Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid #bookreview @HutchinsonBooks

If you enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid’s previous novels, you are not going to be disappointed with the fabulous Malibu Rising. It’s the story of the Riva family, in particular the oldest daughter Nina and her famous end of summer party at her Malibu beach-side mansion. Nina and her siblings Jay, Hud and Kit, are the children of faded rock star Mick Riva, although they have been estranged from him for years. Apart from young Kit, the Riva children are all successful in their own right. Nina is a supermodel and surfer, Jay is also a professional surfer and Hud is a photographer.

The charisma of Malibu comes across so well in this book. The cool, utopian lifestyle, the flamboyance and extravagance, the beauty of the beach and sea, and the allure of bright young people. And yet for all its glitter and glamour, as Nina says, it’s still just a place where people live their daily lives, admittedly with a stunning view of the Pacific Ocean.

I loved the way this book was written, mostly over the course of 24 hours. In each of these hours, we hear from each of the siblings in their own words, giving access to their innermost thoughts and secrets which, in some cases, not even those closest to them know. Interspersed with this, there are flashbacks to the tempestuous relationship between their parents and what life was like for the siblings after they split up. At the party, the reader is like a fly on the wall able to observe closely all that is going on. Not only do we continue to follow the Riva siblings, we also hear from several of their rich and privileged guests. My goodness what a wild party it was, a party of total excess and over-indulgence, with outrageous behaviour from some of the guests. At this stage of the book, I was absolutely glued to the pages as all the time there was a sense of building up to an explosive event when everyone’s secrets would be uncovered and life would never be the same again.

Malibu Rising is a story of how life is never as perfect as it may seem, that paradise may not exist. But it’s also a story about what remains when the ivory tower comes tumbling down. Malibu Rising is a sun-soaked, addictive book, the perfect beach read. (Or back garden read if that’s as far as you get this year!).

My thanks to the publishers for my review copy of this book via Netgalley. Malibu Rising will be published in hardback, ebook and audiobook formats on 27th May by Hutchison (a Penguin Random House imprint). Please support a local bookshop if you can when buying. Otherwise, you will find buying options for various retailers on the Penguin website here: Malibu Rising

From the back of the book

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.

About the Author

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, including Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their daughter.