Malibu Rising
Title: Malibu Rising
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Published: 27th May 2021
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Psychological
Number of pages: 400
Start Date: 3rd June 2022
Finish Date: 6th June 2022
Summary
Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change 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 centre 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.
Review
The way this book was written I mean wow, to hear the stories of each individual character at one point was just amazing as it gave you a little insight. Taylor Jenkins Reid is one of those authors who was just born to tell stories.
Whenever I read one of her books I am instantly hooked and Malibu Rising was no different. She has a way of writing, her words are able to captivate your attention instantly. She has a way of making me feel every single thing that character feels from heart-breaking betrayal to small moments of sibling pride. Taylor Jenkins Reid has a way of not just making you sympathise with the characters, but empathise with them and this is what makes reading her books a truly great experience.
The Riva Siblings do not feel like fictional characters, they feel like individuals I have come to know and understand and appreciate, and I personally love that. The depth of the characters, their motivation and their voice; is just written phenomenal. Nina is a typical older sibling when a parent dies; she instantly took over the mother role for her siblings to make sure they are okay and succeeding in life and she does not care about herself; I love the ending where she changes that for herself.
The characters, the setting and the pristine writing all make this a story to remember, it definitely has the same charm as Daisy Jones and The Six, it is so unforgettable. Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappoints.
There is not just one plot that us as readers are taken to; there is the night of the party and then the history which motivates the characters, how they got to where they were in life before the events of the party. The books opens with the current story; the day of the party then alternates with the history storyline. Personally, I find the history storyline more engaging, as I love finding out the little backstories to the characters and the character development.
There is more conflict and energy. Don’t get me wrong the build-up to the party is great, it’s just over shadowed in greatness. Then as the story timelines grow together it just didn’t matter the great prose and storytelling merged.
What carries this book so well is the voice. The story is told in third person, but Taylor Jenkins Reid skips from character point of view to character point of view sometimes even on the same page. The transitions are seamless and gives a wonderful insight to how the characters feel and react.
As a reader I loved every member of the family, their trials and tribulations were real, and I feel they are highly relatable to many individuals who read Taylor Jenkins Reid. That’s what a great writer does, connect with the reader and Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master at it. Marvellous read. Highly recommend.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️