Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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Atmosphere got me here

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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This is one of those stories that starts out at the end. We learn that Nina’s house is the site of a huge party every year, and this year it’s burning to the ground. To the writer’s credit, I very quickly forgot that the story was going to end in a fire. We meet the four Riva siblings in bits. Nina is basically the main character, and she’s a world class surfer and supermodel. She just found out that her husband has been cheating on […]

Welcome to my Two Books in One Review review 

Thank You, School by Louise Borden

Finding My Wave by Alexandra Katona

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I found two books (hence the title) that were nice, cozy and enjoyable but I did not want to weaken reviewing either solo as I didn’t want to add fluff to them. Therefore, please enjoy these shorter reviews that hopefully do not leave out the good stuff. Thank You, School by Louise Borden and illustrator Paige Keiser  due March 2026 Read via an online reader copy. Through a series of poems, children thank each person (from bus drivers to teachers) who help make their school […]

I feel the title should have been Malibu *Burning*

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Bingo: Play – Surfing is an important part of this family. My introduction to Taylor Jenkins Read was Daisy Jones and the Six.  I then went on to Carrie Soto is Back and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.  All listened to in audiobook format, which were amazing.  Highly recommend them.  It was a happy day when I found Malibu Rising in a free little library.  I needed a book to take to the beach a week ago and this seemed like the perfect candidate. It was nice […]

The real happy ending is that she got to eat the whole plate of cheese.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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“Since when do you wear dresses?” he said, the second he saw her. “Ugh,” Kit said, frowning. How were you supposed to change—in ways both big and small—when your family was always there to remind you of exactly the person you apparently signed an ironclad contract to be?” ― Taylor Jenkins Reid, Malibu Rising I’ve read two TJR books in the past two months. I plowed through both of them within seventy-two hours. Addictive is the only way I know how to describe them. Nina […]

Soothing the Beast

Maya and the Beast by Maya Gabeira

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While this might not become a classic, or even will be in my Top 10 favorites of this year, Maya and the Beast by Maya Gabeira is a book that was very enjoyable and needs at least a re-read or two. There is a lot going on and cannot be digested all at once. Story and art complement and support each other, allowing for busy pages and busy feeling to the overall tone. It was a sweet story, about overcoming fears, limitations, and biases. And […]

“Just because it is in Malibu’s nature to burn, so was it in one particular person’s nature to set fire and walk away.”

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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TJR did it again. She’s very good at what she does. This book is extremely readable, and I think it might even be my favorite of the three books of hers I’ve read so far. I loved Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones, but this one spoke to me personally in a way those didn’t. Bad dads and dysfunctional families, what are you going to do. Malibu, 1983. The four Riva siblings throw an end of summer party every year that has become infamous. If you […]



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