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heidibaumgart's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The tie up was satisfying. The fire was just bookends and not really necessary except for the bingo card.
Also imho:
Evelyn > Malibu > Daisy
Reading TJR in publish order. Only Carrie Soto is left and I’m not looking forward to it, having met her in Malibu Rising. But then I will have completed the TJR author binge…
Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
The main characters were wonderful. How they interconnected and their hopes and fears got on each other … I thought that was great. The author does grief and dealing with it in a very layered multidimensional way emin every book. The bit parts weren’t great. At the beginning of Part 2, it felt like when you have to do time period research and you over describe fashion and music to prove that you did the research, or lived in that time. It was like a bingo card spaces of 80s / Malibu related people and culture. (Thanks goodness Rob Lowe was mentioned or it really would have been bad - research for 80s Malibu.) The tie up was satisfying. The fire was just bookends and not really necessary except for the bingo card. Also imho: Evelyn > Malibu > Daisy Reading TJR in publish order. Only Carrie Soto is left and I’m not looking forward to it, having met her in Malibu Rising. But then I will have completed the TJR author binge…ellaraeread'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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Abortion
celery's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: May 27, 2021
T H R E E • W O R D S
Addictive • Evocative • Entertaining
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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 rising to the surface.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I deliberately chose to take Malibu Rising on my recent trip to Los Angeles and I couldn't have picked a better time to pick it up. Being in the California sun, with the gentle ocean breeze, and being close to some of the places talked about throughout the book really offered something extra to my reading experience.
The dysfunctional family dynamics of the Riva siblings felt believable, their relationships seemed genuine, and their flawed character development was fantastic. Nina was my favourite character - her arc is the one I gravitated towards most. Her selfless nature felt entirely relatable and my heart just went out to her.
Even though the entirety of this book takes places over the span on 24 hours, the bulk of it takes place in Malibu during the 1980s. While the party timeline could feel a bit distracting, I understand it was necessary and feel as though TJR has crafted them together perfectly. The main issue I had was with the amount of characters I needed to keep track of at the party. I didn't really care, and wanted more depth about the Rivas. The setting itself added an element of glitz and glamour, and the TJR describes the area with ease.
Overall, Malibu Rising is another enjoyable story, mixing historical fiction with family drama, that I would highly recommend. The audio narration by Julia Whalen is fabulous. And what I love so much about TJR's stories is how each one is so unique. While this one wasn't my absolute favourite, I still cannot wait to keep exploring her backlist and seeing what she writes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• anyone looking for beachy summertime vibes
• TJR devotees
• historical fiction readers looking for something different
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Our family histories are simply stories. They are myths we create about the people who came before us, in order to make sense of ourselves."
"She had to choose what, of the things she inherited from the people who came before her, she wanted to bring forward. And what, of the past, she wanted to leave behind."
"She knew that she could not sustain her life fueled only by the memories of those she once loved. Loss would not propel her forward. She had to go out and live. She had to find new people."
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Abortion, and Gaslighting
soshereads_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Abortion
sherlene_06's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It was slow-paced compared to other books of TJR. The second half focused a bit on characters that weren't relevant to the story and so that was a bit of a turn-off. The ending was incomplete and I would like to have a sequel to it. There's so much that was left unfinished. However, the most remarkable thing about the book was the time switch in the first half. It was absolutely intriguing and written so amazingly well.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
reb_vo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is about who we choose to love and who we don’t
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexism, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
dannythestreet'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
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
Minor: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, and Classism
iulia619's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infidelity, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
stupidforcupid's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, and Car accident