This was the perfect witchy book. It was warm and witchy and it was just a joy to read. I fell in love with all of the characters and the world was a joy to be in. You definitely need to read this book around the spooky season. It is perfect for it. I cant wait to reread it.

Is it fall yet?? This is the perfect book for September/October!! So fun and has me feeling all the fall vibes in this 100 degree July here. So cute and so fun!

I didn't get the Gilmore Girls vibe from this book, but it was still a very lovely to read! The family relationships that are created, broken and mended are a key storyline in this book. They way Randall wrote about this family was both brutally honest and beautiful.
As for the magic, 10/10. I loved how everyone had different abilities and worked together when needed. I would LOVE to have Sade's skills in the kitchen - oh, to be able to bake a pie and have it help someone tell you the truth.
Randall did a wonderful job with the romantic storylines. My jaw dropped because of twists I did not see coming and felt my heart shatter several times throughout. The relationship she tells is filled with heartbreak that is easy to relate to, making the reader feel like they are in Sade's shoes.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Spice level: 0.5 🌶️

First things first, content warnings (they might not be complete): <spoiler>Depression, Attempted Suicide, Death, Grief</spoiler> And because those were missing in the initial arc, it's a 4.5 book for me.

Other reviewers have already mentioned it, but listen, if you want a lighthearted, bubbly, love story, please don't read this book. Read "The Modern Girl's Guide to Magic" by Linsey Hall instead.

This story is witchy and magical in that Randall is SO good in describing the small town visually and the side characters as the main characters are so vividly represented. I got truly lost in that charm. That this is Randall's debut is truly surprising to me.

Other than that we are following our witch and MC, Sadie, and experience all her feelings towards and her complicated yet heartwarming relationship with her twin brother, who ran away without goodbye's just a year ago. We experience firsthand how Sadie suffers from close people and family members who leave her and.. surprise: the unfortunate side effects of those heartbreaks (and her magic). At least Sadie has her grandmother, who practically raised the twins, but when her brother comes home, her grandmother has bad news..

The romantic subplot was cute, but it was merely a subplot and I'm happy it didn't take up too much room amongst all the heavy and important topics portrayed in this book. And yes, it's heavy. And yes, it's deep. But because of that it was not just a shallow plot to get the romance going. It's about family, friendship, <spoiler>grief</spoiler> and most importantly: character growth.

Last but not least: After every chapter you'll find a recipe for baked goods, sauces, teas and so on, all sounding magical and cozy. I have already added some of those to my recipe books and might update y'all when I tried some.

I am beyond happy I found this on NetGalley and can't wait for more books from this author.

4.5 stars! This book was absolutely a Stars Hollow type town with Practical Magic family dynamics. I loved the family and the author's portrayal of magic and how it started out more subtle and then built. The recipes at the end of each chapter made me want to make every single one and I found myself hoping that a food mentioned would be the recipe at the end.

The book really picked up half way through and I was staying up late each night because I didn't want to put it down.

I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends and am hopeful for a book two!

So this book is completely different that my typical interests. It is such a cozy fantasy with some mystery. I enjoyed the small town feel and you felt like you wanted to live there.

I enjoyed the recipes at the end of each chapter and may have to try some of them.

I thought the pace was perfect, didn’t think there was any part that dragged and I needed to know what was going to happen with everything. I just felt like I wanted more from the ending. Hopefully she will continue the story of the Revelare family.

If you like all things witchy and cozy then you will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Breanne Randall, and Alcove Press for the ARC of this excellent book.

For fans of messier dramas (in a good way), the Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak has a more serious tone alongside the magica shenanigans one expects from witchy stories these days. I thought it added an extra layer which made me enjoy the story more deeply. The realism of the cancer relative was relatable and well handled. The love story lifted everything and held it together, which elevated it from being “too” realistic. All in all, a wonderful combo of elements for a nice story.

This is incredibly charming. Randall really knows how to create an immersive and cozy story. This is also incredibly descriptive, so much so that I could really smell and taste the recipes throughout - but they never feel out of place or unnecessary. It just adds so much feeling and such an authentic vibe. So good!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

This book is the perfect book for witchy season. The characters are brilliantly depicted. I adored Sadie, Jake, Gigi and Seth. They really come to life as you are reading it and it's a great portrayal of family life. The bonds between them all are wonderful to read.

The writing was beautiful, easy to read and descriptive. The magic was just magic.b

I found the book utterly captivating, immersive and beautiful.

I adored the recipes throughout the book.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a witchy book.

Loved it!

So cosy, full of magic, twists and turns, and fully immersive.

Reading this, I felt like I was there - able to see, taste, and smell all the witchy things mentioned.
The characters were engaging from the very beginning and I couldn’t put it down.
Goodreads review to come!

When I read “For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls” I knew I needed to read this. It did not disappoint.

This book was a cozy, small town, witchy story and I absolutely adored it!
The MC is relatable and lovable, the grandma is a spitfire.

I do wish there was more character/general building. I feel like some of it fell flat.

It was fun, but I don’t think it’s one I’d read over again.

Since Sadie was little she’s had magic running through her veins but it comes at the cost of a curse of four heartbreaks. Never wanting to face the reality of her curse, she’s kept herself closed off to almost everyone and has lived her life with her grandmother as her rock; until one day she’s not only faced with the reality of losing her rock but also her first heartbreak coming back into her life. Can she survive and will she keep her magic throughout it all??

This is one of those books where you can laugh and cry all within the same page. While there were definitely moments where I found Sadie utterly and completely obnoxious with how she was acting/handling things, in the scheme of the situations she was up against, I can somewhat understand her behavior. Although her storyline was the main focus, her twin brother, Seth’s, story was just as important and added to Sadie’s character development as much, if not more than, Jake & Sadie’s journey. I would absolutely love to read more about Seth’s story and see where these characters wind up.

All in all, I loved this book even when I was annoyed with how Sadie was acting. It was equal parts heartwarming, humorous & relatable. Would without a doubt read more from this author.

Thanks you #NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4 stars (not for me but can tell it will defiantly be for others)

This book is pitched as being Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls and to be honest, I fully saw the Practical Magic similarities, but the Gilmore Girls was fully lost on me. Unless the GG aspect was small town coffee addicted characters. I would say this is more like Practical Magic meets the Good Witch franchise. With the town knowing something is going on with a family and bring addicted to the results that come from the items this family creates be it foods or medicine.

I came into this blind not knowing anything but it was compared to Gilmore girl and Practical magic and had witches with curses. Which made me think that it would be a cozy fantasy with laughs and heartbreak for the main character. This is more along the line of a young adult contemporary fantasy with grain of romance, dash of humor and hefty portion if drama. I say young adult because there is nothing really making this adult other than the main character bring over 20 but the main character herself lives and works with her family and the romance in this is just kissing. The adult factors would be buying a house or company, leaving when they want with the ability to drive (which any 18 year old had the ability to do) and the consumption of wine. If you like tropes like miscommunication, soulmates, family unit/found family, forbidden love, (others i cant mention due to spoilers) then this book is for you. Let it be known that i am not fully a contemporary fan due to the fact i find them slow and boring with the amount of detail that gets put into them and lack of action/ exhilaration (no real risk reward factor) and i know what needs to be done to reach the goal the whole time in the story just waiting for the character to catch on.


The story follows main character Sadie who is 28 and has always known her family had magic that came at a price. At the age of 13 they are asked if they want to give up their magic or keep it and learn about the curse that came with it. Sadie and her twin brother Seth choose to keep their magic like the rest of their family. The curses are meant to be specific for each person and when the curse it finished (or triggered) their magic will take over and will be hard to control if not leave completely. Sadie's curse happens to be that she will suffer four heartbreaks each worse than the one before it making Sadie protect her heart more than normal by not letting anyone fully in. Sadly Sadie got her first heartbreak at 18 by her first love Jake when he left without warning. and second from her brother Seth when he too left without even a goodbye leaving Sadie with only two heartbreaks more until her life is changed forever. Everything is going fine until bad omens start to pop up like daisies and according to Sadie's grandmother Gigi "seven bad omens in a row meant a nightmare was around the corner" not to mention that one of the omens was the flooding of the river that everyone knew symbolized the return of someone. So Sadie already was on edge before catching a glimpse of heartbreak number 1 walking down the street after 10 years. Things get strange and downhill from there as the story goes along involving animals, home and garden with personality, family secrets and a roller coaster of emotions.

This was still a good book maybe needs to be pitched a bit differently, so the readers know what they are getting into.. There were a few grammar errors in the book with a word being repeated or someone being one place then showing up another like they teleported or sped. It felt predictable to me but that's usually what contemporary stories feel like to me. This could also be sold as a young adult book if it wished or even a new adult since nothing children shouldn't see or read is in it other than drinking wine and the talk of death. Would i recommend this to anyone? YES. Would i reread this? probably not. Am i happy i read it? Yes.

When a book says it's similar to Gilmore Girls I always go in a bit suspicious but wow this book blew me away. The MC was loveable, flawed and relatable. The family aspect of the book makes you want to be a member of this strange little group. I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of recipes after each chapter!

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book. It did not captivate my interest as I had thought it would. I definitely think there’s an audience for this, it’s just not me.

This book has magic & mystery and is one of the most descriptive books I have ever read. It even has fun, delicious sounding & useful recipes at the end of each chapter!

I love the spunky sass of Gigi. Her quick witty remarks & tips and tricks-make her a lovable character from the get-go (and made me miss my own Grammy extra).
MC Sadie seems to be on the merry go round of bad luck. She is as sweet as Rory Gilmore, and as warm hearted as Sally Owens. I found myself connecting with her easily-because she is so worried with helping everyone else 24/7.
The author has a way of weaving her words so that you can actually feel the emotions of the characters as they feel them & you can feel the vibes of each situation. Like when all the aunts and uncle get together, I could feel the love and excitement of a Revelare family gathering!

This book is about love & family & grief. It’s about daring to be who you really are and to love without fear.

Overall, this was a wonderful, heartfelt debut novel! I enjoyed this ARC!

This book came at such a good time. I love a good comfy, cozy, small-town, witchy book and this book did not disappoint! I enjoyed the characters and how relatable they were. The way magic was incorporated was nice and very approachable. But my favorite thing about the book was all the wonderful recipes included at the end of every chapter; it's such a nice way to feel a connection to the book. Definitely will be purchasing this book when it comes out.

This is such a cozy story! I wouldn’t say it’s particularly memorable, but it was definitely enjoyable. I think it would make an excellent book club book - especially if everyone made one of the included recipes to all share when you meet to talk about it.

Thanks to Breanne Randall, Alcove Press and NetGalley for an eARC of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic in exchange for an honest review.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was a cozy, witchy read that gives you the feeling of sitting in an adorable bakery with your pastry and latte. Although I feel like I have read similar witchy books (female witch with a broken heart from her childhood sweetheart finds solace in creating baked goods for her town infused with helpful magic and needs to break the curse on her magic and family) Randall has probably the best imagery and storytelling abilities of any of the similar stories I've read. I felt fully immersed in the story, characters and small town, and I immediately felt a deep connection to Sadie.

The story was a bit slow at times to me, and while I understood the reasoning behind putting all of the recipes in the story, I would probably never go back and use this book as a cookbook. I also didn't love the religious angle, but that is simply a personal preference that other people may really enjoy.

Overall, this was a good read, and I give it around 3-3.5 stars.

A cozy fantasy/supernatural love story. It could be shorter but the author repeats information constantly as if the reader has forgotten what was read, often only in the last several pages. The main character has magic in her hands that flows into her baking and garden creations. And that garden is torched over and over, poor garden. But, magically, the garden is re-creatated as if nothing happened. My favorite was the lemon tree that threw lemons at people to make a point or help a recipe, interesting flexible lemon tree philosophy.
Magic happened because of the many women in the Revelare family but with a curse on the twins, Sadie and Seth. Gigi, their grandmother and sole caregiver, is a gentle soul but a few huge hidden secrets.
Some choices of the characters left me rather speechless but in cozy stories, the reader wants a good ending for as many as possible and the author provides that good ending.