Malibu Rising

Wow, this was a seriously disappointing read, especially after the stellar, 5-star [b:Daisy Jones & The Six 40597810 Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580255154l/40597810.SY75.jpg 61127102]. Too many characters spread too thin (not helped by several random party attendees who popped up for 2-3 pages, had an entire story arc, and then disappeared), a totally pedestrian story (nice girl falls in love with sweet-talking jerk, their kids live with the fallout), and 350 pages of build up to a party that is nothing surprising, especially if you've lived through the 1980s. I kept reading because I hoped it would pay off in the end with an interesting or unexpectedly twisty conclusion, but sadly it did not. I disliked this book enough that it cast serious doubt on the likelihood that I will read anything else by this author in the future.