Title: Magnolia Parks
Author: Jessa Hastings
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Drama
Pages: 423
My Rating: ❤️🖤🖤🖤🖤

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Magnolia Parks

Magnolia Parks is a rich, stunning, and self-absorbed socialite. BJ Ballentine is a wealthy, model-perfect bad boy and one of London’s most photographed men. They were meant to be together—until he cheated, and she walked away.

But letting go of your first real love is never that simple. The chemistry between them is undeniable, even as BJ fills the void by sleeping with every girl in London (and beyond), all while still being obsessed with Magnolia. She, in turn, can’t stand seeing him with other women, so she dates other guys in a desperate attempt to make him jealous. But no matter how hard they try to move on, their hearts still belong to each other.

Review

Before I dive into my honest thoughts on this book, I want to clarify that this is just my personal opinion. It’s impossible to love every book, no matter how popular it is. This isn’t about hating the author or those who enjoyed it—sometimes, a book just isn’t for you.

Now, let’s get into it because I have a lot to say.

First, BJ. His name alone is questionable—I mean, BJ? Really? It’s hard to take seriously when it also stands for something else. But obviously, that’s not the main issue here. His full name is Ballentine, which doesn’t help much either.

Going into this book, I was expecting something similar to Gossip Girl. While I haven’t read the books, I’ve seen a few episodes of the show. I enjoyed Gossip Girl, though it was never an obsession for me. A lot of people compare Magnolia Parks to Gossip Girl, and I kind of see the resemblance. But honestly? The characters in this book are even more annoying and pretentious.

I didn’t like a single person in this book—except for Bridget. She was the only one who seemed somewhat chill and likable. But unfortunately, this book is mostly about Magnolia and BJ, and they were both the worst.

BJ is the type of guy who claims to love one person (Magnolia) while sleeping around constantly because it just happens. He hurts her over and over, yet expects her to stay faithful to him. He thinks she belongs to him, even though he clearly doesn’t respect her. He’s a walking red flag, and honestly, I wanted to punch him in the face.

And then there’s Magnolia. Girl, please. If a man treats you like this, move on. But nope, she keeps coming back. BJ cheated on her once, and she still thinks he won’t do it again. Where is the logic? How can she even trust him?

Even the side characters were forgettable. Do they even have personalities? I have no idea what they do besides party, drink, and sleep around. That’s it. No real interests, no ambitions—just drama for the sake of drama.

The first 20% of this book was painfully slow. I had to force myself to keep reading. And honestly? It felt like every chapter was the same:

1. BJ sleeps with someone.
2. Magnolia gets hurt.
3. He apologizes.
4. They’re “friends” again.
5. Repeat. Over. And. Over.

There is no real plot. I kept waiting for something to happen, only to realize that the endless cycle of toxic behavior was the plot.

This book frustrated me so much. All of the characters were awful, the story went nowhere, and the writing style didn’t grab my attention. Overall, it was one of the most boring books I’ve ever read.

That said, I know a lot of people on Goodreads love this book. It seems like one of those reads where you either love it or hate it—there’s no in-between.

Would I personally recommend it? No. But if you enjoy books about toxic relationships, lots of drama, and rich people being messy, then you might like it. It does have some Gossip Girl vibes, but honestly? I think Gossip Girl did it better. But personally, I am not tempted to torture myself by reading the second book in the series.

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