4.5 Stars

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of my all-time favorite books & I loved Daisy Jones & the Six, so I was nervous to see if this would live up to those two - well, it totally did! I loved Malibu Rising, this felt like a combination of parts of Evelyn Hugo mixed with coming-of-age dramadies of the '80s & '90s.

The format really worked for me here - the entire book takes place over the course of a day, & I felt like this really added a sense of suspense that kept me eagerly turning the pages. I really enjoyed the backstory of Mick & June, I could have read an entire book about just the two of them. One of TJR's strong suits is crafting her characters & I just totally fell in love with the Riva family. Nina is easily one of TJR's best protagonists, I loved seeing how her story in particular played out. The dynamic between Nina, Kit, Jay & Hud was one I'd love to see explored more in the future, my only wish being we got to see more of where their story went (but I get it - formatting). & it was so much fun seeing the easter eggs hidden throughout from her other books - I love this fictionalized version of Hollywood she's created so much!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year & it didn't disappoint one bit (dare I say I enjoyed this more than Daisy Jones, & I loved Daisy), I'll eagerly be awaiting to see what TJR does next!