I received a complimentary copy of this book from Dutton & audiobook from PRHAudio.
After reading the entire Magnolia Parks Universe series back to back I was so excited to get the opportunity to read Into the Dark. I knew that this would be a heavier book, but I was looking forward to the conclusion of Magnolia + BJ. I loved this book, just as I have loved the previous books. Jessa’s writing is so beautiful and I was often left reeling at my feelings for these characters.
I absolutely cannot wait for the next Daisy books! The little crumbs that Jessa left us were not enough and I need to know what is going on!!!
Loved this entire series and can’t wait to continue. If you’re looking for something unconventional – I’d highly recommend this series.
SYNOPSIS
Book five in the sensational Magnolia Parks Universe series!
How many loves do you actually get in a lifetime? Everyone knows by now that Magnolia and BJ are in the stars, but is that enough?
Magnolia and BJ are reeling from a devastating loss as they try to plan what’s been dubbed “the wedding of the century”. As family tensions mount and their respective pasts begin catching up to them, they finally have to look the truth in the Can they learn to trust and be with one another again, or will they die trying?
REVIEW
From the first moment I started Magnolia Parks I felt the instant connection between BJ and Magnolia. Their relationship was one filled with anger and hurt, but also one with such loving tenderness. Yes, both Magnolia and BJ are deeply flawed and that’s where Into the Dark shined for me. These two had such character growth – both separate and together in this book and witnessing their journey made me so happy (and okay yes also shed some happy tears 🥲).
After reading The Long Way Home I wasn’t sure what to expect with the way that book ended. Bridget has been such a huge part of Magnolia’s life and also for us as the reader. We connected with her no bs attitude and the way she so clearly rooted for BJ and Magnolia. The levels of grief that Magnolia experiences were heartbreakingly beautiful. I had tears in my eyes on more than one occasion 😭
Magnolia and BJ’s journey to finally be together was a long time coming. Yes, they had to take the long way around to get there – but they got there and I couldn’t have been happier 🥹. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t always a BJ fan. I hated him and loved him throughout this series, but the way this man is so gone for Magnolia made me definitely love him. Their relationship wasn’t easy, but the fact that they are aware of it and are taking the steps to grow together was so profound 🥰
I also had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook for Into the Dark. I was looking forward to the audiobook – as these books have been some of my favorite audiobook narrations. BUT! The male narrator was switched from Benjamin Noble to Adam Hugill. And it was hard for me to reconcile Adam Hugill as BJ because in this series he’s been Christian. And I love him as Christian – it’s just hard for me to have him play multiple characters in the same series. I still love Magnolia’s chapters as she is still narrated by Ella-Rae Smith who I think is the perfect Magnolia! Overall I still liked the audiobook, but I was struggling with the BJ chapters.
I’m so so so happy that BJ and Magnolia got the ending they deserved.
As a Daisy Haites girl, I couldn’t help but love the snippets of Christian/Daisy/Julian and cannot wait for the next Daisy Haites book 🌼
Overall a wonderful conclusion to BJ and Magnolia – can’t wait to reread the entire series from beginning to end. Jessa’s writing is so damn beautiful and I can’t get enough.
I picked up Magnolia Parks on a whim. I tried to read it a few months (maybe a year ago?) when it was on Kindle Unlimited, but couldn’t get into it. Then I kept seeing it all over social media and decided to give it another go. And this time I was fully invested. I think it’s because I let myself want to read a messy book. There’s no clear HEA at the end of these books and the characters come across as shallow and often self absorbed. But they know this and that’s what makes me love them. Lots and lots of content warning if you decide to pick up these books so be warned. I’ll list them down below. If you do pick up the Magnolia Parks books let me know what you think! I’m fully invested and am dying to read the next book in the series. Each of these books was five star read for me.
Series Reading Order:
Magnolia Parks
Daisy Haites
Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home
Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing
Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark (releasing February 13, 2024)
This books reads as a true series so it’s really important to read the books in order! I believe there are still two more Daisy Haites books, but I don’t think anything has been announced yet!
p.s. if you’re looking for the og covers I bought them from Blackwell’s. The new updated shoe covers are available at most retailers.
Content Warnings: drug use/abuse, overdose (on page), cheating (on page), death of a loved one, threats/attempted kidnapping.
**thank you to Dutton Books and PRH Audio for the gifted books and audiobooks.
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize the purchase.
I’m going to start off this review by stating that Magnolia Parks is a book/series that is not for everyone. It’s messy in so many ways and the characters are all deeply flawed with a multitude of issues. CW: substance abuse, cheating, overdose, co-dependency. That being said, I absolutely loved it because at the moment I’m loving messy romances and this book was M E S S Y 🫠
BJ Valentine and Magnolia Parks have constantly been in each others orbit. They’ve known each other forever, dated for a bit but are at an impasse. BJ cheated on Magnolia three years ago and both of them cannot move on from that betrayal. This is a book about both of them trying to move on with their lives, but not really because they can’t. They have that kind of love that’s destructive and they can’t function without each other. Yet, all the people they bring in their orbit end up getting hurt 😞.
This was my first book by Jessa Hastings and I love her writing style! It’s eccentric and fun, but then there will be certain scenes or chapter that just gut me and leave my heart crying on behalf of these characters. I have so many highlighted sections of this book 🥲🥹
If you are a fan of audiobooks – I highly highly recommend the audiobook of Magnolia Parks. The narration was done by Benjamin Noble and Ella-Rae Smith and they were amazing. They embodied BJ and Magnolia perfectly.
If you’re looking for an unconventional romance book that’s angsty and swoony and full of heartbreak I would suggest Magnolia Parks. I’m already looking forward to the next book.
What you can expect to find in Daisy Haites: -witty dialogue -a love…square? (messy messy messy) -swoony scenes that leave you with tears in your eyes -angsty scenes that leave you with tears in your eyes -CHRISTIAN HEMMES
After finishing Magnolia Parks I was reeling. I needed to find out what happened with BJ and Magnolia. And so when the book starts off with Daisy…I was internally thinking wtf? Don’t ask why even though the book literally says Daisy Haites I was still expecting Magnolia to narrate 🙈. So yeah, I was kind of like what is going on?
And then…and then I started reading this book and completely fell head over heels in love with Daisy Haites 😍. Because she’s Daisy Haites and I love her inner monologue and dialogue with every single person in this book. But especially Christian Hemmes 🫠. Gah! The scenes between these two always left me feeling something…giddy, happy, heartbroken, excited…you name it.
So basically the gist of this book is that it’s kind of happening at the same time as Magnolia Parks, but we see it from the point of view of Christian, Daisy and her brother Julian. Julian was briefly mentioned in Magnolia Parks, but we learn more about him, his empire and his sister Daisy. A lot of shit goes down and I won’t really say much without giving the book away. I will say that this was one book I literally could not put down. I read it every chance I got.
I also had an opportunity to listen to the audiobook of Daisy Haites and this audiobook is literally one of my most favorite audiobooks of all time 🥹. I loved the narration done by Adam Hugill, Sabrina Bartlett and Michael Shelford. The audio narration was absolute perfection. I especially loved Sabrina Bartlett and Adam Hugill’s portrayals of Daisy and Christian – so much emotion in their performances! I can’t wait to go back and re-listen to the audiobook.
Daisy Haites is one of my favorite books of the year. I loved every single thing about this book ❤️. Yes, the characters are still messy. Yes, there are a lot of content warnings. And yes, each and every one of these characters is fucked up in some way. But they know that and that’s what makes me keep wanting to come back into this universe and picking up these books.
When this line has you crying 😭 6% into the book you know it’s going to be The Long Way Home for BJ and Magnolia to reunite. But you’re hoping against all hope that they get there some how.
I’ve been obsessed with this series since I started it roughly a week ago. The way Magnolia Parks ended, I wasn’t too keen on BJ and the way Parks and him separated. But I loved BJ’s character growth in Long Way Home. He is trying to be better – not only for Magnolia but also for himself and it made me love him more than I did previously 🥹.
Yes, there were certain parts where I was screaming at BJ and Magnolia 😫 I wanted more than anything for them to get their happy ending, but their pain runs deep and wasn’t easy to fix with a bandaid. Still – I love these two, their history and the way they so obviously love each other.
Other things I loved about Long Way Home: -Julian … also I can’t wait to get his POV in the next book -seeing Daisy and Christian again 🥲 -why December 3rd was so special to Magnolia and BJ 😭 -the funny scenes that had me laughing out loud!
Once again, the audiobook was fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough.
And I should have known that Jessa Hasting’s was setting us up for heartbreak when the ending seemed to be tied up too perfectly…what just happened?!?!?! 😮
I can’t wait to read The Great Undoing, but I’m going to try to pace myself so I can be ready for Into the Dark
I should have known going into Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing that this book would leave my heart in pieces when it ended 💔😭
Like the previous Daisy Haites book, The Great Undoing takes place at the same time as Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home except that it’s told in the POV of Daisy, Julian and Christian. In the end of Daisy Haites we know that:
1. Daisy wants a “normal life” 2. Daisy and Christian break up ☹️ 3. Julian has broken Daisy’s rules and is going down a dark path.
I won’t recall what happens in the book because *spoilers* but I will break down why I love these characters so much.
Daisy: I’ve always been a Daisy girl – her fierceness, her bluntness, her love and loyalty are what make her so amazing in this series. I loved to see the character growth of Daisy in this book. She wants “normal,” but her normal has always been wherever her brother is. Is she truly happy now…living with Tiller? Or is this the life she desperately thinks she wants. And at what cost? The cost of losing her brother, the cost of losing the love of her life? Daisy always breathes so much life into her character and it was hard reading some of these chapters. But also – really funny? lol I love her humor. My favorite moments of Daisy are always those with Christian. These two are just meant to be. I won’t accept anything else. And a Daisy + Magnolia friendship – I was lol’ing A LOT.
Christian: This man and the way he loves Daisy 😮💨 Yes he was an idiot in the first Daisy Haites book but I loved him then and in this book I loved him even more 😍😍😍 I lived for the moments that he had with Daisy. But also his character was so much stronger and emotionally present in this book. I loved to see how far he’s come from the last book.
Julian: Okay first of all I am a Magnolia + BJ girlie – because their love is something unique and special. Yes they hurt each other and do all sorts of messed up things – but they’ve loved each other their whole lives. BUT seeing how untethered and how in love Julian was with Magnolia made my heart break for him. Like full on tears streaming down my face because ugh Julian 🥹 He deserves to be loved and by someone who will love him as fiercely as he does them. But with him being who he is – how is that ever going to be possible….poor Julian.
This ending left me broken 😭. I need more more more books with these three characters. I am SO excited for Magnolia Parks Into the Dark and I just hope for some snippets of these three characters so it can hold me over until we get another book with them.
p.s. as always the audiobook of Daisy Haites: The Great Undoing was fantastic. This series has my favorite audiobook hands down.
I finished 2023 having read 122 books. A majority of these books were fantasy romances – a new favorite. A lot of my books this year were backlist books including the Shatter Me, Once Upon a Broken Heart and Folk of the Air series. These series became favorites with Folk of the Air one of my favorite series this year – the books just kept getting better as the series progressed.
I also read a lot of KU this year with Ana Huang becoming a new favorite. Her books didn’t work for me when I tried to read them a few years ago, but I loved King of Wrath and went on to read her backlist. I finished the year reading Magnolia Parks. And while these books are not for everyone (lots of CW) – I’m obsessed with this series and can’t wait to continue.
I always have a hard time narrowing down my favorite books of the year. The books I chose this year are books that I can’t get over. I’ve already reread them multiple times and own multiple copies (typically audiobook, ebook & physical book) of each book!
I can’t wait to see what books 2024 has in store!
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize the purchase.
Multiple people have been recommending the Shatter Me series on bookstagram and booktok. I didn’t think I would enjoy a YA dystopian fantasy romance…how wrong I was! I loved everything about this series and Tahereh Mafi has quickly become a new favorite author. LOVED this series.
**Have to be read in order as it is a true series. You can see the reading order on my bookstagram.
This is a series where every book got better and better. I gave all three books in this series five stars – which is rare for me. Start to finished I was intrigued. I’m so glad I read this series when it was already complete because the ending of The Wicked King left me heartbroken.
Although most people say this series is more fantasy and less fantasy romance I disagree. The romance is so swoony. Be sure to read Cardan’s letters to Jude once you finish the series.
I went into this book blind…not really knowing anything about it besides what I saw on booktok. And yes I was instantly intrigued with Jacks, but I absolutely fell for Evangeline too.
Think whimsical fantasy turns into Alice in Wonderland – dark and sinister but also very romantic.
Listen, I know the series is called Magnolia Parks but I’m a Daisy Haites girl!
This book was perfection from the moment I opened the first page. It was so different from Magnolia Parks. Still messy and toxic, but gah I loved the angsty romance between Daisy and Christian.Did this book leave me broken? Yes. Will I read it again and again and again? Also Yes.
p.s. if you’re an audiobook fan I highly recommend listening to this book!
**please check content warnings before picking up this series.
Thank you PRH Audio and Dutton Books for the gifted copies.
I love Ali Hazelwood’s writing and Love, Theoretically was definitely Ali at her best! The banter, the sweet slow burn and the humor was perfect. Love, Theoretically is easily my favorite Ali Hazelwood book…after The Love Hypothesis of course!
I will admit…I didn’t think Ana Huang was an author for me. I tried one of the Twisted books and had to put it down because it wasn’t working for me. But I decided to give King of Wrath a try because it has my favorite tropes – marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers. I’m so glad I did because this book became one of my favorites this year.
I’m so excited to read the next book in the series!
Emily Henry is a favorite author – her books have been five star reads, so I was expecting Happy Place to be amazing.
What I didn’t expect was to cry so much while reading Happy Place. I love second chance romance and miscommunication (I know!) in a romance so my heart was fully invested.
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