Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Malibu Rising

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
(Slight spoilers - kind of not really)
I had really high expectations for this book due to the hype on here, and thank GOODNESS it didn’t dissapoint 👏
I started this when I got into bed last night and couldn’t stop reading until two am! I finished it this morning and so I devoured it. This follows two timelines, the course of one day in 1983, the day of the Riva’s siblings party of the year and also the 1950-80s with the story of how their parents met and how their family came to be. This story was so cool flitting between two storylines as you had to piece every thing together. As the book went on, the early timeline dissolved into the present timeline beautifully and all the ends caught up to each other and fitted like a perfect puzzle. The family goes through so much in their lives and the tale is told of how them and their mother were abandoned by their (not very good) father, global rockstar Mick Riva. His rise to fame during his Childrens childhoods, how he affected those around him by not being there, and by being unfaithful to multiple wives. We hear from the siblings points of view, when they deal with different problems as children - stressing about school and growing up with not a lot of money - and their problems as adults such as careers and relationships. The story was heartbreaking yet beautiful, I think it’s best to go into the story not knowing a lot about the plot, as each plot point shocked me and it is definitely now one of my favourite books.

🚨Trigger warnings for this book: Alcoholism, drowning, death, divorce, infidelity, drug use, child abandonment. 🚨

Content Warnings

possiblyeve's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.75

i enjoy Jenkins Reid’s writing style, and i liked how this book alternates between the past and the present, with the storylines running parallel. however, it wasn’t as good as TSWOEH, in that i was less captivated by the premise of the story, and less invested in the characters. it was still pretty good though, nicely paced and well structured. note - i would say that storygraph describing the book as LGBT+ is very misleading.

Content Warnings

brynngaybee's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Such a great summer read! It was a very exciting and fast-paced read. The characters were clear and interesting. There were a few concepts that I wish had been explored a little bit more but there was a lot of ground to cover and it certainly didn't ruin my experience of the book. I liked the multiple perspectives and the complexity it offered every character. The little snippets of party guests' lives and stories were very cool as well. Cool story, although not my fav Taylor Jenkins Reid book.

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tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

kikicochrane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my first book by TJR as it came highly recommended through BookTube, and I was not disappointed. The array of characters and the hardships that the Riva siblings went through together hit close to home for me which made it easy to relate to their hardships. I enjoyed how captivated I was by the heartache and sadness of the story with June & Mick and how their relationship played a role in how their children grew up.

The tone of the story is focused heavily on sadness and anger, but there are uplifting moments and overcoming fears.

Overall I enjoyed this summertime read.

Content Warnings