11 May 2021

Malibu Rising

 

By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Historical Fiction

My Review


A 2021 Top Rated Read

Malibu Rising tells the story of the dysfunctional Riva family — from June and Mick meeting and falling in love in 1956, through their turbulent marriage and birth of four children, to August 1983 when daughter Nina hosts an annual summer party for the rich, beautiful and famous at her Malibu mansion. It's a night that will end in disaster.

Without wanting to give away any spoilers, this is a fantastic read and one of the best books I've read this year. It's an engaging story of love, betrayal, loss and redemption; set against a background of sun, sea and surfing. 

Taylor Jenkins Reid has created genuinely believable, in-depth characters. The story is so immersive that you forget they exist only in the pages of a book. The writing is quite simply exquisite. I felt every emotion possible.

The author leads you on an incredible journey of lives tainted by fame and fortune. The Riva children are resilient and fiercely loyal despite their unorthodox upbringing. They come up against tough times but grow stronger and closer through their shared experiences.

I loved this book and didn't want it to end. It was perfect.

Book Source: Review copy from the publisher
My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Cornerstone Digital (2021)

The Blurb


A lifetime holding it together.
One party will bring it crashing down.

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.

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.

The Author



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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