Book Details:
- Published Date: June 1, 2021
- Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Narrator(s): Julia Whelan
- Genre: Historical, Fiction, Adult
- Format: Audiobook
- Length: 11h 5m
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. (Amazon)
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I really wanted to enjoy this one, but I found myself extremely bored while listening to the audiobook. I know I would have never made it through the book if it wasn’t for me deciding to listen to the audiobook instead of purchasing the book.
This really had no real depth to me. There were so many characters and I felt it was hard to really get invested in any of them because they had no depth. This book was just about siblings who grew up rich with family issues. This book was so soap opera-ish. I would have rather been bored watching this on TV than reading it in book form. The back and forth timeline between Mick and June, didn’t work for me. I don’t know, maybe I’m being slightly harsh, I don’t know.
There was really nothing more from the story that I got from it. This is my first read by TJR and it wasn’t a good one. I’ve heard so many good things about her other books, so I’m not going to give up on her books just yet. I just wanted more for this book.
I’m not going to say that I wouldn’t recommend this book, because so many people actually loved this book. This book just personally wasn’t for me and that’s ok.
My Rating (2.5 rounded down):
Have you read Malibu Rising or any other books by Taylor Jenkins Reid? What are your thoughts?
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