A review by daisyvb
Malibu Rising, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

I don't know why this isn't reaching 4 stars but it just isn't. Perhaps its the wasted potential, the fact I was hungry for this story before I started and now I'm done I don't feel nourished at all. A little satiated I suppose but it will pass and I won't remember the mediocrity that tried to feed me in the first place. All this to say; this book is fine. Nina is a wonderful character, I would read more about her in a heartbeat, and the rest of her siblings are mostly compelling; the boys at the lower end of my interest. The party narrative was simple fun; the random attention paid to other guests broke up the story nicely. Overall though, I suppose I was just waiting for more. Everything felt set up to catch fire and yet when it did, I feel as though it was more smoke than flame. I heard this was a soapy tale about the lives of the rich and famous over one night, focused on one chaotic family and I think I expected drama of even higher stakes. So if you want a book about a complicated family who have to reckon with the lives they and those before them have lived so far whilst a somehow distant party plays out in the background then this book will serve you just fine.