Scan barcode
A review by _beccareads
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book just didn’t hit like other TJR books for me.
Set in Malibu, we follow the story of the Riva family and their infamous annual party.
The first half of the book really dives into the Riva family’s history, unveiling everything that’s happened up until the annual party of 1983. Honestly, I struggled with this part as it felt a bit slow, and the third-person narration kept me from fully connecting with the characters.
The second half of the book is a break down of the Riva annual party, hour-by-hour. I definitely found this part of the book more enjoyable as we watched all of the drama unfold, however, I found the never ending side stories completely distracting and irrelevant. It was really hard to keep track of everything that was going on, which again, made it difficult for me to develop a strong emotional connection to any character.
Overall this was quite a disappointing read for me as I’ve loved every other TJR book, so this just felt like a bit of a let down. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not a great one either, if you’re wanting to read something TJR please don’t make this your first one!
Set in Malibu, we follow the story of the Riva family and their infamous annual party.
The first half of the book really dives into the Riva family’s history, unveiling everything that’s happened up until the annual party of 1983. Honestly, I struggled with this part as it felt a bit slow, and the third-person narration kept me from fully connecting with the characters.
The second half of the book is a break down of the Riva annual party, hour-by-hour. I definitely found this part of the book more enjoyable as we watched all of the drama unfold, however, I found the never ending side stories completely distracting and irrelevant. It was really hard to keep track of everything that was going on, which again, made it difficult for me to develop a strong emotional connection to any character.
Overall this was quite a disappointing read for me as I’ve loved every other TJR book, so this just felt like a bit of a let down. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not a great one either, if you’re wanting to read something TJR please don’t make this your first one!