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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved Ys, hated Joah. Excited to see where Jessa takes us though, she’s a genius and I trust her ever since I went from HATING Magnolia Parks to to being utterly obsessed.
Loved the little Magnolia Easter eggs!Hoping and praying that Richie and Ys are the actual endgame. I hate Joah so much.
Loved the little Magnolia Easter eggs!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Breaks my heart to give this book only 3 stars.. I’m left highly disappointed. This wasn’t a great read. It wasn’t a bad one. But I had high expectations being that I quite adore anything Jessa Hastings writes. But this one.. I never fully got into it and just didn’t want to quit. But didn’t fully enjoy either.
I’m feeling conflicted.. this was classic Jessa Hastings with her toxic couples and phrases that deserved highlights. it was heavily missing romance though. just insta lovey with good quotes and a very weird plotline/events? I dunno I didnt enjoy this as much I wanted to.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
2.5⭐️ Would have been 3 but I wanted to ring Joha’s neck the entire time. This was the most dysfunctional relationship I have read about fictionally. From the beginning, to the end, I wanted to scream at these two lovebirds. She’s a supermodel and he’s a narcissistic singer in a popular band. She takes him. He’s always afraid she’s going to leave her and she’s always afraid he’s going to cheat on her.
i simply could not get through the MMC’s chapters anymore. reminded me of the rockstar from confessions of a teenage drama queen, which.. slay, but being in his head was not for me :/
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter had come out after this book, I’d honestly believe she read it and wrote the song about Joah — because holy F***, this boy is the epitome of a manchild. His inner monologue was exhausting. Truly insufferable. I wanted to shake him every few pages.
I’ve seen people compare Joah and Ysolde to BJ and Magnolia — another famously toxic duo — but I don’t think the comparison holds. Joah is in a league of his own when it comes to being emotionally immature and impossible to root for. Ysolde, while flawed, doesn’t have the same chaotic magnetism Magnolia does, and BJ — for all his dysfunction — still has moments of depth and growth. Joah? Not a single redeeming quality in sight.
As for the book itself… it just didn’t work for me. The insta-love felt incredibly forced and unrealistic, especially considering how impulsive and emotionally chaotic the characters are. It wasn’t a slow burn or even a believable spark — it felt like they just clung to each other without substance. I found myself constantly questioning why they were even drawn to one another, aside from physical attraction and trauma bonding.
Also, I have to mention the grammatical errors. I gave them a pass in earlier books since Jessa was self-published at first, but at this point, I’m confused how no one’s catching them. It’s jarring and pulls me out of the story more than it should.
Overall, the plot felt flat and the pacing uneven. While a small part of me is curious about what happens next, I’m not entirely convinced I’ll be picking up the next installment.
Pretty sure this’ll earn me a spot on Jessa’s blacklist but… can we just get back to Daisy and Julian already?
I’ve seen people compare Joah and Ysolde to BJ and Magnolia — another famously toxic duo — but I don’t think the comparison holds. Joah is in a league of his own when it comes to being emotionally immature and impossible to root for. Ysolde, while flawed, doesn’t have the same chaotic magnetism Magnolia does, and BJ — for all his dysfunction — still has moments of depth and growth. Joah? Not a single redeeming quality in sight.
As for the book itself… it just didn’t work for me. The insta-love felt incredibly forced and unrealistic, especially considering how impulsive and emotionally chaotic the characters are. It wasn’t a slow burn or even a believable spark — it felt like they just clung to each other without substance. I found myself constantly questioning why they were even drawn to one another, aside from physical attraction and trauma bonding.
Also, I have to mention the grammatical errors. I gave them a pass in earlier books since Jessa was self-published at first, but at this point, I’m confused how no one’s catching them. It’s jarring and pulls me out of the story more than it should.
Overall, the plot felt flat and the pacing uneven. While a small part of me is curious about what happens next, I’m not entirely convinced I’ll be picking up the next installment.
Pretty sure this’ll earn me a spot on Jessa’s blacklist but… can we just get back to Daisy and Julian already?