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roxanne_blythe 's review for:
Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home
by Jessa Hastings
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-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
I need a cigarette after this book, cause wtf was that ending?!
I will admit that the book had a good start and potential to be a 3.5 to 4-star read for me if it had continued to be as it was in the beginning. BJ was going to therapy, he was working on self-improvement. I was rooting for him, we were all rooting for him! And then he had to slip into his old habits, and I wanted to slam his head against the wall. And Magnolia... what is it that this girl wants? She wants a loyal man, but she's out here tempting him like some succubus (it's still Bj's fault, but come on Magnolia 🙄)… I can't. I'm so tired of their drama and yet here I am again reading the book, so I'm just as bad as them
The only thing I will say about this book is BJ can't gaslight me, because why is he out here trying to come for Magnolia as if what she did to him is equal to the shit he put her through??? Let's not do that... I will say she's not completely blameless, but when he said that all he did was "sleep with Paili once, and she dated his best friend and his childhood hero" I rolled my eyes so hard because are we forgetting that he lied to her and let that girl play in her face for three fucking years??? he makes it so hard to root for him, and I was rooting for him in the beginning, and then he had to fuck it all up....
I understand that they're not supposed to be self-improved, they're in a toxic relationship. This is how they operate. I get it. And one thing I appreciate about this book is that there is more balance with the toxicity, we get flashbacks of how they fell in love, and reasons for why they are so invested in each other. Literally everything that I was looking for in the first book is here. I just feel like something is missing. I don't think I know much about BJ and Magnolia as characters yet. I wish Hastings dedicated some chapters to their separation because too much of their chapters are interspersed with monologues about each other and I need to know who they are as individuals, and I think that's why I am just not at all invested in these people or their relationship. I kind of am a little bit, but not all the way there yet, not in the way that I am with Christian and Daisy.
Side note: their proposal was so unromantic and unclimactic. And I just feel like her killing Bridget off was a choice. I don't know, like why does she have to kill the Black sister? She could've easily killed Henry... He was also invested in the relationship too and gave advice. I'm really salty about that. But I guess since BJ has a loving family, it wouldn't be as heartbreaking? I don't know, like, really twist the knife in Magnolia's heart because she has nobody else. That's cruel
I will give bonus points for the humor, this book was FUNNY. Look, if they were bickering like this in the first book, I might find them bearable ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
I am excited to read about what Julian Christian and Daisy are up to because they kind of disappeared after the 60% mark, so I know some shit went down
I will admit that the book had a good start and potential to be a 3.5 to 4-star read for me if it had continued to be as it was in the beginning.
The only thing I will say about this book is BJ can't gaslight me, because why is he out here trying to come for Magnolia as if what she did to him is equal to the shit he put her through??? Let's not do that... I will say she's not completely blameless, but when he said that all he did was "sleep with Paili once, and she dated his best friend and his childhood hero" I rolled my eyes so hard because are we forgetting that he lied to her and let that girl play in her face for three fucking years??? he makes it so hard to root for him, and I was rooting for him in the beginning, and then he had to fuck it all up....
I understand that they're not supposed to be self-improved, they're in a toxic relationship. This is how they operate. I get it. And one thing I appreciate about this book is that there is more balance with the toxicity, we get flashbacks of how they fell in love, and reasons for why they are so invested in each other. Literally everything that I was looking for in the first book is here. I just feel like something is missing. I don't think I know much about BJ and Magnolia as characters yet. I wish Hastings dedicated some chapters to their separation because too much of their chapters are interspersed with monologues about each other and I need to know who they are as individuals, and I think that's why I am just not at all invested in these people or their relationship. I kind of am a little bit, but not all the way there yet, not in the way that I am with Christian and Daisy.
Side note: their proposal was so unromantic and unclimactic. And I just feel like her killing Bridget off was a choice. I don't know, like why does she have to kill the Black sister? She could've easily killed Henry... He was also invested in the relationship too and gave advice. I'm really salty about that. But I guess since BJ has a loving family, it wouldn't be as heartbreaking? I don't know, like, really twist the knife in Magnolia's heart because she has nobody else. That's cruel
I will give bonus points for the humor, this book was FUNNY. Look, if they were bickering like this in the first book, I might find them bearable ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
I am excited to read about what Julian Christian and Daisy are up to because they kind of disappeared after the 60% mark, so I know some shit went down