Book Review: Malibu Rising

In 1983, fire struck Malibu in a cycle of destruction and rebirth. This 2021 historical fiction novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid follows the four Riva siblings: Nina, Jay, Hud and their baby sister Kit on the day of Nina’s legendary end-of-summer party. Set over the course of 24 hours, this is a book for fans of nostalgic recent history, messy family dynamics and novels which explore the complex reality of fame. 

Acclaimed author of several high-profile novels including Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid situates the reader in 1980s California and creates an immersive atmosphere of the sun-kissed, close-knit surfer town where the majority of the book takes place. Reid is ambitious in the scale of her story which tracks two timelines: the annual Riva summer party and the siblings’ childhood and their parents’ tragic romance. She is successful in establishing the clear, interconnected narrative arcs which build understanding of the characters’ development and their motivations and personalities. The opening of the novel, setting out the destruction of the Riva house following the infamous party, creates a sense of tension and mystery which you are keen to solve as you progress through the story. 

The main strength of the primary storyline, the end-of-summer celebration, comes from Reid’s development of the sibling bond between the Rivas. She creates distinctive voices for her different characters within the third-person perspective with eldest sibling Nina and youngest sister Kit receiving the most in-depth exploration. The tension between the brothers was a slightly less interesting, well-trodden path in other young adult media so it did not engage me as much. The ties between the brothers and sisters, loving and dysfunctional, creates conflict and understanding of the individual personalities. Reid was ambitious in trying to encapsulate various different perspectives from brief dive-ins into the minds of other party guests to tell a well-rounded story but the energy of the novel being invested into the Rivas meant you are left wanting to return to their heads instead. 

The more interesting storyline of this book was the slow, fatal unravelling of the relationship between the siblings’ parents: notorious singer Mick Riva and their mother June. These sections of the novel encompass some of the novel’s most hard-hitting themes including heartbreak, infidelity and addiction. What is clever about this plot point is how nuanced the characters are portrayed: we sympathise and root for June despite her inevitably sad fate and understand Mick’s psychology and viewpoint even if we despise it. Readers also get to see how lead character Nina becomes the responsible, caring role model she becomes to look after her siblings; a duty she becomes increasingly desperate to escape as the novel reaches its climax. 

Accepting the past and learning from past generations help the Riva siblings to shape their own destinies and to follow their true passions away from Hollywood starlets and minor celebrities. I found the conclusion of the novel to be slightly anticlimactic and dissatisfying following the high-stakes of other dramas resolved in the final quarter but the cycle of family patterns is at last broken, bringing a neat tie-in to the opening prologue. If you are seeking a summery read with a touch of melodrama and celebrity culture, be sure to check out this well-constructed, entertaining novel. 

I would rate this 4 out of 5 stars

Written by, Eve Hutchinson