Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark: Book 5 (Original Cover Collection) (Magnolia Parks Universe) Paperback – February 13, 2024

This was devastating in the very best way. I do feel like 700+ pages is a little overkill but I did love all of the back story we got. I sobbed a few times. The grief in this one goes deep. I can’t wait until the next Daisy so I can find out what the heck was happening towards the end.

I'll start with this, I've absolutely loved reading the Magnolia Parks Universe books. That said, this one is my least favorite of the five. It's called "Into the Dark" for a reason. Unlike the other books which weren't dealing with grief, this installment has heavy subject matter. Lots of crying - from the characters- and me. Lots of tissues at the ready. This book had a very different vibe because of that.I've loved reading this series with its complex characters and cliff hangers that kept me wondering what's next. This wasn't my favorite Magnolia/BJ book of the series, it was rambling at times and I felt some chapters should have been shortened. The flow was off for me. I felt the other books in the series had more conversations between characters and less internal dialogue which weighed the story down at times. Especially near the last 30% of the book. The imaginary conversations with Bridget were at times just too, too, long. I remember being so sad when her character died at the end of Long Way Home and how much I would miss her. Well, I needn't have worried because Bridget is in this book more than all the others put together.While I'm so happy BJ, who I adore, got his HEA, I'm equally sad Julian didn't. Julian is one of Jessa's best characters. She did a phenomenal job creating this beautiful complicated man who is both light and dark, he has such a good heart and the way he loved Magnolia.... every bit as much as BJ. Because of the life he was born into he could't keep her safe (though I still don't understand that premise since all the other Ganglord Heads are married with kids) and had to sacrifice being able to give it a real shot with her. Never being able to tell her how much he loved her and "putting it on the table" as he said in the last book. That scene in the car when he asks Magnolia if she loved him when they were together and she says yes. I could feel his heart break and his anger and sense of how unfair it felt to him. what being born into this life had cost him. His regret and anguish, it was all there. Beautiful writing. I can't wait for the next book seen through his point of view. I was so conflicted because I loved Magnolia with BJ but I also loved her with Julian.I would have liked more scenes with the Boxed Set and less with Magnolia's parents. I understand we were exploring Magnolia's issues with her dysfunctional parents and disliked how much word count was spent on her horrible parents. I was really hoping in this book it would come out about the hit on Magnolia's life and that her "personal assistant" was really a bodyguard. Magnolia and BJ are still left completely in the dark about everything surrounding the car crash that transpired in the last book and I assume this is the last book for them so, yeah, disappointed there. She still doesn't know why Julian really broke things off with her (to keep her safe) . She and BJ still have no clue what danger she was in. I would have loved to have read those scenes. Depending on how the timeline tracks in the Daisy/Christian/Julian book, hopefully some of these things will still be able to come to light....Sorry, but I wasn't a fan of BJ all of a sudden constantly calling Magnolia "Parksy". Hated it, in fact. it was distracting and annoying. Calling her "Parks" was his trademark. That was his name for her. Why into the 5th book is BJ calling her this? It sounds like a name for a 5 year old. Weird choice by the author.I enjoyed reading the journey of Magnolia and BJ, their long journey to forgiving each other and finally getting it right. So many great characters and such fun to read. I think it's possible several of the things that bothered me or didn't materialize in this book may find their answers in the next one which I'm looking forward to reading. Jessa you're a talented writer. Thanks for the Magnolia Parks Universe.Over all I give this one 4 stars. Looking forward to the Daisy/Christian/Julian book

"How many loves do you get in a lifetime" "That is a question I've pondered on for a lot of years now…And I've come up with varying degrees of the same answer. That there are lots of different kinds of love that life may afford you the chance to experience over the course of one's life — some terrible, some misguided, some well-meaning, some dangerous, some wonderful but benign, some painful, some when you lose them—are agony." "If you're lucky, you might get a great one, and I know I'm the luckiest, because I got two."SPOILER****Changing this review to a 5 star because this book has stuck with me. The first thing I did when I closed this book was cry. If that is not the sign of a good book, I don't know what is. If you don't want spoilers.. this is where I'd stop reading.Many people rated this book lower because the length, but I'm not sure what you can remove without dismembering the story all together. This book took a dive into the darkness of Magnolias mind and I think it was important for her growth as a character. Without love there is no loss and this was story that wove both aspects in so beautifully. This was raw, this was real and we were given a glimpse into a more vulnerable side of Mags. This has truly been a journey and I love these characters and the found family aspect. I'm thankful they got their HEA and I cannot wait for the next Daisy book so we can peak into what is going on with the Haites and Hemmes families.

*4.5 StarsSuch a bittersweet conclusion to Magnolia and BJ's story! These two characters will definitely go down as being one of my all-time favorite couples and I thought this was such a great ending to their story.Without spoilers, I think that this had a different feel than the first two MP books. Which given the ending of MP2, it made sense and I really appreciated how all the emotions were dealt with. THE CHARACTER GROWTH! Loved it. I loved how BJ stepped up and became what Magnolia truly needed. And we got such a deeper look into Magnolia I thought that I really appreciated.I did think this felt too long, especially in the first half. I was a bit confused on what the plot really was because I didn't feel like much was happening. But towards the middle it picked up and by the end, I was loving it so much.The last chunk of the book I was feeling all the emotions: joy, sadness, laughter, and love. I thought the ending was very perfect and fitting for them. It gave me the same feelings as I did reading some other series conclusions (Off Balance, Addicted Series) where you just feel so much for these characters that when they hurt, you hurt. And when they succeed and are happy, you are happy. It was perfect.I just love these characters and this world so much and while I'm so sad that Magnolia and BJ's story is over, I'm so happy I got to experience their journey and am excited to get back to Daisy, Christian, and Julian in the next book!

Magnolia and Bj are engaged and finally working things out. But with the recent death of her sister and having trust issues with each other, they are finding it hard to stick it out. They will have new adventures and learn to love each other through the good times and bad.This is the 5th book in the Magnolia Parks series and this one is probably my least favorite. It was pretty boring to me. The whole book was just about the two main characters learning to be together. There wasn't a lot of action and had a lot of memories with her sister. I'm glad for the happy ending but it should have been A LOT shorter. I had to make myself finish this one.