PositiveThe Los Angeles Review of Books[Riley] perfectly captures not only the pleasures of California living, but also, more specifically, the rapturous initiation by which those from harsher climes give themselves over to the Golden State (even if sometimes self-consciously). Indeed, he carefully, credibly evokes the subtle distinction between the two approaches to California dreaming: the way of those who were born to it, and the way of those who are called to it ... Riley manages to avoid any embarrassingly tired truisms, and to see his locale through fresh eyes. Indeed, the landscape becomes one of the central — and most compelling — characters in the book ... the novel is a vibrant, pitch-perfect rendering of decadent beachside youth culture, with its surfing, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, and all-day parties ... Riley is fond of metaphors, and while they’re almost always spot on, the sheer profusion can become fatiguing, pulling attention away from the story.
