Photo from goodreads
Publisher’s description for Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid:
“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.
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 rising to the surface.”
***************
3.8/5 stars
I will read anything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. Have you heard of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, or Daisy Jones & The Six? There’s a reason they’ve gotten so much buzz. She is a stellar writer who can craft a compelling story in a world you want to sink into full of characters you feel like you know.
So I was super excited to see her new book, Malibu Rising, pop up on Netgalley. I requested it with a QUICKness and was astonished and delighted to get a copy in exchange for review. Thank you Random House Ballantine and NetGalley!
This was, as all of her work is, juicy and riveting and fun and sad. It’s full of families and rich histories and a setting you never really thought about but now can’t stop thinking about—in this case, Malibu in the 80s. There is LOTS of beach time and lots of beautiful people and seafood and I think this will be a perfect beach read for your summer. There was also a LOT of cheating and affairs and emotionally stunted people. But, lots of redemption, too.
As I said, I love her writing and sense of place. In this book, there were a LOT of characters to keep straight. I found it a little distracting at times. I didn’t love the flashbacks—it’s just not my favorite kind of storytelling and can quickly grow old for me—and I’m not sure the payoff was quite there for me. But I couldn’t put it down and that about says it all.
Taylor Jenkins Reid, you get me every time.