Scan barcode
babsi_222's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
So this book is about a family and their history and you really get to see into each of the siblings/ and every family members mind. they’re a family who live near the ocean and I’ve never read a book that’s about surfers, which was really cool.
So there is a famous party where every hollywood star is and like the author said in the Q&A it’s really inspired by the great Gatsby. It was quite interesting, but it just kind of felt like one of those romance movies (Love Actually), because sometimes in between the chapters about the family you have like two pages where there’s a random star who hooks up with someone else or who finds the love of their life at this party, which is just so random, but kind of fun tbh
literally all of the men in this book are red flags!!!
To be honest I’m not sure if I’m going to read ‘Carrie Soto is back’ any time soon because she does not seem like a great person in this book. I’m sure that it’s going to be interesting but I think I just don’t wanna read it right now.
Junes story makes me so mad omg :(((
There’s soooo much drama at the party btw holy shit
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cursing, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit, Violence, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Car accident, and Outing
naturally's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the rivas are a great family. the moments between the siblings were so tender and heartfelt. the ordering of the timeline (interweaving past and present) was fab. it was nice to finally put a face to the name re: nick riva - because he was referenced in the other books in the TJR literary universe.
to me, nina was the stand out character of the book. her arc really spoke to me as an eldest daughter and sister - she had to grow up so fast because of her circumstances; the weight of that was depicted v well.
Graphic: Drug use, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Sexism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Cursing, and Violence
Minor: Blood
gzevs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Drug use, Infidelity, Death of parent, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
ptitirodactyle's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
xbernadette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Sexism, and Infidelity
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
cutepatzie'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? No
5.0
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
hannahbailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Oh to be a Riva! On the surface, the four Riva siblings seem to have it all: fame, fortune and each other. But by the end of the night, everything's changed. This is what drew me in, that the whole book was set over the course of one night. The character analysis started off well and I enjoyed the switch between flashbacks and present day as we learned more and more about the Rivas.
I was expecting 80s beach-babe Malibu vibes, but I wasn't expecting this book to approach and handle some heavier topics like death, grief, divorce, betrayal, alcoholism and family issues. Although it is a TJR book, so actually that's on me for not thinking this would pack an emotional punch. I thought these topics were handled well, and the characters struggles felt realistic. I was able to empathise with them despite their sickening level of wealth (rich kids 😔🥲).
The first part was setting up for something massive—secrets revealed and people exposed. I was excited to watch it all unravel over the course of a night. However, what followed was an underwhelming and understated second half. New characters were introduced too frequently to fully care (which I admit is truthful of large parties) and so much more could've been done when a certain character arrived. I was left disappointed and sad. The ending was emotional but not in a cathartic way–although I guess life is often like that. These characters deserved better endings!
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
katekatiekait'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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Vomit, Suicide, and Racism