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A review by jessicaludden
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“June was gone. Yet here she was, living on through her children.”
I’ve said it once before and I’ll say it again, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a genius. I thought nothing could top Daisy Jones & the Six, but wow this really exceeded my expectations. Every single character was so complex. I loved every single one of them and TJR made them all feel so real. She always does that with her characters. You finish the book and can’t believe those weren’t real people. Everyone had their own internal struggles and their own relationship dynamic with other characters. I LOVED Nina. She deserves the world and I loved how her siblings finally did something for her at the end. I loved Kit. I love how bold she is and how she’s just at the start of figuring out who she is. I loved Hud. I love how loyal he is and how him and Nina always seemed to have an unspoken understanding. I loved Jay. I loved his internal conflict with the new diagnosis he had and what that meant for who he was as a person and what his measure of success is. June and Mick’s story was so tragic and as much as I hate Mick I did feel bad for him near the end of the book. TJR did a great job of making me feel the exact feelings Nina was feeling. I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit bad for Mick as he spoke about his childhood and his regrets, but ultimately my hate for him won out. I want to go to the Riva party. TJR made it feel so real with all the side characters and their mini plot lines. It added to the chaos perfectly. Overall, I loved this so much. Definitely a top read of the year. Definitely a new favorite book of all time.
I’ve said it once before and I’ll say it again, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a genius. I thought nothing could top Daisy Jones & the Six, but wow this really exceeded my expectations. Every single character was so complex. I loved every single one of them and TJR made them all feel so real. She always does that with her characters. You finish the book and can’t believe those weren’t real people. Everyone had their own internal struggles and their own relationship dynamic with other characters. I LOVED Nina. She deserves the world and I loved how her siblings finally did something for her at the end. I loved Kit. I love how bold she is and how she’s just at the start of figuring out who she is. I loved Hud. I love how loyal he is and how him and Nina always seemed to have an unspoken understanding. I loved Jay. I loved his internal conflict with the new diagnosis he had and what that meant for who he was as a person and what his measure of success is. June and Mick’s story was so tragic and as much as I hate Mick I did feel bad for him near the end of the book. TJR did a great job of making me feel the exact feelings Nina was feeling. I couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit bad for Mick as he spoke about his childhood and his regrets, but ultimately my hate for him won out. I want to go to the Riva party. TJR made it feel so real with all the side characters and their mini plot lines. It added to the chaos perfectly. Overall, I loved this so much. Definitely a top read of the year. Definitely a new favorite book of all time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol