I definitely judged this book by the cover...totally expected to love it based on that and the synopsis. Surfing! The 60s! Hawaii! That said, parts of it fell flat for me. The pacing was especially difficult; it was a slow burn, which happens a lot with character-driven novels. However, it dragged at points more than it needed to. The relationships between a reluctant mother, longing to be an athlete, and her two daughters, were at the center of the story. Lots of questionable choices are made. I did love learning more about surfing culture against the complex cultural background of the 1960s.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

California Golden has all the vibes of the Southern California surfing community of the 1960’s. Carol is struggling with the life she wants as a rare and talented female surfer and the life of responsibility she has as a mom of 2 young girls. Mindy and Ginger, ashamed of their mom’s unconventional lifestyle begin to skip school to join her in the waves. Mindy takes to surfing, but Ginger does not, and as the girls grow older their paths take them in opposite directions. While Mindy rises to stardom, Ginger sinks into a life of drugs, promiscuity and cults. I really wanted to love this one, I love books set in this time period and I’m fascinated with the surfing community. But I just never connected to any of these characters, they seemed flat somehow and the story dragged at times taking me out of the storyline instead of keeping me fully in this world. The settings in California and Hawaii were spot on and I really enjoyed that. I loved reading about a strong female going against the norm and improving at a sport that, at the time, was dominated by men. However, that was also painful since the cost for that training was the misspent childhood of 2 innocent young girls. There was a lot to explore in this story with the girls feeling neglected and embarrassed that their mom wasn’t like the other moms. And, on the flip side, Carol, who just wanted to spend her days surfing instead of helping at her girls’ school and doing all the other “mom” things that women did in that time period. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Malibu Rising. Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on August 8, 2023.

Immerse yourself in the California surfing culture of days gone by. This was remarkably well written with characters you can lose yourself in and that are heartbreaking at times. I highly recommend catching this wave and riding it in.

Told through the perspective of a mother and daughters on how women navigate the world. This is a slow burn and I struggled with the pacing of the book. The characters were the center but at points, I struggled to keep reading. I enjoyed the surfer vibes and the focus on women athletes. The beach really became a central part of the story as that's where most of the women went back to when they needed to heal. I did like the depiction of motherhood as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballentine for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gidget but with an attempt at feminism and feeling.

All in all, not terrible but not great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review

In "California Golden," Melanie Benjamin takes readers on a captivating journey through the turbulent and euphoric early days of California surf culture. Set in the 1960s, the story follows the Donnelly sisters, Mindy and Ginger, who grow up under the shadow of their mother, Carol, a legendary female surfer breaking barriers in a male-dominated sport. As their mother pursues her surfing dreams, the sisters grapple with her absence, emotionally and physically, and find solace in the waves.

The narrative unfolds with a vivid portrayal of the sun-soaked beaches and glittering nights of California, where Carol's daughters find solace and escape from their troubled home life through surfing. Mindy, naturally talented on the waves, navigates the path to fame and success, embracing beachside love affairs, parties at exclusive clubs, and a USO tour in Vietnam. On the other hand, Ginger, desperate for belonging and mortified of being left behind, is drawn into the counterculture of drugs and cults, seeking a sense of community.

Throughout the novel, Melanie Benjamin skillfully explores the complexities of family dynamics and the lasting impact of neglect and trauma on the sisters' lives. The characters are well fleshed-out, making it easy for readers to feel both empathy and frustration for their choices. The backdrop of California surf culture is beautifully described, transporting readers back to a time when women were pushing against societal expectations. However, the excessive use of racial slurs, though time appropriate, were off-putting.

Overall, the book delves into themes of motherhood, sibling relationships, ambition, sacrifice, and the search for identity. Benjamin weaves a tale that tugs at the heartstrings, as the characters grapple with their emotional wounds and seek connection in a shifting society. The story effectively showcases the struggles faced by women in pursuing their passions and recognition in the male-dominated world of surfing. While there were aspects in the novel that I wish were developed more, I did still find myself emotionally connected to the characters. Ultimately, deciding to round this 3.5 star novel book up to 4 stars instead of down to 3 on GoodReads.

Full Review to be posted on duffRUNStough on 11 August, 2023, after publication date.

I liked the two sister's and their perspectives but I found myself interested in one more than the other. This is typical of different point of views for me. I loved the atmosphere and time period. It was very vivid. The first half was slower paced and I could have used a faster pace.

The story of Donnelly women as told from perspective.of both daughters and mother sheds a new light on how women navigate the world as women, daughters, and mothers. From the heartbreaking to hopeful, Melanie does a wonderful job creating complex main character who you are rooting for while also heartbroken for. The beautiful story of how choices truly go beyond just the immediate person and ripple far beyond.

Judging this book by its gorgeous cover and interesting synopsis, I was expecting to love it. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping to.

I’d say there were 2 big things for me that brought my rating down: the pacing of the story, and the characters. This was definitely a slow burn, which character driven stories can often be, but too much of it felt too slow for me. The three main characters were so flawed that I sometimes felt it hard to root for them. There were some questionable choices made, and then there were some terrible choices made - some I could get past, and others I couldn’t.

However, there were things I did like about this book. I thought the focus on women athletes and the climate they had to deal with during this time was really interesting. I also liked the look at women’s roles and motherhood, and the standards women were held to. The 1960s surfer vibes were fun, and I liked how special and healing the beach was to the Donnelly women, which I could relate to.

Even though I didn’t love this one, I can definitely see other people really enjoying it!

I was hoping for a summer story that gripped me and immediately got me hooked but i just didn't get that with this. The summary was enticing but it just didn't pull me in the way I had hoped.

Based on some elements of a true story the Donnelly girls were quite the sensation in the `1960's on California beaches. Mom was totally obsessed with the beach and really never gave up her dreams. It is a story of a discontent woman. Carol had made poor decisions in her late teens. She was captivated by surfing and was actually quite good. She had her dreams and sought to find them. But real life got in the way and she made a series of poor decisions that left her family shattered and broken.
It is a good story about family, the importance of building a strong family and how to mess up your life in very short order. Carol just goes from one bad choice to another. In the process she hurts many people and only the mercy of her daughter does she have anything in her life at all.
It is a little rough in some parts but overall the book is a good lesson on character, loyalty and commitment.

I received a complimentary electronic Advanced Reader's Copy of this excellent historical novel from Netgalley, author Melanie Benjamin, and publisher Random House-Ballantine. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read California Golden of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I am pleased to recommend this novel to friends and family. It is a tale you will remember, occasionally out of the blue, for a long time.

I almost quit this novel a time or two. Early on, I found it impossible to find sympathy or empathy in my heart for Carol. I have known over my 75 years several mothers without a natural mothering instinct, but those I have known at least tried. Carol can't. I'm so glad I persevered - this is an especially good tale, told very well. It features all aspects of the mothering experience and portrays it, very well. I loved both of the Donnelly sisters.

We are for the most part in 1960s California, with all its quirks and posturing. If you are too young to remember it, you will find it almost unbelievably silly, but it really was that way - and not just in California. American youth were in full rebellion for several years, without the experience or the common sense to do it more wisely. Life has done a complete turn-around since that time, though thankfully we did not go back to that 1950s world my mother knew. We really have come a long way. Not far enough, but from my perspective, a long way.

California Golden is a sweeping 1960s era novel that tackles many topics women encountered with a specific focus on the California surf culture. The novel feels like a cousin to Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid which also focused on California, surfing, and family, but the two books definitely read differently. The book started strong and I was captivated by the image of the two little surfer girls tagging along behind their mother. The book follows the sisters into adulthood, one becoming a celebrity, "The Girl in the Curl", and the other falling into a toxic relationship and being pulled into a life of drug running and cults. The middle section of the novel focuses on the girls' mother Carol, her life, and how she came to be the hands off surf mama she was. The conclusion brings the three women together and wraps up the story.

I did find this story compelling in parts, but in other parts it dragged. I felt a tremendous empathy for the two girls fending for themselves and for the choices they had to make to survive. I rate this book as 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. I think this is worth picking up for those interested in learning more about this era or for those who enjoy stories of complex family relationships.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for making this arc available in exchange for my honest review.

Benjamin's latest historical fiction novel focuses on the ever changing landscape of 1960s California. From surfing to stardom, to cults and parenthood the novel tackles a lot of ground.

California Golden is told in three parts with the first part focusing on sisters Mindy and Ginger navigating a difficult childhood with absentee mother Carol and then becoming young adults making their own way in the world. Mindy becomes a surfer movie star doing both the surf stunts and becoming "the girl in the curl". Ginger turns to a tempestuous relationship with fellow surfer Tom as they venture into rocky territory of drugs and cults. The second part focuses on Carol's journey from dreams of playing for the All American women's baseball league to becoming a pregnant housewife and eventually a surf mama. The third part finds all three women coming back together to navigate adulthood and past wounds.

This book was a fascinating read and definitely reminded me of Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. However, it also managed to stand out especially with Ginger's storyline. I definitely thought her story was going to end a certain way (Kool-Aid perhaps?). But without giving it away all the storylines wrapped up nicely.

I think my only complaint was that it dragged in places especially in Carol's section. I'm glad we got her backstory but otherwise I felt like we got a pretty good idea of her feelings and motivations in Mindy's and Ginger's section.

Overall I would recommend as a perfect beach read.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I have some mixed feelings about this one. I guess I was kinda hoping this would be like TJR’s Malibu Rising (which I loved), so I was really hoping I would love this one as well. I just really didn’t care for any of the characters & the storyline was a little depressing. I also didn’t love the end of the book, it felt unfinished to me as far as things with Ginger go. Despite all this, I was still intrigued and kept wanting to read it.

I usually enjoy historical fiction and was looking forward to a story set in the 1960's in Southern California. However, the plot just didn’t grab me, and I found myself disliking the majority of the characters. It was just ok.

California Golden started slowly. I found I didn’t really care about the characters. Their repeated poor choices became too predictable. I appreciated the multiple themes of sexist surf culture, expectations of mothers, women’s rights, obsession, and racism. It was a sad book with a fairly hopeful ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical fiction, especially the 1960's era and was enamored with the book description - Southern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu. The beginning started off really slow and I just lost interest. Ultimately, this book wasn't for me - more showing than telling and the dialogue felt clunky.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with the eARC via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a historical fiction set around the surf scene in 1950s-1960s California & Hawaii, full of beach bums, hippies, and set in a time when women were trying to be taken seriously as surfers. It's also a coming-of age family saga about the relationships between a mother (who would rather just be a surfer) and her two daughters.

The book explores a lot of sad and dark stuff. More than I expected to be honest. Themes of parenting expectations and consequences, abandonment, sexism, physical abuse, racism toward Hawaiians, and the influence of Hollywood, cults and drug culture.

I love reading about the 60s in California, but I had a surprisingly hard time getting to this. The story seemed to drag for me more than once, and I didn't like how much it jumped around in both time and POVs. Still a good story with important social commentary and great beach vibes. Enjoyed the ending as well.

I own a physical copy of another Melanie Benjamin book, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, and I look forward to giving it a try.

As a historical fiction fan, a new Melanie Benjamin book is always a special treat. This is a departure of sorts for her, as she explores the heady 60s Southern California culture of surfing, sex, drugs, hippie communes, and the early days of the Vietnam War.

If you're a fan of stories about mothers and daughters/sisters, don't miss this one.

Many thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.