Je ne suis malheureusement pas allée au bout de cette lecture. Le rythme était un peu off et j'anticipait les clichés de la romance dès le début. Je n'étais pas dans le mood pour cette lecture finalement car malgré tout ça reste un livre sympa et on peut passer un bon moment en le lisant. Je m'attendais à quelque chose d'un peu différent de mon côté.

I went into this book expecting Gilmore Girls + Practical Magic vibes, per the synopsis...and unfortunately it was not that. The plot was all over the place, the "romance" felt cringey and awkward, overwritten, and I didn't really like the recipes thrown in. Just overall not a pleasant reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Cozy magical realism with a touch of romance? Yes please! Put this on your TBR if:
- Practical Magic is your comfort movie
- you spend all year dreaming of the first pumpkin
spice latte of the season
- baking is your love language
- you pretend that you don't like romantic comedies,
but you binge them in secret
- you liked The Ex Hex or anything by Sarah Addison
Allen


Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel.
With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns to town, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart. Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together.
As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and she has to decide: is love more important than magic?

This was a lovely read and one I’ll be recommending to cosy fantasy reader friends! Great fun. Loveable characters.

In Randall's debut novel "The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" we are introduced to Sadie Revelare, a witch cursed to never fall in love or else she face dire consequences. It is not until her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer that she is forced to face her curse dead on - in the physical form of her first heartbreak Jake McNealy. With buried secrets coming to light Sadie comes to realize that she might have to lose a part of herself to gain a life she never expected.

I know the author really pushed for this book to be a balance of "Practical Magic" and "Gilmore Girls" but I genuinely only got the "Practical Magic" aspect. I also found that the balance of cozy and suspense to be a bit off, there wasn't as much of a flow of keeping me on my toes while also ensuring moments of reprieve. Lastly, I found the prose a bit distracting with too many similes/ metaphors. It felt like the author wanted to check off so many boxes (POC insert, cozy vibes, romance, family drama, and fantasy elements) and ended up with a plot line that didn't feel cohesive.

This is a charming wandering book that flirts with whimsy like Practical Magic without going full witchy, leans towards the coziness of a small town story like Gilmore Girls... while being set in California. Sadie is the POV character, and she along with her grandmother and brother are navigating a complex and painful family history (including a largely absent mother).

The BEST part of the book by far is the detailed description of delicious treats cooked up in the cafe Sadie works in - the food acts as characters and driving forces in the narrative. Each chapter comes with a recipe, which is really unique for a novel vs a memoir from a chef or something.

All in all, I enjoyed it. Bits of magical realism and light character driven tension were a nice palate cleanser between heavier texts.

Content warnings for: Cancer, toxic familial relationships, character death

Sadie is the latest in a long family line of witches. All the magic in her family always comes with a curse. Her curse is that after 4 heartbreaks, she will lose her magic forever. Because of this, and a serious heartbreak as a late teen, Sadie keeps to herself and avoids getting to close to anyone. But her beloved grandmother's impending death sets her on a path to rekindle things with her old flame at the same time as she gets to be surrounded by the family she loves.

TRIGGER!! There is an attempted suicide on page. Read with care.

I honestly don't know what to say about this. Is it chick lit? Is it fantasy? Is it romance? Is it a jumbled, disjointed story that's about 4 hours longer (in audio) than it should be for being just over 300 pages?

Sadie is kind of selfish, she's all in her head, without truly seeing the world around her. And boy, does she have some shit to learn.

I requested the ARC from NetGalley years ago, but never wound up downloading it, and the reminder was flapping around in my unfinished pile for ages. Now that I've finally gotten to it, it honestly wasn't something to write home about. I did wind up listening to the audiobook once I got to it.

I was confused about what the point was, the ending felt very open, like the author was preparing for a series of books, and I see there's at least a second, but I don't have interest in reading ANY more.

I don't know if I'm just not the right audience (doubtful since my 3 stars are on par with the rest of the GR reviews) or if the book needed more polish.

And if this review seems like I'm saying a lot of words that don't really say much about the story itself or the characters, well... it's not without reason.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

I found that I put this one down and had a very hard time picking it back up. It was missing something I think I expected it to have, but still enjoyable

I really enjoyed this a lot. It gave practice magic vibes with the emphasis on family and the importance of love. I liked watching the character growth throughout and enjoyed the emotional growth of Sadie throughout.

I think as super tickled by Gigi’s recipes at the end of each chapter. They were full of personality and made me want to get in the kitchen and bake something.

Something about this book just did not work for me, and I cannot place my finger on it. The atmosphere was nice but the world seemed under developed, the character dynamics were a bit off, and the dialogue felt stilted and awkward. I like some elements of this... but there was enough "off" that I had a hard time finishing it.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall had a promising premise, blending romance, magic, and emotional growth. However, I found the pacing slow and some parts of the plot predictable. While the magical elements were intriguing, they didn’t feel as fully developed as I’d hoped, and at times, the characters’ motivations lacked depth. The romance had potential but didn’t fully capture my heart. Overall, the book felt like it had a lot of ideas but didn’t quite execute them in a way that resonated with me, earning a 2.5-star rating

I like magical realism, but I think this plot kind of dragged on and could have used some reworking/editing. I thought the premise was really interesting, it's very similar to Sarah Addison Allen's "Garden Spells" - and in my opinion this was a less compelling story, weaker writing, and flatter characters. The plot was a little predictable and overdramatized in a way that didn't really ring . I did like it, there are just a lot of things I would have changed about the structure of the plot to really love it.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

Breanne Randall’ masterfully weaves Sadie’s magical abilities into this story, using them as a metaphor for the vulnerabilities and sacrifices that come with being in love. Magic isn't just a superficial plot device - it's personal, and tied to the characters and their emotional development. The author's prose is warm, rich, and really draws you into the small-town setting of the book. Pacing could have been better, but all in all this was a delightfully cozy read.

I started this book but ended up DNFing it when I started feeling the weird conservative vibes it was giving off. I like my witchy books with less judgement and not as much negative religion overtures.

This was supposed to be a lot of things that it wasn't. OUch. I hate to give bad reviews but this did not stand up to the hype and I will not be recommending it.

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!