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I’m skeptical of the hyped books on Bookstagram and TikTok because they’re typically a let down. It’s not that I don’t want to read the books that everyone raves about, it’s just that the rave reviews typically seem to be unfounded. The books aren’t bad, they just aren’t the fine literature they are hyped up to be. When thousands of people are posting about the same book for a week straight, it has a lot to live up to.
I hesitate saying this because I don’t want to sound like a book snob. Rom Coms and cheesy women’s fiction absolutely have places on my bookshelves, but I also believe they should be advertised as they are. Let’s be honest, I love Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation (click on the links to read my reviews). They’re two of my favorite reads this year, but they aren’t groundbreaking literature. That’s okay, because they aren’t trying to be groundbreaking literature. They’re saying something about love and making readers cry and swoon. I’m here for that, absolutely. And I’m going to say that’s what it is.
There is a community of readers who stan everything Taylor Jenkins Reid writes. I read Daisy Jones and the Six last year and loved the fresh storyline, the flashback approach, and the 70’s rock and vinyl vibe. Not many novels have tried something similar. I appreciated what she did with the story, but I’m not a diehard Reid fan.
This month, Reid’s new novel Malibu Rising released into the world, and it took Bookstagram by storm. I grabbed a copy for my Book of the Month Club pick. The cover is pretty and I wanted to give it a chance.
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Synopsis:
One of the largest fires in Malibu history began the night of Nina Riva’s party of the year. Every year Nina throws an exclusive end of summer bash, and anyone who is anyone shows. People beg for invitations to this sought after party with the Riva siblings: Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit, children of the famous and beloved Mick Riva. This year’s party is bound to get out of control as the four siblings unravel the truths of their family history, discover each other’s secrets, and admit hard truths to themselves.
What I Liked:
Malibu Rising, much like Daisy Jones and the Six, incorporates a deep dive into the character’s past. Almost the entire first half of the novel uncovers the Riva siblings’ family history, giving the reader insight into their habits and choices, strengths and weaknesses. The backstory helps the reader build compassion for the characters and connect on a more emotional level. Not only is it helpful, it’s entertaining. We often don’t learn so much about characters in a novel. Normally that’s for a good reason. Too much backstory can be mundane and unnecessary, but this is something Taylor Jenkins Reid does well.
There is definitely a vibe created in this novel. It just feels like an 80’s Malibu surf scene. The smell of the ocean and the salt in the air are almost palpable. The neon swimsuits and surfboards among the pacific waves are clear in the mind. As a reader, I thirsted for a morning on the porch of the Riva house, right on the beach in Malibu. The vibe Reid creates is appropriate and necessary for the rest of the story.
What I Didn’t Like:
The novel feels thin. The surf scene vibe is cool, and the backstory is done well, but the rest is thin. Reid tries to tackle backstory (which takes half the novel), a party (which takes the other half), four main characters (and trying to equally describe their stories), and a slew of minor characters. It feels like too much to tackle in 400 pages.
The second half of the novel focuses on Nina’s party. Reid attempts to tell the stories of all four Riva siblings, while focusing on their love interests, and sprinkling in the stories of irrelevant Hollywood elite. It jumps from a chapter detailing a Riva sibling, to a lengthy chapter on a Hollywood character we’re meeting for the first time and is just a random guest at the party. Then it jumps to another Riva sibling. The interruptions of the Riva’s story to focus on random characters felt like….well, interruptions. It feels like valuable page space is being wasted.
While the four Riva siblings all seem interesting, four main characters are a lot to tackle. Instead of getting to know one sibling really well, the reader partially gets to know all four, but is left wanting more. I wanted to know each character with a little more depth, but there isn’t room for it in the novel.
Overall:
Malibu Rising follows the four Riva siblings, children of the famous and beloved Mick Riva, as they unravel their family history and uncover truths about themselves and each other. The annual end-of-summer party is out of control as the siblings fall apart and spark fires that will be impossible to quell. The vibe of the novel is 80’s Malibu surf scene, and it’s wonderful. I like the concept of exploring the history of a family and the idea of family history affecting who we become, but I think it could have been executed better. The novel is trying to do too much by focusing on four main characters, exploring a whole family history, and telling the story of a party to remember. Reid attempts to create a cast of Hollywood characters, but it feels like a distraction from the stories of the Rivas. It feels like an attempt at groundbreaking literature, but is only an attempt. This one is 3/5 stars for me. While it may not be worth the hype, it’s a good read and perfect for summer. Buy it on Amazon or Bookshop!
My Rating:
Kelliemarie Mash 