Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

197 reviews

kajasversion's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Genuinely one of the most frustrating books I’ve ever read. I hated the characters so much, they kept doing the same fucked up shit and they learned nothing, but somehow it had me hooked and i read almost the whole thing in one sitting. The plot twist at the end was completely unexpected and I hope for Magnolia’s sake that she picks Tom because he is the better man in every sense of the word. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Eating disorder and Panic attacks/disorders

moonylovesstars's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I honestly couldn’t tell you how I feel. It was entertaining. But I’m supposed to root for BJ after all that? How is he going to redeem himself EVER. I don’t know what makes the toxic relationships in this book even worse to me than like every other one. Maybe because to me those ones are less realistic than this one to me. Like granted this isn’t top tier realistic but it’s not a stalker romance or a mafia boss romance that just seems way over my head to believe for even a second it could happen in real life but with this book I can see it happening in real life. It’s so messy. It’s like the Kardashians mixed with the bachelorette mixed with tons of cheating and drugs. I mean like I enjoyed my time but at the same time I wouldn’t count this as a romance. It has romance aspects I guess but I see no romantic stuff anywhere. I just see messy drama. 😭🙏

I do kind of felt like it got a bit repetitive. He cheats, she gets mad, goes to whoever, Christian, Julian, Tom. Whatever. Goes back to him. Repeat. At least 3 times in this book if we are including the time where he cheated when they were first together. 

I just feel like would’ve enjoyed this more if it was marketed to me as a drama tv show and not a romance novel because I went into it with the wrong expectations as well as also knowing it’d be toxic. But I was expecting like Twisted series level toxic, not cheating left, right, center, everyone loves magnolia, repetitive breaking it off, getting back together, yelling at each other and sobbing, then kissing the next few chapters later. Like if I went into it expecting that I think I would’ve ate it up. But when I was expecting more romance than what this is, it disappoints a bit. But I think I’ll continue the series just keeping it in mind that it’s basically a drama tv show and pick it up when I’m in the mood for exactly that.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

annamay1021's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

book_dragon_'s review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic relationship

kalefactory's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Child death

heyheyhailey1's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I think I expected this to be more “modern romance” but it was more trashy-reality-tv-vibes. I like anyone love a good reality show, so that’s not an insult just wasn’t my cup of tea. The toxic back and forth got repetitive toward the end to the point of dulling some of the intensity of the awful things happening. I did like some of the characters and there were some really beautiful bits in Magnolia’s perspective where she is contemplating the realities of love. I don’t think I will read more of the series.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Toxic friendship

lilhappyhermit's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book had me in a chokehold. It is as if Gossip Girl and Sex in the City had a baby in the UK, and I loved EVERY SECOND OF IT. The means of which you get to know Magnolia and BJ, them currently and their history together, was so raw and venerable while simultaneously being so gripping and jaw-dropping. As an outsider, watching how they both cope with all that has happened, I was in this state of rooting for them and hoping there would be a moment of forgiveness so they could live their happily ever after (but it's never that simple). The ending of this book, and the cliff hanger we were left with, had my jaw on the floor and my heart in disarray. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

helsbels_'s review against another edition

sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

1.0

This was a painful read. The MMC is toxic and emotionally abusive and the FMC is a depiction of a woman who has been so degraded by her partner that she has no self respect left. Both main characters are deeply unlikeable and all of the side characters aside from the FMC’s sister and the secondary love interest are essentially the same character with different names. The fact that this is advertised as a love story is insane to me, as are the comparisons to gossip girl- this book had more in common with American Psycho with its ridiculous descriptions of the characters outfits and it’s over confident narcissistic characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

musicmagician823's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

megshughes_13's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

just lowkey heartbreaking to read, they are both as bad as eachother 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship