Reviews with content warning for Violence - Malibu Rising

This was good! I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the family dynamics. I did not really like when we would just follow random people because I really didn’t know who they were. I also wish Kits sexuality was talked about a little more and with her family. The reason this is a 3.75 and not a full four is because of all the cheating like I just hate reading about cheating and everyone was a cheater I can’t. I loved the sibling relationships and I just loved Nina and how strong and selfless she was. This was pretty funny at times as well which I enjoyed.

Content Warnings

kyrashelf's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.75

I flew through this! The timelines wove perfectly together, the drama was immaculate and I was so captivated by Nina and Kit’s journeys and arcs. Reid does such an incredible job at writing nuanced but lovable women who have so many layers. I loved the scenes where Reid discussed the hypocrisy over the reception of Nina’s surfing career when compared to Jay’s, and Kit’s realization at the end of the novel brought me to tears. They’re definitely my two favorite characters in the universe Taylor Jenkins Reid has created and this will probably end up being one of my favorite reads of the year!

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chqrmspoken's review against another edition

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lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

I really enjoyed the first part of the book where the reader found out mostly about the back stories of the characters in several flashbacks. When it came to the party, a lot of new characters were introduced in a short amount of time, which I suppose was done to mimick the way parties are - quick-paced, messy, overwhelming. If that was the goal, it was done phenomenally well, because I could not keep track of all these people for the life of me. I wanted to flip back a few pages to check if we'd been introduced to this person before, or not, but quite frankly, I did not care about any of them enough.
I did care a lot about Nina, maybe I saw myself in her a little bit (too much?) and I understand that this is a realistic ending, as a reader it felt slightly anti-climatic.
All in all: This was an okay book that I really enjoyed.

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jor_dy's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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

3.5

what i liked:
- the exploration (even if minuscule) of quite literally each and every character that is mentioned
- the summertime vibe
- easy, quick read
- the author’s understanding that humans have multiple sides, and people aren’t always 100% good (though it matter that they try to be)

Spoiler

- the way carrie soto immediately apologizes to nina at the party (a nice break from two women arguing over a piece of shit man)

- chosen family
- the ending
- NINA CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Spoiler

ESPECIALLY HER RANT TO MICK AT THE END UGH

- kit and ricky are literally robin and steve

Spoiler

the coming out scene was literally how it went in st????

what i disliked:
- characters are allowed only ONE personality trait, except nina who gets TWO because she’s the author’s favorite 😊
- the relationship between the siblings. on one hand, they love each other very much and it is clear that they would do anything for each other. but at the same time they did not feel like they were written as sibling. they felt more like childhood friends???
- the timeline was so ambiguous?? like it could be set at literally any point in history after 1950. i wish the time periods in the book were more clearly detailed and it felt like i was actually experiencing the characters in, say, the ‘60s or the ‘80s
- the omniscient, constantly switching pov. i don’t care about whoever tf wendy is get back to the main point.
- when the men in the book got mad at someone for accusing them of shit they know they did
- everything felt so utterly predictable

Content Warnings

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

I really enjoyed this book, it all took place at one celebrity filled party in Malibu as well as flashbacks. The story centers around four siblings who have lived through some very hard times due to the love and hard work of their mom and oldest sister. During this party you find out all the secrets they have been keeping from one another and what they truly need to be happy in this life.

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