"Our family histories are simply stories... They are mths we create about the people who came before us in order to make sense of ourselves".
This is a family drama, moving back and forth in time to explore the dynamic that created the relationship between parents and siblings.

Nina, the oldest sibling is the family "caretaker", is constantly trying to outrun her family dysfunction.
"Maybe we are free the moment we're born. Maybe everything we've ever done is by our own hands."
This revelation is the central conflict for Nina.
As she learns to 'declare independence' the other family members must learn to interact without her mediation.
Do the siblings want to reconnect with estranged family members? Can they work out conflicts? Can they act like the grownups they need to be?
"What broken family- no matter how shattered or bruised beyond recognition- does not ache to be reunited? What child, no matter how lost or abandoned does not ache to be loved?"

I enjoyed the story, character development, and writing. Some easter eggs for TJR fans!

(4 stars... Having lived in the 80's I noticed some details that were not authentic!) ( )

Oh, this is a good book! Let's just put it out there, Taylor Jenkins Reid can write, well. And while Malibu Rising will not change the world or create a forever memory for generations to look back on, it is super good and SO worth the time to dive into the lives of the four (or maybe five) Riva kids.

Thrust into early adulthood at age 17 due to her dysfunctional (read absent) father, superstar Mick Riva and the death of June, her mother, Nina Riva, navigates life as the eldest of four kids. She now runs the family restaurant, dropped out of high school to work longer hours, does the cooking, and cleaning, juggles the bills, and kisses the boo-boos, all so that her younger siblings, Jay, Hud, and Kit, can stay out of foster care and have a good life.

The Rivas end up being quite the family, not only resilient but somewhat famous, Nina as a model, Jay as a surfer, Hud as Jay's photographer, and Kit at just 20, may become the most successful of them all with her future as a surfer.

Malibu Rising delves into the ups and downs of Mick and June's tumultuous relationship: his rise to stardom, his philandering (he has children with other women while married to June), her drinking, her desperation, her unwavering, immeasurable love for her children. It also tracks the highs and lows of the children's lives after being orphaned: Nina's surprise at being discovered, Jay's penchant for surfing and making a living at it, Hud's uncanny photography eye, and Kit's discovery of who she is.

Malibu Rising is written in a way that, as a fledgling writer, I could only dream of. I devoured this book and didn't want it to end. It will stay on my bookshelf (instead of being donated for someone else to read - sorry, you're gonna have to buy your own copy). ( )

Malibu. August 1983. This book spans one 24-hour period in the life of the four Riva children - Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit. They are children of Mick, who is a famous singer and an absent father. This 24-hour period encompasses an annual end-of-summer party thrown every year by Nina at her home. Anyone who is anyone in Malibu is at this party. By the end of the 24-hour period, and the party, Nina's home is on fire. Throughout the book, Nina, Jay, Hud and Kit are each dealing with their own personal crises and the fame that comes from being Mick's children.

Interspersed with the story of the Riva children is the story of Mick and June - how they met, eventually got married, started a family and the end of their marriage.

I enjoyed this book but felt that the ending was a bit rushed. I can see there being a sequel to this book but I don't think there "needs" to be a sequel. ( )

The story of the Riva family was hard to put down. The ending was just a little too pat so I deducted a half star. ( )

It’s a great summer book! Very quick read and it keeps you interested ( )