Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Ballentine Books
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Book Description: 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.
Rating: 5 stars
Review: I will start by saying that Taylor Jenkins Reid books keep getting better and better. Malibu Rising might just be her best yet.
The Riva children are the product of Mick (an A-list singer) and June. Taking place in 1983, at their annual party that is ‘the party” of the summer. Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit while all successful have also had tough life. Mick abandoned his family, June has multiple issues stemming from this betrayal.
The book while taking place over 1 day and night, is interspersed with Mick, June and the children’s history and how we get to this one night. Reid gives us so many elements that anybody can enjoy this book. Romance, betrayal, drugs, surfing are just to name a few.
I really had no idea what to expect going into this novel, but from the first chapter, I was totally captivated. Reid has a way of pulling you in and not letting go. This is perfect read for the summer, sitting at the beach or pool or just sitting on your porch. This story will stay with for a very long time.
Thank you NetGalley and Ballentine Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 