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A review by abbyyy113
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
Honestly, when I picked this up I was expecting some rich kid cocaine party where everyone cheats on each other (and don’t get me wrong, it had plenty of that). But this book was so much more than that and affected me in a way I didn’t expect.
TJR is quickly becoming my favorite author. She writes characters in a way that makes me feel like I’ve met them in real life. Even the characters who show up only briefly, I feel connected to them in ways that I’ve barely felt connected to the main characters in other books. The character development throughout the book, especially with Nina, was done so well and I loved seeing each Riva kid truly come into themselves by the end.
My favorite parts about Malibu rising are the depictions of family cycles and the effects that childhood trauma has on the way we live our lives and interact as adults. Jenkins writes a gut wrenching portrayal of alcoholism and abandonment that made me want to reach through the book and give them all a hug.
In terms of entertainment value and absolute utter messy chaos, this book had it. (Vague spoilers:) Secret career-ending medical diagnoses, infidelity, secret pregnancies, drugs, scandals, publicity stunts, and so much more. It was all there, and the way that secrets slowly started coming out until everything caught flames (literally) had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
TJR is quickly becoming my favorite author. She writes characters in a way that makes me feel like I’ve met them in real life. Even the characters who show up only briefly, I feel connected to them in ways that I’ve barely felt connected to the main characters in other books. The character development throughout the book, especially with Nina, was done so well and I loved seeing each Riva kid truly come into themselves by the end.
My favorite parts about Malibu rising are the depictions of family cycles and the effects that childhood trauma has on the way we live our lives and interact as adults. Jenkins writes a gut wrenching portrayal of alcoholism and abandonment that made me want to reach through the book and give them all a hug.
In terms of entertainment value and absolute utter messy chaos, this book had it. (Vague spoilers:) Secret career-ending medical diagnoses, infidelity, secret pregnancies, drugs, scandals, publicity stunts, and so much more. It was all there, and the way that secrets slowly started coming out until everything caught flames (literally) had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.