Hello Patrons! 🙂

I finished Malibu Rising last night. I loved it! I have so much to talk about so let’s get into it.

If you want a synopsis, check out my previous post.

I also want to add drug use and some instances of child abuse (briefly mentioned but not on page) to the list of trigger warnings. If any of these trigger warnings turn you off I would suggest treading lightly with this book.

What I Liked:

I liked the motif of dolphin pods. Sometimes when Nina is thinking of her family or the future of her family, she sees a family of dolphins out in the sea. I love dolphins so that was cute.

I loved the setting of Malibu California! I just love the vibes of Malibu.

I liked the ending. Everyone got what they deserved (both good and bad). I liked that the ending made sense, but also didn’t end in a disconcerting way. (I am trying not to spoil anything!)

There was a certain scene that made me so happy. It had to deal with the Riva family. Mick gets served some hard truths. I enjoyed it.

I loved how we started at the end and by the time we get to the end we have a better understanding of how everyone got there. (Also the fire makes sense! I thought the choice of having the fire was super interesting).

The writing style was fantastic, in my opinion. I forgot how much I like Reid’s writing. Also, I liked how the book was set up.

What I Didn’t Like:

Sooo…. I take issue with Kit’s sexuality being revealed. I liked that Reid had a queer character in the story, I just think it could have been introduced more organically. (Also, in the 1980’s how she came out would have been different. This being a book written in 2021, there can be some poetic license.)

Mick was supposed to solicit empathy from the reader by the end of the novel. I didn’t find any empathy with Mick. He (in my opinion) is narcissistic, as well as vapid. He gets confronted by his kids about being a deadbeat and he tries to redeem himself but fails epically.

Brandon, Nina’s husband, was also a crappy person. For many reasons, which I won’t get into for spoiler-y reasons.

Also I hated the tertiary characters at the annual Riva party. So at the half way part of the novel we just follow the timeline of the day of the party. You as the reader are just following the destruction of Nina’s house and the complete disregard of people toward Nina’s house. The shenanigans annoyed me.

My Overall Thoughts and Rating:

I gave Malibu Rising 5/5 stars on Goodreads. If you like books about California, or books about celebrities, or books about families, I recommend this book. If you liked The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I suggest this book. This is such a lush book about families, disappointment, and fame.

What I am Reading:

I started a buddy read of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint with my bestie. I also started reading The Other Side of Perfect by Mariko Turk. Both are on the darker side. Ariadne is a retelling of the Minotaur Greek myth. The Other Side of Perfect is about Alina, who at the opening of the novel shatters her leg in a dancing incident. Alina can no longer dance so she must figure out who she is now. Also, I started reading Crying in H Mart and love it. It’s a memoir about a woman losing her mother to cancer at 25.

Tell me what you’re reading in the comments. Take care of yourselves, wash your hands, get vaccinated, practice some self-care, and…