If you enjoyed Malibu Rising, you’ll be sure to love these 20 thrilling reads as well. They’re packed with secrets, mystery, and incredible detail. You’ll love these must-read stories!
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Possibly Taylor Jenkins Reid’s most popular novel yet, this thrilling installation in the historical fiction genre is sure to please anyone who enjoys Reid’s entrancing writing and creative storylines.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows the story of fictional Hollywood actress, Evelyn Hugo, as she unveils her life story to struggling journalist Monique. Glitz and glamor jump off the pages as the reader gets to know the mysterious, scandalous, and at times deeply emotional story of what goes on beyond the public eye.
You can purchase the book here, and be prepared to be drawn into Evelyn Hugo’s world until it seems just as real as your own.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Coming-of-age drama, lyrical writing, a deeply atmospheric setting, and a murder mystery at its core have made Where the Crawdads Sing into the wildly popular novel that it is today.
The story follows two intersecting timelines; one from the perspective of young heroine Kya, and one following the murder investigation into a North Carolina celebrity’s untimely murder. Mystery and intrigue unfold as the reader slowly gets to know Kya, and discovers how her story relates to the murder investigation at the story’s heart.
Popular suspense writer Liane Moriarty has written another hit with Apples Never Fall, the story of a missing woman, ex-tennis stars, and family secrets of great consequence.
Apples Never Fall is told from the perspectives of the four Delaney siblings, and begins with the mother of the four, Joy Delaney, unexpectedly going missing. Surprisingly, their father Stan Delaney is the one and only suspect, and long-buried family history begins to be uncovered as the police dig into this case to try and figure out what could’ve happened to this once-happy family of promising tennis stars.
You can buy Apples Never Fall here, but be ready for a long day of reading, as this is a novel you won’t be able to put down once you get started.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
This award-winning, young adult suspense novel has made waves since its publication in 2014, continuing to surprise and dazzle readers with its jaw-dropping twists.
We Were Liars jumps between the past and present, following the story of a Sinclair family summer on a private island, and a story too destructive to ever tell the truth about. Unreliable narrators and a twisted, dark secret come to light as readers try to determine what actually went down, and what part of what they’re reading is just another lie.
You can buy this book here, and make sure to check out its prequel, Family of Liars, to get to know the story even more.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
From the New York Times bestselling novel to the Emmy-nominated Hulu adaptation, Normal People has been all the rage since its publication in early 2020.
Normal People depicts young love, class differences, and the dynamic between two main characters, Marianne and Connell, with heartbreaking authenticity. Readers follow the pair as they connect and grow apart in high school, through college, and into the real world. They are forced to decide how far they’re willing to go for each other while staying true to themselves.
Gothic suspense novel The Thirteenth Tale reimagines classic fantasy tropes in this beautifully written, lengthy exploration into life, love, and literature.
The Thirteenth Tale follows recluse Vida Winter, who has been writing alternate lives for herself over the past six decades to hide from the truth of her shocking and dismal past. As she grows old she knows she must finally reveal the truth, and she calls upon a young biographer to relay a tale of haunted people and places, secret topiary gardens, and fires with secrets of their own.
One picture-perfect, well-off family and a struggling mother-daughter duo find themselves living as neighbors in Celeste Ng’s award-winning psychological mystery novel.
This novel begins at the end: a house set on fire, a child nowhere to be seen, and the readers are swung back to months before any of this took place to learn why all these events unfolded. Little Fires Everywhere explores themes of class, culture, race, prejudice, art, and what it means to be a mother.
Lucy Foley’s bestselling murder mystery masterpiece, The Guest List, has garnered comparisons to classic Agatha Christie novels for its witty and detailed writing.
Set on a small island off Ireland’s coast, The Guest Listtells the story of a wedding party gone wrong, as somebody turns up dead amid the celebration. This brilliant novel stands apart from traditional murder mysteries, as readers don’t even know who the victim is until the end, leaving a suspenseful and captivating guessing game to unfold.
Author Emily Henry is the queen of the beach read, as she has mastered witty dialogue, interesting characters, and page-turning storylines like no other.
People We Meet on Vacation is the ideal lighthearted, easy read — readers are introduced to Poppy and Alex, polar opposites on the outside, but best friends at heart. After a dramatic falling out on their last trip together which has led to them not talking, the two take one last vacation together, hoping to fix everything in one week and finally become friends again; or maybe, even more than friends.
Maria Semple’s popular comedic mystery, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is both a page-turner and a riveting social commentary all in one.
The story begins when agoraphobic Bernadette vanishes mysteriously, with all signs pointing to her taking an unplanned trip from Seattle to Antarctica. Bernadette’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Bee, sets out on a private mission to find out what happened, and most importantly, to find her mother.
Clocking in at over 900 pages, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch is far from a quick read, although it is certainly a rewarding one.
Literary genius Donna Tartt sets the scene with young Theo Decker, who survived an accident that resulted in the death of his mother, and this traumatic memory follows him into his adulthood with secrets of its own. This novel beautifully speaks on grief, art, life, second chances, and the choices we all make, as we follow Theo who seeks to define his life after great tragedy.
You can buy The Goldfinch here, and prepare to be swept away by the moving characters and stories that Donna Tartt writes about.
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Libba Bray’s The Diviners is the first in a series of four, written for young adults but appealing to an older audience as well with its skillful writing and complex storytelling.
Heroine Evie O’Neill is sent to live with her Uncle Will, who runs an occult museum in New York City. However, Evie has one big secret: a supernatural power, which soon gets her involved in a series of cryptic murders, as she harnesses her power to try and help catch a serial killer.
Scintillating writing, intelligent characters, and a surprising premise have made Alexis Schaitkin’s debut novel into a modern-day favorite practically overnight.
Saint X follows the story of Claire, who, at the young age of seven, lost her college-aged sister Alison to a shocking murder in the Caribbean during their family vacation. Suspects were arrested, and then released due to a lack of evidence, and years later Claire is working in New York City when she encounters one of the men who was potentially involved in her sister’s murder. This surprise meeting ignites a fire in Claire, who sets out to discover who her sister was, and what happened that fateful night many years ago.
Time travel, tender writing, and heartwarming characters make This Time Tomorrow a strong contender on any contemporary reading list.
Protagonist Alice wakes on the morning of her 40th birthday and discovers that she has been transported to 1996, and is reliving her sixteenth birthday as her younger self. As she relives her past and gains new insight into the people in her life, Alice is given the option to make small changes, and she must consider how it might affect the people she loves the most.
Award-winning author Anthony Doerr transports his readers into a world that is both keenly relatable and yet distant from ours in so many ways; a world of imagination and beauty.
Cloud Cuckoo Land is told in three different places and times: fifteenth-century Constantinople, present-day Idaho, and an interstellar ship from the not-so-distant future. As the pages fly by, readers will learn how the character’s in each period connect, and be dazzled by the immersive power of storytelling through the generations.
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Class issues, mental health, and the difficulties of growing up with emotionally neglectful parents are explored in My Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Ottessa Moshfegh uses dark humor to look at universal themes through a unique lens, as our narrator makes the interesting decision to spend an entire year in a drug-induced hibernation. Although comedic and entertaining, this novel also touches upon relevant themes in our modern world in a highly thought-provoking manner.
This sizzling debut novel grips readers from page one, and you won’t want to put it down once you pick it up.
Claire Rawlings is driving to work with her two daughters in the backseat, when she is hit with severe nausea, and makes a quick stop at a gas station, running to the bathroom, and passing out. When she returns, her car is gone with her two girls in it, and Claire lives out every parent’s worst nightmare as hours pass by with no leads — only her gut feeling that her daughters are still out there.
Bestselling author Ann Patchett delivers again with The Dutch House, a riveting novel about deep family ties, and the magical house where two siblings grew up.
Wealthy sibling duo Danny and Maeve are thrust into poverty in this dark fairy tale and are left to rely on each other and their impenetrable bond. People and places from the past emerge in surprising ways throughout this multi-faceted, reflective tale of family bonds and paradise lost.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult is a thought-provoking, at times heartbreaking, look into the Covid-19 pandemic and how it affected people and the world as a whole.
Set at the beginning of the pandemic, protagonist Diana sets out on a vacation to the Galapagos by herself, as her boyfriend is required by his job to stay at work due to the impending virus. After she embarks, things immediately turn sour, from lost luggage to her hotel being shut down, and she finds herself connecting with a local family and re-examining her life back home from a fresh perspective.
You can buy the novel here, and make sure to check out more of Jodi Picoult’s award-winning writing for similarly well-written dramas.
Circe by Madeline Miller
Madeline Miller’s Circe is a popular historical-fiction retelling, placing the Greek goddess Circe at its center.
With Greek mythology at the novel’s core, Circe follows a fantastical cast of characters through a world of wild beasts, witchcraft, and the wrath of gods. Circe must make a stand as a woman in a man’s world, and choose between the life of gods or that of mortals.
No, Malibu Rising is not a series, although Taylor’s Jenkins Reid wrote Malibu Rising (2021), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2017), and Daisy Jones & the Six (2019) in the same historical-fiction universe.
What is the Malibu Rising book about?
Malibu Rising tells the story of the Riva family’s annual end-of-summer party gone awry, as guests show up with unforgettable secrets which soon spiral the party out of control. By morning, the Riva mansion has gone up in flames, and readers are left to discover how we got here, and which secrets each family member had been keeping.
What should I read if I like Malibu Rising?
The above list describes twenty books you are sure to enjoy if you liked Malibu Rising, from historical dramas to murder mysteries to suspense thrillers.
What comes after Malibu Rising?
Malibu Rising does not have a direct sequel, although the twenty books listed above are sure to be enjoyed by anyone who liked Malibu Rising.
Is Malibu Rising becoming a TV show?
A television adaptation of Malibu Rising is currently in the works with Hulu, although nothing more concrete has been set.
Layla Hughes is a professional writer who grew up on the Central Coast of California, and later studied English at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Her love for reading started when she was young, as she has been an avid reader ever since she mastered her ABC’s. She loves the classics, YA fiction, and loves keeping up with current reading and writing trends. She is currently traveling full-time in a converted camper van around the US, Mexico and Canada, enjoying living out a story of her own creation. find Layla on Instagram @laylabeth
