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First off, full disclosure: Before starting this book, I'd jokingly said to Meredith on Twitter, "I'm hoping it's the kind of book I’ll be up until 2AM reading" - and guess what? I somehow managed to stay up until 2am with this book. I never in a million years thought that would actually be the case. WISHES DO COME TRUE. I haven't stayed up that late reading a book in years, but I started reading it at 9:30pm and then... 2am happened. Time just didn't exist while I was reading, and I. Couldn't. Put. It. Down.
Everything about Magnolia was just... perfect. The whole idea of these polar opposites of Romeo and Juliet - a pair whose family wants them together, but they can't stand each other - and then they get trapped together during a hurricane?! It's so full of delicious potential! But there was so much that could've gone wrong. So with this review, I want to alleviate any fears you might have that this book might not be awesome in some way. Because it is awesome in EVERY way. It was exactly what I wanted it to be, and so much more.
"The idea of a feuding couple sounds good, but how are they really?"
Jemma and Ryder are fantastic. I am so freaking picky - I need to see realistic characters, realistic dialog, realistic people in my books, or I can't love the book. I might like it, it might be 'okay', but I can't love it. And I love Magnolia. From the very first page, I totally believed these characters - their dislike of one another, their banter, their growth... their everything. They're both so well-developed and their relationship progresses at a totally believable speed.
"What about the secondary characters/best friend(s)?"
Ahhhhhmazing. Jemma's two best friends play wonderful secondary roles. Seriously, this is probably my favorite BFF-dynamic since Bianca/Lainey in The Art of Lainey. This group of girls loves and supports each other through everything, and even though most of the book (or at least a good chunk) is just Jemma and Ryder, these girls still made an impression on me with their believability - and sass. XD
The other secondary characters are great as well - we meet a lot of Jemma's friends and classmates from school and they all come across as very believable. I'm especially impressed with Kristi Cook's ability to write flaws into her characters. Nobody was perfect and everyone was more complex than I normally expect from secondary characters.
"How are the family dynamics?"
EXCELLENT. Jemma's parents and sister are all fully fleshed-out characters and really important parts of Jemma's life. They may not be present a huge amount, but their presences are felt very strongly throughout the book.
"What about the whole "absent parents" scenario?"
Yes, Jemma's parents leave her alone, causing her to be stuck in the storm with Ryder - another case of absent parents in YA while Important Stuff Happens. Well, I can't spoil anything, but trust me, they have to leave for a very good reason which is very important to this family's story. So I had no problem with this particular situation.
"But this book sounds so predictable . . . "
Yes, the premise of this book is pretty high-risk because of its predictability. The synopsis tells you that Jemma and Ryder hate each other, until they're forced to weather a storm together - but no one wants unbelievable things to happen in order to throw these two "enemies" together, only for them to miraculously change their minds and fall in love over the course of one storm. And luckily, that is not what happened in Magnolia, and that's why I loved it.
The great thing about Magnolia is that even with the predictability, Jemma and Ryder's story doesn't feel forced or contrived. They don't move from hate to love over the course of one storm - not really. I've said it a couple times now already, but I believed this book. I believed the characters, their actions, their circumstances, and their growth. Yes, it's pretty predictable, but in a way that makes you go, "I totally know where this is going, but I'm loving every second of the journey."
In conclusion...
I realize I was a little sparse on details in my review above, but that's honestly just because there's so much awesome in this book, I didn't want to spell it all out for you before you read it. It's just... ugh. It's SO good. This is probably one of my most anticipated contemporaries this year, but also my most dreaded, because so much could've gone wrong - but it didn't, which is why I flipping loved it. Seriously, guys. If the idea of contemporary romance + Romeo & Juliet polar opposites + major weather disaster where the MC's get stuck together -- if that sounds good to you at all, pick up this book. It will not disappoint.
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