Malibu Rising

I loved Daisy Jones & the Six, and liked Evelyn Hugo.Malibu Rising is sadly not as good as either even though there's a lot to love in here.I think the main problem is that it is under-developed and sort of half-written. A couple more drafts and some editing, re-arranging and cutting would have elevated this novel to the standard this author is capable of.It feels as if her publisher might have rushed her into print too soon. Or her editor blew smoke up her posterior & told her it was fantastic when it was still a work in progress.I think this author is incredibly talented and I will read her next one and I'm not sorry I read Malibu Rising it's just not what it should have been.

Felt like I was losing brain cells reading this. Poor writing, bland storyline, basic characters, I struggled to even pick it and read it to be truthful. Not the Summer page turner I was hoping for.

I loved Daisy Jones & The Six so was excited to order this new novel from the author. Unfortunately it was a let down. The family story was pretty boring, the characters were fairly bland, the build up to the big party was flimsy and the main event itself was a non-event, IMO. I was hoping for so much more but it did not deliver.

For me, I didn’t enjoy Daisy Jones & the six.I’m unpopular with my opinion I know.But this book took me by surprise. What I thought it was going to be (like a Jackie Collins novel) with horrid little rich people sniping at each other and Botox lol….turned out to be nothing of the sort.This had a lot of depth to it.Grief.Loss of a parent in death and a father who couldn’t handle fatherhood.Yes, they had money, but they worked for it.The eldest daughter made sacrifices.The family dynamics were intense and I loved every word and shocked myself that I enjoyed it so much.I only read it thinking I needed an escape from thrillers, maybe a nice summer read. What I got was much more.So maybe I’ll give her yet another chance when she brings her next book out!

The writing of Taylor Jenkins Reis feels refreshing and unique. Whether it is the journalistic interview style found in Daisy Jones or the memoir feel of Evelyn Hugo. Malibu Rising is told in the form of flashback between the life of Mick Riva and his first wife, June, specifically June and contrasted with the Riva Siblings party. This is a great technique as I found myself with a feeling of dread as it looks as if the sins of the father will be visited on the children - especially Nina.Nina has taken on the mantle previously worn heavily by her mother - taking care of the siblings and running a restaurant that she never wanted as well as being 'good'. Nina is hurtling towards the same bad life choices made by her mother about the men in their lives - namely a cheating, feckless husband who had a very public affair. The flashback style bringing this into sharp focus.The other siblings have their own issues - Jay is ill, Hud in a relationship he is forced to keep secret and Kit is growing up and learning more about who she is. Kit's story particularly is well written and sensitively done.The main event - namely the party is fantastic. Hedonistic, drugs, sex and alcohol. Characters come in and throw off all responsibility and expectation. And as events come to a close there is a feeling of guests having one enormous blowout before going back to real life. Burn everything to the ground and rise from the ashes, both literally and metaphorically.There are themes around nature having the ultimate power - the power to heal, to burn and to kill. Sometimes we genuinely have no control of our wider world. Malibu is described as a tinderbox awaiting just one spark to make it burn.The novel is evocative of the time and Malibu in the early 1980s. It's beautifully written with a very satisfying conclusion. Taylor Jenkins Reid is becoming a real power house of an author and one whose writing I continue to love.