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jelkebooks's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I did enjoy Magnolia Parks, but it was just a bit too toxic for me, and I absolutely despised BJ. However, I was still really curious about Daisy & Christian, so I was still hyped to read this book. I'm very glad to report that hype was justified as I enjoyed this so much more than book one.
I mean, Daisy and Christian were still extremely disfunctional, don't get me wrong. They still aren't a relationship I would ever root for in real life. However, why I liked their relationship more than Magnolia and BJ's is because it felt like they actually like each other. With Magnolia and BJ, yeah it was obvious they love each other, but the way they hurt each other constantly felt like they didn't even like each other. Christian and Daisy just had other issues going on, and difficult lives and situations that lead to them being as disfunctional as they are, but it is so clear they love and like each other the entire way through. It made everything about this so much more of an enjoyable read.
On top of that the plot in this one was rooted in like the crime/gangs/maffia scene, which made the over the topness and high dramaness of everything just feel less out of place in a way. I don't know how to explain it. It just caused for some high stakes moments, and overall it was just an extremely engaging read. I absolutely flew through it, and just didn't want to put this down at all.
On top of all of that I do just also like these characters more. I think Christian and Daisy were just really complex characters, and I quite liked seeing their developement throughout the novel. I also loved getting Julian's POV in this book. He is also an incredibly interesting character, and his POV did add quite a bit throughout this book. I hope this means he'll play a bigger part in the series because I'm quite curious to see where his character is going to go next. So yeah, I really liked this book a lot, and I'm even excited to read more about Magnolia and BJ right now.
I mean, Daisy and Christian were still extremely disfunctional, don't get me wrong. They still aren't a relationship I would ever root for in real life. However, why I liked their relationship more than Magnolia and BJ's is because it felt like they actually like each other. With Magnolia and BJ, yeah it was obvious they love each other, but the way they hurt each other constantly felt like they didn't even like each other. Christian and Daisy just had other issues going on, and difficult lives and situations that lead to them being as disfunctional as they are, but it is so clear they love and like each other the entire way through. It made everything about this so much more of an enjoyable read.
On top of that the plot in this one was rooted in like the crime/gangs/maffia scene, which made the over the topness and high dramaness of everything just feel less out of place in a way. I don't know how to explain it. It just caused for some high stakes moments, and overall it was just an extremely engaging read. I absolutely flew through it, and just didn't want to put this down at all.
On top of all of that I do just also like these characters more. I think Christian and Daisy were just really complex characters, and I quite liked seeing their developement throughout the novel. I also loved getting Julian's POV in this book. He is also an incredibly interesting character, and his POV did add quite a bit throughout this book. I hope this means he'll play a bigger part in the series because I'm quite curious to see where his character is going to go next. So yeah, I really liked this book a lot, and I'm even excited to read more about Magnolia and BJ right now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Homophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Drug use, and Self harm
The main character suffers from PTSD, and that’s shown quite a bit through the novel.pageafter_paige's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow this was SUCH a good book I’m tempted to give it 5 stars! Christian and Daisy absolutely stole my heart. I loved seeing their relationship/Christian’s side of everything. I think this book was perfectly toxic without being outright abusive and it was amazingggg! Major Gossip Girl vibes except instead of school it’s a gang lol. I don’t think I’d change anything about this book and I’m excited to read their next one! I’ll have to suffer through Parks and BJ first but I’ll do it for Daisy <3 The only thing that is keeping this from a 5 star is certain times Christian was so clueless it was painful (but that’s men I guess lmaoooo)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Violence
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