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A review by debbiewakefield10
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
5.0
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I liked the narrative structure and the fleshed-out depth of characters. I was hooked when I began listening and recognized character names from “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” like Mick Riva. I appreciated those Easter eggs (it's been a while since I read "Daisy Jones" but I'll have to re-read it and look out because I heard he's also mentioned there.)
The book opens with a scene of a crazy house party, a famous rich family and a burnt-down mansion. Maybe someone will write a book about this family, this party and how the mansion burned? Keep reading.
The first part of the book jumps between past and present. It focuses on the main character’s, Nina Riva, parents. How they met, how they fell in love and how Nina and her siblings came to be. We even meet Nina’s grandparents (June and Mick's parents). At a steady pace, we learn their life stories.
The second part of the book stays in the present. We get a full timeline of Nina's epic house party and learn how the mansion was destroyed and why maybe that's not a bad thing.
We get to know the characters so deeply that I caught myself talking to the characters, like really empathizing with them. The story told is heart-wrenching and devastating at parts.
To be picky, sometimes this book had too many characters, especially at the party, there were a lot of celebrities and characters to keep track of. I think some of them could've been edited out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who's enjoyed other Taylor Jenkins Reid books because it definitely echos "Daisy Jones and the Six" and is very similar in style and atmosphere to "Evelyn Hugo." I plan to read more of Jenkins Reid's books because I'm clearly a fan.
The book opens with a scene of a crazy house party, a famous rich family and a burnt-down mansion. Maybe someone will write a book about this family, this party and how the mansion burned? Keep reading.
The first part of the book jumps between past and present. It focuses on the main character’s, Nina Riva, parents. How they met, how they fell in love and how Nina and her siblings came to be. We even meet Nina’s grandparents (June and Mick's parents). At a steady pace, we learn their life stories.
The second part of the book stays in the present. We get a full timeline of Nina's epic house party and learn how the mansion was destroyed and why maybe that's not a bad thing.
We get to know the characters so deeply that I caught myself talking to the characters, like really empathizing with them. The story told is heart-wrenching and devastating at parts.
To be picky, sometimes this book had too many characters, especially at the party, there were a lot of celebrities and characters to keep track of. I think some of them could've been edited out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who's enjoyed other Taylor Jenkins Reid books because it definitely echos "Daisy Jones and the Six" and is very similar in style and atmosphere to "Evelyn Hugo." I plan to read more of Jenkins Reid's books because I'm clearly a fan.