carolina's Reviews > Magnolia Parks: The Long Way Home

I'll wear it like a badge of honour forever that he loved me first, that he loved me at all. Have you ever had a love like that

reread (January 2024): I’ll never forgive Jessa for what she did. The ending of this book is brutal, it hurts so much and of course I sobbed again 😭 I’ll always cry, no matter how many times I read this. I’m not sure what to expect from Into the Dark other than pain, but I guess I’m ready to have my heart broken again ❤️‍🩹 anyways, I loved this reread, I love this book so much and I’m praying for clear skies in the next one!

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This book has the most perfect cover, because I really felt like I was out at sea, with no land in sight, a storm brewing on the horizon, and no way to escape. In the end, the ship had sunk and I was clinging to a piece of wood, desperately trying to stay afloat.

I don't know how Jessa does it, but I feel her words so deep in my bones, I feel her hand grab my heart and tear me apart. Her characters are so beautifully flawed, so incredibly human, that I care and worry for them as if they were part of my family. And in a way, they are.

Magnolia and BJ's love story is as wonderfully intoxicating as it was in the first book. Daisy and Christian stole my heart in Daisy Haites, but there's something about Magnolia and BJ that I can't quite explain. It's the kind of thing the old poets wrote about, the sort of love you'd die for. A love story for the ages, written in the stars, a thread woven by the fates, its knots becoming more intertwined as the years pass. Every look, every touch, every whispered word, every laugh and tear, the cracks in their hearts, it's impossible not to feel as if they were your own.

How many loves do you get in a lifetime? For me it's just the one.

This book offers a deeper look into Magnolia and BJ's relationship, it really made me understand them so much better, and after witnessing the events in MP1, every glimpse into their past and present was so much more meaningful and impactful. I have so much love for BJ, he's grown a lot and is trying his hardest to be a better man. Magnolia remains a bit of a hurricane, wreaking havoc wherever she goes, but I got to see a different side of her that made me love her even more. No matter how many times they screw up, I can't help but love them.

The friendships in this book were to die for. Everyone played such an important part in Magnolia and BJ's story without ever losing their individuality. And the boys were so funny, so many scenes made me laugh so hard, I just adore them. I didn't expect to be so obsessed with Taura and now I need to know more about her and Jonah and Henry. Also, all the Daisy Christian crumbs kept me fed.

Although I knew there would be a certain someone in this book, I didn't think he would play such a prominent role. I'm conflicted because I'm undeniably in love with Julian, but I don't like the relationship that has come to life in these pages, mainly because I actually liked it. I know it sounds messy, but that's how I feel. DH2 is going to devastate me, honestly.

I was expecting a huge cliffhanger at the end, but not the one that actually happened. I'm holding on to the belief that things are not what they seem.

Sometimes I ask myself if I really believe that Magnolia and BJ should be together. But I know I will always root for them. They're fated. This Shakespeare-like romance has changed me irrevocably.

We've returned from war. That's how we love each other. That's what our love feels like. Battered and bruised, but the only thing in this world I've ever clung on to for dear life is the boy here in front of me.