Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is the best vacation read published in 2021. If you’ve read my other book reviews, you’ll know I’ve become a huge fan of her books within the past five years.
The book centers on the Riva family, whose patriarch Mick is as famous as he is absent (very). Taylor Jenkins Reid (I’ll refer to her as TJR from here on out) readers met Mick in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, where he was introduced into the literary world as husband number three: Gullible Mick Riva. His married-in-Vegas cameo was brief but memorable.
If Mick had a signature cologne, it would be called Fuckboy by Mick Riva. TJR did a virtual event with my local library system in which she elaborated on why she chose to expand on the Mick Riva universe in Malibu Rising. Basically, she said he’s the kind of guy who goes around leaving messes for others to clean up. When she pondered who it was that cleaned up Mick’s messes, Malibu Rising‘s protagonist Nina Riva was conceived.
The book is divided into two sections: AM and PM, morning and evening. The first half alternates between August 1983 and glimpses of the Riva family from 1959-1983. In the time-traveling storyline, readers learn how Mick met his first wife, June Costas.
This storyline is my favorite thing about this book. When Mick married June, he kicked off a hurricane of family drama that led to a legendary music career, four children, two divorces, a lot of alcohol consumption, and some surfing.
1983
In the 1983 storylines, we meet the four Riva kids and learn what’s going on in each of their worlds as they navigate a summer Saturday in Malibu.
This storyline takes over the book in the second half. It becomes all about the house party, evolving into something of a literary echo of Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night music video but with celebrities dropping in, a lot of cocaine (it was the 80s) and a falling chandelier.
As the reader, we get into just about everyone’s heads at some point in this part of the book – everyone from Mick, as he makes the trek from Beverly Hills to drop by, to the catering waitress.
1959-1983
Learning about the Riva roots honestly could have been its own book. I’d been curious about where Evelyn Hugo fit into the timeline of Mick’s life. She is mentioned very briefly in passing, not by name. Mick also makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Daisy Jones and the Six which makes sense in this Mick-centric narrative.
What rocked about this book
Malibu Rising is a beautiful tribute to the coastal SoCal town that’s inspired so much buzz in the past few decades. As the author herself points out, there’s Malibu liquor, the Chevy Malibu – so many things named after this place, and for good reason.
Through June’s history, she captures Malibu’s glow-up. In 1959, when teenaged June meets Mick on the beach, Malibu is a sleepy little town. The coming decades see the explosion of surf culture and the idolization of Malibu as its mecca.
Still, as TJR notes, as a Malibu resident your ability to get somewhere on Highway 1 depends on how many other people need to get somewhere at the same time as you.
Watching the four Riva siblings experience pure joy in surfing together after their difficult upbringing was also a fun part of the book.
What fell short about this book
The bookending of the beginning and end of the story with a description of wildfire fell flat, in my opinion. The way several of the character arcs wrapped up felt only semi-satisfactory, especially Nina and Jay’s. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually hear a whisper of what happened to these characters in future TJR works.
Malibu Rising is pure fluff in some ways – its beach setting, the antics of the featured house party – but the rich family history and relationship dynamics give it a lot of soul.
Was it good? Yes. Would I read it again? Yes, and I plan to, maybe in a year or so. I’m pretty picky about books and I read this one in just a few days because I couldn’t get enough. But it wasn’t my favorite TJR novel – I’d still rank Evelyn Hugo first, Daisy Jones second, and Malibu Rising third.
Nina is easy to root for, but lacks the charisma of Evelyn and Daisy. TJR continues to slay when it comes to writing female characters who kick ass. According to the New York Times, she’s writing “the capstone to a ‘quartet’ of books about women and fame,” which makes me hopeful that we’ll get one more angle in this entertainment biz-centered universe.
In the meantime, I’ll look forward to the screen adaptation of Malibu Rising, which was purchased prior to the book’s publish date. See my dream casting pics here.
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