MALIBU RISING

SYNOPSIS

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 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.

Title: Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Read

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication date: May 25, 2021

REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

First book read in 2021 and first winner of the year. I sure started 2021 picking good!

A couple of years back I absolutely adored "The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo". Then "Daisy Jones & The Six" was a huge disappointment. I don't know if it was the book's format or the fact that I listened to the audiobook version, but I didn't connect with it at all.Not having read any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I came into this one with trepidation as I didn't want to be disappointed again. And I wasn't! Although not in the same league as Evelyn Hugo, I enjoyed it much more than Daisy Jones.

Malibu, 1983. It's the night of Nina Riva's annual party at her Malibu house. Throughout the day we get to know all the Riva siblings: Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. As they get ready for the party we learn about their lives, their secrets and their bond with each other. This is basically a story about the bond between siblings and how sticking together will make you stronger when facing adversities.

Through a series of flashbacks we learn about Mick Riva, the strange father of the Riva kids (and one of Evelyn Hugo's husbands!), how he met their mother and the impact his leaving when they were little kids had in all of them.

I loved the past timeline and maybe it was the location, maybe it was the time the story was set in, but it gave me some serious Jackie Collins vibes.

I don't usually like stories taking place in a very short period of time, as they tend to drag along and become a bit repetitive, but in this case it worked perfectly having the present line taking place in just 24 hours. The fact that it had a huge cast of characters and that we learn some of their backstories too, made no time for boredom.

After reading the synopsis I thought I would hate the Riva siblings as I thought they would be your typical entitled rich kids, but guess what? I loved them! I really connected with all of them, although I had a soft spot for Nina. I really loved her transformation throughout the story. The only but I found was that sometimes they read as older than their actual age, but seeing that in 1983 I was just months old, what do I know how people behaved then?

The writing was excellent, the characters very well developed and the plot entertaining and a bit emotional. All in all, a perfect way to kick off the year with a book I'm sure will appeal to lots of readers.