REVIEW: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

OUR REVIEW:

Malibu Rising is a deep dive into the Riva family over the course of 24 hours and had I not read Taylor Jenkins Reid before, and loved her, I might have been a smidge skeptical about this premise. But, it's Taylor Jenkins Reid. Annnnd I've enjoyed all of the novels I've read of hers so I jumped into Malibu Rising with two feet and I'm so glad I did. While the story itself is probably as old as time--failed relationships, longing, and hope for something better--it's the multiple perspectives and the pure love between the matriarch, June, and her children--Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit that made this a stand out. Her love, despite her flaws, made her someone I felt so deeply for. And of course, the dynamics between each of the siblings and their stories, intertwined with June and Mick's, had the pages turning.

Not only was this family drama one that I couldn't put down, but the pop culture references of the 80s and the side stories of the many others who popped into the storyline made this an unforgettable story.

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SYNOPSIS:

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 rising 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.