17 breakups. Really Imogen saw it coming. When her clairvoyant mother predicted she would never be first she really didn’t believe this would could for relationships but 17 breakups say otherwise. When her childhood crush Eliot returns to town he is determined to help her see there is no curse. This was a sweet story!
Huge thank you #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5 stars!

"The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch" by Jacqueline Firkins is a fantastic book. It's one of those "deceptively deep" romance novels that involve second chances, grief, death, and missed connections. That's not to say it's *all* dower. There is a lot of fun, banter, and happiness to be found here. I absolutely love Jacqueline Firkins' prose/writing style. She gets it right every single time, knocking it out of the park with the balance she strikes between melancholy and levity. I loved the small Oregon town (Pitt's Corner) where the title character, Imogen, lives. It's honestly "vibes," as the youths say. This small-town setting is juxtaposed by main male character Eliot's well-traveled, backpacking, "roughing it" ways. Imogen and Eliot are best friends who are both running from things bigger than themselves. Imogen has been through 17 break-ups in her life, none of them instigated by her, and all of them for basically the same reason: they found their soul mate, and it was never her. After all, Imogen thinks she's cursed, and why shouldn't she? Her mother sees visions and has epiphanies, and she told her as much when she was a kid These things have made the usually outwardly sunshiny Imogen retreat into herself on more than one occasion. The biggest heartbreak of her life is Eliot. She has been in love with him since they were in high school, but he left town shortly after graduation because of his awful home life and never looked back. Imogen has no idea if Eliot feels the same way as she does. After his father passes away, Eliot returns to Pitt's Corner for the first time in nearly a decade. Their friendship picks up as if Eliot never left, and Eliot is determined to help Imogen break her curse come hell or high water. Imogen longs for more with Eliot, even if it means another heartbreak for her. Their journey is well-developed, a bittersweet and heartbreaking expedition that can also be lovely and finite. Getting to know these characters was a privilege, a journey I will not soon forget. This book ran me through a gamut of emotions. I loved getting to know all about this world, learning about Pitt's Corner, Imogen's mom's wacky and prophetic psychic visions, Eliot's travels and fractured familial relationships, Imogen's doubts and fears and artistic abilities. It is a little long, but don't let that stop you. I highly recommend that you read this spectacular book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jacqueline Firkins, St. Martin's Press, and St. Martin's Griffin for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Overall, I thought this book was cute, however I found the middle part of the book to move very slowly. It was repetitive, very little seemed to happen with the characters, and honestly it was on the sadder side of things. The book started amazing and I did like the end part of it too, although predictable. The main character was likeable, however I wanted to yell at her many times. She was often not a realistic character in my opinion. The supporting characters were also great and I truly enjoyed all the relationship dynamics.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I had high hopes for this one since I previously read Jacqueline Firkins' Marlowe Banks, Redesigned and loved it! Sadly, this one just wasn't for me.

ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ: Imogen is cursed to never be first at anything, including love, so she consistently gets dumped by boyfriend after boyfriend when they find their true love. In walks her childhood crush and best friend, who tries to help her break her curse.

ᴍʏ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴇɴᴛs: The concept of the book was cute with the cursed main character and her childhood bestie who she was secretly in love with for years, but ultimately, it fell flat for me. The story was so slow, I struggled to slog through the chapters, and the friends' level of devotion felt unrealistic and forced. Personally, I was rooting for the bartender the whole time!

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ:
🕊️friends to lovers/fated mates
🕊️found family
🕊️small-town romance

4 1/2 Stars

This book is an unexpected gem. It's so much more than the title or cover implies. It is true that it's a cute romance but it also deals with issues of self worth and the lack thereof, broken families, illness and much more. It's a beautiful story of life and the people you meet along the way. It shows how each of life's events can impact you in good and bad ways. For some reason, it really speaks to me and will probably stay with me for a while. Even though it's not an incredibly unique thought, the manner in which the author gets to the crux of the story was quite original and enjoyable.

Imogen Finch is a relatable character who doesn't really know how to prioritize herself. Because of this shortcoming, she continues to feel as if she's struggling through life while everyone around her seems to have it all figured out. Her journey is a rough one but necessary for her to come to fully understand herself and why she's how she is.

The side characters are well-written as well and really add to the depth of the story. All in all, this is an enjoyable read that I can easily recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

From the title, we know that Imogen and relationships don’t work but we hope for the best. All the contests that are attempted are amusing but sadly reinforce her curse. I wanted a magical cure but it’s not that easy. I really wanted Eliot to wake up and fortunately Imogen convinces him to seek therapy.
I don’t want to spoil the story. It’s categorized as a romance and it ultimately is but for me it was really too little, too late.

I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and Jacqueline Firkins’ new novel The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is one of the sweetest ones I’ve read in a long time.

When Imogen was younger, her mother tells her that she is cursed to never take first place in anything she does, including in her love life. Her mom’s prophecies tend to come true, so Imogen isn’t surprised when she loses every sport she plays, every art contest she enters, and she isn’t even surprised when every guy she dates eventually tells her that he has met someone better. She has come to accept the curse for what it is and to just live with it. That is, until Eliot, Imogen’s secret crush from high school, unexpectedly returns to town and appears to take an interest in her. Imogen suddenly finds herself motivated to see if there is a way to break this curse once and for all.

Imogen is an immensely likeable character. She has a huge heart and is always looking out for others, so everything about the curse just broke my heart and made me so angry on her behalf. As soon as I saw how much she clearly still had feelings for Eliot, I was rooting so hard for the two of them to find their way to each other.

I also really liked Eliot and that he is Imogen’s biggest cheerleader when it comes to trying to break the curse. He believes that if she can just score one win, in absolutely anything, that everything will change for Imogen and so he makes it his mission to take her around town trying out any possible game and contest from trivia games to corn-shucking contests to try to score that elusive first place. I loved his determination and I especially enjoyed that it led to so many cute moments between them. Eliot’s nomadic lifestyle had me a little concerned and angsty that a happily ever after might not be an option, but that did not stop me from hoping.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a moving story with a hint of magic that while sometimes sad, is ultimately heartwarming and uplifting. Give it a read and I’m sure Imogen and Eliot will capture your heart just like they did mine.

I loved this book! I was really rooting for the main characters and wanted them to find their connection. I enjoyed every page.

Thank you to Griffin and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a wonderful story of love, second chances and faith. Although it has quite the tear jerker ending, I really enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised at all the little bits of magical realism throughout the story.
I knew my heart would be broken and I had faith it would all be worth it in the end.

So many fun and lighthearted when Eliot and Imogen decide to break her curse of never being first. Even though they try so hard something always seems to go wrong. The pancake story had me laughing out loud.

My favorite part “Eliot slips a knitting needle out of the patch of ribbing I made tonight. He gently unplucks a row of stitches. Then he eases the needle back into place.” I thought my heart would burst.

Perfect if you enjoy
Second chance romance
Magical realism
Friends to Lovers

The curse aspect of this book was Great and unique. I just couldn’t get into the romance she should have ended up with her other love interest

I really enjoyed this one. I expected something a bit more cutesy based on the description, which is to say that I expected them to fall in love over a series of contests designed to help Imogen break her always-a-runner-up curse.

What I got was a second chance love story, with two characters kept apart not by a curse or lack of (or lopsided) love, but by their own hang-ups: Imogen, who does for others before she does for herself; and Eliot, who is constantly avoiding the family who never loved him well and the life that never fit him. I liked that acknowledging their love didn't come with an instant cure-all for all their problems, and that their happily-ever-after moment took work and some self-explorations.

Fun and rounded cast of side characters, plus a sweet, small-town vibe.

Definitely recommend.

This is my feedback for the predictable heartbreaks of Imogen finch. I did enjoy this book and am very thankful I was able to preview this book in advance.

Imogen Finch's life in Pitt's Corner, Oregon, is far from the dreams of an aspiring artist. Since she's come back to care for her possibly clairvoyant mom, her creative spark seems to have dimmed. Her mom's eerie prediction that Imogen would never be anyone's first choice haunts her, especially after a string of 17 breakups and a stalled career. But things start to change when her childhood best friend and secret crush, Eliot Swift, returns after a decade.

Despite Imogen's sunny outlook, she struggles with self-doubt, a theme that's heartbreakingly evident in the stories of her past relationships woven throughout the book. Eliot's return initially worries me, given Imogen's unspoken love for him. But their connection is beautifully written, filled with romantic moments and a shared mission to help Imogen win at something, anything. Their bond is strong, playful, and deeply touching.

This story is a bittersweet mix of joy and sorrow. Imogen is the kind of character you root for, selfless and big-hearted, yet unsure of her own worth. Eliot, with his wandering spirit, initially sets off alarm bells, but his love and respect for Imogen are clear and heartwarming. Their relationship, along with the protective community around Imogen, adds layers of depth to the story. It's a poignant tale that made me laugh and cry, typical of Firkin's unique style. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of her work.

Thanks St Martin's Press!

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved Imogen, Eliot, and the rest of the quirky characters in this novel. The small town where everyone knows everyone, and everything, made for an entertaining read.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this charming story of self-esteem, love and taking risks. I’m sharing my review voluntarily. I usually give myself the out of DNR if I’m not into a book by 25%. With this story, I was hooked at 5%. I loved that the story got started right away. The characters were well developed and lovely. The setting was immediately visualized in my mind and I loved every minute of being in this small coastal community. The premise of Imogen being cursed felt a little played out at times but it evolved beautifully. I wish I could read this again for the first time.

After reading and somewhat enjoying Firkin's last novel (Marlowe Banks, Redesigned), I didn't have high expectations going into Imogen Finch. I liked the author's writing style, so I decided to give her another go before writing her off as not for me...and I am so glad that I did.

This is another prime example of "Never judge an author by the first book you read by them." Because if I had, I would have missed this delight of a novel.

rating: 4 STARS
genre: romance, women's fiction
release date: 10.31.2023 (OUT NOW)

I think it's important to start this review with this fact: This is NOT a straightforward romance. While there are elements of falling in love and second chance romance, this is more about a woman's journey to fall back in love with herself than it is falling in love with someone else. Imogen spends much of the novel lamenting about how she never comes first - she's never the love of someone's life, she never wins a contest, she never gets the job. Ever since her eccentric mother predicted that she would always be second, and with her mother's visions almost always coming true, Imogen had no reason to think otherwise.

She never threw her whole heart into a relationship.
She never truly reached for the stars with her art.
She accepted that her best friend was better and more well liked than she was.

But then everything changes when her childhood crush comes back...and it turns out, he's into her too. And has been for a long, long time. And he shows her there's more than one way to come in first.

Things I liked:
I enjoyed the dynamics between the three main characters. I totally believed that they were best friends who had lost touch but could pick right back up.
Elliot & Imogen's relationship was honestly very cute. Because it wasn't big moments - it was a lot of small moments.
Imogen was such a realistic character. Right down to the bad breakup haircut.
The narration was very good! I listened to this one in about a day and couldn't stop.

I think if you're looking for a sad, sweet book about a woman finding herself, then this would be a good book to grab!

Brilliant execution! I couldn't put this one down! The characters are beautiful, complicated, messy, and so full of life and love that you can't help but connect to them. The friendships and relationships are just the same, which makes them that much better. I loved how this story unfolded and I was not at all disappointed with the ending.

Well done, Jacqueline Firkins! 👏👏👏 I am looking forward to reading more stories from this brilliant mind!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Ok so I read this one just a couple of weeks ago and already forgot what it was about, I guess a 3 is pretty spot on for that. Imogen has recently been dumped but as with all her relationships it's not really a surprise. She has known from a young age that she will never be anybody's first and lives this each time she is broken up with for another woman. Things begin to change as her childhood best friend comes back to town and they pick up their friendship like he never left. Imogen must learn that maybe she never put her self first so how can others put her there as well. I felt this one was more woman's fiction than romance and I think thats where I struggled with it. I do really enjoy this authors writing so I will be picking up books by them in the future, this one just fell a bit flat for me. Thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review.

i hope imogen gained some self confidence after even this book/story ended. it was such a nice story showing how you keep learning new things when relationships end and try to figure out the why if it isn't clear

Oh, love and heartache seem to go hand in hand, I am a sucker for first love books, and complicated childhoods, I found this story endearing with lots of love and hope, power of friendship and who you call family.

Imogen Finch believes she is cursed in love; seventeen breakups is not proof then I don't what is. She puts everyone first before her own happiness, she is ready to give up on love all together until Eiiot Swift her first high school crush returns home, maybe she can try again.

He is determined to break her unlucky curse, from trivia games to corn shucking, as they grow closer and closer can he put his need to wonder around the world on pause?

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book for my honest review.