The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a heartfelt and enchanting debut that blends the magic of family, love, and loss. Sadie Revelare’s journey, grappling with a family curse and the impending death of her beloved grandmother, pulls readers into a beautifully complex world where magic is both a blessing and a burden. The return of Sadie’s first love, Jake, and the reappearance of long-hidden family secrets add layers of emotional depth to the story. Fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls will appreciate the rich, quirky characters and the warm, magical atmosphere. A captivating read for those who love heartwarming, witchy tales with a touch of bittersweet romance.

Perfect for those searching for a cozy fantasy. This witchy romance really was a great fall read and offered a good time with it's cozy setting and twisty romance.

This, unfortunately, was nothing like what I was anticipating. You tell me Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic - I think cozy, largely fun and lighthearted. Not only did this book bring up some heavy and serious issues but I feel like they were handled with a heavy hand. I absolutely didn't care for the twist with the reason why the FMC couldn't be with her love interest, in fact, that was rather disgusting behavior on a certain characters part. I did like seeing the entire family together, their interactions were eccentric and fun for the most part. I would've wanted to see more of that.

CW: Attempted suicide

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! I've always had a thing for books about witches or people with magical powers, and this book was perfect for me. I appreciated the fact that there were so many facets to the story and they all came together perfectly in the end. I felt so many emotions for Sadie, Seth, and all of the family members--love, loss, reuniting, having to change, so many things. Please tell me there will be a sequel because I have to know what Sadie's mom finds out!

This was a cute and cozy witchy romance! A perfect read for fall when the leaves start to change. The romance was adorable!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me. It grabbed my interest because it was marketed as “for fans of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic” but aside from being in a small town and there being a love curse, I wouldn’t think this book related to those show/book at all.
The writing was really chaotic. I found it inconsistent and it felt like the author was struggling to choose a central theme. I gave it a good effort but in the end I couldn’t waste anymore time on it and didn’t finish it.

This was an odd reading experience. It seemed like the book was almost trying to do too many things at once, covering all sorts of genres at the same time (family drama, cozy romance, small town story, mystery novel). This being the case, none of these were given the full attention that was necessary to make it shine. The writing was also overly flowery and length at times, using ten words where only one was needed. I also really didn't enjoy the romance.

I will say, I've seen several reviewers criticize the book's approach to witches and Christianity. I think these criticisms are a bit short-sited (also perhaps a bit forgetful of recent history when I think everyone would agree that it would be altogether better if Christians were a bit less concerned about witchcraft!). Instead, this take of mixing the existence of magic with faith makes sense to me. Usually, our understanding of witches does not involve a religious component. People are 'witches" simply because they can do magic. It's a talent or skill. A character's faith, however, is completely detached from these sorts of skills. It's like saying that someone who is a talented soccer star, can't have faith? There's no inherent conflict here, unless the reviewers are somehow agreeing that Christianity SHOULD hate magic?? Isn't this the right direction and one that should be praised? (I'm Lutheran myself, so no, it's not that "real Christians" would never be on board with this book's themes or whatever). That said, I do think the emphasis on not calling themselves witches left a fairly sizable question mark on the entire theme. What do they mean by "witches" if not magic users like themselves? I think there could have been some interesting conversations here, but as it stands, the book feels like it took this halfway, but didn't fully round out the topic.

3.75 stars/5, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book, but it was not without fault. For a fantasy novel, I was surprised to find that much of the book centred around Christianity and faith in God. I was disappointed.

This story follows our main character Sadie as she tries to navigate her life around the curse of four major heartbreaks that came with her magic. She has always stood by her belief that her magic was worth the price, until her third heartbreak, her grandmother's cancer diagnosis comes as a major shock. As this is revealed, she finds out her first heartbreak Jake has returned to town.
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The storyline was cohesive and enjoyable but the resolution felt incredibly rushed. We are given a time frame to find a solution to the book's main conflict, and in my opinion, it felt a bit forced. The romance between Sadie and Jake was also marginally unrealistic. I didn't enjoy their storyline, but I enjoyed their friendship funnily enough. I felt they would've been better off as friends.

The sense of community and family is very heartwarming. The feeling is throughout the book and feels like the glue holding the story together. The family was my favourite part of the story, the relationships were very well written and the development felt natural. Raquel her best friend was one of my favourite characters other than the grandmother, her wit and kindness made her a great addition.

All in all, the book was okay but I have heard the recipes were plagiarised. I am very disappointed. 2 stars.

Good feel good magic, small town, fallish vibes book. I loved the realistic nature of the characters and the big family aspect. Also, the recipes sounded delicious.

This feels like it could have stewed some more and had a couple good rounds of edits. There's lots of first novel markers, lots of telling and a bit of confusion about what's going on in the plot

The writer nails the cozy fall vibes through the small-town setting and beautiful descriptions of food, but unfortunately the book doesn't really know what it wants to be: romance, family drama, witchy mystery? There are also some very jarring tonal shifts and casual mentions of very heavy topics.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was highly marketed on TikTok. It was described as being a crossover of Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic-- but I didn't necessarily get those vibes. There's a lot going on in this book-- which might have been too ambitious for a debut.

I'm mystified by the syncretism of witchcraft and Christianity. These things don't usually go together, but here we are.

"Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls" is the ultimate tagline for me. I would buy any book that promised this. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite fulfill that promise.

I loved the magic aspect of the story, even as it got a little bit confusing with all of the animals and spirits. But I didn't quite see the Gilmore Girls quirk and fun in it. I felt like it took itself a little too seriously to be truly affecting.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but there was definitely some whiplash that happened for me. There were random animals showing up and a spirit who was supposed to be awful who ended up being the grandfather who was mentioned very little. I liked the relationship between the twins and between Jake and Sadie. I guessed that Bethany was faking the pregnancy. There was just a lot of whiplash and random things thrown in that I wasn't understanding.

This was a good read to start off spooky season. It had a little romance, some magic, and plenty of curses. It showed how leaning on our family during tough times is necessary and what is meant to be will be. I also thought the addition of the recipes at the end of chapters was a nice touch. This was a good choice for audio because I would never have made it through the VERY long chapters.

This romantic comedy is a joy to read! With quirky characters and a fun plot, it’s filled with laugh-out-loud moments and tender scenes. The relationship develops in a believable way, and the ending leaves you with a smile. Perfect for anyone looking for a light, uplifting read!

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was one of the books I was most excited about in 2023. I pre-ordered it along with several members of my book club before being approved for the ARC.

This book had several lovely and heartwarming moments. I enjoyed the small-town feel and Sadie's relationship with her grandmother. I also loved the magic woven through Sadie's family and the premise of a heartbreak curse. I did overall enjoy the book; however it was heavily marketed as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls, which I don't think it quite met. I could see the underlying tones of Practical Magic; however, I don't feel like the charm and quirky dynamic of Gilmore Girls came through as much as expected, especially with that small-town charm vibe the book does have.

While I think this book did lack some of the charms it was fully capable of holding, I would suggest this book for cozy, witch/magic vibes with a touch of romance and family drama.

"For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls" is what drew me in however I don't think that really held up. While the premise was intriguing, the book left me a bit disappointed. It felt like the story was trying to juggle too many elements at once, almost like several stories rolled into one, and unfortunately, none of them felt fully fleshed out. The writing was a bit clunky. It had potential, but it just didn’t quite come together for me. DNF.

This was a mixed experience for me. On one hand, the premise- a witch dealing with the heartbreak curse tied to her magic- felt unique and had echoes of Practical Magic that I really wanted to love. But at times, the story felt a bit slow and droll, which made it hard to stay fully engaged.

That said, there were definitely heartwarming moments that stood out. Sadie’s relationships, especially with her grandmother and the returning Jake, added a touching layer to the story. The family dynamics were rich with secrets, and the magic woven throughout the narrative provided that whimsical touch that made it more enjoyable.

While it wasn’t a standout for me overall, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic still has its charms, particularly if you enjoy a blend of magic, family drama, and romance. It’s one of those reads that wraps you in a cozy, witchy vibe—even if it didn’t fully cast its spell on me I still found it enjoyable.

“But there’s a difference between being happy and being fulfilled. Happiness you feel in your skin. Fulfillment you feel in your bones.” 🙌🏻

“You don’t need a partner to complete you. But it sure as hell is nice to have someone to lean on.” 💞🙏🏻

“And then Sadie felt the pull as they neared Poppy Meadows Bookstore. She heard pages fluttering, calling to her. It was a siren song, one she usually couldn’t resist.” Umm YEP 📚

A book that is sprinkled with yummy recipes for sweet goodies?! Yes! Yes please. It is mid August now so I am ready for witchy reads and this one did not disappoint. There is magic, sure. But it is mostly about family, forgiveness, letting go, and letting people in. So heartfelt and a perfect way to enter the ‘ber months!

Thank you to Netgalley, Alcove Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.