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A review by bee_thebibliophile
Totally Folked by Penny Reid
5.0
“You are magnificent, Jackson. In every single way.”
I never, ever thought the day would come that I would be swooning over Jackson James, but it’s here. It’s today and I never wanted this book to end.
Totally Folked takes us back to Green Valley, Tennessee, my absolute favorite fictional town and one I love coming back to for every new story. I was a little skeptical when I found out the first book would be about Jackson and a movie star, but I knew it would all come together in the end because Penny Reid always makes it work. I never expected an adorkable and lost heroine in Raquel or a sweet, compassionate, layered hero in Jackson but these two together were magic.
Jackson James is the biggest surprise in this story - I knew he’d been working hard to change his image over the past couple years, but he surprised me with his earnestness to make substantial changes in not only himself but in the opinions of the Green Valley residents. He is incredibly sweet, sincere, dedicated, honest, emotional and a little self-conscious - things I never expected from the cocky, confident Jackson James we were originally introduced to in Truth or Beard. I fell more in love with him with each little revelation about the things he did for others, his dedication to finding a lasting and fulfilling relationship and the little quirky things that made him uniquely him. He was nothing like I expected, but I loved uncovering all of his layers to finally see the true Jackson James, not just the one that exists in the minds of Green Valley.
Raquel Ezra spends her time surrounded by people, but feels more lonely than ever and finds herself back in Green Valley looking for an escape. She finds herself surrounded by genuine humans who care about her as a person and not just a Hollywood star. The longer she’s in town, the more she allows her awkwardness to come out and she finally starts to be herself - awkward, unsure, overwhelmed and totally obsessed with a certain sheriff’s deputy she met the only other time she’s been in town. Her running inner monologue kept me laughing and wondering what would run through her mind next.
While I never would have paired Jackson with a Hollywood star, Jackson and Raquel complimented each other so well and their journey from friends to lovers was really sweet. Jackson is such a gentleman with Rae (and everyone, really) which is something she desperately needed and Rae is a breath of fresh air for Jackson, challenging his opinions of what a lasting relationship should feel like. I loved seeing them work through their personal hang ups, the publicity that came from Rae’s celebrity and their lack of real relationship experience to come together and create a relationship that was perfect for them.
Like with every book set in Green Valley, appearances from the Winston family were perfect. We got a lot of Sienna and Jethro in this book and it was fun to see them years after their wedding and helping Rae and Jackson navigate familiar waters. And Cletus. There is no one quite like him...I loved all of his appearances and the relationship he and Jackson have developed over the years!
Totally Folked was absolutely an unexpectedly great swoonfest of a read and has me wishing I could go back and read it for the first time again to fall in love with Jackson another time. If Totally Folked is any indication of what’s to come in the Good Folk series, I’m unbelievably excited for the next story!
I never, ever thought the day would come that I would be swooning over Jackson James, but it’s here. It’s today and I never wanted this book to end.
Totally Folked takes us back to Green Valley, Tennessee, my absolute favorite fictional town and one I love coming back to for every new story. I was a little skeptical when I found out the first book would be about Jackson and a movie star, but I knew it would all come together in the end because Penny Reid always makes it work. I never expected an adorkable and lost heroine in Raquel or a sweet, compassionate, layered hero in Jackson but these two together were magic.
Jackson James is the biggest surprise in this story - I knew he’d been working hard to change his image over the past couple years, but he surprised me with his earnestness to make substantial changes in not only himself but in the opinions of the Green Valley residents. He is incredibly sweet, sincere, dedicated, honest, emotional and a little self-conscious - things I never expected from the cocky, confident Jackson James we were originally introduced to in Truth or Beard. I fell more in love with him with each little revelation about the things he did for others, his dedication to finding a lasting and fulfilling relationship and the little quirky things that made him uniquely him. He was nothing like I expected, but I loved uncovering all of his layers to finally see the true Jackson James, not just the one that exists in the minds of Green Valley.
Raquel Ezra spends her time surrounded by people, but feels more lonely than ever and finds herself back in Green Valley looking for an escape. She finds herself surrounded by genuine humans who care about her as a person and not just a Hollywood star. The longer she’s in town, the more she allows her awkwardness to come out and she finally starts to be herself - awkward, unsure, overwhelmed and totally obsessed with a certain sheriff’s deputy she met the only other time she’s been in town. Her running inner monologue kept me laughing and wondering what would run through her mind next.
While I never would have paired Jackson with a Hollywood star, Jackson and Raquel complimented each other so well and their journey from friends to lovers was really sweet. Jackson is such a gentleman with Rae (and everyone, really) which is something she desperately needed and Rae is a breath of fresh air for Jackson, challenging his opinions of what a lasting relationship should feel like. I loved seeing them work through their personal hang ups, the publicity that came from Rae’s celebrity and their lack of real relationship experience to come together and create a relationship that was perfect for them.
Like with every book set in Green Valley, appearances from the Winston family were perfect. We got a lot of Sienna and Jethro in this book and it was fun to see them years after their wedding and helping Rae and Jackson navigate familiar waters. And Cletus. There is no one quite like him...I loved all of his appearances and the relationship he and Jackson have developed over the years!
Totally Folked was absolutely an unexpectedly great swoonfest of a read and has me wishing I could go back and read it for the first time again to fall in love with Jackson another time. If Totally Folked is any indication of what’s to come in the Good Folk series, I’m unbelievably excited for the next story!