Kristi Cook

High school seniors Ryder and Jemma have been at odds for four years, despite their mothers' lifelong plan that they will marry one day, but when a storm ravages their small Mississippi town, the pair's true feelings are revealed.

Magnolia

mercy

Sahi K

This is a cute southern love story with a twist on the Romeo Juliet story. I really liked the characters of Ryder and Jemma who are both strong, decisive and have a clear picture of what they want to do with their lives. The backdrop of the hurricane season which transforms their hate to love relationship is very well written. I am very unfamiliar with the southern small town culture, so this book was a nice experience but I obviously can’t speak for its authenticity. On the whole, this was a light breezy cute read that I was able to finish in a single sitting and thoroughly enjoyed.

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If you're looking for a young adult contemporary book to get lost in this summer–even if only for a few hours–Magnolia might be just what you're looking for. I've been struggling a bit with young adult reads as of late, but Magnolia definitely brought me out of my funk. I got sucked into the story right from the first page and read it in one sitting. I'm not sure I even took a short break to grab a snack or anything. I was that in tune with the characters and the story. 

I enjoyed the reverse "star-crossed lovers" theme to this book. It made it stand out from the pack for me. So often you read of the characters who are in love, but can't/shouldn't be together because of their families, their background or... whatever. The opposite is true in this book. Jemma and Ryder's families have been encouraging them to be together for years! It's time to unite the families and all the pressure is on them. Which, you know, is a lot to deal with at such a young age. So, regardless of the attraction they feel, neither of them wants to give in to their parents' wishes... stubborn teenagers. :)

As much as I enjoyed the story, it was really the characters that made this book for me. Jemma was likable and relatable. Ryder was adorable–even when he was being a "jerk" in the beginning. I loved the dynamic between the two of them. They were friends when they were younger and Jemma had a crush on Ryder until he crushed her at a dance in junior high. At that point they became more "frenemies" than friends. That's where we are when the book starts. Things quickly begin to change as the story continues though. Jemma can't help but notice Ryder... and thinks he might be noticing her, too. But it's not until severe weather forces the two of them to come together that things really pick up between them. I'm a total sucker for friends first stories. I don't care how predictable they might be! 

This book had a little bit of everything. The will they/won't they was cute and believable. Jemma and Ryder had a ton of chemistry. The romance was sweet in that first love kind of way and it just made me smile. There are some pretty tense moments during the storm, and while I can't say I was actually on the edge of my seat, I was a little concerned about how everything would play out. The side characters–namely their families–were interesting, too. They were just so determined these two together that it was amusing at times, frustrating at others. They were a little over-the-top, but not in a bad way.

I loved the vibe this book gave off. I felt like I should be reading it on the porch of a mansion in the south, with a glass of sweet tea in my hand. I had high hopes for Magnolia when I first saw it and I was excited to get the chance to read it in advance of its release. It was everything I wanted and more! 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

This book was jointly reviewed by myself and my co-blogger, Becca!

Becca: Books set in the South capture my heart, maybe it’s because of my childhood spent there or maybe it’s because of the relaxing vibe and comforting feel. The quote above perfectly describes the setting and feeling of this book for me. Even when the storm takes place, I was just in wonderment of the the beauty of Magnolia Branch Mississippi. This book was amazing from start to finish! Lisa and I kept going back and forth asking each other if we wanted to read more because neither of us wanted to stop!

Lisa: This book was exactly what I needed. The perfectly sweet, fun contemporary read that I love the most. Becca and I had trouble putting it down and continuously agreed to read more each day, getting through the entire book in only a few sittings. My very favorite type of romance is a slow-burn, enemies-turn-lovers type of romance, and that’s exactly what we got here.

Jemma and Ryder have grown up together in the small town of Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, where everyone knows everyone… and everything. Their BFF mothers have been pushing them to be together for their entire upbringing, and they’ve been battling this push with full-on disgust. Jemma has a bad memory of Ryder from their middle school days that she just can’t seem to let go of. Ryder feels the hatred radiating toward him from Jemma, so he keeps his distance at all costs. But as they get thrown into an uncomfortable position, riding out a tornado together, they learn how to make the most of the situation and learn to deal with each other, for better or worse.

Becca: Lisa is right, this was a perfect slow burn romance. My heart broke for Jemma after what went down between her and Ryder in middle school. I understood where she was coming from, but Ryder was also an immature pre-adolescent boy… who unbelievably are even more stupid then teenage boys in my opinion LOL :)

The entire book had a reverse Romeo and Juliet feel which ended up being really adorable. Instead of chapters there were Acts and Scenes. Jemma even has a Juliette balcony attached to her room :)

Kristi Cook is absolutely amazing! I think my favorite thing about her writing is her descriptions. From fun things like Jemma’s dress, to beauty like the Mississippi country and to scary things like the Hurricane and tornadoes. Her descriptions pulled me in and made me feel like I was there!

Lisa: I loved so much about this story, I just can’t stress it all enough. I loved that the characters’ conversations were very fit to their age group, and they didn’t sound like they were in their 30′s. (which is something I’ve been seeing a lot of lately.) I loved both Jemma and Ryder. And Ryder and Jemma had their fair share of mistakes and bad decisions, they had great hearts and they meant well. Jemma would explode over the littlest things, but that just made her seem more real to me. And Ryder’s attempt at being “cool” with his friends was a mistake that I think is very common among boys of that age. Such an incredible story that I loved from beginning to end.

I totally agree, Kristi Cook is definitely an author to watch out for. This is my first K. Cook book, but after loving this so much I’ve decided I should probably try Haven too. Though it’s not my usual genre, when you find an author you love, at least in my opinion, you grab on and hold and tight.

Becca: These characters were just perfect and like Lisa said they were true teenagers. The way they acted, the things they said and their egotistical attitudes… like I said perfect!

I liked Jemma and Ryder so much! I feel that because this story was told from Jemma’s POV we learn more about her and let me tell you she totally rocked!! She was so talented in so many ways, a girl that could sew a vintage dress, handle a video camera like a pro, shoot a gun better than any man she knew and then dust off her pom-poms and cheer at the homecoming game! I just loved her sarcasm and kick a$$ attitude! Ryder was this sensitive football playing hottie with a true dose of southern chivalry. I just adored them both :)

I am with Lisa on reading some more Kristi Cook books, she completely surprised me with her talent and style. We will definitely be reading more of her books in the future!

Overall we had to give this book 5 stars! We just absolutely loved everything about it! The story, the setting, the characters and the writing were all 5 stars and… PERFECT! (I know I sound a little redundant but its true!!)

(Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

Cass McCullough

Jasmine Patel

Maegan Kennedy

Jenna and Ryder are far from friends—until a storm stirs up their passion in this contemporary southern romance from New York Times bestselling author Kristi Cook. In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, The Cafferty and Marsden families are practically 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 the families finally have a baby boy and girl at the same time, the perfect opportunity seems to have arrived. Except Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen—oh, and also? They hate each other. Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would prefer it if stubborn-headed Jemma didn’t exist. And their communication is not exactly effective: even a casual hello turns into a yelling match. But when a violent Mississippi storm ravages through Magnolia Branch, it unearths feelings Jemma and Ryder didn’t know they had. And the line between love and hate just might be thin enough to cross…

Magnolia

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