Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

42 reviews

gzevs's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Infidelity, Death of parent, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Death of parent, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, and Death

Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexism, and Sexual content

Minor: Gun violence, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Cursing, Body shaming, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Eating disorder

katywhyte's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Eating disorder

juvonh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Abandonment, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Moderate: Abandonment, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, and Vomit

anniefwrites's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved diving into this world and the lives of the characters, who all felt so real. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing style is so attentive to the minutiae of everyday life and also the incommunicable parts of Big Feelings.

Spoiler

But the ending to me felt contrived, almost too saccharine. I found it hard to believe that SO many plot lines would all be resolved in one night. I wanted things to be more open-ended than they were.

I also started getting confused by the sheer number of characters toward the end. But I loved the core family members—especially Kit—and would have been happy just to live in a world with them where nothing really happened. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Injury/injury detail, Abortion, Car accident, Miscarriage, Blood, Police brutality, and Racism

kalzeb's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Drug use

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Sexual content

Minor: Abortion, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Vomit

goodbyedarling's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Minor: Eating disorder

ashleyvharris's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Malibu Rising is an unexpected and heartfelt novel that confronts generational trauma, the heavy expectations of others, and our desire to love and be loved.

I owe Taylor Jenkins Reid a drink or several. I had no idea how meaningful and healing this story would be for me. Reading a story about siblings abandoned by their father was definitely triggering, but Reid handled the trauma and grief of that situation with such care and honesty. 

The characters of this novel were so distinct and unique. They’re strengths and flaws, desires and fears. It all felt so natural and right. I loved that Mick was very clearly a deeply flawed and narcissistic human, but he still managed to have layers. I was worried that there would be a cheesy redemption arc for his character where he found some grudging reconciliation with his kids, but the ending was just perfect. Mick Riva setting one last fire felt so full circle.

I wish that we had gotten a bit more development with Kit’s character. The other siblings felt fairly well-defined, but Kit felt like a bit of a mystery. She feels like a character with so much potential, a force of nature. I would love to see a novel with her at the center.

The shifting focus to the novel’s background characters like Tarine, Tuesday, Ricky, etc. felt unnecessary at times. I was tempted to skip past those parts of the story to get back to the Riva siblings. These diversions were more distracting for me than anything.

Overall, this book was like a time-machine to the 80s. With its picturesque Oceanside setting and dynamic sibling characters, Malibu Rising bottles that August, end-of-summer feeling perfectly. Also, I’m totally buying a surfboard tomorrow.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, and Cursing

Minor: Car accident, Eating disorder, Injury/injury detail, Sexual harassment, and Violence

elizabethhope3's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity

Minor: Eating disorder

grinnoir's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Car accident, Drug use, Pregnancy, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence