From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Malibu Rising

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Start date: July 1, 2022

Finish date: July 31, 2022

Discussion: Books of the Month

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 163 topics — 23,362 comments total

Books of the Month

* The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 11 posts · 68 views

last updated Sep 05, 2025 04:38PM

* The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 30 posts · 65 views

last updated 21 hours, 15 min ago

showing 10 of 93 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Aug 07, 2021 Anne OK rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-reads

Once again, I find myself stuck in the minority category. BIG EYE-ROLL – like this is going to be a big surprise to some of you. Malibu Rising reminds me a little of those old racy page-turners set in Hollywood that were written by once-upon-a-time-best-selling romance author Jackie Collins. And if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.

Readers are introduced to the Riva family when Mick meets June in 1956. Fast forward to 1983 – four kids later – Mick has flown the coop years ago, become a famou

Once again, I find myself stuck in the minority category. BIG EYE-ROLL – like this is going to be a big surprise to some of you. Malibu Rising reminds me a little of those old racy page-turners set in Hollywood that were written by once-upon-a-time-best-selling romance author Jackie Collins. And if you’ve read one, you’ve read them all.

Readers are introduced to the Riva family when Mick meets June in 1956. Fast forward to 1983 – four kids later – Mick has flown the coop years ago, become a famous singer and divorced June, marries and divorces wife number two, comes back to June to make amends and impregnates her before taking off again. He marries four or maybe five more times (I’ve lost count at this point) – and June is still running her family’s diner, left to raise the kids (sort of), and holding out hope that Mick will return to her. She’s also turned to alcohol for comfort leaving the kids to fend for themselves. Seeing how things ended up, thankfully the Riva offspring were a strong lot for the most part and managed to get themselves raised. I might be rambling a bit, but at this point it’s hard not to, and hopefully you’ll get the point of my doing so. Actually, it took some real grit to make myself finish this ugly mess. And no good feelings or even a satisfying ending to be found.

A lot of walk-on characters who make an entrance and disappear into the vapors of weed, lines of cocaine, drunken stupors, hot-tubs and romps in beds that don’t belong to them. What’s up with so many insignificant page-filling one-timers? Weren’t there enough screwed-up main characters to keep this craziness afloat?

Underdeveloped guilty pleasure that was a bit too soap opera-ish. And the hint of a fiery ending was barely a spark before it died a slow death along with the rest of the story. Everyone scattered in the wind with no finality, and I’m not very fond of writing my own endings for someone else’s story.

I gave it a 2-star review for the effort and potential there was -- if only the author had taken another route. But my biggest disappointment lies in the fact that I know Reid has written much better – far better. Here lies only glitz and glam and no substance (well there’s plenty of substance -- abuse). Too bad and so sad!
...more

22 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2021 Karen D rated it really liked it

Shelves: family, historical-fiction, beach-read, domestic-problems, infidelity, drugs

Synopsis: 1983, Nina Riva is getting ready to throw her annual end-of-summer party, which has become legendary. This year ends up being more dramatic than ever for Nina and her estranged siblings as they each deal with their own secrets and the consequences of being the children of the famous Mick Rivers, the father who abandoned them.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is a great writer, there's no question about that. I love how each of her books are so completely different from each other. This was entertai ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 27, 2022 Haze rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, 2022-books-read

I have so many feels about this book. I listened to it on audio (with a narrator I really like!), and I loved it so much. All the characters, the Riva family, their lives and the things they went through. There was heartbreak and pain, love and comfort... their suffering, the way they were there for each other, their different ways of coping and supporting each other.

This is such a testament to a story about family (not necessarily family related by blood) and the things you do for them. I love ...more

2 likes · Like · see review