JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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.

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 bubbling to the surface.

Lifestyle of the rich and the famous! Taylor Jenkins Reid’s literary novel Malibu Rising explores one unforgettable night in the life of a wealthy, famous family, where everyone is forced to confront their mistakes and their secrets. Malibu Rising is a beautiful, delightful and enchanting novel, whisking readers away on an emotional journey through time.

Whilst the story moves back and forth between decades, the main storyline is that of the present — the four children of famous singer-songwriter Mick Riva are planning a Malibu party. The events of the book take place over 24 hours in 1983, where eldest daughter Nina is reeling from a failed marriage and cheating husband.

Sporadic chapters propel us back to 1956, where Nina’s mother, June, meets Mick. He’s not yet famous, and over the course the novel we follow their love story. Despite sharing an instant connection, he is not loyal nor is he a faithful husband. After a string of affairs and disappearances, and June’s descend into alcoholism, suddenly Nina must take on the role of caregiver for her three younger siblings. It’s a role she adopts for most of her adult life.

“Now here he was, nearly a year later, barricaded from his own house. But he’d known from the very moment he punched the mirror that this was looming. Maybe he’d known long before that, too. Maybe he’d always known he couldn’t escape himself.”

Taylor’s writing is inviting and emotional — we grow to love Nina and her siblings, we sympathise for them, we root for them. But June’s story is as tragic as Nina’s. She’s sweet-hearted and full of hope. She has dreams that exceed what her parents expect of her. She wants to do more than just take over her parents’ fish and chip shop — she wants to find love and have children and she wants to be blissfully happy. And when she meets Mick, she naively thinks he’ll give that to her.

Nina and her siblings have bonded over quite tragic of circumstances. Even betrayal is short-lived between them, because they’ve weathered worse during their childhoods. Taylor Jenkins Reid has crafted four young characters who have all been broken by the absence of their father — his rejection of them. Their mother did the best she could, but any success they possess is of their own doing, and they’ve spent their relatively short lives purely trying to survive, and I can imagine it’d be exhausting.

“Nina grew more and more anxious with every second. He could fall off, he could lose the board, he could break his leg or his hand or go under. Nina quietly calculated how she would save him, or what she would say if the owner showed up, how she could handle all of this if it went south.”

The novel centres around an infamous and raucous party, but it’s worth noting the party doesn’t really kick off until at least halfway through the novel. For most of the story, we’re in June’s timeline. By the time the party rolls around, the events of the evening seem a bit squished together in an unnatural, fast-paced scene.

Admittedly, the ending did feel a bit farfetched. Not the fire, which is teased in the prologue. But the confrontations between the siblings, and the resolution of Nina’s journey in the book. It all felt a little stretched and over the top, particularly in the dialogue — like a caricature of reality. In most scenes that feature Mick, present or past, his dialogue can border on cringeworthy.

“So Nina knew she couldn’t cancel a party like that. The Rivas might not be like most families, being just the four of them, but they had their traditions. And anyway, there was no good way to cancel a party that never had any invitations. People were coming, whether she wanted them there or not.”

Malibu Rising is recommended for readers of contemporary fiction, and romance. The novel moves between the 1950s-1980s, so those of you who love reading stories set during these decades will appreciate the setting. Readership skews female, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Malibu Rising
Taylor Jenkins Reid
June 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem…

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a heartwarming romance, the perfect long weekend or holiday read. Her previous novel Red, White and Royal Blue was an instant favourite of mine, so of course I was excited to read her latest release.

I’d recommend you go into this book without reading too much about the plot. I’ve actually removed some of the blurb from above to stop readers from knowing what the twist is. Because it’s quite unexpected in the book, and I think it’s a fantastic twist that works better when you don’t see it coming.

“And the thing is, in New York, everyone ends up worn down by the MTA and tourists and rent prices. Everybody’s seen it all. But that also means, sometimes, everyone is the smallest nudge away from delirium — from being trapped on the subway on a Wednesday morning and turning it into a ‘90s hip-hop dance party.”

When August moves into a NY share-house apartment with three other people, I instantly felt like I was reading about an episode of New Girl.

One of the strengths of this story — apart from its originality and characterisation — is the dynamic between August and her roommates. Conversations are funny and whip-smart, and dialogue captures all the personalities with ease. I found the friendships in this story just as interesting to read about as the romance that the story is centred around. Young women, particularly young queer women, will be able to see themselves in this story.

“There are two things coiled in August’s chest these days. The first is her usual: anxiety meets full-on dread. The part of her that says, trust nobody, even and especially anyone that pushes softly into the chambers of your heart. Do not engage. Carry a knife. Don’t stab them, but also, maybe stab them if you have to. The other, thought, is the one that really freaks her out. It’s hope.”

Admittedly, you do have to stretch your imagination to follow the storyline. The circumstances surrounding Jane become quite hard to believe as time goes on, and the ending is also a bit of a mind-boggle. But if you push past that, One Last Stop is a really moving story about love and how it can persevere even in the most unlikely of situations.

I’m glad this book is less thirsty than Red, White and Royal Blue. I probably loved Casey’s previous book more, because I loved the setting a bit more, but the only downside to Red, White and Royal Blue is the graphic, detailed, over-the-top sex scenes were a bit much for me and I found myself skipping them towards the end. But luckily this book has toned it down quite a bit, and whilst there are sex scenes, there are far fewer. Although, personally, I wasn’t a fan of the sex-in-public-on-the-subway scene. Yeesh.

“Jane talks to everyone, but she never misses August, always a few sly words or a quick joke. And August wonders if maybe, somehow, Jane thinks about it as much as August, if she gets off at her stop and dreams about what August is up to. Some days, when she’s working long hours or locked up in her room for too long, Jane is the only person who’s kind to her all day.”

Recommended for contemporary romance readers — those moved by young love, and that time in your life where you’re trying to figure out your life. There are elements of magical realism, speculative and sci-fi in the story, but if you go in unprepared I do think you’ll love the twist just as much as I did. Readership skews female, 16+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

One Last Stop
Casey McQuiston
June 2021
Pan Macmillan Book Publishers

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and the micro-aggressions, she’s thrilled when Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events cause Nella to become Public Enemy Number One and Hazel, the Office Darling.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realises that there is a lot more at stake than her career.

The Other Black Girl is debut fiction by Zakiya Dalila Harris, set predominantly within a top-tier publishing house in New York City and centring around 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella, who is initially thrilled when her employer — Wagner Books — hires another black girl. But it becomes clear very quickly that all is not quite right with new employee Hazel.

This is one of the first books in a long while where I really had to take some time afterwards to think on the story, and the ending. Get Out is a great comparison for this book — it’s genre-bending and twisty, and forces you to re-think every character you meet. But I’ll admit that The Devil Wears Prada does not feel like the right comparison title. Don’t go into this book thinking it’s going to be a fun, light and glamorous story. The office setting is similar, but nothing else. This is a heavy story — very dark.

“Nella cocked her head, wondering how Hazel had guessed that. She often prided herself on how different she was from her Ivy League, upper-middle-class colleagues — not just in her appearance, but in the ways she moved about the world. Still, Nella knew she had it pretty good, too.”

A social satire, The Other Black Girl expertly captures modern workplace social dynamic. More specifically, institutions pretending to support diversity, but also psychologically forcing black staff to bend, adapt and morph into an employee that’s deemed appropriate by the corporation — complacent and apologetic, eager to please and do what’s expected of them.

While the pacing does lag a bit and most of the scenes take place during the day-to-day office environment, Zakiya sets the reader up for a tense read. Nella and Hazel’s interactions grow sharp and full of power — a tense back-and-forth between the two that continues to build. You feel sucked into their world. You know it’s not going to end well for Nella, but you can’t work out how the story will progress, and so you keep reading.

The publishing industry’s lack of diversity is a point of critique in the novel, and Zakiya drew on her own experiences working in book publishing when writing the novel. Majority of the staff are white, especially those at the top, but everyone likes to act like an ally. They like to pretend they care for diversity, but their actions do little to prove this.

“Nella hadn’t intended for her own voice to have such an edge to it, especially when Hazel had been so hopeful and reassuring. She didn’t feel much like apologizing, though. Not now, and not when forty-five minutes passed without her cube neighbour speaking another word.”

Admittedly, this book felt longer than it needed to be. The climax of the story — the best bits — were in the final 50 pages. And it did feel like a long time coming. The different POVs thrust into the story seemed to distract from the storyline and slow down the piece. Could they have been stripped back, or could information have been included in a different way? Perhaps.

Finally, it’s so incredibly obvious from the outset that Hazel is trying to mess with Nella. From the very first couple of scenes together, she’s deliberately trying to sabotage Nella. And Nella actually takes quite a long time to put two-and-two together, making her look incredibly naive. And even when she does star to clock on, she’s quite a passive person. She’s not active in response, and she doesn’t seem motivated to do anything. She just…lets events happen. I found Hazel to be a much more interesting character than Nella, she certainly felt like a more compelling person to read about.

“Nella sank back down into her chair, a sudden chill threading itself down her throat and into her stomach, like she’d swallowed an unhealthy amount of helium. Again, she examined the piece of paper that was in her left hand; then the envelope in her right.”

Dark and claustrophobic but oh so inviting, The Other Black Girl will delight. Readership skews female, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Other Black Girl
Zakiya Dalila Harris
June 2021
Bloomsbury Publishers

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

A strange darkness is growing in the Ward. Even Corayne an-Amarat can feel it, tucked away in her small town at the edge of the sea.

Fate knocks on her door, in the form of a mythical immortal and a lethal assassin, who tell Corayne that she is the last of an ancient lineage – with the power to save the world from destruction.

Because a man who would burn kingdoms to the ground is raising an army unlike any seen before, bent on uprooting the foundations of the world. With poison in his heart and a stolen sword in his hand, he’ll break the realm itself to claim it. And only Corayne can stop him.

Alongside an unlikely group of reluctant allies, Corayne finds herself on a desperate journey to complete an impossible task, with untold magic singing in her blood and the fate of the world on her shoulders.

Victoria Aveyard’s Realm Breaker is the first novel in a new fantasy series that follows a madcap group of misfits as they band together to save their realm. Realm Breaker is full of heart and heroics, with moments of humour peppered throughout.

Switching POV between multiple characters, the story predominantly follows Corayne an-Amarat, a pirate’s daughter and the secret child of the ancient Spindleblood lineage. She’s young and sheltered, but wise, and she desperately craves adventure and purpose. When she learns the identity of her father, she is thrust into an urgent and dangerous quest to save her home — Allward.

“Garion’s eyes trailed from her face to the dagger, weighing them both. She read his body keenly. He was lean as she remembered. The sword at his hip was thin, a light blade of good steel. He was not a brawler like some they’d trained with.”

Victoria is skilled at weaving together fast-paced adventures, filled to the brim with urgency and tension. The world-building in this series is immense, and it’s evident how much thought and planning has gone into crafting this tale. Victoria’s strength lies in the cast of characters she’s erected, from a ruthless and witty assassin and a noble and proud Elder, to a mysterious but powerful sorceress and an underestimated but courageous and humble young squire.

Realm Breaker positions women at the centre of this tale, emphasising their strength and tenacity — their determination. Sorasa was probably my favourite character. She always manages to scrape through an altercation, and is incredibly skilled in combat. She also adds a layer of humour to the story, which feels necessary and welcome in high fantasy.

“The other travelers weren’t of much interest to her, not while the ship raced toward the open sea. But Sorasa watched them intently, weighing each person on board as she would a prize pig. Corayne glanced at the assassin occasionally, trying to glean anything, always coming up short.”

Admittedly, there are a few flashbacks in the story where we already know what happens — the scene just provides a different viewpoint — and they felt odd and unnecessary. The book is over 550 pages and I think those flashbacks could’ve been trimmed or the information used a bit more strategically so it didn’t feel repetitive.

Whilst characters and quests felt a bit similar within the realm of the fantasy genre, Victoria’s strength lies in her characterisation and her description. The story is complex but engaging, keeping a reader entertained. Characters feel three-dimensional, with hidden agendas and motivations, and motives that conflict with those around them, allowing for a dynamic pace and progression of story.

“Another smiling refusal could be the difference between life and death, for all she loved and knew. Though he had no skill in magic, she saw Domacridhan again, his face torn and bleeding, his eyes filled with the horrors he had witnessed in the foothills.”

Recommended for readers of high fantasy. Readership feels inclusive of young audiences as well as established readers. Fans of Victoria’s Red Queen series will be pleased. 14+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Realm Breaker
Victoria Aveyard
May 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Fault Lines by Emily Itami

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether it would be more fun to throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband or hanging up laundry.

Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, a voice, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives – and in the end, we can choose only one.

Emily Itami’s Fault Lines is a bittersweet love story set in Japan and capturing the brief but intimate window of narrator Mizuki’s passionate love for the attentive and compulsive Kiyoshi. Themes include love, marriage, motherhood, and expectation.

Mizuki is a Japanese housewife who never envisioned herself being a housewife. She can’t remember the last time her husband helped with the domestic duties, and Mizuki is tired of her monotonous life. She loves her children, but she doesn’t love her marriage.

When she meets Kiyoshi by chance one day, and when their paths cross again at a later stage, Mizuki follows her heart and the two start seeing in each other in secret.

“Is it normal to fluctuate so quickly between feeling tender towards your husband and fervently wishing him a violent death?”

At just over 200 pages, Fault Lines feels reminiscent of a short story, because whilst moments may feel fleeting and minuscule to the reader, they have lasting impact on the protagonist beyond what we can see on the pages.

At first I felt that the evolution of the Mizuki’s marriage was insubstantial and a little lacklustre, but upon reflection I think the dynamic between her and her husband shifts just enough to propel Mizuki’s life in a different — hopefully better — direction, but not change things so drastically that the storyline becomes unrealistic. Mizuki is unhappy in her marriage, and she wishes things were different — and that will likely never change.

Storyline aside, Emily’s writing is distinct. Strengths lie in the dry humour and the clean, stripped writing and dialogue. We learn so much about Mizuki’s husband with such little interaction and dialogue, which is a real skill and to be commended. Mizuki’s internal reflection and inner monologue provides context and background, but also allows her personality to really shine.

“I love beautiful things, beautiful people, the magnetism of someone you can’t take your eyes off. It used to be fun morphing into that person, tending to all the details that make the fantasy, but now I can’t even imagine it…nothing about me is inviting or mysterious or alluring. And where would I be luring anyone to?”

I did think the children’s antics took up quite a bit of real estate in the story, and I found myself skimming any interactions with them. Perhaps that was a stylistic device to make the reader feel as bored with the role of looking after them as Mizuki often does.

And as fleshed out as Mizuki and her husband are, Kiyoshi did seem a bit thinly portrayed, and the build-up of their relationship felt slow and anti-climactic. It felt like he was merely there to force Mizuki to confront her own life, rather than grasp the potential new one (even in secret) with more enthusiasm. I would’ve liked to feel more entranced by him as a character, to root for him in Mizuki’s life.

“But when I tell Kiyoshi my opinion he just thinks about it and gives me his, and it doesn’t count as flirting at all. And it seems that all I want is to talk to Kiyoshi; talk and talk and talk, before suddenly seeing the time and being jolted back to my real life.”

Compelling, engaging and emotional alongside elements of modern tragedy, Fault Lines is recommended for literary readers and those who love short fiction. Readership skews female, 25+

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fault Lines
Emily Itami
May 2021
Hachette Book Publishers