Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Magnolia by Kristi Cook

Release Date: August 5, 2014

Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 336

Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: What a cute little Southern novel! I loved falling in love with the characters and plot in this one. Oh, and the setting!!!

We are introduced to Jemma and Ryder who aren't too fond of one another but their parents want them to be together. Heck, they are already planning their marriage! The two families have a lot of history but the timing has never been right between age groups for anyone to get married. Until Jemma and Ryder of course!

Jemma and Ryder used to be friends but that changed in 8th grade during a very rough night. Now they just tolerate one another. Their friends all hang out so they are forced to put up with one another.

Both Jemma and Ryder's family end up out of a town supporting her sister and a big storm is a brewin. Jemma’s dad asks Ryder to check in on her during the storm.

Well, Ryder ends up getting stuck at Jemma’s house and they have to be bogged down with each other. This sure does open a can of worms. They finally start to tell each other how they really feel and spill some of their secrets.

This one was cute but it also had its life lessons. Especially with how bad the storm got, and not everyone makes it out of things alright.  

I liked Jemma’s family and her sister’s problem put a little more drama into the mix. It was heartbreaking! I wanted everyone to be ok too. I liked learning about the storm and I felt like I was right there with Jemma and Ryder trying to ride out this storm! It had me on pins and needles at some points!!! It was exciting!

I wanted to read more!

Overall:  I liked the plot of this one, the Southerness, and all the characters! A fun read!

Cover:  Cute! Love how she is sitting on the fence!

What I’d Give It: