Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Honestly, I haven’t met a Taylor Jenkins Reid book I didn’t love, but right now I think Malibu Rising is my favorite. Or at least it might be tied with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. A big thank you to Ballentine Books, Libro.fm and Random House Audio for gifting me review copies.

The story starts out in the ‘80s but then takes us back to the ‘50s as we learn more about the main characters’ families and upbringing. There are patterns of neglect, alcoholism, cheating and all the things that don’t exactly make for a stable upbringing. But at least the Riva siblings have each other. Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit are very different but they’ve been inseparable all their lives…until August 1983 when the events and exposed secrets at Nina’s end-of-summer party changes them all.

I absolutely loved the way this story unfolded and how Reid paced the delivery of each little puzzle piece so perfectly that nothing feels rushed but you also won’t be able to put the book down until the very last page. And the way you get to know the characters feels deep and real, and despite being set in the past they feel timeless in a way I’m struggling to define but I know you’ll understand if you’ve read this one.

We chose this as our Three Friends Book Club read for July and had a fantastic discussion about it with the group. There was so much to unpack, and everyone picked up on different aspects of the story and the characters, so discussing it brought an additional layer of richness to the experience.

The audiobook was narrated by Julia Whelan, who is just incredible, and comes in at 11 hours and five minutes. I found her performance soothing and riveting at the same time, I could easily have listened to her all day and night if I didn’t have other things pulling at my attention.

You can grab the audiobook via the button below, or click here for a physical copy.

Synopsis:

Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.

Malibu: August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva.

The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.

Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.

And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.

By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come bubbling to the surface.

Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind.