Sadie runs a cafe in a small town where she uses magic to help do good for people by adding magical herbs to baked goods. Jake, her high school sweetheart, returns to town and that throws any careful plans Sadie had for her life out of balance.

Overall, I liked the plot and it does have some cozy vibes, but it needs content warnings including death of a loved one, grief, depression and attempted suicide

I just reviewed The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall. #TheUnfortunateSideEffectsofHeartbreakandMagic #NetGalley

Okay lots of mixed feelings here.
2.5⭐️ rounded up

Let’s start with what I loved:
Gigi
The vibes of the café

What I liked:
The recipes
The magic
The cozy vibes
Secrets
The different meaning of the different baked goods and herbs
The extended family and their chaos

What I didn’t like:
I just did not like Sadie. She’s supposed to be this very smart and strong woman and in some ways she is. However, her internal monologue annoyed me and she continues to make dumb choice after dumb choice. What she was supposed to do after she read the letter was very obvious but she takes it so literally and does something stupid.

I did not feel the chemistry or history between the love interests.

I did not like the thing that Jake had to tell Sadie. It felt weird and so random.

The pacing of the book felt very off to me as well. I found myself skimming to get to the end.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I love this new trend in publishing with witchy romances and books with magic in the everyday. They were quite hard to find in the past years (it has always been a favourite sub-genre for me) but now they seem to be everywhere and I'm in my element!

This was less romance and more of a family drama, with aspects of grief that really resonated with me as I am coming to terms with my own grief currently.
Sadie as a main character, felt so real to me and I saw a lot of myself in her - trying to keep the family together, trying to keep bad things from my loved ones, and not really giving herself time to process her own thoughts and feelings.

My one problem with the book was that by the end I did find the hints at christian religion a bit much, but that's a me problem and not a book problem.

Trigger warnings for:
death of loved ones, loss of a parent, rape (hinted at), cancer, mental health issues, suicide.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic follows Sadie, who has magical abilities that come with a curse. Since she was young, she’s known that she will experience four heartbreaks in her life, each one worse than the previous, and after the last she will lose her magic forever. After already experiencing two out of the four, the book follows her as she navigates life and love and family.

I wanted to try this book because it was different from what I usually read. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as I hoped. I felt like the plot kept on going, with some details not meaning anything but being mentioned multiple times, and others coming kind of out of nowhere. I liked the characters for the most part, and liked the overall story the plot was telling. I found that I had to force myself through the last 1/3 of the book unfortunately, but I did overall enjoy it.

I was expecting a cozy, witchy, small town vibe, and I got that from about a third of this book. The characters felt messy and the drama was slightly overbearing. This was marketed as a Gilmore Girls type vibe but was lacking in the humorous banter and quipy conversations. I found some of the characters quite irritating, and a lot of their motivations were unclear to me. Specificaly, I didn't really understand the relationship between Sadie and Jake.

Overall, the witchy cozy hug you want from a small town setting laced with magic is there, but it wasn't quite enough to make this a favorite. The recipes were the cutest touch though!

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was an enjoyable read for me, but I think it’s being misrepresented in a way that is going to leave many readers disappointed. The publisher is comparing it to Gilmore Girls and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, but I don’t think either of these comparisons are accurate. It lacks the wit, quirky characters, and small-town charm of Gilmore Girls. There was potential for the latter two, but the town and its residents weren’t fully developed. It was also heavier than Gilmore Girls or The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches. Practical Magic seems a much more appropriate comparison here - the book had dark moments, a very raw depiction of grief that rang true, but there were also some lighter magical moments and great family dynamics. I really liked the romance, which brought some much needed warmth. The ending left me wondering if the story will be continued, but if not, it made a satisfying standalone title. I’d recommend this one to magical realism fans, but with the warning that this book is not as lighthearted as the publisher’s blurb implies. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC!

This is the perfect fall read. It had the perfect amount of magic and there’s recipes at the end of every chapter!!! This book shows a realistic side of grief and life in general and it had the right amount of angst. I definitely want to read more from this author!

Practical Magic with a new modern twist. This is one favorite witchy books that I have read! It’s the perfect cozy, witchy read. Perfect for fall. The writing is great and so descriptive that you feel like you’re actually in the book.

"It’s easier not to lose anyone when you don’t let them in all the way."

Sadie Revelare is afraid of heartbreak and losing her magic that she doesn't let many people get close. When her beloved GiGi is diagnosed with cancer, Sadie must decide what is most important to her. This small town Practical Magic book has second chance romance, twins, aunts that channel Stevie Nicks, magical baking, and long kept family secrets.

There is other comparisons to Gilmore Girls that seem like a reach to me. Some heavy points in the book that could be very triggering so mind the warnings. Otherwise, I liked the Practical Magic/Stevie Nicks/Halloweentown vibe! Perfect fall read.

“Hold on to hope no matter the cost, because as long as there’s hope, everything else is just the unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic.”

Sadie Revelare is cursed. Everyone in her family is, really. But Sadie's cursed to four heartbreaks, each one growing increasingly worse. In the end? She loses her magic. I loved the soft, subtle magic in the book. So cozy and welcoming. It fell a little flat but overall was a nice cozy fall witchy romance.

"Heartbreak for Sadie wasn't a passing folly, to be recovered from with time and chocolate and tears. Because of her curse, it could take everything from her."

Make sure you have some tissues and maybe a shoulder to cry on before you pick up this book.

This story is painfully bittersweet, full of tender moments of heartbreak and loss. It authentically looks at the strange things we do to protect ourselves, the distance and barriers we build that leave us lonely when all we really want is to feel connected to people. And underneath all the sad moments, there’s so much warmth and humanity to go along with it felt like a tight hug after a good cry.

Sadie was a beautiful narrator, giving us a beautiful descriptive story with lyrical prose and so many small details that create a clear picture for us. At times her voice did feel very stiff, cold and distanced — which makes sense considering how guarded she is but at times it did make it a little difficult to connect with the story. But I adored the little snippets of recipes used in the story and the interpretations of how different ingredients can manifest different things.

I loved the subtle, every day magic that imbued this story — a reminder that magic isn’t always all about curses and dreams coming true but can be found in the small things. It was quiet, but that made this brand of magic even more spellbinding. The story was slow moving and spent time in the little thoughts and details, giving the reader time to think about we’d do if it was us.

A warm, witchy story full of heartbreak and healing.

This book delivered all of the magic drama filled romance I expected with some great additions.

I loved the magic system & the story telling so much and the characters were interesting and fun. Definitely a book that would be perfect for a cozy witchy spooky season read.

It did get a little slow at some parts & I was originally hoping for a little more dialogue that gave “Gilmore girls” vibes like the promos for the book suggested, but it was still an enjoyable read with a solid plot that doesn’t disappoint! :)

Thanks to Alcove Press, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

This second chance romance is packed with beautiful descriptions and recipes, some of which I would love to try. There is a very witchy, halloweenie feel to this book which makes it a nice read.

The thing that I feel didn't work for me were the characters. I couldn't really get a handle on Sadie's character - she often seemed winsome but her language more light-hearted than suited someone with a broken heart.

Jake was even harder for me to relate to, and Sadie's forgiveness, complicated by her curse, was confusing. Even Racquel, Seth and Gigi seemed a bit all over the place.

While the book was seasonally atmospheric, the story and characters just didn't work for me.

I absolutely adored this book!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for honest feedback.

This book was promoted as a mix between practical magic and Gilmore Girls and I think it was spot on. It had that cozy witch/ cozy fantasy vibe that you have in practical magic with the small-town feel of Gilmore Girls.

It was an easy read and quick read. I enjoyed all the character's banter and it made me want to snuggle up with a hot chocolate by the fireplace the whole time. I also loved that the recipes that were mentioned in the books were ones that started each chapter. I am very tempted to try one even though I am terrible at baking and cooking! It was a nice tie-in to the book!

I would read this book again as I think it is now one of my favorite cozy fantasy/witchy books. It is a perfect book for fall and I recommend it!

“Some things you can change, but those you can’t are best left well respected.”

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a good novel for fans of magic and small town romance. The book also has elements of family dynamics and backstory, which added more depth to the book.
I felt that the plot was somewhat slow in the beginning, but I liked the overall story. Randall’s descriptions were very detailed and I could tell that she put a lot of effort into the details of the novel.

The perfect cozy, autumnal witchy read. Why was I so surprised that I cried when “heartbreak” is right in the title!? (Don’t worry, it has a happy ending!)
First off, the recipes in the book!? Yes, absolutely I am writing all of them down. It adds such a treat to the book, creating the feeling of your loved ones sharing something special with you.
The magic in this book is so unique. Our main character, Sadie, is able to create magic into her baked goods for her lil bakery, while other members of her family share other magical talents.
There are a lot of up and down emotions in this, and the author makes sure you feel every single one.

Protagonist Sadie and her family are magic. It’s quiet, nature magic mostly, which are the cozy vibes I love in magic stories. The family was great, the romantic interest was fine. The book was somewhat predictable but a quick, enjoyable read! And it always really throws me when a magic person believes in god & goes to church, I could have done without that.

I’m sorry I have to DNF. I tried so many times to get into it but it’s slow and confusing at first. I looked at the other reviews and one person said it well. I (too) was expecting world building that never happened and magic to look different.

I received this ebook from NetGalley, to which I thank and I also want to thank the publisher. All opinions are my own.

There’s something special in reading an author’s first novel, specially as an ARC. Although not everything was perfect in this book, there were so positive points and for sure there is possibility to improve in the next books.

“The unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic” is a book that is hard to categorize. I would say it’s cosy fantasy. Fantasy is present in the form of the Revelare’s magic, but there’s not a magic world built in here, there’s more proximity with romance and fiction than with fantasy. This was one of the things that prevent me from being fully immersed in the narrative earlier on, as I expected it to have a fantasy world building that I didn’t encounter.

The story follows Sadie and her twin brother Seth. Every member of their family has a curse associated with their magic but they have an additional one, concerning how they were born. To save them, their grandmother Gigi bounded the curse, which in time will give her cancer and lead to her death. The first 50% of the book are extremely slow and the story only starts to unfold at 70%, which was unfortunate given this is such a small book (under 300 pages). I can understand a world building taking more time in larger books (over 600 pages), but in here was not necessary, specially because the first 50% didn’t add much to the overall story. The cancer storyline was also unfortunate. This might be a reflex of me working in science, but I prefer a disease storyline closer to reality. I can let some things slice for the sake of fiction, but here we have a stage IV cancer without previous symptoms, a cancer we don’t understand of what (is it stomach? Is it back? Whatever back cancer means) and a character that is not receiving treatment (why? She doesn’t want? She can’t?). Being a fictional disease concerning a curse, it could have been a made up disease just for this end, instead of a disease we know so much about. Finally, I understood that the author’s idea was to have a character grown in Sadie, but I felt her to be very melancholic the whole time with little evolution. She does grow in the end, but it should have been more progressive. The plot twist of her having to give up her magic was very predictable, so she could have figured it out sooner.

Although I have some negative points, I also believe in highlight the positive. In this book, we have characters to whom food is very important - Sadie runs a coffee shop, and a lot of the storyline revolves around food. In the end of each chapter we can find a recipe that is related to that chapter and I loved this detail. It’s the little things that make the reading experience a more fulfilling experience and this was one of them. I’ve also enjoyed Florence’s storyline, I felt she grew a lot and from the ending I think there will be a second volume. I would like to see it more from Florence’s perspective, she was the best character for me.

This review will also be available on my Goodreads account and, closer to release date, on my Instagram account - @cat.literary.world

This was a really enjoyable book. The overall premise was really interesting and I like that the romance kind of took a back seat to the family dynamics, though I guess it maybe was more of a backseat driver than passenger...but anyways.

The characters were overall pretty likable and I really liked how the author wove the recipes into the chapters. I don't have any tangible complaints about the book...I just didn't get sucked in like I had hoped I would. The ending came together pretty well, though it was on the predictable side. Some of the dynamics between Sadie and Jake didn't really sit right with me...and I was actually more interested in Seth's character than Sadies.

This book was good, I just didn't hit all the right notes for me to love it. I could see this being a good witchy fall read. I'd definitely recommend it to others because I could totally see how it could be a really enjoyable book for most.