Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

33 reviews

lindasoderlundd's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship

Minor: Cursing, Gore, Car accident, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Infidelity, Police brutality, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Car accident, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Blood

dannythestreet's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Chronic illness, Cursing, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Blood, Classism, Sexual content, Stalking, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Abortion

cutepatzie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

An amazing story showing that family it's doesn't have to share the same blood more like likely always been for each other and love each other unconditionally. How love can have many different faces, some of them are amazing like taking care of not your child like it was born from you, and becoming parent. Being bad perent wanting to fix that, falling love in with someone, but still cheating that person knowing it will destroy them. Not wanting to put yourself first because of being scared. Or just finding a family that you always want to have. Such an amazing story with so much depth in it. Very much enjoy it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cursing, Death of parent, Misogyny, Death, Abandonment, Sexism, Pregnancy, Drug use, Infertility, and Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Gaslighting, and Police brutality

Minor: Vomit, Antisemitism, and Chronic illness

kaitlynnnng's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Mick Riva is a piece of garbage.

I found myself incredibly angry every time Mick and Brandon’s infidelity was brought up. I hate cheaters in real life, and I hated reading about cheaters.

Some of the chapters about other people at the party were interesting, but I found most of them to be confusing and unnecessary.

To me, this book didn’t have a “wow” factor, but I did enjoy reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, and Infidelity

Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Gun violence, Sexual content, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Domestic abuse

guivx5's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I find interesting that every Jenkins book I've read so far differs quite a bit in their formats. "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" bases itself in an interview recording scenario; "Daisy Jones & The Six" is centered around an actual interview transcript. "Malibu Rising", on the other hand, is centered around what happens when the cameras are turned off. 

The book is divided in two very defined parts, a very bold move. It was, together with her cutting-edge writing style, risky: if the story was not well supported, it would fall upon itself. But it didn't, because it is a hell of a story. Maybe missing some bits here and there, but very consistent. The consistency between her books is a prime indicator of the care and passion put in these stories. You can feel, with every line, Jenkin's efforts to honor these characters. 

About the inconsistencies, they're truly not the biggest deal. Not even that big of a deal.

I personally feel she should've developed more on all siblings other than Nina. Of course, Nina is the center, but Jay's disease plot felt a bit... flat, the treatment it got in the storyline didn't match it's importance. And the same goes for Kit's sexuality (that got a mere two pages worth of development) and Hud's relationship with Ashley (This is the one lacking the most. Jay's beef with Hud for their relationship is so <i>dull</i>, so unexplained. Jenkins has a very straightforward writing style: she tells you what is going on, what that means and how the characters involved feel. If she simply addressed the sexist and idiotic nature of this conflict, it would be enough. But she chose to use it as a narrative point for forgiveness). But, after all, this is a story about an absent father, so I feel like she could've also left these side plots out of the story.

The book's two parts are very different, with the first one focusing on the past and the second one truly devoting itself to express the wild nature of an out-of-control party. Again, risky. But I like it.

Although I felt like a couple of side stories in the second half of the book were kinda useless.

In the end, the story handles well pretty much every aspect it proposes to elaborate on: parenting, abandonment, sexist men and their never-ending urge to fuck everything up... The list goes on, for the nuances Jenkins shows in her stories are many. I surely didn't expect it would be such a good reading experience, and I'm proud to announce that Taylor Jenkins still is one of my favorite authors of all time!

The most heartbreaking thing for Jenkins's fans after reading "Malibu Rising" is realizing that Mick Riva appeared in almost every recent book of hers. He was everywhere, but never where he was needed: with his children.

...

I swear to God, this woman puts crack between the lines of her books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Sexism, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Alcohol

Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Sexism, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Car accident, and Gun violence

marieos's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Violence, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Car accident, Gun violence, and Infidelity

Minor: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Abortion, Blood, and Miscarriage

violetsonata93's review against another edition

emotional funny sad

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A great book. Well worth a read. I enjoyed the characters and themes, the flashbacks and play by play of the night. It made me feel a lot. The ending kind of disappointed me though, which is mostly why I couldn't rate it as high as Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Sexism

brashcandicoot's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Death

Minor: Car accident, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Abortion, Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Police brutality, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

sunny_not's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

As always Taylor Jenkins Reid's books are such fast, complex and interesting reads. This one was my favorite so far since I really enjoyed the different dynamics between family members and I really felt for June

her becoming addicted to alcohol and her death were just devastating after seeing how much she worked to give her kids a great life.

This book deals with how abandonment can ruin a whole family essentially and it's so sad and so real. Overall I really enjoyed this story and I'm excited about Cassie soto's story

I hated Brandon he was awful I hope she gets rid of him in her book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Minor: Abortion