I’m back with another review! Today I’m sharing my review of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.
Synopsis
Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.
Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over–especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud–because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own–including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
Why I Decided to Read this Book
Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of my favorite authors! I loved The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the six. Hence, I was super excited when I received an early copy of her latest book. I couldn’t wait until closer to publication date to read it. Good thing is now I can tell you if you should pre-order it!
Rating
4.5 Stars (Check out my rating system!)
My Thoughts
Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again! I will be honest I was nervous because I love anything I’ve read by TJR but she always delivers. She has a way to get you so interested in these characters. The character development is on point while also having a good plot. I loved being transported to the 80s in Malibu and it actually made me want to go there. If you’re sad that you haven’t been able to travel for the past year, this book will somehow satisfy that travel craving. At least it did for me.
There’s something about Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing that I can’t explain but it sucks you in. Her characters and stories are complex but very easy to follow and read. There’s plenty of characters but it wasn’t hard to keep up with it. I think they were all necessary for the story. I liked the dual timelines, the suspense and how it all came together in the end. I think this is the perfect summer read and will be a big hit when it comes out.
Malibu Rising doesn’t come out until June 1st but you can pre-order it now!
Gist
I recently discovered an app for book recommendations called Readerly and I fell in love with it! It is basically for people to post book recommendations with a short 200 word snippet and other things like trigger warnings, what the book reminds them of, quotes and character descriptions. I am obsessed with their app and love the aesthetic they have. I think this has potential to compete with Goodreads. This is the gist I did for Malibu Rising (I’ll share them where when I post my reviews):
You can check out the full gist here and you can sign up for Readerly here!
Content Warnings
Alcoholism, death of a parent, drug use, infidelity, toxic relationship, addiction, emotional abuse
Who I Recommend this Book to
If you are a fan of TJR you are going to love this book. This is a great summer book (maybe you’ll see it on my Summer reading guide!)
Get the Book!
Did this review of Malibu Rising convince you to read it? Check out the links below to pre-order it from Bookshop.org and libro.fm. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
If you’ve read this book let me know your thoughts in the comments!
This does sound like an ideal summer read! And I will definitely be checking out Readerly! Always excited for more books apps.