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laurentalevski's review against another edition
5.0
This book was tragic and beautiful all at the same time. Nina dealt with so much and I'm glad she got some peace in the end. Watching their mother suffer the way she did was so hard and even hard along side Mick Riva being a trash human.
The family dynamics and familial love was everything, I loved when the boys confided in each other with no anger and also realising it was Kit's time to shine.
If I read this last year I don't know if I would have loved as much as I did. I just thought about this book for days.
The family dynamics and familial love was everything, I loved when the boys confided in each other with no anger and also realising it was Kit's time to shine.
If I read this last year I don't know if I would have loved as much as I did. I just thought about this book for days.
alayneorgana's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jordan_linder's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent read! Would recommend this for a quick and engaging read. Dynamic characters with lots of connecting stories.
debbiecollectsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Very enjoyable read from a new author to me, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Easy flowing story you never want to put down. So, so good!!!
bedrotten's review against another edition
5.0
mick riva has always been a scene stealer. i've always know he was a turbulent person, but knowing his story, his children's story gave me a glimpse of the part of their universe.
it made me think how people really have a tendency to let lust overcome them because they are too afraid to settle in a simple life. especially in his case, when he has all this fame and looks. he has issues like everyone less, it's just that he never made an effort to work on them. he didn't really deserved a redemption arc, not when he hasn't done anything substantial, and especially not when it's already too late.
Mick Riva is just a prat of this novel, the main character are his children AND they grew up really nicely even though their upbringing was problematic. their mom was an alcoholic to cope, but she was still there. The Rivas (children) owns up to their individuality and at the same time has this solid camaraderie because they know how hard life has been for them. A runaway father, a present but alcoholic mom who died early -they were all each other have.
They had issues on their own but found a way to come up with a solution. I really liked how they masked nina's moving as death. The fire in Malibu really did meant a lot of things, one of them being that it was also a signal fire to their new lives, that is unchained from the past.
it made me think how people really have a tendency to let lust overcome them because they are too afraid to settle in a simple life. especially in his case, when he has all this fame and looks. he has issues like everyone less, it's just that he never made an effort to work on them. he didn't really deserved a redemption arc, not when he hasn't done anything substantial, and especially not when it's already too late.
Mick Riva is just a prat of this novel, the main character are his children AND they grew up really nicely even though their upbringing was problematic. their mom was an alcoholic to cope, but she was still there. The Rivas (children) owns up to their individuality and at the same time has this solid camaraderie because they know how hard life has been for them. A runaway father, a present but alcoholic mom who died early -they were all each other have.
They had issues on their own but found a way to come up with a solution. I really liked how they masked nina's moving as death. The fire in Malibu really did meant a lot of things, one of them being that it was also a signal fire to their new lives, that is unchained from the past.
briastery's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
spregasaur94's review against another edition
4.0
This book was good, it kept my attention, and was interesting but it wasn’t my favorite. Potentially because it was very over-hyped and so I went in expecting something ground breaking. I found the beginning a bit slow but realized I liked having the details of the beginning more as I got to the end. Way too many characters had too much background introduced and it just became annoying to learn about them and interrupted a lot of the action that was happening, slowing it down and breaking my interest. Most of the introduced characters (or at least their backgrounds) weren’t relevant later so I just got bored. Good story, interesting, worth a read, just not my favorite.
prithikapal's review against another edition
4.0
Part one of the book is beautifully written. I love how it goes back and forth between past and present. As always Taylor Jenkins Reid really knows how to make you feel each character’s emotions. Starting the book I was skeptical, I didn’t think I would enjoy it because the story is written in third person. For me personally reading books in third person has always made it difficult for me to connect with characters but TJR just knows what she’s doing.
Part two is where the book started to get a little confusing. There were way too many new characters being introduced and it was hard to keep up with all of them (which I think was kind of the point) I honestly thought a lot of scenes might have even been useless information that didn’t add to the plot and didn’t need to be in the book. But after truly thinking about it, it kind of made sense. The party is chaotic with tons of people and I believe that’s what TJR wanted us to feel. She wanted us to feel the chaos as if we were at the party too. I actually felt my social battery draining as I was introduced to all the new characters and hearing about all the craziness happening at the party. Probably how Nina Riva felt during the party. I think it’s kinda genius that TJR wanted us to feel the chaos and social drain rather than just stating that’s how Nina felt.
The ending was somewhat anticlimactic only because you already knew what was going to happen BUT I felt like it just wrapped the whole book together. It gave a wonderful sense of closure as you say goodbye to the Riva family and they start new journeys in their lives.
All in all, I think this book deserves 4 stars. Great plot and as always I get sucked right into all the emotions of the characters, but part two if definitely hard to get through.
Part two is where the book started to get a little confusing. There were way too many new characters being introduced and it was hard to keep up with all of them (which I think was kind of the point) I honestly thought a lot of scenes might have even been useless information that didn’t add to the plot and didn’t need to be in the book. But after truly thinking about it, it kind of made sense. The party is chaotic with tons of people and I believe that’s what TJR wanted us to feel. She wanted us to feel the chaos as if we were at the party too. I actually felt my social battery draining as I was introduced to all the new characters and hearing about all the craziness happening at the party. Probably how Nina Riva felt during the party. I think it’s kinda genius that TJR wanted us to feel the chaos and social drain rather than just stating that’s how Nina felt.
The ending was somewhat anticlimactic only because you already knew what was going to happen BUT I felt like it just wrapped the whole book together. It gave a wonderful sense of closure as you say goodbye to the Riva family and they start new journeys in their lives.
All in all, I think this book deserves 4 stars. Great plot and as always I get sucked right into all the emotions of the characters, but part two if definitely hard to get through.
breeannamclovin's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book! It was interesting and sad but kept me wanting to read more every time. I truly thought there was going to be some big twist at the end but it just ended. Wasn’t a bad ending or a great ending, just okay.
I saw someone on TikTok say that if you liked The O.C., you would like Malibu Rising and I have to say I disagree. Didn’t get the same vibes at all. I know they’re 2 different time periods but still didn’t get that vibe at all.
I saw someone on TikTok say that if you liked The O.C., you would like Malibu Rising and I have to say I disagree. Didn’t get the same vibes at all. I know they’re 2 different time periods but still didn’t get that vibe at all.
tasteslikelemonade's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0