This was a slower read for me than I anticipated. I enjoyed the characters overall, but it just felt like some essential element of this story was missing for me - I think I never really got a handle on what magic meant for all the different characters in the story. I also did not love the "trapped by parental obligation" obstacle in the main romance - it's a tired cliché for a reason. This wasn't for me, but I certainly know the audience that will love this, and will be recommending accordingly!

I hated this book. I can’t say it any other way. This just did NOT do it for me. Honestly, I fell for the marketing and the book just did not deliver. I’m gonna try to make my thoughts as coherent as possible, but no promises.

- The Magic system is lame. There, I said it. I think it’s boring. You could’ve taken the magic out and the book would’ve been barely changed. ALSO the witches go to CHURCH?????? I did not sign up for Christian witches lol

- Sadie is the absolute worst. She is so immature and annoying. “Oh, everyone leaves me” like GET OVER IT. You wanted your brother to never leave town because it made YOU upset? You’re both grown ass adults. That’s weird. She stole Jake’s dog???? She manipulated people with her magic and it was icky.

- Jake is not much better. I could not get behind their romance AT ALL. Also, the author tells you almost nothing about their previous relationship so I had no reason to root for them at all?? I couldn’t have cared less if they ended up together or not.

- All of the characters are one dimensional and flat. We got basically no background story on anyone. Also, there were too many characters. I get where the author was going, with the small town Gilmore Girls vibes but it just did not deliver.

- This book had no idea what it wanted to be. Was it fantasy, literary fiction, romance, suspense? It tried to be too many things and in turn, failed at all of them.

- this book was WAY overwritten. I do not need an in depth description on every food and scenery. What I do need, PLOT!!!!! Which this book is sorely lacking.

- I did not like how this book handled suicide or rape. At all. Left me feeling icky and uncomfortable both times.

Honorable mention: the weird ghost / suspense plot line is so pointless.

I wouldn’t recommend this book if you paid me. Immediately no.

Sadie has a curse and is magical. However she's going thru a lot as her grandma's dying, her ex boyfriend has returned and so hasn't her brother. It was hard to get into as I didn't really like the main character.

This is a fun fall read that will bring readers to a cute small town withe secrets and magic. The fami.ly dynamics were relatable and liked how they all came together when times got tough.

I was so excited for this one but I just was ultimately not a fan at all. It was sold to me as a crossover of Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls but I feel like that is a very poor description. I really struggled to connect with the characters and felt Sadie was kind of annoying to be in the mind of. She went from “I will avoid Jake with my entire being” to constantly being with him within pages and it was just very weird. The writing itself and the dialogue felt very clunky and choppy and just did not flow well. I feel like there was an over abundance of comparisons and description used to the point it got kind of annoying to read. the chapters were incredibly long which I generally don’t enjoy, but especially not in what’s supposed to be a romance. I just really struggled to care for the characters, Sadie’s conflicts, and the romance because it felt like we were just dropped in the middle and supposed to care without knowing the characters or any background as to what’s going on. Also the fact the witches are also Christian’s going to church every sunday is wild because… well they’re witches? idk the fact just really threw me when I read it. The only thing I really enjoyed were the recipes at every chapter but it definitely was not enough to redeem this for me.

Unfortunately due to a lack of connection to the characters and a friend's disclosure of a trigger warning that I need to avoid I am DNF'ing the book at 42%. I think this book will resonate with many readers seeking a small-town magical read that deals with heavier topics such as grief and sacrifice.

Loved the concept of it being a Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls style book, as both of those are right up my alley. Unfortunately, despite having a lot of great pieces the book felt a bit disjointed and stumbles around in many areas. It doesn't quite know what kind of book it wants to be - it's definitely not the small town witchy romance halloween read that I wanted it to be.

Here's a perfect book for October! I absolutely enjoyed and loved this book. It's warm and cosy and perfect to curl up with under the blanket while it's pouring rain outside. The only thing that bothered me, and why I gave it this rating is that it was predictable. But all in all, I had a good time with it and I will be recommending this book to my followers.

Cozy and adventurous. Everything I need in a book about witches, family and love. The magic in the world is subtle and intentional.

I'm afraid I'm DNFing this one at 40%. I've been brought out of the story a couple of times already by continuity errors - I'm reading an ARC copy so this may not be reflected in the published title - but it was things like the main character saying she was glad she hadn't eaten since breakfast when she literally just had people round for dinner.... Or saying someone was stood behind her but that "looking straight ahead, her eyes were on level with his chest".

I'm also really struggling with the dialogue. Sadie doesn't strike me as a particularly jovial person but then she tries to make these witty quips that just fall completely flat. And other than that I find myself thinking "get going, get going" with regards to the plot. I'm waiting to feel invested and it's just not happening and with a TBR as big as mine, I have to be a bit ruthless and move on.

I did read a couple of other reviews once I got to this point which reassured me I'm not alone in my feelings.

DNF at 42%. The writing of this is really just not working for me. The descriptions of side characters makes me a little uncomfortable, I really can’t stand a grandmother using “shit ass” and “pissant” as terms of endearment, and overall I’m just not invested. I don’t think this author is going to be for me.

I was really looking forward to this book, and I enjoyed reading about the bakery. The recipes are a definite bonus! However, I kept losing my train of thought while reading, I think because I just couldn’t relate to the characters at all. I finished the book but I was disappointed. 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

"The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" is a sweet book about lost and found love & family. While I really enjoyed the hands on herb & bakery magic in this book, I found the protagonist incredibly annoying and absolutely hated the entire 'romance'. The book is heteronormative romcom hell but in the tradition of all powerful women in fantasy novels, our protagonist too has to sacrifice her magic to save a man and to be able to be with a man. Wow. As you can tell, I disliked the ending immensely. I liked how the family all came together after the matriarch's death and I really enjoyed the magic system as I said, so the feel good vibe worked but overall I just couldn't stand the whining of the protagonist because her hot ex is back in town. 3 stars

"The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" is a tale of heartbreak, healing, and the extraordinary forces that shape our lives. Breanne Randall's narrative is heartfelt and enchanting, and her characters are beautifully developed, eliciting empathy and connection. This novel explores the age-old question of what we value most in life and will leave the readers wanting more.

While this one didn't give me Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic vibes. It did give me Practical magic vibes as well as fall cozy vibes. While not a stella read it was a good debut novel.

Loved it!!! I’ve been following this author since March and was super excited when I heard about the description. She’s going places!

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy this as I got into it because I'm a sucker for first-person novels. I typically find third-person writing to lack the empathy and character attachment that I find in first-person writing BUT I did "get over it" quickly and ended up really loving this book!

Sadie is a sweet soul whose heart aches for plants and creatures. I really liked her character. My only "gripe" is that her age felt very foggy to me. Some of the dialog felt very young and other times, after reflecting on experiences, I was brought back to thinking of the characters as much older. Just my two cents: you'll need to do some character development in your head but if you can manage that, this is thoroughly enjoyable especially for those who enjoy magic and/or seasonal reads during Autumn/Halloween season. :)

I believe there were a lot of things in this book that could’ve made it amazing: the cafe setting, the food recipes, the large cast of characters were all very fun and cozy. However, I think a lot of things that happened in the story didn’t sit as well with me. It just seemed like there were a lot of dark topics that were written very cavalierly or used only to further the plot, ie. cancer, suicide, depression, other mental health issues, death. I also thought that the romance subplot with Jake seemed skipped over and the entire thing with Bethany seemed a bit insensitive, especially because that whole part didn’t add much to the story or character’s development and seemed just like a way to introduce unnecessary angst. Overall, I think there were just a lot of plot points that I was not a fan of, even though I enjoyed the food parts, the family parts, and the cute animals.

I had a really, really hard time with this read. I love Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic and also love this beautiful cover. I think I was expecting something more…funny? With Bantar? And Magic? Lighthearted?

It wasn’t really that for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and there were some heavier topics that kind of just slapped me in the face without a whole lot of context after. The pacing and the plot really didn't work either.

While this one didn’t work for me I am interested in more from Breanne Randall

My only complaint is that it ended in a semi-cliff hanger. I enjoyed the book, start to finish and it was hard to move away from it. The phrase "s**t a**" is something my own grandmother used to say, so it was poignant AND hilarious. One of the better "witchy" books I've read this year!