Best Books of 2021
Award Winner for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2021)
Book Blurb:
Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, the family drama that ensues will change their lives forever.
Malibu: August 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer Mick Riva.
The only person not looking forward to the party of the year is Nina herself, who never wanted to be the center of attention, and who has also just been very publicly abandoned by her pro tennis player husband. Oh, and maybe Hud—because it is long past time for him to confess something to the brother from whom he’s been inseparable since birth.
Jay, on the other hand, is counting the minutes until nightfall, when the girl he can’t stop thinking about promised she’ll be there.
And Kit has a couple secrets of her own—including a guest she invited without consulting anyone.
By midnight the party will be completely out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion will have gone up in flames. But before that first spark in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play, and the loves and secrets that shaped this family’s generations will all come rising to the surface.
Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them . . . and what they will leave behind.
My Review:
Yes, it’s Taylor Jenkins Reid—and it’s 100% character-driven. Not that I don’t like some character-driven inclusions, but 100%?
No plot. Just characters. Now and back then.
I read Daisy Jones and the Six back in 2023 and really enjoyed it. Then I read Atmosphere in 2025 but didn’t find it up to the level of enjoyment as Daisy Jones.
Having listened to this one some time ago, I’m even having a problem remembering it at all, except that just that fact tells me what I felt about it at the time. It’s a deep dive into the character of four siblings who are facing the annual celebrity party.
Yes, they have daddy issues and each have struggled with it according to their own personalities. The Riva family has a tragic history, creating flawed characters all. Each has widely different interests. I was awed by Nina’s sacrifices. The roles in the Riva family flip early, making the kids the mature, responsible members while the parents abdicated being adults and were more about play time.
I did like the well-drawn atmosphere of the California 50s. I could almost relate except that Malibu never figured into our moves. And I liked the way the ending settled the father fiasco and Nina’s rewards. Thank you—gave me another half star. Otherwise, if you’re a die-hard Reid fan, you probably enjoyed it. For me, the glow of Daisy has worn very thin.
Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.
Rosepoint Publishing: Two point Five Stars 
Book Details:
Genre: Fiction Sagas, Family Saga Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Random House Audio
Narrator: Julia Whelan
Release Date: June 1, 2021
Title Links:
Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
The Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles.
You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsreid.
©2026 V Williams
