{"data":{"id":18,"attributes":{"title":"Magnolia Parks","description":null,"url":"https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58527403-magnolia-parks","review":"

\nAll it had to do was say this is basically Chuck and Blair from Gossip Girl and I'm already in. I am suddenly transported back in time to being way too young to watch the TV series and hope for the best for this duo. All the years I worked on learning about feminism and healthy relationships are all thrown away for a while ~~(which is to say I don't have any critical thinking turned on for this)~~ 💆🏻‍♀️. \n

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\nFirst, I'd like to commend the writing 👏🏼👏🏼. It's why I'm here and willing to go through the roller coaster that is Parks and BJ's relationship. It's addicting and not cringe ~~yet~~ and not pretentious. They are shallow, selfish, manipulative but I'm enjoying it so much to hate them. It's rare for me to fall in love with the 2nd love interest too, and to really be shocked to my core by the plot twist. It's all the writing 🔥. I'm glad to ditch my planned monthly TBR and read this first.\n

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\"I can never tell if we're dancing in a burning room or taking turns dragging the other unconscious up a mountain.\"

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Similarities with Gossip Girl:

Parks and BJ belong to each other (and everyone knows) but they keep on sabotaging it
there was no one \"Gossip Girl\", but it was the whole media always following and publishing about Parks
Parks even has a Dorota! (although Mars has a much bigger role in the story)

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Difference with Gossip Girl:

Despite their obvious dysfunction, they actually seem healthier than Chuck and Blair.
Parks is obviously the only star, we don't have a Serena to counter her except for her academic sister

\nAs someone who grew up with unhealthy relationships, something like this is what I'd always imagined for me. And when I was telling the plot to my fiance, he reminded me I already had a relationship like this 🥴. I never thought of my ex(~~exes, there was more than one hahahaha what's wrong with me~~) while reading, just to be clear. However there's no denying I am someone who spends a lot of time with an ex after the relationship. I think it stems from my co-dependent traits. Or my inability in letting go of the friendship too. \n

How dare the author make us fall in love with Tom England too? I can now only accept love triangles if it's like this. BJ can't hate Tom because he always looked up to Tom. Tom can't hate BJ because he knows their dysfunctional relationship can't be thrown away just like that.

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Back to comparing this book with my life, Tom is basically my fiance. An understanding and maturity no other character in the book can ever pull. I just wish there's more foundation in his relationship with Parks but other than that I love how they both inevitably fell in love too. The specifics of their relationship seems like the first time I've read about it. It's all still dysfunctional but at the end of the day it makes sense.

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\"What am I to you?\"

I lean back into him, pursing my mouth at the question. \"The oxygen mask\"--I glance back at him--\"that falls down from the ceiling of the planes.\"

He hugs me tighter.

\"That's good enough for me.\"

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Will I read the next books in the series? No I don't think so.

Towards the end, this wall I've temporarily put down to enjoy this is slowly going up again. I was mad at how they blamed Parks for someone else's feelings. I had a lot of questions when they got back together the last time. Really, just like that? I was bit by bit getting tired of them (~~glad I got this far though~~).

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I'd still love to read a book by this author again, maybe one outside this universe.

Parks is half-black? Then why was there photos of a light skinned girl at back of the book? 😭

","dateStarted":"2022-12-19","dateEnded":"2022-12-22","recommend":true,"createdAt":"2022-12-24T01:17:02.147Z","updatedAt":"2022-12-26T01:52:40.034Z","publishedAt":"2022-12-24T01:17:03.917Z","rating":10,"buy":null,"author":[{"name":"Jessa Hastings","link":"https://www.magnoliaparksuniverse.com/author"}],"themes":["dysfunctional relationships","elite social class in London"],"recommendTo":["interests in Gossip Girl","interests in on-again-off-again relationships","interests in public figures and their social life"],"recommendSimilar":[{"name":"Open Water","authors":[{"name":"Caleb Azumah Nelson","link":"https://www.instagram.com/caleb_anelson/?hl=en"}],"reason":"best friends that decided they can't be together (for now) but it's not toxic"}],"triggerWarnings":["drugs","sexism and toxic masculinity","cheating? is that a trigger warning?"],"longTitle":"Magnolia Parks (Magnolia Parks Universe #1)","ratingSpice":1,"ratingTears":3,"ratingHumor":null,"ratingCover":2,"translator":null,"originalLanguage":null,"writtenWith":null}},"meta":{}}