A review by imme_van_gorp
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was the most addicting train wreck I have ever witnessed and I simply could not look away! It’s non-stop, idiotic drama, but I couldn’t get enough of it. It was so fun for some reason. 

That said, the angst between the main couple did feel very repetitive sometimes, and I was constantly waiting for that moment where either of them (preferably Magnolia) would <i>truly</i> snap and just finally break the never-ending cycle between them. That never happened, though. Magnolia let it go on and on forever, even though she shouldn’t have. She even let him blame <i>her</i> eventually, even when she was genuinely in the right about every fight they had. 

I have to say that this whole book honestly reminded me a lot of Gossip Girl. The rich socialite lifestyle and the entire vibe of the book was very similar. Moreover, the relationship between BJ and Magnolia was a lot like Chuck and Blair’s with their extreme toxicity, unconditional love, constant push-and-pull, and never-ending tendency to hurt each other. However, Magnolia’s personality was definitely completely unlike Blair and much more like Serena, so that did make their dynamic a little different.

Magnolia might have been a little self-absorbed, but she had her heart in the right place and I honestly felt bad for her. She deserved better. That said, I had actually started to forgive BJ quite a bit throughout this book, even though he was incredibly unreasonable and hurtful and selfish, but then the final revelation came at the end, and there’s really no coming back from that. Before that, I have to admit that I wanted him and Magnolia to work it out somehow; I thought their love might have been bigger than that one mistake. But when I finally learned the details of that mistake, and the <i>why</i>, I fully realized that I don’t want Magnolia to ever get back together with him. She <i>can’t</i> after what he did. Especially since he did it for no reason while showing no care for her in the moment. I truly hope this book will give her a new love, someone who will make her forget that slutty man-child, and I hope he will do nothing but suffer while watching her live her best life.

All in all, every character in this book was a complete mess and not particularly likable, but I didn’t <i>dis</i>like them all either. A few of them did have some redeeming qualities or something that still endeared them to me a little bit. The only side characters I truly could not stand were Jonah and Paili. On the flip side; Henry was definitely my favourite. Or maybe the sister, Bridget; I really liked her too.