Malibu Rising
On a single August day in 1983, the famous Riva siblings (surf-star Nina and her three younger brothers and sister) prepare for the legendary end-of-summer party they throw at their Malibu beach house, while flashbacks trace the rise and collapse of their parents' marriage to crooner Mick Riva. Taylor Jenkins Reid cuts between the hours leading to midnight, when the house will burn, and the twenty-year backstory that brought them there, giving each sibling a turn in the spotlight. The result is a glossy, emotionally precise family novel about fame, abandonment, and the children left behind by charismatic men.
Where Malibu Rising keeps showing up
Seven of our editors' lists feature this novel.
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What you might want to know about Malibu Rising
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Four Riva siblings of a famous absentee singer father throw their annual end-of-summer Malibu party in 1983. By morning, the cliffside mansion will be on fire. The novel runs from dawn through the night.
Yes. Malibu Rising shares its world with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and Carrie Soto Is Back. Some characters cross over. Each book stands alone.
Yes. Hulu is developing a Malibu Rising adaptation. As of 2025, the project remains in development.
Malibu Rising was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, published in 2021 by Ballantine Books.
Malibu Rising is 417 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Malibu Rising takes most readers 6 to 9 hours to finish.
Malibu Rising is a standalone novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, not part of a series.
Malibu Rising is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
