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the_eggelstone's review against another edition
2.0
One of the most disappointing reads this year, ‚Malibu Rising‘ clearly doesn’t deliver on what it is promising. Instead of getting a frothy, fun and fast-paced family drama ripe with scandals and twists, one gets an utterly boring housewife-fantasy of one young woman who sacrificed it all to keep her family together and eventually can do what she always wanted to do, now that the family’s all grown up. All covered up by a thin veneer of glamour and fame.
The first half of the book is an overlong introduction, that drags on forever, switching between timelines in order to conceal that there is not much going on really. The stories of the Rivas kids remain bland, the back flash to the parents‘ life is full of cliches and wears out quickly. And just when I actually wanted to stop reading altogether, the story kicks slightly into gear. But by then we‘re halfway through the book.
The long-awaited huge party sequence can pick up the pace but apart from a few lazily thrown-in 80s references, you wouldn’t guess when and where the story is actually set. Characters come and go, but remain flat and have cheesy names (Tuesday, Brandon, Casey, Tarine etc)
The twists and turns never really materialize and it all feels like a badly written soap-opera.
Unfortunately all in all very disappointing. Had to force myself to finish the book and would recommend other titles from Jenkins Read a hundred times over this lazy exploit.
The first half of the book is an overlong introduction, that drags on forever, switching between timelines in order to conceal that there is not much going on really. The stories of the Rivas kids remain bland, the back flash to the parents‘ life is full of cliches and wears out quickly. And just when I actually wanted to stop reading altogether, the story kicks slightly into gear. But by then we‘re halfway through the book.
The long-awaited huge party sequence can pick up the pace but apart from a few lazily thrown-in 80s references, you wouldn’t guess when and where the story is actually set. Characters come and go, but remain flat and have cheesy names (Tuesday, Brandon, Casey, Tarine etc)
The twists and turns never really materialize and it all feels like a badly written soap-opera.
Unfortunately all in all very disappointing. Had to force myself to finish the book and would recommend other titles from Jenkins Read a hundred times over this lazy exploit.
natgoff's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
_gingi_'s review against another edition
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.5
menna_m's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
oscars_mom's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
tarterburn's review against another edition
4.0
Such a beautifully written/emotional story! Really really well done.
myheartbelongstobooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
cassischapter's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Honestly at the beginning I thought this was going to be the one taylor Jenkins book that I don’t like, due to the cringey romance and how much the time lines jumped and the amount of characters made it hard to follow at first. Then I finally got into it and was frustrated for 100 pages over asshole men. The more I read the more everything came together and I felt invested. The ending was beautiful and tied everything together perfectly.
Honestly at the beginning I thought this was going to be the one taylor Jenkins book that I don’t like, due to the cringey romance and how much the time lines jumped and the amount of characters made it hard to follow at first. Then I finally got into it and was frustrated for 100 pages over asshole men. The more I read the more everything came together and I felt invested. The ending was beautiful and tied everything together perfectly.
nadak's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5