Malibu Rising

 

Has a book ever looked and sounded more like a beach read than Malibu Rising? And this gorgeous cover? It screams summer. But, I would hate for you to dismiss it as somehow not having weight just because the title is in pink. Taylor Jenkins Reid books always have a shark-ish mood just beneath the surface.

If you've been on this blog for awhile, you've read reviews of other books by this author. Daisy Jones and the Six and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are among my all-time faves. Like those, Malibu Rising has a strong female lead, though her story is not quite as tortured as Daisy's and Evelyn's.

You know how the book is going to end right as it begins. The opening paragraphs talk about Malibu as a land that burns. Fires seem to define this area of California almost as much as the mansions and celebrities. We know this book will end with Malibu in flames. We just have to see how it gets there.

At its heart, it's a story about the Riva family that grew up in early 80's Malibu. It's a story of their lives as grown-ups and the story of how their parents got together. Dad was a bonafide celebrity who drifted in and out of their lives. Mom ran the family restaurant, barely keeping up. That back story defines them all. It's about family sacrifice, sibling relationships and what's often under the surface of the people that you think have it all.

I read this book in a weekend, not on the beach, but on my couch. It didn't have quite the same glow for me as her previous two books that I loved, but it's the perfect book to read on a flight - or a beach - this summer.