Mischief & Magnolias

Magnolia Branch #2

by Kristi Cook

When Ryder Marsden and Jemma Cafferty return to Magnolia Branch for Christmas break following their first semester at their respective universities in New York City (Columbia and NYU), their secret relationship is revealed—they’re literally caught under the mistletoe, kissing. Unexpectedly, their parents—who’ve spent their entire lives pushing them together—are somehow less than thrilled, especially when they realize the depth of their deception.

Tensions mount as the Marsden and Cafferty families struggle to come to terms with Jemma’s and Ryder’s feelings for each other. At the same time, Jemma and Ryder must face their own problems that have arisen as a result of attending different schools—there are jealousies to be sorted out and hurt feelings to mend if their relationship is going to stand the test of time.

Will their love last, or are they star-crossed lovers, after all?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Novella, College, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

100 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2017

About the author

New York Times bestselling YA author Kristi Cook is a transplanted southern gal who lives in New York City with her husband and two kids. Her YA debut, HAVEN, was released in Feb. 2011 by Simon Pulse. The last two volumes in the Winterhaven series, MIRAGE and ETERNAL, followed in 2012 and 2013. Her first contemporary, southern-set YA, MAGNOLIA, was released in 2014. She's currently working on a contemporary YA with paranormal elements set in Savannah, GA.

Kristi also writes adult romantic fiction as Kristina Cook and Kristi Astor.

Reviews

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwww. That was soooo adorable. I’m smiling up to my ears, no actually up to my eyes. I so needed this. Once, I said I don’t like reading YA romance if that’s just all it is but Magnolia and this short sequel have me changed my mind. I don’t mind the romance at all. I loved it in fact. It’s the perfect conclusion to Jem’s and Ryder’s reverse Romeo and Juliet story.

[ambsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't even review this. It was so absolutely adorable. I read the first book in 2015 and absolutely loved all the characters and the premise of enemies to friends (can you feel a trend?) This novella (I think it's a novella) is such an amazing follow up. My heart got warmed at every sentence and I was squealing at like every sentence.

[Stacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. This was adorable and exactly what I wanted to see for them. I could easily read Jemma and Ryder forever.

[Rachel Patrick]

I've literally daydreamed about these two being together after Magnolia and how their parents would freak out when they discovered their dream couple was actually a couple and OH MY GOSH I NEED THIS.

[Marla Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jemma and Ryder are so otp it hurts <3 This novella is so cute I wish it was longer!!!!!!

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the cutest and sweetest thing ever and I love it.

[Sierra Abrams]

magnolia was literally one of my 2015 faves I NEED THIS SEQUEL INSTANTLY

[bookaholic_kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Just wow! I am very thankful for this novella. The first book Magnolia was not enough.

So we get to read how Ryder and Jennas' relationship have progressed in University and in 14 months that they kept it hidden to their parents and most importantly how their parents reacted to their relationship. It is really cute.

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was super ridiculous stupid cute and just what the doctor ordered. Some of the scenes kinda read like cheesy fan fiction (mostly anything that involved characters who aren't Ryder or Jemma) but ugh this ship is so freakin' adorable and I'm grinning like an idiot. Instant mood lifter, that's for sure.

[Monique V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so cute!!!!!I am grinning like a maniac

[Veronika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this wasn't only underwhelming as fuck, but also a totally unnecessary addition to the story, in my opinion. *sad face*

[Syki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryder a Jemma jsou oficiálně pár už nějaký ten pátek. Jediný, kdo to ale dosud neví, jsou jejich rodiče. A to může být velký problém. Teď se totiž domů vrátili na svátky a nevypadá to, že dokážou své tajemství dlouho udržet v tajnosti.

V okamžiku, kdy všechno praskne, začnou oba dva bojovat nejen se zklamáním rodičů, kteří se nemůžou srvonat s tím, že jim tak dlouho lhali, ale také s vlastní důvěrou.

Ví, že se milují, ale můžou se opravdu na toho druhého spolehnout? Může jejich vztah vůbec vydržet…?

Na tuhle novelku jsem vlastně narazila úplnou náhodou, když jsem si dávala takový rychlý re-reading prvního dílu, který se mi ohromně líbil. Nejdřív jsem se vylekala, že půjde o další takové to pokračování, kdy se ze zamilované páru stane prá, co se navzájem podezřívá a kterému se kazí všechno, na co sáhne.

Díkybohu se nic takového nedělo a autorka jela ve stejných kolejích. A to je co říct, první díl jsem četla před třemi roky a stejně mi přijde, jako by to bylo včera, kdy jsem po knize sáhla, ačkoliv jsem si nebyla moc jistá, jestli si ji vůbec chci přečíst.

Život našich dvou hlavních hrdinů se dostal do úplně jiných obrátek a je hezké vidět, že i přesto se jeden o druhého starají a ví, že mezi nimi je to něco víc. To něco, co vydrží. Je hezké čas od času číst takové lehké oddechovky, co vás pohladí po duši. Tady se mi prostě autorka krásně trefila do nálady, vyloudila úsměv na tváři a opět mě zavedla do pěkného místa. Doufám, že se časem dočkáme dalších podobných knih.


---------Reakce po dočtení knihy------
To bylo takové pěkňoučké...

[fulano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute and short! If you enjoyed the previous book, this is just another low angst story that checks up on the books previous characters. We get to see how they are after graduating, and what they plan to do as of now. Like the first book, it centers the same MCs but in this one we see how they have fared after getting together, and how they have dealt with their newfound relationship. Their relationship is not necessarily tested to the point that it’s serious, it’s mostly then deciding how to navigate it when they both have never been experienced in this department, and when Jemma fears this is an issue. Their parents and future play a big part of this, and it mostly deals with becoming a young adult. I really enjoyed this, my only gripe being that it mentions weddings in plantation when this is not something that should be used today for wedding venues. Regardless, I enjoyed it and am glad I completed a really good contemporary series.

[미셸 (Undeniably Book Nerdy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just filled with Jemma and Ryder swoons. I love these two. Two of my favorite YA couples of all time for sure. Love, love, love! I'd love to see Jemma and Ryder agains as secondary characters--their friends need their own books. More Magnolia Landing books please, Ms. Cook.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute.

[Nancy The book junkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75/5

Review to come!

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

SO adorable but honestly really unnecessary after Magnolia . It was such a short and sweet read and had some cute parts but many scenes felt repetitive of the first book and like filler due to lack of original storyline.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it was longer book. I loved it😀 and I didn't want it to end!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mischief and Magnolias is definitely more of a novella than a novel. Although there seems to be a small conflict (parent's disapproval), I think it was solved way too easily.

However, I did enjoy the Jemma and Ryder bits because I absolutely loved them in Magnolia. :)

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cait's right: this is super sweet. (Also super short, but you can't have everything.) Magnolia is a book that stuck with me, for whatever reason, and this is a really nice followup.

[Mandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was still in love with the first book. However, in reread, I found a lot of issues with it, but I felt the need to complete it with this novel. So, I might have been a bit biased going in, but I found this story particularly lacking. I felt like Jemma and Ryder were so focused on the drama, which I didn't even get? And there were so so so many characters for being a less than 100 page novella. Wasn't the goodness for me.

[Mary]

January 17, 2017: YUSSS. Only 3 weeks to go! And that COVER. *swoons* ALL the heart eye emojis for that gorgeousness.

Dec 22, 2016: GIMME IT. You can't tease this book's existence and release in 2016 AND THEN NOT GIVE ME THE BOOK, KRISTI!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An even faster read than the original, Mischief & Magnolias is a novella that takes place the winter break of Jemma and Ryder's freshman year of college.

In all honesty, I think this book could've been full length. While I like 'happily ever after' as much as the next girl, showing what happens afterwards is always interesting. The original book ends after homecoming their senior year, and Mischief & Magnolias does a quick wrap up of everything thats happened since then: they're in New York, going to school, their parents still don't know about them.

Going off to college is a huge change. Going to a college far away with your boyfriend is even bigger. It would have been interesting to see how Jemma's relationship changed with Ryder, and with her friends back home. Also, the sneaking around.

Instead, this book takes place over the few weeks of their winter break - with a time jump in between (and an epilogue at Valentine's Day). As the summary says, their parents find out about them. Surprise! It's all a bit ridiculous, and feels like a condensed space of time. All of a sudden they get jealous over other people (Stefan / Maddy) when in the past neither had mentioned fights or being jealous. Actually, they say that in the 14 months they've been together, they haven't had a single fight (which is hard to believe).

All in all: it's cute if you liked the original or had a connection to either character. I thought the original was okay, and didn't really connect to either character because they felt very one-dimensional. (Even in this one I still didn't feel like I got to know Jemma any better.) But I will admit - the epilogue was super cute.

[Nathasya Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on The Wednesday Issue

Mischief & Magnolias is a novella in the Magnolia Branch series by Kristi Cook. It is a companion to the first novel in the series called Magnolia. For those of you who haven’t read the book, Magnolia told a story about Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden, whose families are friends and basically the Southern Royalty. They hate each other and their families want them to be together. SPOILER ALERT. By the end of the first book they were together and this novella is the continuation to it.

The two haven’t told their families yet that they were together. They both moved to NYC for universities so it was easy for both of them to hide their relationship from their overbearing mothers. They are now back together in their hometown and have to continue hiding their relationship because they don’t want their parents to find out yet.

For me, I only focus in their relationship with each other. Since they hated each other in the first book, there weren’t enough swoony moments for me. This novella though is a different story because I FINALLY GET TO SEE THEM BEING A COUPLE. I loved every second of it. They are so adorable and this book is definitely the perfect conclusion to their story. Although I won’t complain if Kristi Cook decides to write more stories about these two.

[Ubah Khasimuddin · Rating 3 out of 5]

its a cute little novella follow up to Magnolia. For people like me who want to know what happens after - to make sure the happily ever after continues; this is for you.
The short story (100 pages on my kindle) take us to Ryder and Jemma's first Christmas break after starting college in NYC. Their Mom's catch them kissing under the mistletoe and all hell break's loose. The parents are upset because they were lied too about Ryder and Jemma not liking each other and missing out on some events, like taking pictures of Jemma and Ryder at the prom, etc. There is a tiny bit of tension as Ryder and Jemma adjust to this new reality but don't worry no big shocks in this book - which I was happy about.
I did like that this book gave us a glimpse of Ryder and Jemmas' lives in NYC and that this is a true book, that Ryder and Jemma do sleep together (no explicit scenes but it is alluded too), which is reality so I'm glad its mentioned.
I recommend for people like me who want to read more of their fav couples and like happily ever afters. For me this was an indulgence of my guilty pleasure - young adult romance novels.

[Sierra &#x1f338; · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This novella was so freaking cute I can't even handle it. Especially the epilogue. I had to refresh myself on Magnolia by skimming through it before I read this and I'm really glad I did, because otherwise I don't think I would have been able to connect to it quite as well. I love Ryder and Jemma's relationship. I'm happy that the moms were upset when they found out, because they're so controlling and they need to learn that they can't keep their kids under their thumbs forever. I also enjoyed the blow of Nan moving to Washington D. C. I was super upset for Ryder not being able to play football anymore, but I'm glad he seems okay with it and has other interests. The epilogue was so cute and perfect, it makes me want to cry happy tears. Just that one line: "...it didn't matter that he was giving her a family heirloom. Because she would be family one day." I didn't think it could get any sweeter or more perfect than that, but then it does: "My mama warned me about girls like you...[she said] that I should marry...and just watch, someday I will." #swoon

[Julia (Jules) Yang · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Tooth-rotting fluff. If you want a book that's all idiocy and no plot, this is the book for you!! It was fine for what it is (a short novella), but it was so full of picturesque story tale endings and naive narration that I couldn't really get into it, like at all. To be fair, Sweet Magnolias also has a pretty naive voice, storytelling-wise, but definitely not to the extent that this book does. At least I finished the book, which has to count for something, but if we're being honest, that was due more to the books length than its content. If you want to read this book, I would say go ahead. I'm not going to discourage you from reading it, but I'm definitely not going to encourage you either.

[Eloisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Hmm, my mama warned me about girls like you.”
“Oh, yeah? What’d she say?”
“That I should marry you,” he says with a grin. “And just watch, someday I will.”

I loved Magnolia. It was probably one of my favorite YA contemporary romance novels out there. Could you imagine my happiness when I found out that there was a sequel for it? Man, it was a good day.

Mischief & Magnolias was just like an update of what had happen to the characters after Magnolia ended. It was just okay, nothing grand or anything. I kinda expected a little depth, though? Nevertheless, it was a cute read and I missed Ryder and Jemma.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

​When Ryder and Jemma come back from college, their secret relationship is found out and the parents are surprisingly unhappy with it even though they were wanting this the entire time? Well there is also the trouble of the fact that the two are facing difficulties with their long distance relationship and different colleges and have become kind of jealous while they are separated. This novel had a lot of drama which made it all the more interesting. Was very realistic with the opposites of southern country life as well as moving away to college!

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good epilogue to the first book. Definitely very short doesn't rlly feel like a novel or even a novella. Sucks thats its pretty expensive for what it is. But I'm so glad I found it. It's a great series and we finally get to see the after. In most books the "happily ever after" isn't shown and thats one of the best things about this book. The characters are also pretty great just the plot had holes fir some reason. Overall, great series not amazing but id rate it 8.1/10.