Fun gorgeous amazing

Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

This book was truly a delightful read. But if I'm being honest, I really couldn't connect to it and I can't place a finger onto why. I really liked the characters. I really liked the second chance romance...

oh, I think I know.

Honestly, I didn't want the main couple to end up together. When she ends up with the bartender who was sweet and wanted to stay around, I thought it would be end game! The only reason I realized it wouldn't be was because we had too much time left. But it made me feel... sad. The main character is so worried (cursed) about being second place to things, and it felt like, at the end, that she was still second place in that guy's heart. His desire to travel the world was still number one, but he could put it aside for now.

Idk. I think the more I thought about it, the more sad I got. Again, I liked the characters, and the charm of the town, but as I consider it, it'll stick with me, but not in a way I would like.

Though I did love the writing, and would check out other books by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for a chance to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this e-arc.
I really enjoyed this and the romance was so cute.

Title: The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch
Author: Jacqueline Firkins
Publisher: St Martins Press
Publishing Date: Oct 31, 2023
Pages: 352
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Rating: ☆☆☆

Predictable Heartbreaks gave more than just your basic romance novel. There were relatable and realistic elements to the story and I really enjoyed the leisurely pace of the story.
The characters were well written and I was rooting for both Imogen and Eliot, and I loved Franny’s character.
Overall, I don’t really have any complaints as it was an enjoyable read and fit the women’s fiction category perfectly! I’d definitely recommend to readers of this genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

This gorgeous book is the kind of hot and steamy, wrapped up in decades of love, that turns us into puddles. Don’t let the curse/magic part steer you away, I don’t enjoy fantasy but the curse is more familial expectations and it is all realistic. I loved the unexpected culmination, and the quirky Oregon small town setting. Includes second chance romance with mutual pining, what’s not to love? I can’t wait to explore more from this author!

What I was expecting based on the title, blurb, and cover: a slightly silly, predictable, friends to lovers small town rom-com.

What I got: a slightly unpredictable, humorous, sweet (but a little spicy), friends to lovers exploration of self worth, taking risks, and unconventional relationships.

Imogen and Eliot are both flawed and I love how this isn't glossed over. They have actual conversations over their feelings and plans and figuring out if they can be together.

My Thoughts

Imogen Finch has never found a way to keep her romantic relationships from ending.

Her most recent one was far from perfect but at least it lasted longer than a year, only because Imogen herself put forth the most effort to keep it going.

This pattern of behavior started when she was in college and has continued throughout her entire dating life.

Breakup 17 now barely in her rearview Imogen gets a second wind when first crush Eliot Swift comes home for the first time in ten long years.

Imogen and Eliot are the kind of characters one cannot help but enjoy, she is all about family obligations, relationships with friends and making a life in their small coastal town.

Eliot on the other hand is not wired to stay in one place for very long before his desire to move on is stronger than his desire for Imogen.

Building on itself as it goes this is the second book that I have enjoyed written by the author and it in turn made me smile then made me cry before smiling again as it came full circle with a positive ending-new beginning for Imogen and Eliot.

Their journey is well thought out as both main characters and the secondary characters that support them proved to be interesting as well as entertaining to me from start to finish.

There is a saying that goes, “If you love someone, set them free; if they come back to you, it was meant to be.” This phrase implies that relationships should not be forced or a product of guilt or manipulation.

This sentiment applies very well to Imogen and Eliot perfectly.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is was fun and charming read. Imogen has never come in first, ever. She's always the girl the boys date before they find the one. She has been through many break ups and she can't figure out if she's cursed or just has bad luck. When her friend and childhood crush, Elliot, comes back into town for his fathers funeral, he encourages her to try anything and everything to get a win. I had a great time reading about Imogen and Elliot trying to break her curse and reconnect along the way. This was such a cute read!

Second chance love, fun and romantic, if you like this kind of trope this is definitely for you, the story pasting is good and the book overall is great

I absolutely loved this one! Very different from Firkin's previous adult romance but equally addicting. This one was such a soft, tender, friends-to-lovers romance filled with humor, heart, so much pining, and a little bit of magic! I'm a fan!

I adored this book. It was a little slow getting into it at first but without too much effort it was very difficult to put down. The story is beautiful, tragic, funny, and uplifting all at once. The characters are well fleshed out (even the minor ones). Jacqueline Firkins is a true storyteller. I need to go check out her other books now.

Cute and different romance book about a group of friends in a small town. The characters took me a big to get use too the mom is definitely a character. It would be interesting to have a conversation with her.

Lots of family drama and some nasty family members

I sent a review in error. Still want to read this novel but I don’t know how to clear a review. I will resubmit a review once I finish book.

The Predictable heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a simple second chance rom-com that turns into so much more. It follows Imogen, who is working half a dozen jobs supporting her mother in a small town. She’s had a bad history of relationships and has only ever been in love once, with her unrequited crush and best friend in high school.

This seemed like a very light hearted book, the beginning was quite slow and very predictable but as the romance between Elliott and Imogen grew deeper so did the book. It tackles self love and acceptance just as much or possibly even more than romance. I was very pleased with the end of this book. Too often romance books are very quickly resolved within the last chapter. This book shows a realistic resolution to the main conflict, which made it so much more satisfying then other romances!

Fun, quick rom-com. Nothing over the top. It has it's quirky characters and the guy that got away. Enjoyable and makes you laugh at some of Imogen's adventures

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC.

“The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch” by Pernille Hughes is a poignant and beautifully crafted novel that explores the complexities of love, loss, and personal growth. Hughes’ writing is heartfelt and evocative, drawing readers into Imogen Finch’s world as she navigates the ups and downs of relationships. Imogen’s character is relatable and endearing. I loved it!

If Jacqueline Firkins doesn't turn this into a series about Pitt's Corner, I'm going to riot.

I thought this was just going to be another cute rom-commy contemporary, but The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is anything but predictable. It's a snarky second-chance romance, a small town romance for skeptics that's equal parts sassy and sweet (okay, maybe it's more like a 60-40 split.) The dedication--"for the boy who left. And never came back."--should've clued me in that this wasn't going to a sparkly, sappy, head-in-the-clouds kind of a love story. It's messy, serious-ish, and angsty, and I loved it so much I was lying in bed, squinting at my kindle well past midnight trying to fight off sleep and the annoying voice that kept yammering, "you have work tomorrow" because I couldn't put it down.

THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCH by Jacqueline Firkins does not come out until Halloween (tysm @stmartinspress for approving my request on NetGalley, I love you forever) which means you are all very unlucky because you have to wait and it is SO GOOD.

This book is like if Homer's The Odyssey and Looking Glass's song "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" did a contemporary romcom collab. And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. That song is one of my all time top 10 songs.

I shan't write an essay about it (unless I finally start that substack I've been joking about??) but there is a prophecy, a curse, a man who traveled for ten years before returning home, a swoony bit about knitting (i.e., WEAVING). The ocean is practically a character. There's pining and longing and fingers brushing in a way that any Jane Austen fan would melt. Also I cried.

Long story short (too late!) I thought it was just lovely. And it did make me listen to Brandy and least three times.

I loved loved loved this friends to lovers story. Imogen was raw and real. She struggled with her moms vision of her “fate” to always come second in everything. It was an adorable backdrop for Eliot to swoop in and try to prove her wrong. It set up for silliness and seriousness. I adored the character growth throughout the book, but especially at the end. Imogen did what was right for her and finally accepted who she was fully. This book was well written, got you attached to the characters, and left me desperate for more follow up.

Second chance romance, mutual pining, small-town, deeper than I expected!

Hint of steamy, but so much more than that. Multi-dimensional characters who you can do nothing but root for! Pick this up if these tropes are for you.