One of Taylor Jenkins Reid's most recent novels, Malibu Rising follows the four children of a very famous singer. It deals with a car accident, the death of a parent, fatphobia, pregnancy, infidelity, addiction, abandonment, child abuse, drug use, misogyny, sexual harassment, alcoholism, fire, grief, and violence.
Mick Riva is a legend in the music industry, known and beloved by fans across the globe. But to his four children, he's the man that left their mother to raise them on her own without even monetary help from him. And when their mother died and their eldest sister took over their care, he gave her guardianship of her younger siblings without much of a fight. Yet somehow, these siblings have made names for themselves without the help of their father. Now it's time for their annual end of summer blow out party, anybody whose anybody in Malibu will be there. What these siblings don't know is that this party will change everything, and it will be the last party where the four of them together.
This book was so much fun. I enjoyed it immensely. Coming off of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I loved, I was trying not to get my hopes up. But Taylor Jenkins Reid is killing it over here. The siblings were amazing, so easy to relate to, so loveable, and not without their own issues and squabbles, which made them feel so real. The entire book takes place in twenty-four hours and, holy cow is it packed with activity. We get to go back and forth, between the day of the party and important events in the past that shaped the siblings. The day their parents met, when their father left, when their mother died, which helps shape them in your mind. The beginning of the book was a little slower, but once the party starts it really gets going. The end was a little confusing because you get the occasional point of view from a party goer, but it all ties together at the end in a finale that I loved.
I'm giving Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid 4.75 out of 5 stars. The writing was so good, the characters were charming and so easy to like, the story was engaging. I cannot wait to read more by the author, her most recent novel Carrie Soto is Back looks particularly interesting to me since Carrie Soto makes a brief appearance in Malibu Rising and really makes a scene. I’d like to finish with a quote from the book that really struck me and is something I’d like to keep in mind going forward. “Too much self-sufficiency was sort of mean to the people who loved you, Kit thought. You robbed them of how good it feels to give, of their sense of value.”
For more from Taylor Jenkins Reid check out her website https://taylorjenkinsreid.com/
Pairs well with bananas foster and sitting on the beach, watching the waves roll in.
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