Malibu Rising is Taylor Jenkins Reid’s last book and the first book I read by her. I’ve heard the author’s name so many times from so many people that I decided on her last book while thinking about which book to read. I’m glad I chose this one. Taylor Jenkins Reid has created a delightful novel that succeeds in keeping the reader’s curiosity alive.
Malibu Rising is about the lives of the four children of the famous singer Mick Riva, by beautifully crafted flashbacks. The book is set in Malibu, and there is plenty of sunlight and sea air; Even this is enough to make a person happy, frankly. Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit are children of June and Mick Riva. Mick Riva is a world-famous singer but a terrible father. June is a beautiful mother with dreams. But, there is more.
Malibu Rising starts with the excitement of the exceptional party that Nina Riva throws every year. From June and Mick’s marriage to their children making their own lives, the story is narrated with the flashback technique. Let me immediately state that I am fascinated by the author’s use of this technique in such a pleasant and easy-to-read way. More or less predicting what might happen at the party as the book approaching the end, I found myself very involved in the story and stopped the guessing game. Anyways, the author has managed to keep the excitement alive and colour the events with details. But, there is more.
Malibu Rising is about family, those strange bonds between siblings, responsibilities, marriage, self-discovery, and a little bit of how Malibu riches live and have fun. It is a novel that is easy and enjoyable to read. I loved each character one by one; they all came to life beautifully. I wish there’ll be a film of Malibu Rising because the characters and Malibu, with the sun, the sea and all the glamour, are extremely aesthetically pleasing in every sense. I recommend Malibu Rising if you are looking for a book that will not distract you while travelling or if you’re looking for a relaxing weekend. Enjoy!
Malibu Rising
From the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six . . . 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 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.
Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her novels have been Indie Next Picks, chosen by Book of the Month, and featured in People, US Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, Good Morning America, and more. Her newest novel, Daisy Jones and the Six, is a New York Times bestseller. She lives in Los Angeles.
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