Book Review: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 GOODREADS SUMMARY:

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 for him 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.

TEE'S THOUGHTS:

I loved Daisy Jones and The Six, it was in my top five books I read last year, right up there on the top if you want to know the placement, so I was really excited to get an early read of Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest novel “ Malibu Rising “.

I grew up in California, and books that feature my home state are always a favorite. I am landlocked now and miss the salty air of the beach, I am also a big fan of family saga books, and Malibu Rising is definitely an exceptional family saga.

The story is told in alternating timelines. The past gives us a look at the story of the Riva family, how the parents met, married, and then how the kids grew up. The second timeline takes place in August of 1983 and leads up to the annual party that Nina Riva throws at her house in Malibu. This is THE party. The one that everyone wants to be seen at.

Malibu Rising is a perfect example of why Taylor Jenkins Reid is such a popular author, she can weave a story in such detail, that you will feel that you have grown up with the Riva kids. You know them. You know their past, and you like them. You become a side character in this book, watching the events unfold as they happen. You will cry with the family and you will celebrate with them.

The story is very much character-driven, as I feel most of TJR’s books are, she can breathe life into characters like no other. My feelings were all over with the Riva family. My heart went out to some of them, while others managed to make my blood boil. That is when I know the book is good for me, when I am invested so much in the characters I have such high emotions when things affect them.

I have no doubt that Malibu Rising will be a very popular Beach Read over the coming months. Toxic Relationships, family secrets, personal struggles, characters that are resilient, and sibling loyalty all play into Malibu Rising to make it a family saga not to miss.