Author Spotlight | Jessa Hastings
This week is author spotlight and I had to highlight one of my favorite authors. Her books have made me feel so deeply that I constantly think about her characters as if they are my best friends. She is possibly the first author I’ve read who has done that for me and really opened my eyes to what can be done and how feelings can be expressed in a relationship. I think the amount of empathy I’ve gained from reading her books is whats changed me the most!
Jessa Hastings
Jessa Hastings is a Romance/ Fiction writer famously known for her self-published debut novel Magnolia Parks that quickly became a sensation that is has had multiple releases. All of Hastings character are complex, interesting and deeply emotional. This is what makes them so easy to connect to. One thing about all her characters is there’s always the perception of them and who they actually are. With characters like Magnolia and Daisy they both had their own public persona but how they are with the people they love is the complete opposite. The perception that people have of characters and people like them is not the truth of who they are which makes reading their stories so entertaining because you get things you might not expect. Her writing is always told in first person which makes connecting to the characters easier and when the stakes might not be high they feel high because of the reader being able to be in the perspective of all her characters. If you love drama, chaos, love and growth these character and books are for you. The Magnolia Parks series is always related to Gossip Girl which feels accurate. If you like Romantasy and classics Conditions of Will and Never are perfect options.
Magnolia Parks
Magnolia Parks is THE London socialite everyone wishes they were. BJ is the bad boy who broke he heart! Magnolia and BJ are meant to be together but have a strange way of showing it. She dates other people to make him jealous while he sleeps with other girls to get back at her. Even though the two hurt each other they always find their way back. With so much in their worlds crumbling they’re forced to face the question they don’t want to answer “ How many Loves do you really get in a lifetime?”
Tropes
Toxic Romance
He Falls harder
Childhood friends to lovers
Other Love interest
Found Family
Infidelity and jealousy
trauma bonds
My Thoughts
Rating: 5 Stars
When I first picked up this book I really truly didn’t understand it but I loved the drama that Magnolia and BJ were always in. Not only did the drama hook me but the writing did as well. I fell in love with the way everything down to the feelings were described. It was the first time I read something where the writing described feelings so deeply that it consumed the characters and all of their actions. It left me wanting to know so much more and continuing their story so much that even two years after I think about this book everyday.
What I loved most was how deeply emotional the characters are and the writing does so great at describing this. The foreshadowing is also great it really helps the end bring everything into view and helps to create the full picture. It took me some reads to even catch some of the foreshadowing because I was so invested in the story. The characters have similar aspects to Chuck and Blair from gossip girl which makes it great for readers who love their story as well as the setting of gossip girl. This has a dual pov style so we get to read in perspective of the main couple. If you’re into dual POV this is a great book for you.
Daisy Haites
Daisy Haites is a contemporary romance set in the Magnolia Parks Universe. Set in the same time frame as the first Magnolia Parks novel this follows BJ and Magnolias’ friend Christian and his relationship with Daisy Haites. Daisy is a 20 year old med student who is also sister to notorious London crime lord Julian Haites. Daisy wants a normal life so bad but begins a relationship with Christian Hemmes this is also part of a notorious crime family.
Tropes
Slow Burn
Grumpy sunshine
Mafia Life
Unrequited Love
Forced Proximity
Overprotective
My thoughts
Rating: 4 Stars
Since the events took time at the same time as Magnolia Parks it was easy to pick up and follow along even though we get a whole new set of characters. I related to Daisy in a very different way than I did to Magnolia. In the ways that Daisy loved her brother she also wanted something different was something I was familiar with and enjoyed. Where Magnolia Parks has drama Daisy Haites has chaos and violence. I really liked how this was part of the Magnolia parks universe but completely different. Since Daisy and Christian come from crime families it has a mafia sense to it and kept the same environments at Magnolia Parks.
Magnolia Parks Long Way Home
Magnolia Parks the Long Way Home continue to follow BJ and Magnolia set some time after the events of the first book but continues to follow their emotional turmoil. Returning to London from New York as they face the aftermath of their breakup and navigating new relationships and boundaries with each other. Still returning to the questions of “How Many Loves Do You Get in a Lifetime?”
Tropes
Miscommunication
Trauma bonds
Second Chance Romance
you hurt me I hurt you cycle
Obsessive Love
Morally grey characters
My thoughts
Rating: 5 Stars
Since this was the second book I went in with care for the characters so when we get more of Magnolia and BJ’s past I really did love them more. The writing here is so emotional and deep that it helps to connect with them quickly. It was a 4 star read for me because of the writing and the story never dulls that I keeps you hooked the whole time. I love that we get a bit of a gap between when the first book ended and where the second book starts. It helps to show the changes and growth between all of our characters. It also helps to move along the story a little bit and I’m glad it’s not immediately back to back. This novel gets deeper than the last and really allowed me as a reader to start rooting for Magnolia and BJ together which I never expected.
Daisy Haites The Great Undoing
Following Daisy as she attempts to escape her brother Julian and her past only to be pulled back in. During her time distancing herself from her brother she tries to live a “normal” life but comes to see that she might not ever escape the world of organized crime she comes from.
Tropes
Second chance
Mafia Gang
Forced Proximity
My thoughts
Rating 5-stars
THIS WAS TOO MUCH IN A GOOD WAY! I loved this book so much I think about this one the most in the whole series. The writing is so beautiful it made me visualize so much. I was hooked the whole time reading this that I couldn’t put it down and when it ended I couldn’t help but want the next book immediately.Theres so many moments that really just had me in shock as well as at the edge of my seat. I couldn’t stop this book and when it was over I was sad to have to wait to even get a little sliver of my favorite characters in the following Magnolia Parks book.
Never
Never is a Peter pan retelling (kind of). Never follows Daphne who is the great granddaughter of Wendy on her visit to Neverland. After being picked up by Peter Pan she is taken to Neverland and torn between the legendary boy and Jamison Hook.
Tropes
Forced proximity
Forbidden Love
Toxic Romance
My thoughts
Rating 5-stars
This is possibly my favorite Jessa Hastings Book. This is all about growing up and what I loved most about it is that when she meets Peter he has grown to her age and it makes her feel like he was doing that for her. Then she’s saved and swept away by Jamison. There’s so many elements and romanticism in this book that I loved but also a girl who’s had her own toxic relationships I related to the chaos and relationships in this story. Being that young and not knowing whats out there for you but also having this sense of growing up but then also staying young is something that so many of us don’t hold on it and I love how the idea of youth and growing up is depicted in this book and especially through the lens of relationships and what we want out of them and life. What we think is meant to be sometimes isn’t and what can be hard is probably the best things for us because it forces us to grow.
Magnolia Parks into the Dark
The third and final book in the Magnolia Parks storyline. Closing out the book the two
Tropes
Toxic Romance
Obsessive Love
-Second Chances
Healing
My thoughts
Rating 5-stars
This is the 3rd book following Magnolia and BJ. It was the prefect way to end their story and really close out that chapter of their lives for the readers to feel like we got the ending the both of them deserved. By the end of it I felt like I was leaving my best friends and I really cared for magnolia and BJ. As a reader I ended up rooting for them when I first started I couldn’t handle the chaos but I kept reading because it was addicting and I wanted to know more. The more I got the more I rooted for them and I’m truly happy with this series and It taught me that there’s so much love a person can give and the way that’s received is important and its also the impact that the love has on us as people and what it really shapes us into.
Conditions of Will
The Conditions of Will follows Georgia Carter as she goes home to Okatie, South Carolina after the passing of her father Will. Starting out with a trip home for her dad’s funeral turns into a confrontation of the past. As she’s trying to make sense of it all she develops feelings for her brothers’ AA sponsor Sam Penny. Stuck between love, loyalty and family Georgia confronts who she is and what she wants.
Tropes
-Toxic Family
-Small Town Drama
-Love Triangle
My thoughts
Rating 4-stars
This one is a fiction novel with a subplot of romance. I enjoyed this one so much. Georgia is her own person and I liked the acknowledgment of her being connected but separated from her family. The dynamic her family has is interesting and familiar to people but also very different. With them being a wealthy family that’s something that’s not familiar to me but the dysfunction between them and the loyalty that still
Time Of Your Life
Set in 1995 following Joah Harrigan frontman to one of the biggest bands in the world and Ysolde the Iconic face of a generation. Their whirlwind love story unfolds in London and they face the pressure of Fam, public scrutiny and their own complex and damaging behaviors.
Tropes
Toxic Romance
Muse Romance
Fame
Emotional Chaos
My thoughts
This one I honestly don’t know my feelings and I read it almost a year ago. It was a entertaining book to read but I was more in shock with how the characters acted. I am holding out hope. The book ends making it seem like there is going to be a follow up. I never rooted for our two main characters to be together but this is also how I felt with Magnolia parks at first, then I ended up loving it so I really don’t know.
What I liked about it mostly was the time period of the 90’s and being in London and that our main characters are these huge pop culture icons one being a super model and the other being a lead in a rock band. That combo together is interesting but then you add the fame elements to it all and it kicks up the stakes a bit.
Standout book sections
The best book to start with is…Magnolia Parks OBVIOUSLY.
This sets the stage for everything you will get from a Jessa Hastings novel. Its the only series out right now that has a decent amount of books so you can continue to read.
My favorite overall is …Never
I have reread that book every year since it was released and it still is just as magical as the first time. After reading Neverland it did give more context but it hit just as heavy and hard as the first time which shows to me how great it is because its a retelling or her own version of continuation the characters are depicted the same way and keeps it related to the source material.
Final Thoughts
After reading 8 of her books I can say I will buy EVERY one of her books. The characters are always complex and real and its so amazing to read about fictional people that feel so real. Her writing is also descriptive and emotional it hooks you from the beginning. This
Comment which from this list is on your TBR list!
Want to learn more about the Magnolia Parks Universe check this out
Magnolia Parks Series Order + Review (Spoiler Free)