“The New York Times” bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel “Malibu Rising” garners conversation on the importance of family, and how relationships can change over time. The story centers on the Riva family, a family of surfers and models who have built their fame from the ground up after their singer/songwriter father abandoned them. The Rivas, containing eldest Nina, brothers Jay and Hud, and youngest sister Kat, are full of drama, tension and a yearning for adventure.
Told from multiple points of view, “Malibu Rising” explores how childhood has affected each of the Riva siblings in a different way, and how all of them are blind to each other’s struggles. Whether it’s Nina’s failing marriage, Jay’s hidden sickness, Hud’s new girlfriend, or Kit’s desperate struggle to escape her smothering siblings, all of the main characters have a story worth a book of its own.
As they throw the biggest party of the year at Nina’s mansion, all that they have carefully built comes crashing down in flames as their secrets emerge. To top it all off, their deadbeat father, Mick Riva, makes a surprise visit amongst the chaos.
“Malibu Rising” is a cleverly written book that draws in the reader with its hidden secrets and family drama, and makes the reader stay with its endearing characters and relatable struggles. No matter where you are at in life, or what you’re going through, you can relate to one of the Riva siblings, and find peace in the heartwarming ending.
