Malibu Rising: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel

I really enjoyed this one. Taylor Jenkins Reid has such a way of pulling me straight into a story, and this was no exception. I loved the family dynamics, the complicated relationships and the way everything slowly built towards that one unforgettable night. It had glamour and drama, but also so much emotion underneath it all. I really liked how the story moved between past and present, showing how the choices of one generation can shape the next. A brilliant, immersive read with characters who felt messy, flawed and completely believable.

I liked this. I liked the spirit it's written in. I appreciate it can be a bit flat for long periods of time and the "WTF ending" (which I'll get to) threatened to derail what came before, but I'll stand up for myself against a lot of negativity surrounding this book and say I did rather enjoy it. There is a simplicity to it, but it has a sort of aura, and a sort of charisma which shuts itself away and excuses the shortfalls. Yes - none of the characters are particularly likable - just rich kids doing rich-kid-things. But it sets out to be that and never tries do deceive you with anything else. But the ending has to be addressed and (I think) criticized. I'll compare it to the end of the movie "Bugsy Malone" whereby long conflicts and challenges seem to be resolved in the final ten minutes as everyone goes "Actually, let's not fight." and that's the end of it. The fire at the end (which let's face it, everyone who'd read the synopsis was building up for) seemed a bit comical and without consequence. All the characters' stupidity came to the fore at the same time but my point would be - it's in a controlled way, the author never lets the characters run away with it themselves. That's the sign of a good book I think. It's a smart author describing dumb people - that's the way to see it.

I did enjoy the first half of this book but I just feel a bit 'meh' about it in it's entirety. It wasn't really a page turner for me nor did it have me hooked and because of this it's took me a few days to read. The book deals with some nitty gritty storylines that I'm sure a lot of readers will relate to. I myself found parts of it relatable. As stated above I enjoyed the first half. I enjoyed reading all about Mick and June in the past then how it would jump forward to the present time and how everything coincided but I think the second half just kind of let it down for me. The ending just felt a bit rushed for me personally. I do appreciate that we got closure for some of the characters but for the majority I felt the closure was lacking and I'm left wanting to know a bit more. Overall I feel the book just kind of dragged even though I enjoyed parts it. Basically I didn't love this book but nor did I hate it. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this particular book but it hasn't put me off reading more by this author. For example I really want to read 'The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo' and 'Daisy Jones And The Six.' Hopefully I enjoy those more than I enjoyed this one.

I recently went away for a week’s holiday and had deliberately left the time free to read purely for pleasure and took with me half a dozen books from my TBR. One of the books which made its way into the suitcase was Malibu Rising. Don’t ask me why I chose this one rather than any of her others, I think it was purely because the setting made it sound like it would be a good beach read. And was it… in spades. (Terrible pun, I know. Sorry, not sorry.) This is a dual timeline story telling the story of the four Riva children living in Malibu in 1983 as young adults and, going back in time, the story of their parents failing in love in California in the late 50’s and growing their family. The Rivas’ father was a legendary singer and so the story is touched with the glamour of Hollywood in those days. I absolutely fell in love with the Riva children and the dynamic between them. For reasons I won’t go in to because I don’t want to include any spoilers in the review, the story is not all happiness and beaches and Hollywood glitz – although there is enough of that to make the part of me which picked up the book for those reasons very happy – but is a beautiful exploration of the ups and downs of relationships, especially those of celebrities, and what effect that has on the offspring of such marriages and how it bonds those children together. Despite the fact I have no experience of the Hollywood lifestyle, or indeed the Malibu life (much as I wish I did), I related very hard with the four Riva children, particularly Nina. I myself am the eldest of four children and could sympathise with her feeling that she has to take on the parental burden of the younger ones when the parents step out of that role (although my parents were nothing like the Rivas, I hasten to add.) Aside from being great at formulating a ripping good story, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a genius at character development, creating a sense of place and her writing is just beautiful. This book elicited huge emotion in me, even more so than Maybe in Another Life, and it was one of those books that kept me thinking about it long after I had finished it. Still now, more than two weeks later, I am still feeling emotional about this book and I know it is one I will return to again in the future. I absolutely adored the ending in particular, it was just so perfect and I was cheering for Nina and her amazing siblings until the last page. Is it too early to say that Taylor Jenkins Reid is becoming one of my favourite authors after only two books? I don’t care, it’s how I feel at the moment and I can’t wait to read her entire back catalogue. As I said, I already have three waiting to go and I’ll not leave such a big gap before I get to those. Watch this space.

“She missed the parents who had never truly understood her, missed the man who had never truly loved her, missed the future she thought she had been building for herself, missed the young girl she used to be.” As with all TJR books (so far, Carrie Soto next which has amazing reviews, can’t wait!) I really enjoyed this book about 4 siblings in 1980’s Malibu ( seriously, that setting alone makes it in desperate need of an adaptation doesn’t it?! – which I believe is already in the works?). I think I preferred the first half of the book, in which the story of each of the siblings is interspersed with hearing about the rise and fall of their parents romance beginning in the 1950s. The second half is mostly about the party that the whole book has been leading to, the party that will end with the house going up in flames. We heard from the POV of a LOT of new characters at the party which was sometimes a bit confusing and some of these mini stories were a lot more engaging than others which is where it dropped a star for me. I cannot wait to read more TJR now and to watch the adaptations which seem to quickly be announced after every book release!

I loved Daisy Jones And The Six and The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo but I'd heard mixed reviews of Malibu Rising, and it's the only one of Taylor Jenkins Reid's novels that I've read that's written in the traditional format, so I was a little nervous going into it. However, I needn't have been. I became completely immersed in the characters and their lives and it was difficult to tear myself away from their story. I loved that I recognised some of the characters from the later novels in this one. Malibu Rising takes us through, hour by hour, the build up to and the events of Nina Riva’s annual party. It is clear from the beginning that the day was eventful and I really wanted to know what had happened. I loved tension created by the time frame, as despite the slow build up, the novel is really quick to read. There are also chapters in Malibu Rising that go back in time to when June and Mick Riva started dating. Taylor Jenkins Reid takes us through their life together, including the childhoods of Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. This gave me real insight into the characters and why they behaved in the way they did, and I really enjoyed getting to know them more deeply. It meant that as the story went on, I was rooting for them, really invested in their lives. The lives of the Riva family are turbulent, and there's a lot going on for them. This allows Taylor Jenkins Reid to explore a number of themes, including grief, addiction and infidelity. Her writing is incredibly emotive and I often felt the sadness and anger and disappointment of the characters pouring off the page. I'm looking forward to reading more of Taylor Jenkins Reid's earlier work in future - as it's definitely just as good as her more recent work!

I really enjoyed reading his novel. I liked the way the story took you back and forth between the 1950s and 80s, telling the story of Mick Riva, the legendary pop star, his wife June, and their four children. Nina, a sought-after model and the eldest of the Riva children, is the selfless mother figure to her surfer siblings, the reason of which is slowly revealed as the story spans the different eras. We follow her as she prepares for her annual party, attended by everyone who's anyone. The glamorous setting of Malibu immediately draws you into the story, as does the more innocent era of the 1980s (or was it just more ignorant and cruel?). Anyone of a certain age will recognize the casual sexism and the not-so unintentional discrimination of anyone outside the norm. My only slight criticism of Malibu Rising is the number of characters attending the party, brought in late in the book. It became highly confusing to know who was who. I wonder if this was intentional, to reflect the chaos of the celebrity bash? If so, I can see why this is necessary, but I think the number could have been cut – or their stories could have been told earlier in the novel. However, the emotional journeys the grown-up Riva children, especially the selfless Nina, take in the book is beautifully told. Highly enjoyable read and much recommended!

Another great read from Taylor Jenkins Reid! Perfect summer / beach read. It would make a great film too. I didn't want it to end.

Très bon article correspond tout à fait à la photo un article de bonne qualité

Really impressed by the writing skill. Enjoy the deep stories of each character. Though it often read like a celebrity gossip magazine, in the end it was wrapped up poetically leaving a satisfying, goosebump-inducing aftertaste.

un libro totalmente para summer vibes LO AMO

Good book. As described. Came quickly

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