It’s not a secret that I have a soft spot for romance novels and young adult novels, so when Pinoy Book Tours offered a tour of what promised to be a cute young adult romance novel, I jumped at the chance. Today’s review is for Magnolia by Kristi Cook. The official summary reads:
In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.
Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.
But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.
[Personally, the blurb is misleading. It’s not that Jemma “can’t stand” Ryder being a “golden boy” – more like she’s slightly envious of him. And Ryder doesn’t pretend that Jemma doesn’t exist – it’s Jemma that tries to not think about him because of what happened in their shared past.]
In a nutshell, the book is okay. There were some parts I loved, some I liked, and some that I wish were done better. Magnolia is good for a quick and fun break from your daily life.
The good:
1. Kristi Cook paints a vivid and sweet picture of small-town living in the southern United States. You have mosquitoes, the humidity, the “y’alls”, the football crazies, and a head cheerleader who sidelines as all-star shooter. As to whether that’s an accurate picture of life in the South, I have no idea (my only point of reference is The CW’s Hart of Dixie), but Cook makes me want to visit. Continue reading “Book review: “Magnolia” by Kristi Cook”