Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Published August 5, 2014 by Simon & Schuster

Hardcover, 336 pages

Borrowed from library

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden were quite literally destined to be together. Their respective families have been best friends with each other for over two centuries; they're so close that the Caffertys practically consider the Marsdens family and vice versa. For years, the two families have yearned for a marriage to permanently link their families together but there was never a boy AND  a girl born at the same time... until Jemma and Ryder. Needless to say, the two have been pushed together by their parents ever since their births. But the only thing is, Jemma and Ryder hate each other. Like blood boiling, CANNOT under any circumstances STAND each other so the last thing they want is to be in a relationship with each other. But when the tide appears to start turning and their feelings start to get more and more confused, it's hard not to speculate: will their parents get what they want after all? Or are Jemma and Ryder's pasts just too hard to reconcile?

it cannot be officially summer yet if i haven't stocked up on ya contemporary romances. this is the truth

— annie (@anniemabel7) June 24, 2015

IT REALLY IS THE TRUTH. Summer is just not summer without contemporary romances. Magnolia was one of the books I had on my list to read this summer because so many bloggers I trust really enjoyed it and also, it just sounds DAMN good. And IT WAS. Like truly, if you are looking for THE YA contemporary romance for this summer, look no further than Magnolia. It's a quick but addictive read. I promise, you will not want to put this down. I know because I wasn't able to put it down and ended up reading it in a span of five hours. 

Honestly I wish I had drawn it out a little longer or at least saved it for mid-summer because it was so good that it makes me sorry it was one of the very first books I read - since my daycare days when my teacher would advise us all to eat our least favourite part of the meal first and save the best for last, I have kinda applied that theory to all parts of my life, including summer reading lists. Magnolia was everything I had hoped that it would be and more.

Although yes, I did only give it four stars (4.5 stars if we're being technical) and that just about comes down to two teeny things that gave me some pause. The first thing is the hatred between Jemma and Ryder. I was not entirely convinced how much they really did hate each other, especially at the beginning and I guess, even now having finished the book, although given everything else that happened, it's a bit of a moot point now. But yeah, I think the hatred between was them was something that I needed to see a little more evidence of. The reason that Jemma gave was totally grounds for hating someone and it made sense, as in yes I would be mad at a person if they did what Ryder did to Jemma and yes I would probably hate them too. But apart from that, maybe the only glimpse we get of their actual hatred towards each other is in one short scene at the beginning. And that's it. So it's something that gave me a little pause and it's one thing that's holding me back from giving it a 5 star rating, although by the time I was finished I was so over the moon with how things ended up and how natural and believable Ryder and Jemma's relationship was, it was hardly in my mind. (Because let's not beat around the bush, YES OF COURSE Jemma and Ryder end up together). AND YES I know that sounds contradictory but that's how it was for me.

The other thing I don't know if I can totally disclose because it's so spoilery but for those of you who have read the book: PATRICK. That is all I'm going to say. PATRICK. (But really skip this paragraph if you haven't read the book yet. I'm not going to mention any specifics but better to err on the side of caution if you're VERY picky about spoilers) That entire storyline just had me scratching my head so hard even in the beginning. It felt unnecessary and then THE THING happened and I was left even more confused. It never felt totally resolved, instead just lingering about for the remainder of the book and that is the MAIN reason why I cannot give this book 5 stars, as much as I enjoyed it. That entire sub-plot was just so confusing and frankly, unnecessary and out of place and then everything was just dealt with so roughly. It just never sat right with me. I feel like maybe it was added to draw comparisons to Ryder and show how ONE thing is clearly better than the other which makes sense but with what happened, it just bugged me so much. I don't understand why it happened, I don't think Patrick was dumb enough to do what he did, it was honestly just so so strange like why was this even part of the book in the first place. And I hated it as well. I feel like my instinct is just to always go to the underdog and the guy that's maybe a little rough around the edges so that's why I personally felt so much for Patrick but still. SO MUCH UGH.

But apart from that, I really did like this book. It's a solid romance with many great components. Namely, the romance. Hate to love is one of my favourite tropes and Kristi Cook did it spectacularly and YES I KNOW I'M CONTRADICTING MYSELF AGAIN BUT I AM JUST A BUNDLE OF CONTRADICTIONS but yes I really thought the progression of Ryder and Jemma's relationship was very smooth and realistic. Honestly I kinda had to stop reading a few times to let out a few giggles just because there were some scenes where it wasn't really graphic (so yes if you want me to say it, there is no sex) but honestly there was so much CHEMISTRY and romantic tension between the two, I just had to shake out the swoons and tingles I had. And you know, Ryder did win me over in this book. He was just so sweet, I don't know, I just really liked him. And it certainly did not hurt that I was picturing him as James Marsden the entire time even though he's like 40 and basically 30 years older than what Ryder is in the book but honestly James Marsden is so swoon no matter how old he is. 

There were other parts I really liked as well. For starters, I really liked the Mississippi setting and even though I've never been to the South it felt like I was there so all the components of a Southern lifestyle, I thought, were very well written and it made me want to live there even though I am not a rural girl. It just all sounded very glamorous to me and romantic how everyone knew who everyone was and how you grow up with these people and have known them your entire life.

I also liked the realisticness of the storm. Which honestly I still think is kinda a spoiler. Like it's in the Goodreads blurb but it doesn't happen until 1/2 of the book in and the entire time I was just waiting for it to happen and it was not fun. So I'd tell you to not read that blurb and just go in blind but since we're here on the subject anyway... let me just say that it was written very realistically. Not that I've been in a storm but I could picture myself in the scenario and everything just felt very right.

And then besides all that, you also have the great side characters, the family aspect which I always love, the real struggles of being a teen like WORRYING ABOUT UNI that I always appreciate seeing and the writing.

ALSO I just realized the parallels between this book and Romeo & Juliet. I mean I KNOW it's supposed to be like a reverse Romeo & Juliet retelling but I literally just noticed that

The Caffertys - The Capulets

The Marsdens - The Montagues

Jemma - Juliet

Ryder - Romeo

Ben - Benvolio

Mason - Mercutio

Tanner - Tybalt

Rosie - Rosaline

Honestly you would think I'd have caught on a bit earlier after studying Romeo & Juliet for a whole excruciating year but I'M JUST SO DIM, I DIDN'T EVEN SEE IT. Although honestly even now as I see the parallels between the two works, I'm still not entirely sold on the Romeo & Juliet retelling aspect of this book. There are a lot of moments that jump out at me that are CLEARLY drawing reference to the play so work under the confines of "Romeo & Juliet retelling" but not under the confines of "oh hey this is what Magnolia is actually about". If that makes sense? Like a lot of scenes just felt like they were thrown in there to make it MORE of a Romeo & Juliet retelling without actually adding anything to the actual story of Magnolia and Ryder and Jemma.

But overall yes, if you're looking for a good contemporary romance, look no further than Magnolia!

Magnolia was THE summer contemporary romance I was looking for. The relationship between Ryder and Jemma progressed so naturally and there were definitely some moments that had me all SWOON. There are sooo many things to like about this book although there were two TINY bits that gave me pause and are why I didn't rate this book a 5 star read. But it was truthfully very very close to it. I read it in 5 hours because it was just so addictive and I couldn't get enough of Jemma and Ryder. The fact that it's a Romeo & Juliet retelling totally slipped my mind while I was reading so make of that what you will? It's only now in hindsight that I'm slowly picking up the parallels between the two books even though I am really familiar with the story of Romeo & Juliet, I just was out of it I suppose? But overall, a great book.

people looking for a cute but well written contemporary romance perfect for the summer.

**********

Kelly @ Effortlessly Reading gives it 3 stars: "Overall, Magnolia was a cute fun read despite it’s awkward beginning, but it’s not one of my favorite retelling or my favorite Romeo and Juliet retelling by any means."

An Epic Recs Reading Round-Up!

I was looking at my book log the other day and noticed how I never ended up talking about the two books I ACTUALLY read for Epic Recs on my blog: If I Stay & Graffiti Moon. Instead of making two separate reviews for them, I decided I would just smoosh them together in one post since it's been a super long time since I finished them anyway and then ALSO include the two books I did not read for Epic Recs and ask you what you thought of them. Genius idea, right? 

I guess I should maybe preface this with what Epic Recs is as some of you may not know. It's something Amber and Judith created that pairs up book bloggers with each other in a little fun recommendation game thing. So each month, you and your partner recommend each other books and then IDEALLY you're supposed to read them but since I am not the best with reading what I am told to read, it doesn't always work out that way.

If you're curious, here are the four rounds of Epic Recs I did.

(also note that Shelly was partner for Epic Recs #1 while Chloe was my partner for Epic Recs #2-4 in case there was any confusion)

I / II / III / IV

the books i READ.

Chloe and I have similar taste in books so was I surprised that I ended up liking both of her recommendations to me? NOT AT ALL. Here are my thoughts on If I Stay & Graffiti Moon.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
If I Stay #1
Published April 6, 2010 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
Paperback, 261 pages
Borrowed from library

If I Stay was a book I probably wouldn't have ever picked up had Chloe not recommended it to me and while I can't say I LOVED it as much as others did, it was a good read. Having read Just One Day before this, I knew that Gayle Forman was a good writer and it showed again in If I Stay. I was impressed by how much she managed to fit in a relatively short book but I was also left wanting more overall. There was just a disconnect between me and this book - a book that I had EXPECTED to bring the waterworks. But it never happened. I really didn't feel anything for this book besides maybe a glimmer of sorrow and sympathy for Mia. Maybe I'm heartless or maybe there was just something missing for me. There were a lot of things I liked like Mia's family and reading about her love for the cello. Those were all really interesting parts of the story for me but then there were other parts that I just wasn't super keen about. So I mean, it wasn't a bad book at all for me but it also wasn't super freaking amazing as I expected it'd be going in. I'm undecided at this point whether or not to continue on with Where She Went. I don't have any interest to do so but it's under consideration.

And just to throw this out there to be fair but I watched the movie a week or so ago and it really didn't do anything for my opinion of this book at all. I'm sorry if you liked the movie but oh my god, it was so awful I couldn't even sit through it. Maybe my favourite part was that Adam's band's name changed and the songs they played were good but apart from that, I CRINGED SO BAD. There was this scene when Adam and Mia are having lunch at her family's barbecue and a bee stings her... the acting was terrible.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Published August 1, 2010 by Pan Macmillan Australia
Paperback, 264 pages
Borrowed from library

Graffiti Moon was another book on the shorter side that still managed to pack a lot in. I enjoyed this more than I enjoyed If I Stay but still, I felt like I was missing SOMETHING. In my Goodreads update, I mentioned that it was maybe a little too deep for me and I do feel that a lot of the time the underlying message / theme of the story escaped me. The beginning also had me a little confused but once the story got rolling, I was really invested in all the characters. The writing was amazing and I loved the unique topic of graffiti that Cath Crowley dealt with. It's definitely a very well written book that I recommend to anyone looking for a quick but powerful read. Another example of how a book doesn't have to be 1000 pages long in order to have well-developed characters and a story.

the books i DID NOT READ.

These were the books that for whatever reason I didn't get to. Now that I'm on summer vacation though, it's a great time for me to catch up on books. This is where you come in. Tell me which of these two books I should read next and why! What did you think of them? What were the best parts about the book? SELL IT TO ME.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Published February 21, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Hardcover, 368 pages

This was a book that Shelly recommended me and I KNOW, IT'S ONE I REALLY REALLY NEED TO READ. I just wasn't in the mood for a contemporary when she recommended it and then it just kinda fell to the side and I STILL HAVE YET TO PICK IT UP. I guess a lot of it is also because there has been so much praise surrounding this book and hype always scares me because I hate even taking the chance of being the odd one out. There is nothing worse than being disappointed with a book that everyone else loved and black sheeping hard. 

How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle & Sarah Mlynowski

Published December 4, 2014 by Hot Key Books

Paperback, 352 pages

Chloe rec'd me this and I'm actually just sitting here in shock that I haven't read this yet. I love collab books and ROAD TRIP BOOKS and contemporaries in general. I'm not super familiar with E. Lockhart or Lauren Myracle but I do really love Sarah Mlynowski's work (Bras and Broomsticks anybody?) so I'm definitely willing to give this book a shot and maybe add two more contemporary authors to my favourites list! AND ALSO DID I MENTION HOW MUCH I LOVE FRIENDSHIP BOOKS SO YEAH THERE'S THAT TOO.

Have you read Graffiti Moon & If I Stay? Did you like them as well? What other books by Australian authors can you recommend because they're all amazing, I SWEAR THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER. Was I too harsh on the If I Stay movie? Does it get better? And the important question: SHOULD I READ ARI & DANTE OR HOW TO BE BAD FIRST? And what were your thoughts on them? Also just for funsies, what's the BEST book you've ever read that someone else recommended to you (either through Epic Recs or something else entirely)? 

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Published May 5, 2015 by Viking Juvenile

Hardcover, 417 pages

Borrowed from library

(synopsis from Goodreads.com)

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

All I have to say is that now I really REALLY regret passing up on the 40% discount I saw on this book at Indigo a few weeks back because WOW.

Just kidding, I have more to say because I ALWAYS have more to say. But where to start when there is so much to cover?

Why don't I start here: I was hesitant going into Saint Anything because the few Sarah Dessens I had read before this, of late, were not very good. Not in the sense that the writing was bad (because Sarah Dessens never have bad writing), just in the sense that I started to get this feeling that her stories followed a certain pattern. It became formulaic and I got bored. Even well loved books like Lock and Key and Along for the Ride did nothing for me. I don't know whyy, I just didn't really connect with any of the characters or the story. I didn't feel the same magic I did when I read The Truth About Forever or This Lullaby, two of my favourite Sarah Dessens. But still I read on, even as I felt pretty meh over most of the books that I read. Why did I do this? FOR THE HOPE THAT I WOULD FIND ANOTHER BOOK THAT WOULD STRIKE THAT SAME MAGIC FEELING IN ME THAT THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER AND THIS LULLABY DID. AND GUESS WHAT? I FOUND IT, IN SAINT ANYTHING.

I was SCARED. I didn't want to be let down again especially when there was just so much promise for this book. And I wasn't let down and that made me so so happy. See, I knew - I JUST KNEW - I would find another Sarah Dessen I would love ONE DAY. Because Sarah Dessen at her best DOES EVERYTHING RIGHT. Her writing is on point, her characters are well fleshed out and always AUTHENTIC, her storyline is tight and she always manages to deal with maybe some more sensitive issues with great poise and sophistication. Those are qualities I look for in great contemporaries (or in great books PERIOD), they're what I think about when I think of what a great contemporary looks like and they're what Sarah Dessen has learned how to do PERFECTLY. Admittedly there have been some books of hers that I haven't enjoyed as much, where I felt like maybe there was something missing, but looking at some of my favourite books of hers, she always has that perfect balance of great characters, great plot, great writing and a really strong emotional attachment for the reader. 

Saint Anything had that. 

It had the great writing that was beautiful, introspective and seriously TUGGED on my HEARTSTRINGS. So many gorgeous lines in this book. So quotable. AND I LITERALLY DID NOT WANT TO PUT DOWN THIS BOOK FOR A SECOND. I started it one evening and just read until it was really too late for me to be up and still reading (midnight) so I had to put down the book and IT WAS SO SAD. Then the next day I woke up and the first thing I did was read the book but then I had to go out and be pried away from it again and IT WAS AGONY. Like honestly, I have not been this immersed in a book for a very very long time. Just every single time I wanted to keep reading until I finished. IT WAS THAT GOOD. And considering it's 400 pages (although I read an eBook version), I READ IT PRETTY FAST like in under 24 hours. SO AGAIN, proof that Sarah Dessen is a bombass writer.

It had the great story that I've come to expect with Sarah Dessens. Everything just wove together so beautifully, even the sub-plots just came together so nicely. HOW DOES SARAH DESSEN DO IT? Just looking back on it now, there definitely were a lot of different storylines going on. We had the main ongoing plot with Sydney and her parents dealing with older brother Peyton in jail but we also had one with Ames, Peyton's creepy friend; the Chathams and their crazy family and Mama Chatham with MS; Layla Chatham, Sydney's friend, and her relationship with a guy; Mac Chatham and his adventures with his band and the Chatham pizza business. There IS  a lot going on but never for one moment did I feel confused or overwhelmed and that is just a testament to how GOOD of a writer Sarah Dessen is, to be able to balance all those storylines and weave them together so well. 

It had the AMAZING CHARACTERS. Okay guys, you may want to sit down for this because y'all know that when it comes to characters, I am NOT messing around. I love my characters and they really do make or break a book for me. And Saint Anything's characters MADE the book for me. I just have so much love for all these characters. Even the unlikeable ones. They're written so well that I can't help but take a step back in admiration.

Let's start with Sydney, our main character. To be quite honest with you, I didn't really connect with Sydney all that much while I was reading the book. Her narration felt a little stiff for me and kinda like same old, same old (which I guess is one of the problems I have with Sarah Dessen books. The narration is very similar - it's good writing but similar - so when there isn't anything else going on that interests me like the plot or standout characters, I get bored). It felt like an adult in a teen's role, if that makes sense, it just felt a bit emotionless and detached BUT as the book progressed, this became better although I still didn't really connect with Sydney. I FELT for her though and I UNDERSTOOD her. I understood why she felt the way she did about Peyton and the accident and I felt for her when her parents turned a blind eye towards her. I felt for her when SHIT HIT THE FAN. Really, one of the best things about this book was watching Sydney slowly change and develop as she got to know the Chathams. It was beautiful to see her grow from a sorta meek, lonely girl into one who was funny and surrounded with great friends.

Another great thing about this book were the RELATIONSHIPS (I know I'm jumping around here but there's SO MUCH TO SAY). I loved the different relationships here. I loved seeing the friendship between Sydney and Layla. It was kinda my favourite thing ever. Layla was a character I immediately liked, her radiant personality felt like it was even radiating off the page. I liked how she and Sydney just clicked. I also liked Sydney's relationship with her old friend Jenn who honestly didn't leave very much of an impression on me until the later half of the book. 

Seeing the contrast in family dynamics was very interesting as well. On one hand we have the Stanfords, who are kinda dysfunctional and still trying to figure things out and adjust to this new development of Peyton in prison. Sydney's alone at home a lot, her parents don't pay attention to her and when they do, it's to be unfairly overbearing and strict on her like not allowing Sydney to hang out with Layla or the Chathams. It was difficult, I'm not gonna lie, to read about Sydney's mom just totally neglect and push away her interests and wants. But then we also got to see how things shifted and changed and got better. It was intriguing also to read about the family's relationship with Peyton which changed a lot throughout the book. And it was great to be able to see Peyton and Sydney's relationship change as well and I think at the end of the book, we were at a really great place with that. 

And then on the OTHER hand, we have the Chathams who are loud and boisterous but also incredibly tight-knit and it's clear that they're full of love for each other. It's something that's new for Sydney, or at least something she hasn't experienced in a very long time, and to be able to see her come to develop her relationship with them was so fun. I loved seeing her growing relationship with Mrs. Chatham and how Mrs. Chatham would offer her advice and guidance. And I loved seeing the interactions between Layla and Mac and Rosie, the three Chatham siblings.

But back to the characters, let's run through this quickly:

Sydney - really came around to her by the end. I felt for her at times but also had a deep understanding for who she was

Sydney's parents - I disliked what they were doing a lot of the time but could also see where they were coming from. By the end, I really liked how they developed

Peyton - He came around for me as well

Ames - Did not come around for me. Gave me the heebie jeebies just EW.

The Chathams - LOVE

Layla - LOVE

Jenn - LOVE

Eric and Irving (from Mac's band) - Eric was so amusing to me the entire time and Irving needs his own novel. He was HILARIOUS.

Mac - BEST FOR LAST OBVIOUSLY. Mac, Mac, Mac, Mac. Honestly the best person ever. He was so kind and sweet and just ADORABLE. One of my favourite Dessen guys and probably one of my favourite YA male characters EVER. I loved him and his relationship with Sydney was so sweet. I liked how natural it felt and how everything unravelled so nicely. I ALSO liked how there was no drama between them. I was kinda scared that there was going to be a BIG breakup or some scandal but there wasn't that and I was so grateful. I liked the two of them together so so much. HONESTLY MAC. But also as much as I liked them together, I also liked how their relationship didn't take up the novel. Like it wasn't the focus and that for me was so so important and so great to see. 

And then of course if you're still not convinced that this book is amazing and Sarah is amazing, let's just talk about how she dealt with important issues with such sophistication and sensitivity. And also the fact that this book made me so HUNGRY all the time. There was so pizza and I LOVE PIZZA. Literally was craving my hawaiian / triple cheese / vegetarian / bianca (is that how you spell it?) / margherita (again, is that how you spell it?) pizzas the ENTIRE TIME. And then there were the Yum Yum lollipops. Which, I MEAN, root beer and cola lollipops are the best okay, let's just lay that down right now. AND THEN THE FRIES. Honestly it kinda grossed me out that Layla put salt and pepper in her ketchup and then on her fries but everything else was just OH MY GOD (also lol if you've read this book can we just talk about the fact that Spence ate his fries using a fork and with MUSTARD should have been a sign that he was not good??). Like I loveeee fries you guys. And the best fries I have ever tried EVER are still the fries they sell at Costco. Next time you're at Costco get yourself a portion. THEY ARE SO DELICIOUS. 

So yeah, those are all the things I loved about Saint Anything! IF I HAVEN'T CONVINCED YOU, well then I don't know what else I can say MOSTLY BECAUSE THIS REVIEW IS ALREADY SO LONG.

What can I say that I haven't already said? Basically this book was AMAZING. It reconfirmed to me that Sarah Dessen is one of the best YA authors ever. Everything from the characters to the writing to the plot was just so well done. Honestly I am APPLAUDING RIGHT NOW because Saint Anything might just be Sarah Dessen's best work ever, or if not the best, ONE of her best. I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE SO MUCH GRR.

contemporary lovers looking for something deep and heartfelt. If you like reading about well developed characters and strong relationships, read this book and if you just want to read a GOOD book.