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jenna_s_9's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I really enjoy Taylor Jenkins Reid, her novels always have a way of punching me in the heart. This one more pointedly.
This felt fast paced, I loved how the dual timelines played out and how the story came together in the second half. As readers we are offered so much insight to the characters and how they affect the people around them. It felt entirely immersive.
Her characters are unlikable in some ways but entirely human, Nina being the most compelling character for me. Maybe because I see some of what she is in myself, that feeling of having to accept but never allowing herself to be.
Nobody is perfect. But once again, TJR captures what we all want from people so eloquently, we want them to try. Try.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Death, Drug abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
dannythestreet's review against another edition
- 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
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
aliyachaudhry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Car accident, Miscarriage, and Abortion
zara89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Car accident, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, and Miscarriage
kaitlynnnng's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
marieos's review against another edition
- 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
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
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
i most enjoyed the plots concerning the core four siblings and, later, their plus-one. you'd think they be the majority of the plot, but there are a lot of subplots that have little-to-no bearing on the main storyline, and i understand wanting to make this gigantic party with all these interesting people feel more alive, but after a while i stopped caring and just wanted to skip to the Rivas. it was overall pretty good though
book cover discussion: the British one is so much better than that of the United States, like the pretty sunset/fire (👀) colors, the serif font. unfortunately it doesn't carry over perfectly to the square aspect ratio for the audiobook.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, and Death
Minor: Body shaming, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Vomit, Car accident, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Miscarriage, and Police brutality
madison1239's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Minor: Abortion
anniefwrites's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Infidelity, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Sexism, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Car accident, Miscarriage, Blood, Police brutality, and Racism
writingcaia's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
I loved this tale of the Rivas, these four Malibu born siblings with surf, sand and love in their hearts, their beautiful relationship with each other, their care and protectiveness, but also how each of them was impacted by the trauma of abandonment and how that reflects in their current lives.
The narrative takes place in only a day, 24h, in the present, where Nina, the eldest, a model who has just been cheated on and left by her husband, is preparing to host the Riva’s anual party event at her mansion in Malibu, but while we see each hour go by we are brought back to the past, to their parents relationship, to their father’s fame, to their abandonment and poverty, and to the sad fact that Nina ends up carrying so much of the family’s responsibilities on her shoulders.
I know some people felt that there were too many POV, not only did that not bother me at all, I actually felt it was quite impressive that we could glimpse so much of what was happening through those many eyes, and I was also amazed by the ability of the author to create such different characters, with such specific characteristics, backgrounds and idiosyncrasies,some of them in only one or two chapters. It made the tale come alive and, again, feel so freaking real.
I also really loved that Portugal was mentioned a couple of times 😉
It didn’t supplant my fave, Daisy Jones & The Six, but I got the same connection to the characters that I did on that one.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Blood and Misogyny
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Abortion, and Miscarriage