About us

Novels Live! is a female-founded company that creates immersive experiences based on your favorite books.

It started from a simple desire - a wish to jump inside a story.

Having just finished Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising as part of her book club, Sydney Bolen, our founder, realized two things: One, like the main characters, she too lived in Los Angeles. Two, many of the book’s locations were real places. And so her she began to think. What started as a simple lunch in Malibu to discuss what was read became “Malibu Rising: The Experience.” A full-fledged tour following the tale of the Rivas from 1960’s Hollywood to 1980s Malibu. Sydney planned a route and a playlist, memorized facts to share, and even made brochures. The day was a major success. It soon became apparent other books could get the tour treatment as well. Now, Novels Live! offer six adventures, including the Malibu Rising original.

Currently operating out of LA, we do exclusively handle west coast-based stories, but as we grow, and Sydney reads, we are soon hoping to expand to other major cities.

Have a novel in mind that we don’t cover? We love getting new ideas and finding new stories. Please head over to the Private Hire page to recommend your book!