Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

290 reviews

livimack's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I feel like one of the reasons so many people who would like this book find it so hard to like this book is because it is not actually one book, but two very different books that happen to contain the same characters and occur one after another. 

If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid for what she does best - her chaotic depictions of ensemble casts that display every multi-faceted element of human interpersonal relationships and experiences - then please just bear with me and view the first half as extensive background material. 

I was bored at first. It was written like a romance. But then at some point, I realised I was hooked. The second half was written like the most insanely well-paced drama. Honestly, the fast paced tension build that gets constantly cut up by side scenes and reader-respite was handled with such a deft hand that it was insane. 

The only other TJR book that I’ve read at this point is Daisy Jones And The Six, and I can see how that book is far more refined than this, yet somehow I think the second half of Malibu Rising is the best depiction of TJR’s skill I’ve seen yet. Despite the bland yet meaningful ending. 

Pacing is weird to describe because everything was very fast paced when we got down to the story but it was very slow to get into that. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, and Drug use

Minor: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Abandonment, Car accident, and Grief

val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, and Drug abuse

stuckinatimeloop's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

this was my first time reading a taylor jenkins reid book, and only because i saw that it has good sibling dynamics. even though i loved it i'm not likely to read another tjr book simply because the genre isn't for me.

this book is amazingly written. at one point i even shed some tears. there's not much going on for most of the book but it still was easy to read and somehow felt fast paced. maybe it was the dual timeline.

i do wish there was more chance for me to get attached to the characters though. besides nina we don't really see a lot into their minds.

Spoiler

also, i still don't get why exactly jay was so mad at hud, i mean he was over ashley so what's the big deal?

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Drug use, and Drug abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

vanessagrausam's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Drug use, Alcohol, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Pregnancy

prairiek's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, Misogyny, Infidelity, Grief, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

ash122's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent

katbotelho's review against another edition

challenging hopeful 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

5.0

wasn’t sure what to expect with this one but man tjr really knows how to write a book. i knew what i was getting into with evelyn hugo and daisy jones since they’re all anyone can talk abt online but i think malibu rising deserve to be talked abt just as much especially bc i found it a lot more riveting than daisy jones. this feels like a hidden gem bc i have literally heard no one talking about this and i need that to change

there was so much drama going on throughout the entire book and i just kept eating it up, and i swear there was at least three plot twists, i love the relationship between everyone in the riva family they all felt very real and dynamic as their own characters despite being a part of such a large cast,, i truly loved it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism

Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

ladysarah's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual harassment and Racism

mishasbooks's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Car accident, Sexual content, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Outing, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, and Death of parent

ate_reads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual content, Drug use, Alcoholism, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, and Infidelity