[Blog Tour: Review] Magnolia by Kristi Cook

 

Title: Magnolia
Author: Kristi Cook

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Goodreads

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.

THOUGHTS:

When I got an invitation to join the blog tour for Magnolia, I jumped at the chance and immediately signed up. I mean, come on, this book is just right up my alley! Gorgeous cover? Check. Falls under the contemporary genre? Check. Main characters who grew up together? Check. And last but definitely not the least... A book that depicts a story of how hate blossoms into love? Consider me SOLD. All in all, I just KNEW that I was going to like Magnolia, and that this was just the light, fluffy read that I was looking for. Two hours later, after reading Magnolia, I was indeed smiling so hard that my face actually hurt. But you know what? I wasn't smiling because I was happy about the giggle-inducing parts (and there were some good ones, believe me) - instead, I was grinning like a maniac because of how realistic this book was and how relateable its main characters are! Those, I believe, are the true selling points of the book!

I loved many, many things about Magnolia, but first and foremost, let me go ahead and talk about how Cook developed the relationship between the main characters, Jemma and Ryder.You see, despite being born onto parents who are best friends and who are desperate to unite the two families together, Jemma and Ryder do not like each other. It's not the kind of love/hate relationship that a boy and a girl who have grown up together have either - Jemma abhors Ryder, and Ryder, having no idea what he could have done to deserve such hatred from Jemma, isn't exactly that keen on Jenna now as well. Writing about the shift from hate and dislike to respect and ultimately love, and then making it believable and not the least bit rushed is not the easiest task for authors, but Cook did it so amazingly well through the deep and meaningful conversations the two main characters had all throughout the book. Jemma and Ryder engaged in multiple discussions about both the past and the future, including just what is that triggered the downfall of their relationship all those years ago, as well as what they hope to happen for themselves in the coming years. During these conversations, you could sense the gradual shift in how Jemma and Ryder perceived each other - there was dislike, then wariness, and then there was overwhelming trust and the promise of something more. I like how Cook took her time in developing the feelings that these two took a while in acknowledging and because of that, I actually believe that what Jemma and Ryder have is real.

I also like how Magnolia touched upon how change is constant, and that we should never take things for granted. Despite Jemma and Ryder's status in life, that didn't exclude them from the wrath of both mother nature and the threat of having someone close to them possibly lose his or her life prematurely, and I love how Cook took her time in elaborating on how these two instances affected the two. Between the raging storm making her wrath known in the town Jemma and Ryder have spent their whole life in and Jemma's sister's possibly life-threatening surgery, everything that the two have known their whole life is up in the air. As someone who isn't exactly fond of having the rug pulled under my feet, the way both characters reacted to these sudden and unexpected changes was very familiar and realistic. Even though they aren't exactly the best of friends, they acknowledged that they had to push aside all their differences and force themselves to work together. I never raised a brow at their actions and I never doubted what they felt, and believe me when I say that at one point or another, you have gone through what Jemma and Ryder are currently experiencing. As I have said earlier, this is one of the factors that makes Magnolia a gem.

Moreover, another thing that readers can relate to are how conflicted Jemma and Ryder are about their hopes and dreams for the future. All their lives, their mothers have made it clear what they should do and they've always followed what was asked of them. Things have changed, however, now that Jemma and Ryder are in their senior year of high school and they're slowly coming in to the realization that they don't want to just live out their mothers' dreams - they want to go out to the world and be who they want to be. We've all been there, haven't we? Every single one of us, despite our parents' good intentions, have all felt that we deserve to make our own decisions, most especially if they're about our future. I saw myself in these characters - the way Cook portrayed Jemma and Ryder's fears reminded me of how I feel every time I have to stand up for myself and talk about what I want. Seeing a little bit of myself in the characters I read about is just so refreshing and something I cannot get enough of.

All in all, Magnolia isn't the book that I expected it to be, but that's a good thing. It was light enough for it to be a quick read, but at the same time, it's a book that resonates within you - it reminds you what is it that's worth fighting for. If you're looking for something that will make you both smile wistfully at its telling of a beautiful romance and then ponder about the direction that your life is taking, this is the book for you.

Rating: 4 Stars

The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

 
Title: The Promise of Amazing
Author: Robin Constantine
Source: eARC from Edelweiss
Release Date: December 31, 2013
Goodreads
Amazon | The Book Depository

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she’s not popular, but not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet, “good” girl who's always done what she's supposed to—only now in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change, but doesn’t know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe’s. Star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, on a fast track to a brilliant future—until he was expelled for being a “term paper pimp.” Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change, but doesn’t know how.

One fateful night their paths cross when Wren, working at her family’s Arthurian-themed catering hall, performs the Heimlich on Gray as he chokes on a cocktail weenie, saving his life literally and figuratively. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are—and falling in love.

THOUGHTS:

I've been trying to figure out how to write my review for The Promise of Amazing for some time now. If you were to ask me whether or not I enjoyed it, I'd immediately start to open my mouth to answer 'yes'... only to hesitate and mull over my answer some more. You see, overall I did like the book, but the thing is, there are just some facets and details that I wasn't just fond of, and ultimately, those are what stuck to me. Moreover, I guess I was expecting a bit too much from the book - the cover is all sorts of gorgeous, I absolutely loved the title, and blurb, for the lack of a better word, seemed promising. While I wouldn't say that The Promise of Amazing is a disappointing read, I wouldn't exactly say that it's something that I would come back to and read again.

As I have mentioned, there are parts of the book that I really liked, and one of those is how the MC, Wren, and the love interest, Grayson, met. Talk about original! It was something new, something extremely unique, and it also explained just why the two are so immediately attracted to one another. I also liked how relatable Wren was for the most part - here's a young woman who's worried about her future, and who's doing everything in her power to make sure that tomorrow will turn out okay. Here's someone who doesn't know who she is just yet, but is desperately trying to figure that out. And finally, I found the way she acted during her first few interactions with Grayson, and the way she just couldn't stop thinking about him, so endearing, and oh so familiar. She really felt like your ordinary teen.

While I do understand where the attraction came from (I'm pretty sure I won't be able to stop thinking about the person whose life I saved / the person who saved me), it was alarming how everything escalated so quickly. After their first interaction, here was Wren, smitten and crushing on Grayson (which is nothing out of the ordinary), but here was Grayson who was just convinced that Wren would change his life for the better, and that she was his savior from his horrible past. I was surprised at how adamant Grayson was that he was in love with Wren... when he didn't even know her! It also irked me that they were professing their love to each other so quickly after their first meeting and after just a few dates - nothing felt natural. Just a heads up, Grayson - you can't always rely on another person to save you. You have to help yourself first.

I'm a bit undecided with how I feel about Grayson. He really wanted to change, to move past everything that happened the previous years, and in turn, I wanted to root for him. However, Grayson never did something to actually change - he was so unapologetic about everything wrong that he did, and I couldn't quite get past that. He did nothing but mull about wanting to change... and nothing else! You have to work to get something you want - wanting can only get you so far. I did think that while the insta-love was annoying, Grayson did have his cute moments, and I won't deny that he cared for Wren in his own way. I still don't think that it was love, though.

I did like the plot twist - and I'm sure I'm not the only one. It's not a subject matter that I've ever seen in YA, and I was admittedly excited when I encountered it. Through her characters, I couldn't wait to find out how Constatine was going to handle the conflict that arose. This is where I ended up the most disappointed - everything was rushed; nothing was fleshed out. The resolution came so quickly, and next thing I knew, I was almost done with the novel. I truly felt like Constantine could have expounded more on how both Grayson and Wren handled Grayson's past, and in doing so, The Promise of Amazing could have been a stronger novel.

Also, I might be alone in this, but while Wren and Grasyon did indeed have a connection, I felt that Wren had more chemistry with Luke, someone from Grayson's past who's hell-bent on getting Grayson back on the road of sheer misdemeanor. Through very few interactions (and I do mean few - I can count them in one hand!), part of me was already wondering if perhaps this novel would have been better with Luke as a lead. Believe me when I say that his chemistry with Wren is just intense!

Overall, I liked The Promise of Amazing just enough. It had its fair share of moments that made me smile and be all giddy, and I finished it in no time. Fans of contemporaries would probably like this novel. Never once did I think that I would have to DNF it - Constantine's writing is strong for the most part, and I have no qualms in saying that I will be checking out all of her future releases. Also, I loved how the title was subtly inserted in the last few paragraphs of the novel!

Rating: 3.5 Stars