Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

67 reviews

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.5

At its core, Malibu Rising is about 4 siblings who are the children of famous singer Mick Riva and how they have grappled with abandonment, loss, and actively breaking the patterns of their parents before them. It takes place both over one night at the "Riva party" with flashback chapters (which i loved) throughout that detail their parents meeting and ultimately the early lives of the children. I personally think that chapters like this are one of TJR's main strengths. It made the book give me similar vibes to Evelyn Hugo, which makes sense given that one of the characters is one of Evelyn's husbands in that book. Speaking of which, I loved the ties the book had to its predecessor. Ever since I finished Evelyn Hugo two years ago, I've wanted more, and this felt a lot like that, though I have to say I'm more of a fan of its predecessor.

My favorite characters were definitely Nina, Kit, and June. Mick Riva deserves no rights and that's all i will say about him. I loved the family dynamic between the siblings, how they found strength in each other even in the worst circumstances. It made me really happy even when the book got sad. Something that bothered me about the book and made me take off some "points" I guess, is that there were POVs outside of the Riva family that I simply didn't care about. They didn't end up having any real relevance and filled up pages unnecessarily - in my opinion. I'm sure there were reasons for this, but it just took me out of it.
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gracetxgao's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-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

5.0

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iferbooks's review against another edition

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

2.0

I appreciate that people love this author and this book but it just was not for me. 
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markedwithanm's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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intheweeds's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad 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

"letting people love you and care for you is part of how you love and care for them." 

another banger from TJR. hard to put down even during the odd pacing midway. would lay down my life for nina and kit riva etc etc.

(read on audiobook, the narrator is great)
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kilic's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad 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

4.75

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katyisreading's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book in emojis: πŸ„πŸ½β€β™€οΈπŸŒŠπŸ¦πŸŽ΅πŸ€°πŸΎπŸΈπŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦

Thank you to the publisher and author for a copy of this book in exchange for my review! Out June 1

Synopsis: August 1983. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to mark the end of the summer in their hometown of Malibu. As the night progresses (and the reader learns more about the family’s history via flashbacks), their loyalties to each other are tested and tensions rise to a boiling point.

I flew through this book. No one does character development like TJR, and I loved how complex these characters were. Despite their hardships, I wanted to be a Riva sibling, surfing in Malibu. This book definitely reminded me more of Daisy Jones than Evelyn Hugo because the narration skips around and we learn about a lot of characters rather than focusing on one. I also think fans of Most Fun We Ever Had will enjoy this one - it’s told in a similar style with flashbacks of the parents’ lives and a story that centers around a tight sibling bond. Overall, I loved it. A fantastic escape that made me crave warm weather and the smell of the ocean.
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