A review by kaylalikesbooks
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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

3.75

This was overall, a very enjoyable read - I found it hard to put down. Each character was written with such depth and complexity and I liked the concept of everything happening in a day and the multiple timelines. 

One complaint I have that shouldn’t really be an issue if you haven’t read her other books, is that while I’m aware this book was somewhat set in the same world as Daisy Jones, many of the characters and their flaws did feel quite repetitive to those in Daisy Jones, as well as the general way in which the plot played out. The main themes in the book were extremely similar (
fame, addiction, generally being a morally gray person because of fame and addiction)
, but it’s still definitely worth the read. I think the similarities negatively impacted how I saw this book, so I would recommend reading Daisy Jones first to avoid that, as I do think it’s overall the better story with more plot points and twists, as well as a stronger story in general. 

My only other real complaint is how the last third of the book
(set during the party)
got quite dragged out by all the random characters and their side plots. Each side plot could have been interesting on its own tangent but together felt irrelevant when we had no real attachment to those characters as a reader. It made what was happening with the main characters feel less intense than it was.  

Not really a commentary on how good the book was, but I find it interesting that the blurb highlights
the house being set on fire, in a way that makes it seem like a major plot point or something that would happen early on, despite it not happening until the very end of the book
. 

Despite these complaints, it really was overall a pretty great read and I would still highly recommend it. Taylor Jenkins Reid is clearly a fantastic reader with a very nuanced style or writing, I just wish this book had some new themes from her that I hadn’t seen before. 

Like Daisy Jones, this story felt unique in the way it was written other authors I’ve read recently, and I’m increasingly intrigued to read the rest of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s books with this one proving once again that she is an incredible writer. 
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