This summer I decided I was going to read big, bestselling novels I knew I’d enjoy. (Which is not always the case with my reading material, oddly enough. The enjoyment I mean. More often than I’d like to admit I abandon a book 20 pages in. They don’t engage me. Libraries are great for this; I don’t feel guilty when I haven’t paid money for a book.)
Anyway, one of the novels I tore through was “Malibu Rising.” Written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, it’s a gigantic bestseller with all the elements for a perfect summer read: a complicated family, a beautiful beach, a star-studded party. And a bonus subplot really not commented on in most reviews but which of course I would notice: the meaning of parenthood and the unbreakable bonds of the families we choose. A page-turner with some deep themes.