Scan barcode
A review by wolfiereads
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
4.0
This is a perfect beach read - summer-y vibes, quick read, lighthearted enough to be escapism but with substantial depth and realism. It's well written, the characters conjure a lot of empathy, the story is intriguing… it just missed the mark for me.
My biggest issue is the time jump. It ruined the pacing for me. I already have a pre-existing annoyance for stories that utilize time jumps and, while I can see this working decently to weave the story together, I think this book would've worked better if it was divided into three parts instead of two. The pacing in the first half just dragged on, but the second half just sped along quickly.
I didn't care for the side stories about all the secondary characters in the second half, especially since none of them had any interaction or ties with the main characters. They only really served to confirm that celebrities are shitty people too and to draw out the main storyline and pacing even longer. It was a tad annoying to see those side stories wrapped up in a paragraph then never acknowledged again - to me, it was like, what the hell was the point of following those people around for half a chapter ?
I had a hard time connecting to the story and characters. At its core, it has strained family dynamics and identity crises that many will relate to, but I didn't feel drawn to any of them. I had a lot of empathy for most of the characters, especially Nina, but it stopped there.
I didn't find the narrative particularly engaging (although that might've been marred by my frustration with the time jump) nor any of twists surprising. It was very predictable for me and I didn't really care for it.
While this book isn't for me, I can understand the appeal and appreciate the writing.
3.5 / 5 (rounded up to four)
My biggest issue is the time jump. It ruined the pacing for me. I already have a pre-existing annoyance for stories that utilize time jumps and, while I can see this working decently to weave the story together, I think this book would've worked better if it was divided into three parts instead of two. The pacing in the first half just dragged on, but the second half just sped along quickly.
I didn't care for the side stories about all the secondary characters in the second half, especially since none of them had any interaction or ties with the main characters. They only really served to confirm that celebrities are shitty people too and to draw out the main storyline and pacing even longer. It was a tad annoying to see those side stories wrapped up in a paragraph then never acknowledged again - to me, it was like, what the hell was the point of following those people around for half a chapter ?
I had a hard time connecting to the story and characters. At its core, it has strained family dynamics and identity crises that many will relate to, but I didn't feel drawn to any of them. I had a lot of empathy for most of the characters, especially Nina, but it stopped there.
I didn't find the narrative particularly engaging (although that might've been marred by my frustration with the time jump) nor any of twists surprising. It was very predictable for me and I didn't really care for it.
While this book isn't for me, I can understand the appeal and appreciate the writing.
3.5 / 5 (rounded up to four)