Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid | Book Review

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s powerhouse books such as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six have set her aside as a writer of pure talent, skill, and creativity. I am very excited to be reviewing her newest novel, Malibu Rising.

Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid

Themes: Fiction, Historical, Romance

Reading Format: Paperback

4 STARS // 7.1 CAWPILE

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AD • Review Copy, I received a free copy of this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Malibu Rising takes place in the same universe as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and The Six, there are even characters from these books referenced in this book which had me very excited! This book spans decades but primarily flits between the ’80s where a part is being hosted and the early lives of the Riva children, who are the center of the party.

Reid does a fantastic job of feeding us a back story for the characters we’re seeing in this book’s present day. She slowly reveals more of the past, centering around Nina, the oldest sibling, and paints a picture as to who they are going to become. The beauty of Reid’s books is you always end googling the characters, thinking they have to be real or at least based on someone – this book is no different. The characters feel so real, they jump off the page with real problems, worries, and joys. This is what makes Malibu Rising so compelling, it is a story of characters and their journey.

I loved Nina Riva’s character, she’s a famous model but her heart lies with surfing. She’s idolised for her body and looks, not her talent and you can see this eating away at her. Her brother Jay is a champion surfer but is treated completely differently. This book does a brilliant job of demonstrating the difference between men and women in the public eye and how this affects their mental health too. I’m glad this book talked openly about this and showed constant references to Nina being objectified and valued in worth by her body.

I enjoyed reading about the beautiful setting of Malibu, somewhere I don’t think I’ve seen much before in the fiction I read. We saw both the glamour and poverty of the Malibu lifestyle, but mainly we see the ocean. The rolling waves painted such a clear image in my mind of beauty and relaxation. I felt this book was incredibly visual and the setting was always clear in my head.

At times this story felt a little slow and for me, the action point didn’t blow up as much as I wanted it to. Whilst it was a plot based on characters and not events, I felt it needed a few more big moments. But I did enjoy the theme of family and unity and also the open reflection of a divorced home. Overall this was a really enjoyable read, not as good as Reid’s other works, but still, a very well-written book that I once again thought could very much be real.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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