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It is currently raining here in New York. A perfect day to grab a book, cuddle under a blanket and get lost in a story. If you are looking for a book to put on your reading list, I have a few great choices that I read this past spring. I think the theme of these 3 books are family– the ones we choose and the ones we are born with- and the bonds we have. How the choices we make lead us to our destinies. That we shouldn’t be afraid of taking chances, taking risk in life. Life is too short not to. Here is part 2 of what books I read this past Spring.
*Read part 1 here
The last Saturday of summer Nina Riva host an annual blowout party. It’s the summer of 1983 and everyone in the LA area is invited to this party if you know about it and if you know where it is located. Everyone from celebrities to athletes attend the party to be around the famous Riva Siblings; Nina who is a model, Jay who is a professional surfer, Hud a photographer, and Kit who is still trying to figure her way in the world. While the siblings themselves are well known, they are also the children of the legendary singer Mick Riva. As we follow the siblings the day of the party, secrets start to unravel about themselves and their family. Malibu Rising follows the Riva Siblings in present day- the day of the summer party- and flash backs to not only their lives growing up but of their parents lives as well. It’s a fascinating tale of family, resilience, and love.
Review
I absolutely loved this book! What drama would unfold, what secret would be told. Usually when books flip back and forth from the past to the present, I end up only liking one over the other. However, I throughly enjoyed following along the Riva siblings in ’83 as well as their childhood. I also enjoyed the love between Mick and June in the 1950s. Although I enjoyed the events leading up to the party, I kept wanting this famous shindig to start. And the party did not disappoint. It was wild and appalling, and I kinda wanted to be there. No I wouldn’t of have done any of the things the attendees did, but it would have been fun to be there. At least in the beginning. I really was not sure how the book would end, and in a way I was surprised by the ending. However, I did like it. It felt realistic and satisfying. A happy ending of sorts for each character and their storyline. I loved the family dynamic; how their bond was unbreakable, even during the tough times. They choose each other through thick and thin.
Poppy and Alex are best friends, even though they are complete opposites. Alex is organized, clean, kind, and reserved. Poppy is messy, dramatic, colorful, and blunt. Yet somehow together they make sense as friends. A friendship that started when they met in college freshman year. Since then they have gone on an annual summer vacation together. What started off as budget friendly trips the two of them planned together has now grown into luxurious travels aboard all thanks to Poppy. Poppy works for a traveling magazine, also a travel blogger, in NYC. This trip was always Poppy’s favorite. Alex and Poppy were two peas in a pod until 2 years ago when something happened between the two them that ruined their friendship. Poppy is now in a rut with life and as a last Hail Mary reaches out to Alex to convince him to go on another summer vacation with her. She now has a week to fix what was broken and the unveil the truth that is unspoken between them.
Review
Another book that I couldn’t put down. I loved the friendship between Alex and Poppy. How two completely opposite people can work so well together, compliment each other. It’s true that opposites attract for many reason. Alex seems like the perfect guy. Not in a romcom trope kind of a way where he can’t do anything wrong or is overly cheesy, but in a genuinely nice guy kind of way. Someone that would do anything for the people he loves. Poppy is a mess and she is unsure of where she wants to go in life. But one thing she does know is that she can’t go back to Ohio, even though that is where her family and Alex live. I can see myself in both characters. I think they are both relatable in many ways. But besides their characteristics, I was so involved in the will they, won’t they scenario. It’s pretty obviously from the beginning there is more than friendship between the two of them. I honestly didn’t know which way the story was going to unfold. However, I loved how it ended– but I can see people having a diverse opinion on the ending. Maybe not on how their friendship ends up, but on where they land personally and professionally at the end. People We Meet on Vacation would make for a great book club read.
The Seafarer is one of Bostons most famous and luxurious hotels. Many of the hotels guests are known to be celebrities and the rich. It’s a place famous for weddings and celebrations. On a summer day in June, bride-to-be Riley is heading to the Seafarer to meet her fiancé, her overbearing soon to be mother-in-law, and the Seafarer’s party planner to discuss possible wedding details. Jean-Paul is the hotel’s newest manager. Coming from Paris, Jean-Paul is struggling to juggle his marriage, his new born child, and running one of Boston’s most elite hotels. Claire, a recently widowed mother of 2, is staying at the hotel for a little R&R. At least that is what she tells people. Truthfully she is there in hopes to reconnect with a long lost love after 30 some years. Jason is celebrating a romantic getaway with his perfect girlfriend for his birthday. A getaway that does not go exactly as he hoped and truths of his past come up. What do all of these hotel attendees have in common? They are connected as an investigation takes place for someone who tragically falls to their death on this June summer day.
Review
I enjoyed reading Summertime Guests! I had to know what happened next and WHO fell tragically to their death. Did someone do it? Was it self conflicting harm? Was it an accident? You do not find out until the end who falls and why, which makes the story suspenseful. I kept thinking it was different people and blaming different characters for it. It really narrows down to two characters and you still flip back and forth on who it is until it’s revealed. At one point you are hoping it’s not so-and-so but then that means that you are hoping for this other character to die, and then you feel bad. I enjoyed following all of the characters stories and kept wishing for the best, a happy ending, for all of them. Although it’s a tragedy what happens, it also a weird lessen in life how things happen that you can’t control and it changes the course of your life in many ways. Every character comes out of this with a directional change in their life– whether it’s a happy or sad one. But it’s what is meant to be.