Release Date: August 5th 2014
Pages: 336
Source: review copy from publisher
Age Range: Young Adult
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 f.or each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over.
The story of Magnolia was so, so different then I expected, and in a good way though! I hadn't read the synopsis beforehand, but the cover gave me the impression it must be a romantic YA story.
It certainly wasn't. Well, a littlebit. But most of all Magnolia is a very gripping story about Jemma and her family, which world is turned upside down as is known that Jemma's sister is diagnosed with a brain tumor. When Jemma's sister and parents go away to Houston for treatment and an operation, Jemma is alone, and Ryder visits her often. But then the tornado season starts, and some pretty bad tornado's destroy a pretty large part of the town and this gives the story a very thrilling tone.
Altough the synopsis describes that Jemma and Ryder hate each other, I didn't got the impression much they did. At some parts, but mainly in the way of ''I like you but to get your attention i just do mean to you'' way, which was somehow cute too. Both characters are very likeable and realistic, there wasn't just anything I disliked about them, they could just be your friends.
Magnolia is one of the new YA books out there that I definately recommend, especially if you want a very original and a little edgy YA novel! I personally couldn't put it down!
