Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home by Jessa Hastings

11 reviews

kayinae's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First the baby and the tree absolutely sent me, then the fact that Julian was actually falling in love with her but knew she’d never not love BJ, then the car accident (which I KNOW was not an accident and it was definitely a hit to hurt magnolia), then HER SISTER are you kidding me, I’m wrecked Bridget was one of my favorites and I think she might have got poisoned and the worst part about it is I guarantee it was supposed to be magnolia that died and not Bridget. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Sexual assault, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

ladylaurenexplorer's review

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow oh wow! My heart and my soul! I have a stayed up almost all night to finish this book and then I wanted to wait until the next morning to finish the last couple of chapters and I am so glad I did because I was on a roller coaster the last couple of chapters and the ending has made me….

You know, I love the toxic, messy relationship that magnolia and BJ have. I love the subtle digs and transparency that they both have for each other, but are kind of not seeing at all. The reveal of December 3 was shocking and kind of explained a lot more about their history and their connection. The December 6 reveal was shocking, but not shocking if you knew what I mean. I loved everything up until the accident and that’s when I got my suspicious hat on especially since a certain person weren’t there in the aftermath and during the announcement.

But what was even more shocking was the ending and I am hoping that it’s the worst case scenario in the mindframe and not actually book reality. But at least if it is book reality, then that person knew for sure that our pairing were finally getting their act together and heading somewhere beautiful. Steel no spice that is explicit, but I don’t care because the plot just keeps giving and giving and giving!

I am onto the next book and hoping that book reality isn’t in it!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Violence, and Sexual content

Minor: Miscarriage

mah454's review

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Miscarriage

Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, and Drug use

bee_isreading's review

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Gun violence

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Child death, Car accident, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual violence and Vomit

headinthepages's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

savbowmer's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Blood, Emotional abuse, Rape, Medical trauma, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcohol, Vomit, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Cursing, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Grief

annagwritesandreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

**Check content warnings before reading, the beginning of this book is extremely heavy**

I feel like the pacing of this book was too awkward in the middle part of the book. I got confused around time during the 3rd quarter of the book, but the first half and last quarter were very clear.

General Description: Magnolia is back for her dad's wedding. This was supposed to be temporary. She'd handled her heartbreak over seeing BJ for three weeks and leave back to NYC. Plans change, an opportunity presents itself to Magnolia and she can't refuse. Now she has to handle BJ who is public with his second girlfriend ever. Can Magnolia and BJ have the stars align for them, or will they crash and burn again with someone running from the scene of the heartbreak?

The good
- The revelations BJ specifically were insightful and handled with grace.
- There's a bit more plot in this book which I enjoyed.
- The side characters again are great.
- Magnolia's development with a certain side character was extremely interesting to me and I really enjoyed how the story developed

The bad
- confusing jumps in time on top of switching perspectives made some parts of the book hard to muddle through
- some of the typos are a bit glaring

In short: If you can handle pop culture references, the heavy content of the beginning, and enjoy character-driven books, you'll enjoy this book! Definitely don't read this until you finish the first two books :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Violence, and Car accident

Minor: Rape

midnightrose_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home is the third book in the Magnolia Parks Universe. It picks up a year after the events of the first book. Magnolia is living in New York after the dramatic events of the end of the first book. She comes home for her father’s wedding.  BJ has been in therapy to work on his issues and hopefully to win Magnolia back. While she’s in London for the wedding she gets a job offer from Tatler  to be their new style editor. She accepts and she and BJ try to navigate their way back to each other.

This was another emotional installment in this series. Big secrets and revelations about Magnolia and BJ’s past get brought to light making you look at the first book very differently. There are once again beautiful passages about their love for one another and how they view their relationship. However, I believe this book is a bit too long. I think it would have been much tighter paced had it had 100 pages or so shaved off. As it was, some things felt very repetitive, such a scenarios and/or phrases. Other than that, it’s another solid edition to the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Toxic friendship, Child death, Medical content, Death, Grief, Cursing, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

tamarenee's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Sexual assault

toofondofbooks_'s review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another roller coaster of a book from the Magnolia Parks Universe and while I am extremely emotionally compromised (Jessa, I'll be sending you my therapy bills <3) I cannot say that I am disappointed. When I say I'm emotionally compromised, I mean it, like, I'm not going to sleep tonight, in all likelihood, and if I didn't care about spacing these books out so that they last me longer, I would be picking up Jessa's latest immediately. HOWEVER I'm going to exercise self control and just continue crying and singing the praises of these dumbass characters that I love way too much for my own good. I don't know if this is so much a review as it is just me having a mental breakdown....but I'm going to try and write something actually constructive. 

I love how much more in depth BJ and Magnolia were explored as characters, particularly the focus on the shared trauma they've been through as well as individual traumas. I feel like prior to this book neither of them really looked their problems in the eye and saw shit for what it was but they started to make some headway in that department here and I was thrilled to see it. Sure, it was messy as well, but doesn't that make it more delicious? 

bj ballentine you are my beloved and you are so important btw *blows a kiss for him*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Classism, Infidelity, Cursing, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent