Andrea Romance
After being abandoned by her husband, Nina awakens on the morning of her annual Hollywood bash and wonders if she's repeating her mother's mistakes… This family saga tells the story of Nina's life, from her parents' courtship to the night Malibu burns. It includes Nina's siblings and several side characters, creating a tapestry of events that unfold slowly, moving back and forth through time. The story is sad but cathartic, deeply emotional, dealing with loss and betrayal—and the process of coming out on the other side, forged by fire. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.
12 people found this review helpful
Wendy Williams
Oh boy! This is an emotional, and intriguing story that will stay with me for quite a while. I just loved it. The setting is Malibu, California, and it’s stunning. This story mainly revolves around the Riva family. The timeline flips between the late ’50s and early ’60s, to the early ‘80s, and involved two generations of the Riva family. Starting with Mick Riva and his love for June, their eventual marriage, and children. Mick Riva rises to fame as a singer and icon, which as you can imagine, brings chaos to his family in Malibu. Mick’s children, Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit, grow up in a tumultuous home, and the book tells their story as they become adults. This is one story told in a 24-hour time frame, with flashbacks to the early years of Mick and June and back to his children as they grow into adults in the early 80s, Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented and amazing writer. The characters are well developed and their motivations are clear and understandable. The alternating timelines and the flashbacks, give this book a fast pace, making this book a real page-turner! I don’t usually enjoy stories about famous people and rock stars, but that is really just a side story here. The main story is about the children, and how they cope with having a famous parent, and the struggles they face growing up with a single mom, and their absent father. The children are smart, fairly well-adjusted new adults who, thanks to their mother, are grounded, but have their own worries and insecurities. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotional, family drama. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
16 people found this review helpful