I did not expect to love Malibu Rising as much as I did. I'd been avoiding the title for a while since the premise didn't sound entirely interesting to me but TJR is a master at characterization and keeping the plot interesting through her characters. Nina Riva is now one of my favourite fictional characters of all time.

Every year Nina Riva and her siblings throw a party to celebrate the end of summer.
It is 1983 and Nina is a famous model. Her brother Jay is a champion surfer and her other brother Hud is a successful photographer whose main subject is Jay. The youngest Kit a teenager is developing into quite a surfer too.
Even though they are the children of the world renowned singer Mick Riva, their lives have not been easy. A young June Costas was swept off her feet by the oh so charming Mick. Young and in love they got married. June stayed at home with the children while Mick worked long hard hours to break into show business. Talented and charming Mick soon became a sensation. As his fame rose so did the number of temptations. Eventually Mick succumbed and ruined his marriage. After a second try at being a family man Mick once again left the family. This time round June found herself on her own with four children to support without any financial help.
The story begins in the early hours on the day of the party. The story goes back to the mid 1950s which reveals the Riva family history. Eventually the two timelines meet.
I enjoyed MALIBU RISING. The characters were engaging and the story flowed along smoothly. It would make an excellent summer read.
I am a big fan of some of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other books like DAISY JONES & THE SIX. I was very excited to learn that the author has a new book coming out in late summer. Looking forward to reading it too.
Thank to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book! I picked this book as I loved Reid’s other books and this one was no different. Just as fabulously written as always. Reid really knows how to make you fall in love with all her characters as they leap off the page. I recommended this book to many people already and will continue too.

I’ve read the latest 3 books by this author and all have been 5 stars for me. I would give this book 6 stars if possible. It was amazing. The story, the strength of the characters, the point. So amazing. I’m buying this in print for future re-reads.

This book was absolutely enthralling, much like every other TJR book I’ve ever read. This fast paced book kept me in its grip until I was finished. I loved the flow of this story and surprisingly, I loved every character.

I absolutely loved this book! Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master of writing and I can't wait for the next book in this loose series.
Malibu Rising looks at a fantastic cast of characters (one of which you just might remember from Evelyn Hugo!) who all are struggling with their own problems but are always there for each other as a family. The ending was great as the chaos of the party is portrayed in such a subtle but effective way.
Hands down one of my fave reads of 2021.

I loved so much about this book. The family dynamics. The flow of the flashbacks. The plot. I couldn’t put this book down.

Malibu 1983: Nina Riva always has a big end-of-summer party with her younger siblings. The four of them: Nina, Jay, Hudson, and Kit, are the children of singer Mick Riva, who abandoned them and their mother. All of Malibu is fascinated by the Rivas, and are drawn to the Riva party every year. This party is going to be life changing for each of the Riva siblings. Nina doesn’t want to be in the spotlight anymore after her professional tennis player husband left her for another tennis player. Jay is waiting for the girl of his dreams to show up. Hudson has important news that he must confess to his brother before it’s too late. Kit decides she wants to grow up at this party and finally kiss a boy. The party gets out of control, with alcohol and drugs flowing everywhere. By the next morning, the house will go up in flames. The four siblings must decide what’s most important in their lives and what can be left behind.

This was a tragic story about a tragic family. Though the four children had a famous singer for a father, he wasn’t there to look after them. They didn’t have enough money and had to look after themselves. There was a lot of generational trauma, with problems from their parents’ generation passing onto the children.

Even though the ending of the story is given in the synopsis, I had no idea how they would get there. Though I could figure out things that would happen before they happened, I got chills when I read the words. This story had a unique omniscient narrator, who knew everything that was happening in each character’s mind. The characters’ motives couldn’t be hidden from this narrator, but when the ending of the story is given away in the synopsis, this type of narration works well.

There are some trigger warnings such as alcohol and drug abuse, accidental drowning, abandonment, and adultery. Death at childbirth was mentioned but not part of the present story.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised at the ending. It wasn’t what I expected at all.

Malibu Rising is a beautiful, tragic story that is perfect for the summer.

Thank you Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another fantastic book by Taylor Jenkins Reid! I loved this family, flaws in all. Spunky Kit, Sporty Jay, Artistic Hud and Ballbuster Nina. This novel about family, and doing what needs to be done to keep one together, was poignant at times, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Riva family in this callback to the 80s. A definite beach read you will love.

Meet the Riva's, Mick and June, Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. The story bounces back and forth between Mick and june's story and that of their four children. Either storyline would be worth the read alone but put together they make a blockbuster of a novel. Family is the main theme - how important it is to be able to trust and count on those you love. Strong engaging characters together with an incredible story keep you reading from start to finish. You laugh with them, love with them and suffer with them. A great read.
#MalibuRising#NetGalley

Made me want to be a guest at that party and in Southern California, for better or for worse. Delighted to include it in the June instalment of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month's top fiction for Zed, Zoomer magazine’s reading and books section (full review and feature at link).

This was a MOST anticipated summer read for me and it lives up to the hype, especially for fans of a good character-driven, strong sibling relationships family story. Set in Malibu and taking place over the course of the 1950s to 1980s the story alternates between the early history of the Riva family and later in the 'present' of 1983 on the day the four Riva siblings throw an epic, life changing summer party. Nina, Jay, Hub and Kit grow up with a famous but absentee singer father and an alcoholic mother. Eventually Nina ends up being the main caregiver for her siblings, sacrificing her own dreams in order to keep the family together. Super strong characterization with lots of family secrets and revelations to keep the plot moving to the climatic ending. Selected as the Read with Jenna June book club pick, I highly recommend this one if you want a page-turner for your summer beach reading pleasure!

CW: infidelity, alcoholism, loss of a parent, death by drowning

Rounded up to 3.5 stars!!! This was one of my most anticipated reads or 2021. Taylor Jenkins Reid was releasing a book about siblings in Malibu! I was hooked by the cover release alone. This book follows four siblings who have overcame parents that let them down but have always been there for each other. Themes of sacrifice, family, love and forgiveness are evident throughout this novel. This novel takes place over 24 hours and I feel like I read it in less then that too. The first 60 percent was wonderful then we got so much filler featuring random characters at the party that I didn’t overly enjoy. The ending was a bit of a letdown for me but I do think a lot of people will enjoy this as a beach read this summer. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.

Jenkins is the very successful American author of books such as "Daisy Jones and the Six" and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo". This new release is set in Malibu in the 1980's with some chapters set in the late 1950's. The story deals with the lives of four siblings, whose absent father is the very famous singer Mick Riva. Nina is the oldest and is a successful model. Jay is a world winning surfer and Hud is a successful photographer. Kit is the youngest at 20-years old. It is the night of their annual summer bash and before the night is over there will be fights, secrets revealed and Malibu will have yet another fire. Along the way we learn about how they all got to this point. This is sure to be another hit for the author and is a wonderful recommendation for both her fans and those who like great family stories. The character development is wonderful and I for one would be happy to see a sequel. I loved it.

There's something about the way Taylor Jenkins Reid writes that captivates me from page one. She writes such complex, complicated characters that make you root for them. I like that we got four very different siblings, and see them go through amazing character development throughout a book that takes place in 24 hours. I also really enjoyed in part 1 that we got flashbacks to see how their parents met, and the family history that took place up until the night of the present day in the book. As someone who has read the last two books from Reid, I like that there was mention of Mick Riva in both Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, and in this book, we get a more fleshed-out view of his character.

I will read whatever Taylor Jenkins Reid writes, and always recommend her to my customers because you're guaranteed to have a good time with her books. I can't wait to start talking about this book with more people!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

One of my most anticipated reads of 2021 from one of my absolute favourite authors, Malibu Rising surrounds the four Riva siblings( Nina, Jay, Hudson, and Kit) in 1983 Malibu. It is also the whirlwind love story and tumultuous marriage of their parents, June and Mick in 1956 and the years of family events that follow. The novel specifically focuses on the day of Nina's Malibu Party, one that from the beginning of the story is hinted to be completely memorable.

And Nina felt a sense of doom, as she imagined how the night would play out. The conflict, the mess. This night, Nina could feel in her gut, was not going to end well.

Having read all of TJR'S books, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly I fall in love with all of her characters and become so invested in all their stories. What did surprise me was losing myself so totally in the surf scene. I was almost convinced that I needed that among my hobbies. Just kidding. I think I will just stick with reading books and watching movies about it. Through the descriptions and cultural references, I was certainly digging the 80's. There's a lot of characters that intersect with the Riva family, but TJR does make them just as memorable and fascinating as her main protagonists. Not to mention the dramatic adventures that take place during the "party of the decade." I don't really have any criticisms because I highly enjoyed the storyline and was captivated from beginning to end.

The perfect beach read! I mean, that cover alone begs to be adored!

Goodreads review published 24/05/21
Expected Publication Date 04/06/21

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC!

This was very hard to read at times. All of the Riva siblings were so interesting, but what really interested me was Nina. As the oldest sister, I could relate to her so much.

At times, I cried reading this book. It was heartbreaking to read how much the generations of the family went through. How they all seemed to follow the same path. Most of the book I just prayed that these 4 siblings didn’t go down the same path.

It was a beautiful story about heartbreak and the strength of families. Though I loved it, I felt that the party it is centred around was quite rushed and there was a lot of people mentioned that it took up too much space.

In the end, it was a fantastic read I highly recommend.

Taylor Jenkins Reid has knocked it out of the park again with Malibu Rising. Her strength always lies in her nuanced characters, and this was no different. I loved watching the Riva siblings and their bond throughout the years. The development that Nina goes through especially was amazing to watch and how she overcame obstacles in her life. This has two timelines., the present day (in 1983) and the 50s-70s and I loved both equally.

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down! The writing style and the plot being told through alternating timelines completely captivated me as I fell completely immersed within the plot. My favourite aspect of the book would be the characters, specifically the relationships and how you see these relationships and characterizations grow throughout the events of the book. Although I felt as though many characters were introduced very briefly, in my opinion, their stories and all of these details were still wrapped up nicely and helped readers picture the craziness of the annual summer party. Highly recommend!

This book was amazing. Taylor Jenkins Reid books are instant reads for me, and I was so excited to receive an advance copy from Penguin House Canada to read. This book has similar vibes to Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, in that it is also set in the 1950’s-1980’s, has some celebrity aspects to it, and its set in California. I really love this aspect of her books, and I think it made this one great as well. Malibu Rising has many characters and although there are many characters in this book, you feel a connection to all of them in some way, even if they are only part of the story for a few pages, however the one I most connected with was Nina! I also liked how this book took place in two timelines, and how the stories merged throughout. TJR just has a great way with words, so when you read you can easily visualize being at the party at Nina’s house, surfing with the siblings, etc. I was looking forward to reading this one, and it definitely did not disappoint. I will be buying a hardcover copy when the book is released!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin House Canada and Taylor Jenkins Reid for my advanced reading copy!