Review of Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

“How many people do you get to call yours? There are all sorts of loves in this world, not all of them, but most of them are beautiful. Some are old, some are noble, some brave. Others are dishonorable and weak and make you so by association. Some are a low whisper on a somber night, some are maddening. Some you can’t ignore—they slow-burn inside of you, never quite going out completely but you’re too scared to dare try to fan that flame.”

Magnolia Parks

Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine…excuse me, you two characters drove me INSANE. But I mean, if you’re rich and have everything in the world you need, then sure, you live for the drama. I don’t think that’s how it is, but it sure felt like it. From that quote above, you’d expect a passionate love story of 2 people who love each other beyond all, and yes, there are some painful moments, but they are worth it. 

I spent the entire time reading this book about two characters that continuously destroyed one another because they loved one another. WHICH MADE NO SENSE. But I’m not the author. I didn’t create the story. Love is love, and it sometimes hurts, and despite the actions done by the one you love, it won’t stop you from continuously loving them. BJ and Parks annoyed me, but like a good soap opera, I was there daily for the drama. Or, in my case, for about 1.5 days because I blew through it like a bag of Cheetos. We’ve all binged a bag of Cheetos, admit it. 

Magnolia Parks is a book about passion, and a lot of people can relate to Magnolia. She loved someone even though she deserved better. I don’t understand the brain of BJ, but do we ever understand the brains of men? Simple yet complex creatures; I don’t know why he is the way he is. That was dumb; we don’t understand why anyone is the way they are. 

Hastings took a group of people on paper and made them real. I think about these characters and what happened, and I can see it play out like a movie, yet it’s a book. She took a character, gave them a personality, and made them real. 

As I mentioned before, the editing could have been better. But all in all, I enjoyed this book. It was fun to read. Drove me bonkers most of it, but I still was there for the chaos. It was like crack, totally addicting but not good. Is that harsh? I don’t mean it in the wrong way. I really couldn’t stop reading it. When you read a book in 1.5 days, you know that it was immersive and at least entertaining and kept you engaged because you had to know what happened to these two psychos. 

I know the next in the series is about a different character, but if they pop up as side characters, I would like to see where Hastings has them and what they are up to.

A very engaging story, and I was there for it….As I said 1,000 times in this review.