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rioreadsbooks's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Family is found...whether it be blood or circumstance or choice, what binds us does not matter. All that matters is that we are bound.”
“Must be nice. To be able to be weak. I wouldn’t know.”
...........................................................
Let me say, this book was definitely not what I expected. I was thinking it would be the epitomy of summer, fun, lightheartedness, and Malibu. While I feel that it was none of those things, and I would not classify this as a summer read, I do think it is still a story worth reading. It tackeled some heavy topics and emotions, but I think going into this novel knowing that would have definitely enhanced the reading experience from the beginning. Also, I read this both in the physical format and listened to the audiobook, and I found that the audiobook by Julia Whelan made this a more enjoyable, pleasant, and easy read.
Taylor Jenkins Reid focuses on familial connections, relationships, and dynamincs in this story of four siblings spanning from childhood into their 20's, as well as their parents tragic love story decades before. With part of the story about their biological father who could have and should have done more, I found myself really connected to the four Riva siblings. Their story and triumph in this novel to overcome and perservere hardships and abandoment was inspiring.
I found Nina's character growth to be the biggest, but I really enjoyed Kit's character as well. I also really enjoyed Jay and Hud's relationship. Not all siblings are entirely related, some patially and some by connection.
My heartsrings absolutely tugged for June and everything she endured.
And Brandon... ew....and Mick double eww.....
I honestly, feel like there was a lot going on in this novel at times, and I am unsure if it was all entirely necessary. However, it was still enjoyable nonetheless.
⚠️Warning⚠️
Language, low spice, adult content, parent abandonment, death of a parent, alcoholism, drug use
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Abandonment
itshrewsbury's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
ksilvio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
inka2704's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- 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
Malibu Rising is a love story, but it's not the kind you're thinking of. It is a story of familial love. Of siblings who give each other their all, who are still here despite all the odds stacked against them.
It's hard to describe exactly what Malibu Rising is about. It's a character-driven story that follows the Riva family. Parents, Mick and June, fall deeply in love, but Mick's rise to fame quickly drives a wedge between the two. Their children--Nina, Hud, Jay, and Kit--are left to fend for themselves and pick up the pieces of their parents' failed marriage. Now, the four siblings are all grown up and trying to cope from their childhood trauma in different ways. Every year, Nina Riva throws a party in her Malibu mansion, but this year is a little different than her past parties. The Riva party is a magnet to the rich and famous and those who want to be. Within 24 hours, there will be a fire in Malibu that will cleanse the shores and lives of the Rivas. But before that, all of the Riva's family baggage and secrets must be brought to light.
Taylor Jenkins Reid sure knows how to create a rich story with characters so relatable they break your heart. I loved each of the Riva siblings, but Nina especially wormed her way into my soul. She embodies a lyric from But Daddy I Love Him by Taylor Swift: "Growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all." Though Nina was forced to grow up much faster than any child should have to, she handled it all with grace and discovered that sometimes loving and caring for others means letting them love and care for you in return.
Malibu Rising poses the question: are we cursed to repeat our ancestor's mistakes? Time and time again, we see how the Riva parents' decisions and actions are mimicked in the lives of their children. However, once the children realize that there is a pattern, they are able to break it. And really, isn't that all we can do? Just try to do a little better than the generation before us.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It had me on the edge of my seat and on the brink of tears. Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's other works will eat this one up.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury
michellebelle4's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Car accident
evelynnnn33333's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Chronic illness, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
iszys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Although this was a bit cheesy and on-the-nose at times, this was a fun, emotional read that I absolutely devoured.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content
dms3899's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual harassment
hanf's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury