Thoughts: I went into this blindly, I saw the author was Taylor Jenkins Reid and picked it as my book of the month. Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was my favorite book of 2020 so I was excited to dig in and I was not disappointed. The two books live in the same universe and there is some overlap which was exciting as a fan. The story follows four siblings living in Malibu throwing a big party, as well as the history of their family and how they got to where they are. I would say it’s a mix of Seven Husbands meets a west coast Outerbanks. I loved it, it hit every emotion for me and as soon as it ended I wanted more.
Summary: 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.