Happy Magnolia Parks Universe Day to those who celebrate!

This series has had my heart for some time.

I’ve always been a big fan of Gossip Girl and while these books are often compared to that amazing show, this series is monumentally better. Like so. Much. Better!

The characters are toxic and dysfunctional but also raw and real and vulnerable. BJ may just be my favorite male character of all time.

I was saving The Great Undoing until pub day for Into the Dark got closer because waiting for a new book in this series is torture. I binged both in a weekend and that’s say something as both are thick reads and I’m an on the go girly. I loved the push and pull and back and forth and couldn’t get to the end of either story fast enough.

I hope there’s another book but am so happy with the ending of Magnolia and BJs story. I loved their growth and the way they process grief. I found myself tearing up at so many parts of this story and I am really going to miss them.

You have to read this series. All the books are all the stars and you will love being in their universe.

Thank you so much @duttonbooks
@jessa.hastings and @magnoliaparksuniverse for the early copy.

Go grab this entire series today!!

i cant believe this is the last book we’re gonna get in magnolia and bj’s pov. im unwell.

out of all the books in this series, i related to this one the most. i feel like jessa really captured what grief looks like in such a realistic way. i sobbed a bajillion times because it hit so close to home for me. magnolia’s story even made realize some things about my own grief.


from book 1 to now, magnolia and bj have grown so much. im so sad we’re not gonna get anymore books in their pov but im so excited to see what’s next for daisy and christian.

thank you jessa for writing this beautiful story 🥹 and thank you to dutton for the eARC!

im gonna go make a pinterest board for all the outfits in this book now LOL 🫶🏼

Oh boy, where do i begin?

Maybe with a question?

How many loves do you get in a lifetime?

Magnolia actually had multiple ones. But when it comes to true love, the love that remains with you forever no matter the hardships it goes through, she only had one.
And god did that one love split all of our hearts open.

In Magnolia and BJ’s last book, we get to see them go through one final hardship, one that will either make or break them, one that makes each of them stronger as individuals.
I’m someone who has never seen anyone more fitting for Magnolia that BJ, but this book gave him so much character development yet he remained the same beej we love at the same time that i just knew he deserves all the happiness coming his way.

I think this series shows how flawless people are, even when they think they’re perfect. How it’s not possible to judge a book by its cover because people are people; they lose and they grief, they cheat, they mend and break and fix. And life still moves on.
Only the real ones stay.

So no, i don’t think this is a fun little toxic book, because those characters are portrayed as real as it can be (maybe not all the time lol but still) and they’ll live with me forever.

Magnolia and BJ carved their own space in my heart, and for the emotions they gave me, i am forever grateful.

So thank you, Jessa.

I devoured this book. The long way home’s ending had me reeling so I could not wait to pick this one up! As with every book in the magnolia parks universe it was a rollercoaster ride. One minute you’re laughing the next angry. Then you’re crying. This series really imo captures those complicated relationships tight knit groups have. This book was 6/5 stars for me. And I could’ve easily read another 700 pages. The growth they have had over the length of the series just blows my mind. I can not believe we are done with beej and magnolia. I will never not recommend this series to everyone. This filled the void that gossip girl left me in my younger years and made it over flow in a way I didn’t know was possible. Can not wait to see what’s ahead for daisy.

THIS BOOK. This book is just so good. Jessa Hasting is an amazing writer, and she truly makes you feel connected to the characters. I'm sad to hear that this is the last Bj and Magnolia book, because I just want more of them. Jessa Hasting always leaves you wanting more and more. I would absolutely recommend this book, and series to people. It is truly a masterpiece of a series, and deserves its popularity.

There aren't enough words for me to properly articulate my love for these characters. The MAGNOLIA PARKS series is filled with complex, flawed, and entirely human characters who you can't help but fall for.

INTO THE DARK is Jessa Hasting's best work yet. ITD explores the 'after' of Magnolia's world falling apart. Her life as she knew it has been forever changed and she's struggling to make sense of it all. With BJ and The Box Set by her side, Magnolia begins to navigate the stormiest of weather yet, trying to find the calm, when her usual calm is nowhere to be found. This book captures grief in its multitude of hues, fluctuating from lightest to darkest of dark.

As you can imagine, I was emotional from the very first page. Partly because of the emotional connection I have to these characters and partly because of what I was reading. My heart broke for Magnolia and BJ in so many ways. It was heartache after heartache. You'd get glimpses of happiness only to be struck with something so deeply sad that it brought you to tears.

Although the book was filled with painful moments, it was ultimately extremely healing. It was the most perfect conclusion to Magnolia and BJ's story. Thinking back to book one in the series, it blows me away knowing the growth that both Magnolia and BJ make, both independently and as a couple. As the saying goes, growth is not linear. It happens little by little and uniquely specific to the person who's making that growth. BJ, especially, had me rooting for him from the very first page. Without saying too much at the risk of sharing potential spoilers, I simply adored this book. It will without a doubt be a favorite of the year!!!

Thank you so much Dutton Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

a million stars!!!!! this book gave what I needed it to give AND THEN SOME. I was so pleased w so many resolutions. it gave me so much peace while we fret over the next Daisy book(s) but omg just this was everything and a half.

Magnolia parks is a series I immersed myself into a month ago, not really knowing what to expect. When I started the series I was immediately attached to the characters and invested in their lives. The first book, I loved but I wasn’t sure where the story was going and was often unsure of my rating of the book. Then when I started the second Magnolia and BJ book, everything started to snap into place. This series is so much more than a toxic relationship. The story of our two main characters is one so many people can relate to and ultimately learn from. People have different ways of coping and often times we lose sight of what we want for our futures. Magnolia and BJ have been through so much and going on this journey with them has been one of the best experiences I have while reading a series. Magnolia Parks Into the Dark was a a great ending to their story. We dove deep with Magnolia and her struggles that are very much real for so many people and the darkness we can fall into when going through such a hard time in our lives. BJ’s character grew so much in the last book for me and seeing how he took care of her made me love these characters and have a new respect for them. I will forever recommend this series. 5 stars.

this was the most perfect ending to magnolia and bj's story. i was emotional from the first page and i still think about it weeks later. i can't believe this part of the magnolia parks universe is over.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
This is a beautiful conclusion to Bj and Magnolias story! I cannot believe that this is the last book we will get from their perspective. Only four pages in and I was already crying
The writing in this was wonderful and flowed beautifully. It so accurately describes the way a human lives through life in a way I never could. There was so much pain written in between the pages. I cannot stress how it describes life so wonderfully. The second I was done reading it I wanted to open it back up. The characters feel so developed and you understand them like real people. This was the most emotionally wrecking book I’ve read in awhile. This book is so beautiful like please read it 😭

I thank Dutton and Jessa for this early copy. And also Jessa for sharing these characters with us. This is my new favorite book ever. Hands down the most emotional thing I’ve ever read and had me crying constantly. Happy tears, sad tears, angry tears. This was so beautifully and CAREFULLY done. The talks about loss, forgiveness, and disordered eating hit me so hard and yet it was putting into words what I think a lot of us felt. The path these people have gone down hasn’t been easy and Jessa just articulates each struggle so well. Currently typing this through tears because it was so profoundly good. I can’t emphasize enough how perfect this book was.

This series is one of the best series I have ever read. I will always and forever recommend to everyone. Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark was absolutely brilliant. It's so realistic, so raw, so powerful. I have never felt so connected to a character as I do Magnolia. She's smart and funny but definitely not perfect. She has realistic reactions and is really just trying to figure out life the best way she knows how. Throughout this whole book I just felt like I was friends with Magnolia and understood her on such a deep level.

BJ Ballentine is the perfect male heroine. Has he made mistakes? Yes. Has he corrected his actions? Also yes. He is such a good portrayal of a imperfect person trying his best to make the right choices. And don't even get me started on the Full Box Set. I loved every single one of them so much.

This series is a MUST READ!

So I got an arc for this, don't know how but super grateful to read this before release day! but here is my review! 4 stars!!!!!!!! I knew going into it that I was already skeptical because of the cheating trope. I know I know what you are thinking why read this when you hate the cheating trope but honestly Magnolia and Bj have my heart! and honestly I do love the writing style! I do think some things could have been taken out (some monologue) but granted this was an un cut version but I definitely like it better than the other books and Bridge has my heart. But definitely recommend and sad that it's the end of their books.

I’ve never read a book that so accurately depicts the human experience. Like truly. There is so much pain in this book. Have you ever read a book that completely changes your views on all the characters before it and makes you want to read the entire series over again? That’s how I felt during this book. As I was reading it, I already wanted to read it over again. This book will give you so much perspective, grace, and love for all the characters throughout every book.

I’m not usually the biggest fan of long romances, but this could have been 500 pages longer and I still would have eaten it up. The pacing of this story is perfect and 700 pages truly went by faster than any book I have ever read. There are SO many good quotes in this book too.

I feel like there isn’t another book that can compare to this one and I already plan on reading this book again before the year is over!! I hope the next book in the series releases this year because if I have to wait another year I don’t know if I can make it!!!!!

Jessa has done an incredible job with this book - as expected!

I'm not sure I have ever felt so attached to fictional characters (or even real people) as much as I am consumed and attached to the MPU group. This book had my sobbing, both from being happy and sad.
With the kindle formatting of this arc I wasn't sure how many pages it was, having now realised this is a 720 page book - I'm shocked with how quickly I read it and how I could have quite easily kept reading.
I think Jessa really deserves congratulations for creating such a captivating universe, her writing is impeccable.

The way in which Jessa touches on grief and mourning and how it can be such a different experience for everyone is phenomenal. **SPOILERS**


We saw so many different characters mourning the loss of Bridge in their own unique way, that it truly felt real - I personally felt myself mourning her death and I think that this just goes to show how incredible Jessa's writing is. How easily it is to immerse yourself so quickly into her universe and how you are thinking about these characters even when you're not reading is truly something special.

With this being the final book from Magnolia and BJ's POV I was very pleased with how it ended. I didn't feel that there were any loose ends that I'd be left wondering about for the rest of my life. I felt very satisfied with the ending, and sure I'll be thinking of how they're going or what they might be doing - but I do not think that there are any gaping holes/plot points that weren't followed up.

The character development for I want to say every single character mentioned as well was next level.
I never quite related to Magnolia (personally I'm a Daisy girl myself - not that we're picking sides) however, with a recent ADHD diagnosis I felt very seen by Magnolia in this book and found myself connecting with her on a deeper level throughout her struggles and daily life.
I was never a BJ stan throughout the previous books in this series, I'm not sure I even quite liked him at all really (sorry) - however this book changed that. I'm so glad that there was a real focus on him as a person rather than an enigma/thing in this book compared to the other two did.
You really see BJ grow so much, and begin to understand him more. For most of this book I was rooting for BJ more than anything else! And he quite easily has become one of my most loved characters. One of my absolute favourite moments is Chapter 84.

Jessa's universe will forever live rent free in my mind.

My only real "grievance" with this book is BJ casually saying "Christian and Daisy are - fuck it, never mind talk to one of them" - Trust me I would if I could! I wish I could! BUT I CAN'T. It was a little sprinkle of information that I'm dying to know followed up with a slap in the face (thanks Jessa) - ((It's fine, I'll survive)) (((...hopefully))).

The way in which I have to remind myself that these characters aren't real on a regular basis is a testament to how incredible Jessa is as a writer. Congratulations on another spectacular book!

love this series so much and this was a good ending to magnolia’s story, i cried a lot though!! these characters are everything

“it will echo through space and through time, and it’ll brush up against the edge of this universe and press into the next one that I loved you more than anything."
•

what can I say? honestly, do you know? what am I supposed to say at the end of this era?

*breathes deeply*

it was all worth it.

all the pain we endured with Parks and Beej along the way, and all the grief held within our hearts and in all the pages…it was all worth it to get where we do in the end.

it’s quite breathtaking, really, how acutely this book illustrates the sharpness and all-consuming nature of grief, along with the crippling fear of losing the person you love most in the world. there’s no shying away from the pain of it all, but it’s beautifully wrapped in love, healing, patience, and growth.

throughout Magnolia’s books, Jessa Hastings has always approached big, heavy topics with tenderness and care, and that hasn’t changed. she takes it to an entirely elevated level throughout Into the Dark. she faces the seismic scary things head-on and tackles them with grace and gentleness.

one of the things I love most is this book’s declaration that it’s perfectly acceptable — if not one of the bravest things you can do — to make your life primarily about someone else. rather than being judged for your commitment to another human, it’s to be celebrated. there’s a delightful magic in being obsessed and thoroughly in love with a partner. if not love, what’s the point?
“I’ve loved this face all my life. It’s the sun I’ll pray to, and if what we have is a temple, I built it with my bare hands—I nearly died trying to build this fucking thing. Built it til my hands were raw and bloodied. And I’ll die on the altar of loving her, happily too. That’s not a waste to me."

in my review for the first Magnolia, I said Parks and Beej’s relationship was unhealthy and nothing to aspire to. I stand by that statement about that specific time in their saga, based solely on where they were at that moment, but make no mistake…Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark IS A LOVE STORY. a love story to aspire to.

and that ending. THAT ENDING. absolute perfection. everything I could have hoped, and honestly, so very true to the characters. obviously, Jessa has lived with — and loved — them much longer than any of us, so she knows them best; but she agreed to share them with us, and I’m so grateful she stayed true to them while also giving us the closure we all need.

how’s the weather, you ask?
eternally sunny. ☀️
•

oh, and postscript: Arrie Parks is giving major Elspeth (Saltburn) vibes in this one. well, all of them in retrospect, but Elspeth didn’t exist until now, so.
•

this and that:
♡ a hand-picked family
♡ acceptance
♡ bathtubs
♡ burial research (sounds a bit morbid, I know, but you’ll understand when you’re in it)
♡ closure
♡ codependent (and deeply loving) friendship groups
♡ country homes
♡ cosmic love stories
♡ emotional turmoil
♡ epic send-offs
♡ family brawls
♡ fashion
♡ feisty grandmothers
♡ found family
♡ globetrotting
♡ healing (from many things)
♡ heartbreak
♡ Imagery Rescripting
♡ learning to live with grief
♡ life of luxury
♡ london
♡ london high society
♡ lost loves reunited
♡ love in the little moments
♡ loving them anyway
♡ luxury hotels and resorts
♡ maritime metaphors
♡ memorials
♡ power chairs (like head-of-the-table style)
♡ pros/cons lists
♡ raw human experiences
♡ recovery (again from many things)
♡ rowboats at sea
♡ saying goodbye
♡ second chance loves
♡ soulmates
♡ spontaneous weddings
♡ taking a bucket-list trip
♡ tampon humor
♡ the meaning of life
♡ therapy
♡ those perfectly mundane and intimate moments between lovers
♡ trauma bonds
♡ vegetable innuendos
♡ wedding planning
♡ yachting
•

triggers:
☞ compulsive behaviors
☞ death of a loved one
☞ divorce
☞ eating disorders
☞ gaslighting
☞ grief
☞ infidelity
☞ living life under a microscope
☞ neglectful parenting
☞ overall terrible parents
☞ physical violence
☞ pregnancy loss
☞ rape (<i>mentioned, not on page</i>)
☞ questionable coping mechanisms
☞ unwanted pregnancy
☞ verbal abuse
•

just someof my favorite passages/quotes:

- "Not a day has gone by since I met you where I’ve not loved you.”

- I count his heartbeats instead of sheep.


- “You’re in love, nothing’s fine, everything fucked and even still, somehow it’s better.”


- “all of me is a big fucking ode to just loving you”


- ‎ ‎ ‎It is hard to love someone so much, I should like to say that.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ When you think about love, there’s an innate softness attached to it, do you know what I mean? Maybe it’s that whole “love is gentle, love is kind” thing, and it is true. There’s a tenderness to loving someone. It’s Vaseline on the screen of how you see them, rose-coloured everything, picking wildflowers, gentle fingers dragging over cheeks and butterfly kisses.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ But there is another kind of love.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ A love like ours—you drown in it, fill up your lungs with it, choke on it and cough it up as you lay there dying.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ There’s a violence to loving someone sometimes.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ BJ has fought for my honour a hundred times and he will a hundred more, I’m sure because he loves me and that’s what you do when you love someone.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ That is what you do when you love someone.


-“I’ve always loved him anyway

- life doesn’t end at death, I don’t care what you say, it can’t—it mustn’t.


- My crowning achievement, probably. One of two.
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Being her sister, being loved by him.


- I think sometimes there can be screaming revelations in your life and then other times, there are the kind that dawn on you like a sun that creeps up slowly over the horizon, and it happens with a subtly and a grace where you don’t even completely recognise that you’re realising something until it’s high noon and the sun is blaring in your face and you’ve gone a little bit blind from it


- I’ve loved this face all my life. It’s the sun I’ll pray to, and if what we have is a temple, I built it with my bare hands—I nearly died trying to build this fucking thing. Built it til my hands were raw and bloodied. And I’ll die on the altar of loving her, happily too. That’s not a waste to me.


- She starts laughing and it’s my favourite sound.


- “You are the thing I have to show for in my life, and that won’t ever not be enough to me.”


- “ just no life I can think of where if you’re here, that I’m not like, finding my way back to you . . .”


- “We’re what the poems are about…they’ll write TV shows about how much I love you.” 


- “maybe that’s what the northern lights are—once upon a time, a thousand years ago, a Viking really loved the fucking shit out of this one girl and that’s what it is—proof that he loved her all over the sky…Proof that love is this sort of inimitable, like metaphysical, transcendent thing. Proof that love actually is the only thing worth spending your life trying to do, you know?”


- “I’ll promise to love you forever anywhere.”


- “One more thing for Bridge” 


- leave it to Parks to redeem Wednesdays for the world.


- it was hard and fucking brutal, but it was worth all the things that it took for us to get here, I’d do it all again. Twice, and over broken glass.

- “it will echo through space and through time, and it’ll brush up against the edge of this universe and press into the next one that I loved you more than anything.”
•

thanks to Dutton Books for sending me an early copy of Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark!
•

🐝☁️🦌🌤️❤️‍🔥

Into the Dark by Jessa Hastings unfolds a poignant tale centered around Magnolia and BJ, navigating the aftermath of profound loss. As family tensions rise and pasts resurface, the couple grapples with the daunting task of rebuilding trust and rediscovering their connection. The author masterfully explores the challenges they face, delving into the intricacies of love, trust, and the resilience necessary to carve a future together. Every page resonates with profound depth and emotional authenticity. Jessa Hastings surpasses all expectations, crafting a series rich in love, heartbreak, and life's ebbs and flows. The culmination of Magnolia Parks' journey is a deeply satisfying ending that showcases the author’s exceptional storytelling.

What a glorious conclusion to Magnolia + BJ’s books. I adored every single page of this. The character development of Magnolia and BJ, separately and together, is some of the best I’ve ever read and I’m so impressed with how real these characters feel. I’ve loved Jessa Hasting’s writing from page one of the first book, but in this one specifically, it was exquisite. Aside from being spectacularly talented with writing about the human condition, dealing with a topic as hard as grief is also daunting, and she did a phenomenal job with it. I was brought to tears numerous times, and I’m glad for it. I will be thinking about this book for a very, very long time and see it being my top read of the year.

An infinite number of stars and more. What a tsunami of a book. It's a true force of a finale for the most deserving characters ever written. Absolutely floored by the direction Jessa took with this book. It was so different from the other two MP books but simultaneously radiated the same sentimentality as the other books. Jessa poured her entire mind, heart, and soul into writing this finale. I could live a hundred lifetimes and still, I’d never read a story better than Magnolia and BJ's. I reserved so much space in my heart for these two since 2021, so there’s a heavy weight I have to carry now knowing I finished their last book. I cried 43 times while reading - heavy tears, happy tears, rainy day weather tears, Niagara Falls type of tears. My heart is in knots. Au revoir to the best people I’ve ever read about. Their journey has been a thousand trips around the sun and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I love this book SO MUCH and all that it took to get here. And let me emphasize this again, it took A LOT to get here.

Thank you, Dutton Books for the advanced copy!!!

I will post my full review on Goodreads and Other Retailer Sites on release day -