Ranking the Mick Riva Book Universe

When I first found myself on BookTok, certain books were always popping up in recommendation videos and they felt like staples of the app. One of the big ones that I could not escape was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (TJR). I did end up reading the book because at that time I was looking for any recommendation I could get and it sent me down the rabbit hole of reading the rest of the ‘Mick Riva Book Universe.’ This universe consists of four books following famous women as they navigate life, relationships, and self-identity. Many call it the ‘Mick Riva Book Universe’ because the character appears in all four books either in a quick mention or as a full-blown character. I read these books between November 2022 and January 2023, so my opinions and reviews have changed the longer I sit with them. With all that preamble, here is my ranking of the ‘Mick Riva Book Universe’ series by TJR.

4. Carrie Soto is Back

Carrie Soto is Back follows Carrie Soto as she makes her return to women’s tennis for one last run to prove she’s still the best and defend her records. This is the last book in this quartet, and it is one that I loved when I first read it in 2023. In my initial ranking of this series, I had this book at number two but with time this book has almost faded into a distant memory. All the other books have just stuck with me more for better or for worse, but for the life of me, I can’t remember even the ending of this book. Despite that, what made this book for me back then and what makes it for me now is Carrie as a character. I love how TJR writes complex female characters and Carrie just felt like a character that snuck up on me in how I grew to love her. This is a book I could see myself picking up again in a couple of years and falling in love with all over again. I think if I could just remember more of the book then it wouldn’t be fourth, but due to my lack of things to say about it, it feels unfair to put it any higher than last.

3. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo follows Evelyn Hugo as an old lady as she tells the story of her seven marriages, why she got married, why it fell apart, and who she really loved. This book really centers itself on the relationship between Evelyn and fellow actress Celia St. James as they go from strangers to friends to lovers. My biggest problem with the book is Celia and my utter dislike of her. The storytelling of this book is very biased against Evelyn and is very complimentary to Celia despite both making many mistakes and, at points, both being horrible people. In my eyes, Celia is very judgmental of Evelyn and she never really takes the time to understand Evelyn or her perspective. She sits from her pedestal and condemns Evelyn and the book acts like Celia is right and has Evelyn bend over backward to please Celia. I just found their dynamic so frustrating and unpleasant. This is an unpopular opinion considering most who like this book like it due to their romance and their dynamic. I am not saying Evelyn is perfect, the book certainly goes out of its way to emphasize how many mistakes she makes, I just wish it kept the same accountability across the board. Celia really keeps this book from being any higher on this list because I like everything else in this book. I especially love Harry, one of the husbands, and how he progresses as a character. The premise of this book is also very interesting with it being Evelyn telling her story to reporter Monique Grant, who becomes important later on in the story, but I won’t spoil as to why. What I will say about Monique is that she serves as such an interesting balance to Evelyn and their dynamic at the end almost poses a philosophical question about whether this is ethical and morally right. This is a book that I don’t see myself ever rereading, but maybe I will whenever the movie comes out. On that note, I do want to complain for a second and say I’m very upset this is getting a movie instead of an eight-episode mini-series and I think it is just Academy Award greed that is keeping it as a movie.

2. Malibu Rising

Malibu Rising takes place over the course of one day as four siblings prepare for the party of their lives. Woven into the story are flashbacks to their parents’ entire relationship and the fallout from it as the eldest sister, Nina Rivera, tries to pick up the pieces and keep their family stable. When I did my first ranking of this book, I had it fourth, but it is a book that I still think about years later. It is this book's inability to leave my mind that has bumped it up to number two in my quartet rankings. Malibu Rising is a book that I would write an essay about for how TJR portrays the cycle of family trauma and how it can linger for generations. My initial review when I read this book was that I understood the choices TJR makes, but I don’t like them. For example, a good portion of this book is about their mother June, and how she fell in and out of love with Mick Riva (yes that guy). I found June’s storyline to be kind of boring, but I knew they were there because June is a mirror of Nina and Nina is trying not to make the same mistakes that her mother did. One of my favorite things about this book is the premise, the book starts by telling you that there will be a fire at Nina’s house by the end of the book; you go about the best of the book wondering when the fire will set and who will set the fire. While there is a literal fire, the book also builds to figurative fires between the characters as secrets are revealed and feelings are hurt. I’m about to spoil who sets the fire and the end of the book, so if you don’t want to know then carry on to book #1. In the end, it is revealed that their father Mick Riva sets the fire by disposing of a cigarette after leaving the party. Before I go off on why I love this choice it is important to know that at the end of the book, Nina, who has sacrificed her whole life to be a support system for her siblings and to keep her mother’s restaurant alive, is told to put herself first and live her dream of going to Portugal. Now the reason I love Mick starting the fire so much is because he starts the figurative fire decades ago when he meets June and causes the domino effect of their family that brings them to today. The fire he started years ago shackled June to the restaurant and to her life where she was lonely and had to put on a brave face for her kids. The fire he starts in the present day frees Nina of the life he condemned her to so long ago and, in a way, frees June too. This vicious family cycle is started and ended by Mick starting fires. The whole fire analogy and what it means to Nina is why I have this book at number two and why it means so much to me.

1. Daisy Jones and the Six

Daisy Jones and the Six follows the rise and fall of a band throughout the 70s as they deal with fame, relationships, and addiction. I adore this book and since I read it, it has remained my all-time favorite book. This book is told in interview format, so it is not for everyone, but I personally love books written in different formats. Daisy Jones and the Six mainly circles around the three characters of Daisy Jones, Billy Dunne, and Camila Dunne; the complexity of the trio's relationship is why I love this book so much. In my opinion, there is no love triangle; instead Daisy represents addiction, Camila represents sobriety, and Billy is in the middle of that. The reason I say I don’t believe in the love triangle is because there’s nothing romantic about any of it and any physical relationship goes to represent the struggle of addiction. I don’t want to fully get into this point because I want to do a whole post dedicated to the TV show based on this book and why I despise it (not the music though, I love that album). The big thing to know is that I love this book for how TJR works these characters and makes every moment matter. Yes, the book is fun because it is messy and these people suck at times, but you sympathize with them and you want to achieve their goals. Even when I wanted to strangle Graham for how he handled a certain situation, I couldn’t help but root for him a little bit at the end because I understood him. I don’t think TJR will ever top this book for me and that’s okay; however, I demand another book from her in this format or formatted through letters.