Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

e-Audio, 11:05:56
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Published by: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Read from: June 20-25, 2021
Companion to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones and the Six
Source: Overdrive Audio
TW: Excessive drug use, Child abandonment
For Readers Interested In: Historical Fiction, Multiple timelines, multiple POVs, Adult

      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 for him 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.

*MY THOUGHTS*

I waited to read this one because I NEEDED to listen to the audio like I did the others. I wasn’t sure if it would be another production like the others, so I needed to find out. And although it wasn’t, it still didn’t take away from the performance that Julia Whelan did give or the book itself. Still a Taylor Jenkins Reid banger.

Nina Riva throws an end of the summer bash every year, and every year it turns out to be the party of the summer. Everyone aches for that invite to be around the famous Rivas- Nina and her brothers and sisters. Their father is none other than singer, Mick Riva. The only people who aren’t excited about the party are ironically the Rivas. Can they survive this year’s party without all their secrets coming out?

Normally I LOVE Reid’s books because of the plot and then the explosive end. But this time, there wasn’t really much of either one. The plot was basically getting to know Mick and how his kids came about. And the ending was pretty boring. I’m used to the surprise ones that made me go back and rewind it like in Daisy Jones and Evelyn Hugo. This one had nothing like that. I actually didn’t like the ending to be honest. I knew what happened with the fire as soon as they said who all went to the party. It wasn’t really that much of a surprise.

As for the writing style, it was still good. It didn’t seem like there was much of a plot, but it was enough to keep me entertained. I was able to sit down and listen to this and be sucked in to Malibu 1983. The drama that unfolded between all of them was crazy, but I think it really could be reminiscent of the music world in real life lol And that’s just from what I’ve seen on tv. Unfortunately, they tell you literally everything that’s going to happen in the damn synopsis. I normally don’t read the synopsis, but this time for some reason I did and I knew everything that happened before I got to it. So basically be aware. If you’ve read the synopsis, you’ve been spoiled. Oh yeah, and FUN FACT!: Hugo, Daisy Jones, and this one are all intertwined! The Mick Riva from Hugo is this same one! He’s also mentioned in Daisy Jones. I am such a huge fan of companion novels. I love picking out the things that they have in common with the others!

The audio too was a bit disappointing. Not anything that Whelan did, but mainly because this wasn’t one that had a whole production like the others. It wasn’t bad, but I think I’ve been spoiled from the others. And maybe it was just that they didn’t need one for this one, but it had spaces open for it. Each kid could have had a different character? But that may just be me. Like I said I may have just been spoiled. Other than that, it was fantastic. Whelan did different accents and made all the voices different enough to where none of them sounded the same. I’m still glad I chose to listen to it instead of read a physical copy.

This is weird for me because normally after I read a Taylor Jenkins Reid book I am GUSHING in my review, but this one just didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t terrible and I was still glad I read it, but if I ever go back and listen to another, it’ll be Evelyn Hugo.

Overall, I give this