know how to party!

If this book were only about Mick and June’s heart-wrenching story, I would have given it ten stars! The flashbacks to the family’s history, the couple’s toxic, sorrowful relationship, and Nina’s sacrifices—becoming a mother to her siblings, giving up her life to protect them and provide them with better conditions—broke my heart multiple times.

I loved the siblings’ unwavering loyalty. Interestingly, not only Nina but also Jay, Hud, and Kit acted as the mature ones in the family while their parents behaved like children. Kit, the youngest, was especially quick-witted, emotional, and straightforward; she never held back. Her slow journey of self-discovery regarding her sexuality, her capabilities, and her brave life choices was compelling.

The boys were somewhat overshadowed by their two tough, vibrant sisters, but I still enjoyed seeing their growth and their determination to be better men than their father.

The only reason I docked a star was the party theme, which had “Little Fires Everywhere” vibes (two sisters, two brothers, and a house on fire). While I enjoyed reading about the eccentric, entertaining characters and their scandalous side stories that night, I wished the focus had remained solely on the Rivas—how they faced their past, their secrets, and the things holding them back from moving forward.

When too many characters are added into the mix, it’s still enjoyable, but it can slightly distract from the main story.

I loved the conclusion, especially Nina’s transformation. By the end, she learns to stand up for herself, refusing to be the victim of her story!

Even though I gave it four stars, I can honestly say I loved reading this book and being introduced to these shiny, well-crafted characters.

This will be one of the most thought-provoking, sensational, and popular fiction novels of the coming year, and I’m thrilled to have had the privilege of reading an advance copy! TJR awakens the artistic soul of her readers with her extraordinarily creative and realistic storytelling.

I highly recommend this book, not just to her fans, but to all historical fiction enthusiasts!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine Books for sharing this reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

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[Yun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished Malibu Rising, and I'm overwhelmed with emotions. I laughed, I cried, and I come away feeling like the Riva family irrevocably touched my heart.

On its surface, there's nothing immediately special about this story. It's a tale of functional and dysfunctional relationships and families all wrapped up in the setting of a party, and it's been done many times before. Yet, Taylor Jenkins Reid infuses so much more into it. There's something about her characters, her writing, and her plot, some intangible quality that is more than the sum of its part. It draws me in and keeps me riveted from beginning to end.

I think your enjoyment of this book will depend largely on how much you can relate to the drama in here. For me, it rang true, and I was struck by how much I connected with so many different characters and their emotions. The search for love and belonging, the pressure to set aside your passions for familial obligations, the urge to love someone who can't always be there when you need them, it all cut deeply through me.

My one nitpick is that when we get to the actual party, there were too many side characters and it took a little bit away from the focus of the story. I'm not sure if we needed to know all of them, and their introduction and side-issues became a bit confusing and convoluted to me. But it's a pretty minor quibble overall.

I've read all of Reid's recent books and it seems like she can do no wrong. She has a real knack for taking a fluffy beach read and elevating it to an emotional height usually reserved for literary fiction, while still keeping me completely engrossed. I cannot wait to see what else she comes up with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Daisy Jones & The Six
Carrie Soto Is Back
Atmosphere
After I Do
~~~~~~~~~~~~

✧ Connect with me ✧ Instagram ✧
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[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was a weird reading experience for me, if I'm being honest. I absolutely blew through it, picking my kindle up to sneak in an extra page or two during every spare moment that I had. I adored the first 60ish% of the story, but things kind of started to go down hill for me as we approached the big party and the ultimate climax of everything. As we get into the party, we go from reading exclusively from the perspectives of the Rivas, to reading short little snippets from a bunch of random party guests and it all just ended up feeling a little disjointed to me. I feel like that aspect mixed with the way that the main plot wrapped up made the ending feel... unspectacular??? That feels so harsh to say because I honestly did enjoy the book as a whole, but I can't help but wish that I hadn't ended up quite as disappointed in the ending as I did. Idk this reading experience was v weird and this review was really ramble-y but TL;DR: this wasn't *perfect* for me but I did still enjoy it and I definitely plan to continue reading everything that Taylor Jenkins Reid publishes in the future!

CW: sexual harassment, cheating, dieting, domestic abuse, child neglect, alcoholism, drug/alcohol abuse, death of a loved one, abortion, miscarriage

[Emily May · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. I like all kinds of books. I like fast-paced gossipy dramas and slower, character-driven literary works. I like the books that you read desperately, that you can't put down, and the ones that make you stop and contemplate something you hadn't before. But, while I didn't always dislike Malibu Rising, I do think it falls somewhere right between the two-- not quite juicy enough to keep me up late, but a far cry from a complex literary novel.

Maybe it would have felt more like the latter if it hadn't been stretched so thin over its cast of six central characters. As it is, what we have is a lukewarm soap opera. The Riva family interested me and drew me in initially, but I was left unmoved by the skimming over of some of their struggles. The tumultuous relationship between Mick and June Riva-- and the well-drawn setting of 1950s Malibu --was the best part of the book for me, and the pace noticeably slowed when the story returned to their offspring.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

there are some authors who were born to tell stories and TJR is one of them.

i love the way im always pulled into her books. she has a way of writing words that seep into my very being. every single thing the characters feel, from the big heart-shattering betrayals to the small moments of sibling pride, i feel. TJR doesnt just get a reader to sympathise for characters, but empathise with them, and thats what makes reading her books a truly great experience. the riva siblings feel like real people, people i have come to know and understand and appreciate, and i love that.

the characters (honestly cant pick a favourite - theyre all great), the awesome setting (this story made me want to surf - and i hate the ocean/beach), the pristine writing (the prologue is one of my favourite chapters of all time) all make this a story to remember. it definitely has the same charm and honesty that made both ‘the seven husbands of evelyn hugo’ and ‘daisy jones & the six’ so memorable. TJR never disappoints.

↠ 5 stars

[sarah]

You say Taylor Jenkins Reid
I say sold

review to come!

[Bryce Rocks My Socks · Rating 5 out of 5]

if dick riva shows up in ONE MORE BOOK i swear to god

[Bel Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

é impressionante a facilidade que a taylor jenkins reid tem de criar histórias humanas, sejam elas simples ou grandiosas; sejam os personagens astros do cinema, da cena musical & artística ou apenas um mero casal passando por dificuldades mundanas. a maneira com que ela administra perfeitamente a vida desses personagens é palpável e, no caso de malibu renasce, isso acontece fazendo com que o leitor seja mais um convidado da enorme festa que acontece na casa de nina riva, uma das várias crias do superfamoso cantor mick riva.

apesar de ser o acontecimento do livro, a festa foi só um dos momentos que a autora mostrou a evolução da própria escrita. os detalhes descritos, a perfeita representação burguesa e artística dos anos 80, tudo foi tão bem pontuado que cheguei a sentir o cheiro de maresia exalando das páginas. malibu renasce é um emaranhado de sentimentos, passando pela raiva, compreensão, perdão, egoísmo, decepção e só... as dores e delícias de viver, intensamente ou não. aliás, o que é viver com intensidade, afinal de contas?

sem sombra de dúvidas, ele compõe a tríplice coroa de taylor jenkins reid pra mim, junto com evelyn e daisy. ela é a autora que vai marcar uma geração e é muito bonito termos essa certeza quando entramos em contato com suas obras.

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Malibu Rising is set in one night in Malibu in the 1980's. We meet the Riva family: Nina, Hud, Kit, and Jay. The story has flashbacks to the beginning of the family and some of the heart aches along the way. It also shares the stories of various party goers.

This book told many different stories, and some of them were more interesting than others. However, the author had the bravery to go beyond merely telling a happily ever after story but a more realistic one.

The pacing on this book was off. The first chapter of the book was such a disservice. I found it to be incredibly boring and didn't intrigue me or pull me in. As I started to read the book, I started to warm up to it and started to really enjoy it although I do think a few of the stories dragged on a bit too long.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book for my fair and honest opinion.

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Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal

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[David Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooved, loooved this one, as I do with all of Reid’s novels. Five glorious stars. This one will also go in the top ten books for the year. The depth of characters, their motivations and most importantly the voice, top shelf skill level. The story is about one night, one party in Malibu, a unique idea (not sure anyone else could’ve pulled it off so well). To make it work we had to know the characters intimately before the party starts. There are two interwoven plot lines, the day of the party, we the reader, are taken through hour by hour leading up to the annual soirée. The second story line is the history that motivates the characters, how they got to where they were in life before the party starts. For me this is the only weakness in the structure. The book opens with the more current story, the day of the party which is interesting but then alternates with the history story line. For me the history story line is more engaging. I found myself wanting to be in the historical part, the character-building more than the build-up to the party. There is more conflict and energy. Don’t get me wrong the build-up to the party is great, it’s just over shadowed in greatness. Then as the story timelines grow together it just didn’t matter the great prose and storytelling merged.
What carries this book so well is the voice. The story is told in third person, but Reid skips from character point of view to character point of view sometimes even on the same page. The transitions are seamless and gives a wonderful insight to how the characters feel and react.
As a reader I loved every member of the family, their trials and tribulations were real, and I related to many of them. That’s what a great writer does, connect with the reader and Reid is a master at it. Marvelous read. Highly recommend.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson Series.

[₊ ˚ ale ࿓ ♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

time to reread bc i miss my riva kids<3

Once again, for Taylor Jenkins Reid's books, 5 stars aren't fucking enough.

“Our family histories are simply stories. They are myths we create about the people who came before us, in order to make sense of ourselves.”

I did it again because I loved the idea of how it'd look. And I'm satisfied with the results.

If you haven't read it, don't read any further, my review has many spoilers ahead. You've been warned, my friend.

Malibu Rising isn't what I was expecting, to be honest. It's a little bit different of what the synopsis told me. (My case)

We follow the four kids of the famous and legendary singer, Mick Riva. Nina, the supermodel and surfer. Jay and Hud, a championship surfer and a photographer, and Kit, their little sister. They're famous and recognized in Malibu, and all over the world. It's Nina's big annual party, where all of the famous people attend to be seen, to make out with others, to have fun, to smoke a joint, have sex and to tell the story that they were at the legendary party of Nina Riva. But by morning, the entire house will be consumed by the flames.

I was expecting something different from Mick Riva's offspring. I honestly thought that they had grown up being recognized by people, that they had grown up with fame surrounding them or something like that: spoiled kids having the world at their feet, just like Mick. But, I had something different. And I loved it.

We have two timelines: the day of the party and Mick and June's story. And at the end, both make sense, they're the same ending basically; it's the explanation of the Riva family. How Mick met June, how they fell in love, how Mick's career began...

Anyhow, we have the story of a girl who fell in love with a handsome guy who promised the moon and stars, who was naïve and fell for his smile, who didn't know much about the world, but still, she faced it. Everything the world threw at her, June Riva faced everything, and more.

Mick Riva is no new character for those who read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six. He's a famous and legendary singer, but also a playboy, an asshole who sleeps with everybody's wives and don't give a shit about it. (Here, we got the mention of two characters from Daisy Jones, yai)

This means we have a Jenkinsverse™??? Yes, indeed. And it's wonderful and beautiful.

Mick married June when she was pregnant and their firstborn was named Nina. Then came Jay and then, Hud, but, my sweet baby Hud wasn't June's son, at least not hers... It was Mick's son and from another girl who went to June's house and put the tiny baby in her arms, leaving with no regrets and no looking back... This broke my heart and then, June promised herself she would raise that baby and love him as much as she loved Nina and Jay. And finally, Kit.

It is explained to us Mick's background. I understand him now, but I don't forgive or excuse what he did, his behaviour, attitudes or actions. I felt pity for him at some parts, but most part of the time, I wanted to kick him and yell at him for being a dick.

This book is about family, about love and the things we sacrifice for the ones we love. And even those sacrifices are difficult and filled with love and responsability.

I honestly admire Nina. She gave up many things after her mother died in order to raise and take care of her siblings, who needed a mother, and whose father abandoned them... twice. Let this be no surprise to you: Mick Riva was an asshole in Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, but here, his levels of stupidity has no limits.

I thought that Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit had grown up knowing what fame is, not starving and fighting for not being take from their home, for being taken away from their older sister, who loved them so much. I swear, I didn't see anything of that coming. It was heartbreaking, magical and full of feelings.

The mention of Celia made me cry so much. Also, there is a paragraph that makes reference to my queen and goddess: Evelyn Hugo.

I fell in love with each character, and the new ones who appeared too. It was an amazing ride knowing the Riva kids, and also Casey.

I loved Nina's love for her siblings, and the fact that she finally realized that she gave up everything, that she never gave time for herself, that she finally stood up and fought for her, got what she wanted. I loved Jay's love for his brother and when he realized that he didn't love Ashley, that he would do anything for his family. I loved Hud so so so much (my fave, ha), he's so soft and caring aND oMG, TAYLOR, PLEASE, LET ME MARRY HIM. I loved Kit's honesty, she's so fucking amazing and how Ricky didn't judge her for being lesbian the moment she confessed it to him, he understood and didn't get mad about it or told anyone.

"He had been so close to the girl he'd always wanted. And now he understood it truly was never going to happen. But that's how life goes, Ricky thought. You don't always get the things you want."

I laughed, cried and get many feelings for this book. In general, I loved it.

The pacing was amazing, the plots, the romance, the characters, the writing. TJR's writing style is something wonderful *chef kiss*. I love it. As aspiring author, I envy her (jk) and admire her way to grab you from the first moment until the very end.

She's my favorite author now!

I loved when the Riva kids were talking with Mick, being honest with him about all the things they kept for many years, when he abandoned them and their mother.

Right where you left me by Taylor Swift suits perfectly to this book, with June, at least. Also, many many many songs by her. I also looked up for many playlists on Spotify (word keys: Malibu Rising). and they were amaZING, JUST LIKE THIS BOOK.

Malibu Rising isn't an action book. It barely has some action, but you get trapped by the plots and the two story lines!

This book is full with many feelings that leave you wanting for more. And honestly, I wanna know more of Nina, Jay, Hud, Kit and Casey.

10000000000000000 stars and my eternal love.

Once more, TJR showed me that men are not worth it. :')

A section in Spanish to insult because I think I insult better in my native language.

Mick, sos un grandísimo bastardo y desgraciado, pinchi pendejo. Quise golpearte demasiadas veces por todo lo que June sufrió, por tu pinche culpa. Me rompió el corazón ver a June tan triste y deprimida, vuelta una alcohólica porque no pudiste mantener a tu amiguito en tus pantalones cada vez que veías a una mujer bonita. Ugh, me cagas. Grandísimo hijo de tu putísima madre, me dolió tanto ver cómo June sufría, y sus hijos con ella. Los hombres son inútiles y todos unos mentirosos, sí.

previous review:

oNCE MORE, TAYLOR JENKINS REID DID IT.

RTC. I'M ON TEARS AND I NEED TO GET MYSELF TOGETHER


i'll read anything written by taylor jenkins reid, yup

[Ayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

i cant even be surprised anymore. i mean it’s taylor jenkins reid. ughh this had no business being that good. the writing, the plot, the characters all 10/10.
the best part about this book was the authenticity of it. real life problems dealt in real life ways. not over romanticized or unrealistic conclusions.
this book is beautiful, emotion, and heart jerking!
literally there was so much ache in this book my heart plummeted.(but like in a good way) these characters have really been through it, and we get to see that throughout the whole book.
the way these siblings love one another-no matter what the situation is-they’ll have each other’s back. i’m envious but also so happy for them.
i finished this book with a big smile on my face.
this is the type of book that will have you thinking about it for days. (if you read & liked “the glass castle” even in the slightest, this book is for you)

[Clace · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75!

“Nina understood, maybe for the first time, that letting people love you and care for you is part of how you love and care for them.”

My first TJR book and its safe to say that I am impressed. This book was so fast paced. I listened to the audiobook and I finished it in the span of 24 hours. It was so easy and engaging, it kept me hooked and I wanted to read more. The way its told is pretty interesting as well. It jumps from past point of view of the mother and the father to the present point of view of the children. I feel like TJR did a good job portraying the story of toxicity and failed marriages along with empty promises and raising yourself. It was somewhat a coming of age story as well.

I was very drawn into the story and I love long casts in books but there were too many unnecessary characters in this book that quite literally proved to be of no use. I also did not feel that well connected to the characters. Like I enjoyed reading about them, I felt for them but I also forgot about them?? I would say June's story was very intriguing and frustrating to read, it was enjoyable but her doormatness knew no bounds. I liked Nina's characters a lot and I loved the final conversation between her and their father. Her siblings were fun to read about as well, I did have mixed feelings about Hud tho. The only sane one would be Kitt tbh. I loved the struggles that Nina went through and her story was stronger than the others.

The way the story progressed and with it switching timelines got a little confusing, especially on audiobooks (I listen on 1.75-2x so it got a little more confusing for me) but I feel like therapy would have helped these people a lot. I think I kind of understood these characters as well set in that timeline. I feel like my review is a little over the place because I am writing this in a hurry. Carrie Soto was another character that I felt conflicted towards, I hated her for the things that she did and her justifications were fucking bullshit but the way she stood up for herself now thats what I wanted.

It's short chapters, short book, very easy to read and can easily pull you out of a slump! it's more of a go with the flow kind of story and I really enjoyed reading this book, so these are 3 good stars and I'll definitely keep and eye out for her next books. I also would recommend this!!
___
This was so enjoyable and I read it literally in 24 hours!! Had a few problems but it's definitely worth a try.
__
My first TJR book and I'm so excited!! I started this yesterday and I AM HOOKED! (ranting with Hoda makes it sm more fun!)

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes a book a great book? Is it writing? Is it the premise? Is it the characters? Or is it the author's voice? I don't know but I can tell you, I thought the Malibu Rising checked all the boxes above. It was superb!

I had so much fun with the multiple storylines which is weird because usually I’m against too many characters moving around all over the place. Nevertheless, in this case, it completely worked for me.

Let's meet the Rivas:

Mick Rivas, the father, an unfaithful man, a famous rock star. A sperm donor who has four children and a trail of ex-wives and broken hearts.

Nina, the oldest daughter. A supermodel. The one who made all the sacrifices for her siblings. The one that took over their care without thinking about herself. Her husband left her and she is not even sure how is she going to deal with the upcoming party.

Hud, the surfer photographer who's keeping a big secret from his brother, Jay.

Jay, the well-known surfer who has a secret of his own.

Kitt, the youngest daughter. The road to self-discovery has began, What better way to do it than during the famous Rivas party.

Is the 1980s and everyone wants to go to the party of the year! Everyone and anyone who is someone wants to attend the Rivas party. And what a PARTY it is. There is no invitation. The only condition to be a guest is to know the address. If you do, you can show up and have the time of your life. Or not....

Over the years, the Rivas party has become the one event the siblings enjoy together. Yet, this year things are going to be different.

I love all the Rivas kids. They had an unbreakable bond and surfing was their glue.

Of course, I had a soft spot for Nina.

I can't finish my review without mentioning the beautiful cover. I love it. It's perfect for these characters. I already preordered my copy.



Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Elyse Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

In order to not feel completely nauseated...(such a let down book after “Daisy Jones and the Six”)...
around half way into this Southern California doozie-eye-rolling novel....
I decided it was up to me to turn the tables... and have a little fun.
And so I did....( kinda)....
But oh dear....”Taylor, I love you...have enjoyed all your previous books....but “Malibu Rising”, is not your best work.

It was 1983....
Malibu was a place were rich white people lived....
....home to beaches cradling the crystal blue waves of the Pacific Ocean.
“Beach houses are crammed along the side of the highway competing for views, narrow and tall”.
Early mornings, the beach was quiet. It was a glory time of day for serious surfers....
There was a small exclusive cove, protected on all three sides by fifty foot cliffs. Technically, the beach was public. But the only people who knew how to get to it were those who had access to private stairs or those willing to hike the jagged coast line and risk high tide.

In 1956....
.....a few years before “The Beach Boys” and a few months before “Gidget”—( thank you, Sandra Dee) —surfing was becoming popular among teenagers.
.....we get a little family history (family drama, character profiles) about the Riva family:
We get the scoop on June, Mick...and their kids: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit.
In the 50’s, Malibu was a rural fishing town with only one traffic signal.
..... The town was coming into its adolescence. Surfers were setting up shop with your tiny shorts, longboards, and bikinis were coming into fashion.
June‘s family owned Pacific Fish Restaurant (the oldest surviving offbeat restaurants in Los Angeles today)
But....
The bulk of this story takes place in 1983....over one long 24-hour day.
BEWARE.....
THIS IS NOT A DUDE BOOK. It’s woman’s fiction for those who love gossip magazines about celebrities, family drama, and schlocky cringe scenes like the following:
“Lara climbed on top of him and began to move, her shirt lifted to expose her breasts, her skirt around her hips. The top of her head kept hitting the ceiling of the truck and Jay, trying so very hard to focus on Lara, couldn’t help but wonder if HUD had fucked Ashley in this truck, just like this. If Ashley‘s head head also hit the ceiling”

MY EYES WERE ROLLING.
My husband, Paul, had a few good laughs - (we were both reading books - side by side - yesterday, Saturday afternoon (nice lazy day).
Paul said....”ok, enough already, read to yourself”.
He wasn’t interested in growing bigger boobies from estrogen overload.

Maybe Taylor was stoned when she wrote this book....(I don’t think I could blame her if she was)....
but there were many pages of ‘bad writing’ and trite stereotyping.

The ‘fun’ parts for me were the tidbits visuals of the day ...( laughable to boot):
Virginia slims, Marlboro cigarettes, Tab, Jeep’s, Jaguars, Airstream caravans, and Wayfarers classic sunglasses (popular among celebrities) were classic in 1983.
So was long brown hair,
lightened with lemon juice, slim toned bodies, string bikinis, and tanned skin.
Love affairs, and Topsiders were nifty.
Crop tops and Daisy Dukes, were stylin....
Backyard parties; threesomes with rock stars in the jacuzzi wasn’t shocking....
Cigarettes, vodka, tequila, whiskey: booze of all kinds, cocaine, multiple divorces, death, pregnancy, the local surf shop, surfing, ( hot pink surf boards were cool), Tennis stars, pop music stars,
Keg parties, actors, models, writers, Directors, even a few Olympians, were apropos to Los Angeles, California.
And....
‘Lame’, a popular slang saying in 1983 ... was kinda ‘lame’.

Honestly, I don’t think I ever remember a book that Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote this bad. But, like I said....I ‘went with it’....I rode the wave....
And luckily evacuated in time ....as to not get caught in the coastal cliff fire.

Maybe Taylor was hurting and distracted when she wrote this novel, like many of us during the pandemic—
So I forgive her —and to be fair ... there were a few tender sweet emotional moments.
Taylor Jenkins Reid fans will gobble this book anyway. Great work, mediocre...some of us simply love TJR ( me too).

I leave you with one small except:
“Every day of your life feels like you’re climbing up a mountain. And then you get there and you stay for a bit. And it’s nice at the top. But then you start sliding down the other side”.

Thank you Random House, Netgalley, and Taylor Jenkins Reid

[MarilynW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is just my third TJR book. I loved Daisy and The Six even though there is very little that I can relate to the rock star life. I have followed music all my life though and my husband follows the background of rock stars and groups so that book was very entertaining to me, especially with the audio version's fantastic production. I also enjoyed the audio version of Evidence of the Affair. In the case of Malibu Rising, which I read rather than listened to, I don't think the audio version would have made a better impression on me. 

The time is August 1983 and the famous Riva siblings are throwing their annual party. Before we get to the actual party towards the end of the book, we go back to the time when the siblings' parents met. That meeting begins a very dysfunctional relationship with a to-be world famous father who abandons the family at the first sniff of another woman, more than once, and a mother who is physically there but whose abandonment takes the form of perpetual longing for her horrible husband and drinking herself to death due to her self pity. I actually liked this part of the book the best, reading about horrible choices of both parents, either active choices or passive choices, that affect their children's' entire lives. 

Oldest sibling, Nina, raises her brothers and sister even while her mother is still alive and that responsibility shapes her in ways that cause her to have no sense of self preservation, no sense of caring for her personal space or emotions. All the children have an overwhelming sense of abandonment but they have each other and that sense of belonging is priceless. Each one of the siblings is enormously talented in flashy ways and everyone wants to know them, be with them, be them. 

Things come to a head as we approach the party and attend the party. All these wealthy, powerful, narcissistic, people mingled in with those who want those things, come together at the party and it's a disgusting affair of debauchery, destruction, drink, drugs, sex, drink, drugs, sex. I didn't belong there, never in person and not by reading a book. Any message in the last part of the story was drowned out by this party, for me. I know a lot of people will enjoy this story and I did enjoy large parts of it. 

Publication: June 1st 2021

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.

[ELLIAS (elliasreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not me forgetting (the entire time I read this) that this took place in the same universe as Evelyn Hugo!!!!!! I mean it was literally about one of the characters, I'm deeaaaadddd.

This book was basically about rich people having daddy issues who know how to surf and living their best (and worst) lives along side of the ocean.

That's it.
Good, but not good enough.

Watch our live show about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buk8z...

3.5 STARS
Twitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |

[Riley · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
this was such a let down

[preoccupiedbybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Now available in the UK*

A tale of riches, excess, family and betrayal

Malibu Rising tells the story of the Riva family, from the 1950's, when June and Mick first met and fell in love, to the 1980's, when their children are grown, and having their annual party.

Let's just say that I didn't burn for this one...🔥

It's no secret that I struggled with this, and it probably would have been a DNF, if it wasn't an ARC, but I soldiered on, determined not to squander my luck at getting a TJR ARC! I am pretty upset that I didn't like this, as I am a fan of this author, previously loving Evidence of the Affair and Daisy Jones & The Six, and also enjoying Maybe in Another Life, but I found this one quite tedious!

There were pacing issues for me, as the first 60% was very slow and boring. The third person omniscient writing style kept me at arms length, so I felt detached, and had no real connection to any of the characters. It felt oddly impersonal, as if I was reading about someone else telling me these character's story, rather than the characters themselves? There was also so much filler! There was a huge amount of descriptions about what the characters were wearing for example, which felt shallow to me.
Then at abut the 70% mark, the pace suddenly picked up, and the story became more dramatic, drawing me in, only to find that there were many new POVs, from guests at the big party. This felt like an odd choice to me, so far into the story, and I found that I cared even less about these characters and what they did or thought! Much like a soap opera, the party was full of trashy, clichéd Hollywood stereotypes. I wasn't surprised at the destruction, the name dropping of made up and real celebrities, and the vapid narcissistic guests, but did feel like we were building to something dramatic.

The characters had a lack of development, and didn't feel fully fleshed out to me. We actually missed a huge chunk of the Riva children's lives. Nina, the main character was so bland and dull, she irritated me until right near the end, when she finally had a bit of character growth. The sexual harassment she put up with turned my stomach! Hud and Jay were both ok, and I did like their brotherly bond. June was hard to read about with her alcoholism, and the fact that her whole character and worth was based around her husband. Both her life and death felt meh. Mick Riva, was quite obviously written to be unlikeable, as he was a selfish, self obsessed, unfaithful, weak man, but I didn't want him to return near the end, and did not appreciate his attempt at a redemption arc. He was a P.O.S and a waste of space. Kit, the youngest Riva, was the most likeable, being a no nonsense kind of girl , just discovering herself, but I felt that storyline could've been explored more.
I did appreciate the bond that the siblings had, how they supported each other and had each other's backs. They were dealt a crappy hand. Really though, I couldn't bring myself to care much about what happened to any of them!

Although, I could feel a build up to a dramatic and devastating climax, it actually fizzled out in an anticlimactic and flat manner.
What I was expecting:



What I got:



Overall, I found this book lacklustre, predictable, over the top and forgettable, but I am definitely in the minority here! My unpopular little opinion is that this isn't TJR at her best, it just lacks the magic of her other books, but with a 4.29 average rating, it is likely that most people may like it, and I sincerely hope that you do like it more than I did! Many have enjoyed this beachy read, so maybe head over to Malibu to see what you think for yourselves! 🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️

Many thanks to NetGalley UK and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

[chan ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i find myself once again reading a TJR book and reconsidering my life decisions leading to me this point

[bruna · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ 3 stars

“Our family histories are simply stories. They are myths we create about the people who came before us, in order to make sense of ourselves.”

i heard such great things about this book and i was beyond excited to read it, but seeing my rating you can notice that it didn’t live up to my expectations. sighs. i’m quite disappointed.

the first half of the book was told in alternating timelines, which was interesting. in the present, we were able to see the lives of four famous siblings, the Rivas; and in the past, we had the chance to know their parents’ backstory and discover what happened between them.

i have to admit that i was more invested on chapters about the past. the storyline of June & Mick Riva (the parents) was what picked my interest the most in this book. the chapters focused on the present weren’t very captivating to me, sadly. mostly because i didn’t find the storylines of the Riva siblings — Nina, Jay, Hud & Kit — overly gripping. i’m not saying that i disliked the siblings, but i was not that interested (not as much as i wanted to) in their lives and personal problems, which was probably the reason why i didn’t really feel emotionally connected to them. i also think that they were sort of underdeveloped personality wise. well, Jay, Hud & Kit at least; Nina was the only one out of them who had a remarkable personality. nonetheless, the first half got me hooked and, despite some issues, i was liking the book up to that time.

i genuinely believed that the second half would make me connect with the Riva siblings and that the author would flesh out their personalities. but then, i reached the second half... and let me tell you: it was a mess. and no, not in a entertaining way. and since we’re being honest, it was also kind of boring. not exactly what i expected.

it was not told in two different timelines anymore; June & Mick’s storyline was concluded, so now the story was entirely focused in the present day. the prologue and also the blurb of the book tells us that in august of 1983 Nina Riva’s annual party to celebrate the end of the summer got wildly out of control over the course of twenty-four hours and her house ended up in flames — which got me very intrigued. i was looking forward to know what happened at this crazy party.

however, once this party started, things started going downhill for me. mainly because of the fact that a bunch of random characters came out of nowhere and, although we didn’t know much about them, for some strange reason we were forced to read their POVs and see a bit of what they were going through. i was genuinely so confused about that, i just stood there like, “hold on, who the hell are these people? and why should i care about them and their problems?” i really didn’t understand. at some point, i started skimming the chapters about these strange people that i definitely did not care about because the whole thing was pointless to me. i felt like their stories literally didn’t add nothing to the story, i don’t get why the author thought that it would be interesting, because it wasn’t. not for me, at least. i only wanted to know about the characters that had an actual importance to the story and that’s it. i had zero interest in the others that were absolutely irrelevant.

on top of that, the party itself was truly tedious and quite disappointing. sure, there was a lot of drama and i do love drama, but here it just... fell flat in my opinion. it didn’t really catch my interest and i couldn’t care less. the only “drama” i liked to see was the one about the Riva siblings with Mick since it was an important part of this book. though i still think it could’ve been handled better. well, many things in the second half could’ve been handled better — remember when i said that i believed that the author would make me connect to the characters and explore more their personalities? that’s not what happened. Reid was more busy focusing on unimportant side characters and giving us way too many filler scenes.

the ending left much to be desired. i expected more from it, thought it would be great and perhaps intense, but sadly it wasn’t. it felt very rushed and unsatisfying. i was left disappointed.

there’s no doubt that TJR is a talented writer, but unfortunately, i can’t personally say that Malibu Rising is her best work. either way, i don’t necessarily think that this is a terrible book — not at all. it has some good parts and the writing is awesome, i just don’t think that this book was for me. don’t let my negative thoughts prevent you from reading this story, though! maybe you will have a better experience than me (i truly hope you do).

──────────────────────

➷ pre-review:

it’s been so long since i’ve read anything by tjr so here we gooo! 🩵 this better deliver because i’ve heard it’s amazing and my expectations are high 👀

[Pam Gonçalves · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐️

Só sei sentir. Eu te entendo, Nina. Eu te entendo.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling you get when you try something amazing for the first time? For me it was the first time I tasted cheesecake. It’s like I inherently knew that I would never meet a cheesecake I didn’t like, no matter what flavor it featured, and I’d always want another bite.

This was my first Taylor Jenkins Reid book, and all I can say is, YUM!! I’m definitely gonna want more of this. Don’t care what flavors, just gimme a bite.

The Riva family in this book are fascinating. Iconic singer Mick can’t keep it in his pants, despite his marriage and later remarriage to kind-hearted June, but one good thing that does come out of the marriage is their children: Nina, Jay and later Kit. Added to the mix is Mick’s illegitimate son, Hud, who June lovingly raises as her own. The Riva children, now grown, have never known a life in which Mick was physically present and involved, and by circumstance, now find themselves completely dependent on each other to navigate life. In this situation, they’ve each found ways to survive and thrive.

Nina, the oldest, is the responsible one. The caretaker. The comforter. The one who will sacrifice her own desires and dreams to hold her family together. If that means working as a well-paid model in the public eye when she’d really rather have a quiet life surfing, she’ll put everyone else’s needs first.

Jay and Hud are brothers from different mothers and are almost like twins, both in age and in their inseparable nature, often traveling together as adventurous Jay pursues surfing professionally and sensitive-natured Hud photographs him for magazines.

Kit is the youngest, a no-nonsense girl in the shadow of her beautiful and talented older siblings, but possibly the most talented surfer of the bunch.

I love these four. They’re dysfunctional and wounded in their own ways, but wholly committed to one another, and you just always get the sense that no matter what happens in life, they’ll have each others’ backs. I felt so invested in each of them and their well-being. When the story culminates in the infamous Riva party that Nina holds at her place each year getting wildly out of control, those bonds get put to the test as all chaos ensues.

The story bounces between the past - the beginnings of Mick and June’s relationship and their relational history, together and apart, and the present (1980’s), showing the current lives of their children. I loved both storylines equally, as each one was compelling in its own way. Additionally, there are no boring characters to be found in this book, and there are a LOT of characters - so many!

Some books just resonate with you, and this was one that I connected with. I think there were aspects of the story that I personally related to because of similarities to aspects of my life, but there was also just a tremendous amount of humanity in these characters. They just felt real in a way that I sometimes struggle to find in book characters. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea: I love this book and highly recommend it!

★★★★★ ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This will be published June 1, 2021.

[Chelsea Humphrey]

*Thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for providing my review copy.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When it comes to Taylor Jenkins Reid, there are fans that are B.E. and A.E., as in Before Evelyn or After Evelyn. I am straight up B.E., because I fell in love with the author’s contemporary fiction before the publication of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo that took her not only into historical fiction territory but also into the mainstream.

Oh how I hope she returns to her B.E. style one day soon, but in the meantime, here’s a glimpse into my thought process regarding her latest novel, Malibu Rising:

- TJR has a new book! TJR has a new book! Gimme it!

- Ah man, it’s historical fiction not contemporary romance. Bummer.

- But a large part is set in the ‘80s! Amidst the So. Cal. surfing culture. Gnarly! Let me bust out my Ocean Pacific t-shirt and grab a Bartles & Jaymes lemon sunset cooler.

- Okay so we’ve got a family of 4 siblings who have a famous Dad and are each a bit famous in their own way. Kinda like the Kardasians of the pre-Insta world???

- So they’re just having a big rager of a party? Not sure I’m going to care about the storyline here.

- This is feeling like it might be my first 3-star TJR read. :(

- Wait, it’s almost over already? Well those 380 pages certainly flew by.

- And I actually really cared about these characters! How did that happen?

- Oh right, it was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Of course her writing and depth are going to elevate a book that might have been ordinary in a lesser author’s hands.

- Let me sleep on it before writing my review. 3.5 or 4 stars??? Hmmm. Zzz.

- 4 stars!

While Malibu Rising probably won’t rise to the top of my 2021 reading list, I still recommend it as a great summer indulgence. Just dive in with no expectations and ride the wave of TJR’s skillful storytelling.

Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/

[✨ jami ✨]

taylor jenkins reid sitting down to pen a novel: of course i believe in mens rights .... mens rights to shut the fuck up !!!

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5?) Good family drama/historical fiction book again from this author.

I think I've hit my quota of sad stories for a while though.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

↠ 4.5 stars

It’s August 27th, 1983, and Malibu burns. Just hours earlier the famed end-of-summer party hosted at the Riva mansion was in full swing, and not a soul knew that it would soon end with Malibu in flames. The Riva siblings have always attracted attention, having made a name for themselves in the surfing world, and being the children of legendary singer Mick Riva. The end-of-summer party is tradition, yet the only one not looking forward to it is Nina, the eldest of the four. After being abandoned by her pro-tennis player husband, Nina longs to escape the gravity of the spotlight, if only for a short while. Inseparable brothers Jay and Hud are on a collision course for a confession that could ruin their entire relationship, and youngest Kit harbors a secret, a guest she invited without consulting anyone. Over the course of just one night, the party of the summer will take a turn into the slow unraveling of a family tethered together for generations.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is back at it again with Malibu Rising, a book that is shaping up to be the beach read of the summer and sure to leave readers with more than a few burns. This evocative novel spans generations in the lives of one family, proving once again its author's talent for crafting powerful historical narratives across alternating timelines. Where her previous novels felt slowly drawn out, Malibu Rising turns that on its head, dropping readers headfirst into the chaos of a night that changed everything for one family. Following each member of the Riva siblings throughout the day, and chronicling the lives of previous generations, Reid creates an intricate tapestry of legacy contrasted against a search for freedom from the past. True to her writing style, Malibu Rising is heavy on the characters, and light on all other aspects — something I have loved about her works in the past. Reid has always had the ability to provide readers with as much stake in the game as her own characters, and that is evident from the way that the novel was structured. Malibu Rising brings readers into the fold right at the very end and works backward to fan the flames that will inevitably spark and light Malibu ablaze. This flipped narrative interspersed with generational flashbacks only made the characters stronger, heightened the already brimming tensions, and placed more uncertainty upon the reader's shoulders. With her incredible talent for storytelling, it’s no wonder that this was a hit for me. Taylor Jenkins Reid first captured my attention with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and will continue to do so for many years to come. In Malibu Rising, one night truly does change everything, and together one family will begin to separate themselves from the things that they wish to leave behind and hold tight to all that they can accomplish together.

Trigger warnings: drugs, alcohol consumption, death of a loved one, grief, parental abandonment, infidelity, stroke