Malibu Rising Book Review!

Posted On August 27, 2021

Hi Readers! Last week I read my third Taylor Jenkins Reid book. I don’t need to remind you how much I loved ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ and ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo!’ But, I honestly did not enjoy Malibu Rising even one third as much as I enjoyed her earlier two novels. I did feel that there was less depth to the story from the beginning. Even though the characters are carved with detail & love, I just couldn’t get into this book for some reason. The high point for me was when ‘Celia St. James’ is mentioned in the early part of the book.

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

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 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 bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them… and what they will leave behind.

~~THOUGHTS~~

~~CHARACTERS~~

Taylor Jenkins Reid has a talent of creating memorable characters, giving them a rich history, complex emotions & that extra Taylor x factor. But, in Malibu Rising, I couldn’t feel that sort of connection with any of the characters. We have our 4 siblings; Nina, Jay, Hud & Kit. Their parents Mick & June are also some of the main characters. Yes, I felt a lot of sympathy for June and also for Nina, but it was just surface level. For the other characters, there was absolutely no striking thing that I could remember them by. Because of this disconnect with the readers, it was a long & difficult read for me. Naturally, I had high expectations with regards the characters because Taylor has given us characters like Daisy Jones & Evelyn Hugo! In comparison to all the characters of those two books, I think the characters in Malibu Rising were extremely disappointing for me.

~~STORY LINE~~

The story of Malibu Rising is average at best. There are two parallels in this. First is the story of Mick and June, and second is the current story of the 4 siblings. The first story was insufferable & I did not have the best time reading it. Because it was more of a love story leading to heartbreak again & again & again, I lost interest whenever this part of the story came on. The second story however did not live up to the hype. We are told early on how crazy the annual Riva party is & then what we get just doesn’t measure up to it. People swinging off the chandelier & people throwing dinner plates like frisbees is just not what I had expected. It was not very entertaining either. There wasn’t a lot of chemistry between the two story lines which was a big letdown too.

~~TO READ OR NOT TO READ~~

I have said this before & I say it again that I love Taylor Jenkins Reid. But as it can be with any author, you may not like a book they have written. This was a first Taylor Jenkins Reid novel which I did not like, but because I had loved her other 2 books, I knew I had to read it. If you are in the same boat as me, you can read Malibu Rising. If you have never read any books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, then you can start with Malibu Rising, then read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & then Daisy Jones & The Six. If you were a fan of particularly those 2 books, then I suggest you get into this one with low expectations. If you are looking for a light read, you can read Malibu Rising. If you are looking for a book to get you out of your reading slump, then this one might not be the one.

Well, I have rated Malibu Rising at 2/5 stars!

Until next time,