Taylor Jenkins Reid won me over with her writing style and juicy story telling skills. Daisy Jones & the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo are two of my favorite books. I had a lot of high expectations, not just because of the hype this book received, but because one of the important characters is also seen in Evelyn Hugo's story. Mick and June fall in love one summer on the beaches of Malibu. Their love story is quick and sad. Mick and June have four beautiful children, without their father's influence and with their mother's heartbreak they all still become well rounded and independent adults. Tragedy and disappointment strikes them time and time again. Until the oldest, Nina, throws her crazy annual party and somehow the four of them get the closure they all needed. I fell in love with Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit - the four Riva children. Reid displayed true family bonds and I really appreciated their story. The reason why I didn't rate this book as high as I'd like to was because in the midst of the shiny Malibu lifestyle that Reid set up for us, there were a lot of random characters I cared less for and didn't really feel needed to have spent as much time on them. Overall, I did enjoy most of the book but found Malibu Rising just okay.

TW: drugs, alcohol, abuse, infidelity, death