Malibu Rising Review

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: 4.5/5

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, 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 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 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 bubbling to the surface.

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Content Warning: Death of a Parent

I knew after reading Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo, this was going to be an entertaining drama-filled read. And it did not disappoint!

We primarily follow the four famous children of singer, Mick Rivas, we watch the story unfold for these four siblings in multiple timelines, how their parents met and their love story, their lives growing up without their father around, and a current timeline on the day they throw their annual summer party, where this year’s party change their lives in more ways than one.

I will say there was a lot going on in this one. And sometimes I would need to back track a little bit to fully understand what was happening and where we were in the timelines. But I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

As we bounced between the 50s with their parents, to the 70s when they were growing up, to the 80s with them as adults, I was captivated. By the drama and their lives. I truly felt for these siblings and what they had to deal with.

I especially loved Nina. I connected with her the most, having to help with my own family in similar ways. Arguably, more than someone my age should have to. I just wanted to hug her so bad. Seeing Nina feel responsible for her siblings when she was still basically a kid was heartbreaking. But I appreciated that her siblings didn’t expect her to do “everything.” They all worked as a team. For the most part.

I found this to be very heartwarming. A beautifully written story about sibling love. No family is perfect. Each has their issues, but anything can be tackled if there is enough will.

I also loved the ending. Well mostly. There were a few things I didn’t quite agree with. But I didn’t love the endings in Daisy Jones or Evelyn Hugo, so in comparison, this was so much better! I was prepared for an ending I’d hate!

What makes these three books even better is that they are all set within the same universe! Which I didn’t realize right away until I started this one. But Mick Riva was one of Evelyn’s seven husbands, and he is also mentioned in Daisy Jones, but I somehow completely overlooked that detail until this book. But you don’t have to read any of these in a particular order or need to pick up the others to enjoy this one. They’re all standalones. While I knew Mick Riva marries Evelyn at some point, that marriage isn’t mentioned here as we’re focused on the siblings and their mother.

After this one, I’m excited to pick up TJR other book, Carrie Soto is Back, as we meet her in this book. I can already tell that one will also be drama-filled!

If you enjoy 50s-80s historical fiction books, I highly recommend picking up TJR’s books!