Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid

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).