🇧​​🇴​​🇴​​🇰​ ​🇷​​🇪​​🇻​​🇮​​🇪​​🇼​

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Alcove Press for the ARC ✨

𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲 Fiction/Fantasy/Romance
𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 Breanne Randall
𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆
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?

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝟭. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 3/5
𝟮. 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 3.5/5
𝟯. 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 3/5
𝟰. 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 3.5/5
𝟱. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 3/5

𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 3.2 (rounded to 3)

𝗠𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
This is such a cozy, witchy, culinary read! The author clearly put a lot of time into making sure all the magic has meaning behind it and then went a step further by putting recipes in between the chapters using some of the ingredients mentioned. I loved the lessons taught from this book! I feel like this book would be a PERFECT YA read. I think that is what is throwing me off my rating just a little bit. As a high schooler/new college student I would’ve devoured this book in one day, but as it stands right now (I’m 26) it fell a little flat as an adult book. The character ‘Gigi’ grated on me a little bit because I feel like most of her dialogue was riddles/advice, but reading the Author’s Note, I can see that the author lost an important family member and this might’ve been her way of paying tribute! Overall, very cute book, would read a sequel!

Song Pairing: If You Ever Did Believe by Stevie Nicks

I would recommend The Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic to someone looking quick and cozy read. Brienne Randall has created a heartfelt story of love, family, and sacrifice that will warm readers' hearts. The recipes at the end of each chapter are an additional bonus for readers who like to bake.

The Unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic was sweet. It was a cute, predictable witch-finds love story. The writing was terrific and very engaging. IT really sucked me into the story. I also really liked the magic system. It was clear that much thought and research went into developing a magic system where food was used to change moods. A lot of small-town drama felt unnecessary to the story, but that is my only critique. This is a feel-good book that anyone interested in cozy fantasy should read.

3.75/5

Many thoughts! The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a love story, but it is by no measures limited to just romantic love - the exploration of family and familial love is integral to the plot. Sadie has magic, her grandmother, and a bakery/cafe as the roots of her life. She hates change (relatable), but can't help be drawn into a storm of changes when her ex-lover (with a secret of his own), her brother (who she can't help but hold a grudge against), and other unnamed people (no spoilers here!) return to her small hometown and turn her life upside down.

This book covered so much ground, maybe almost too much? I was worried that it would focus too heavily on a romance to the detriment of the plot, but I was pleasantly surprised to see otherwise! But again, the amount of plot lines that went into this book was almost too much - I feel like I couldn't fully appreciate all of them. Some of them also felt very obvious to me - there would be a small hint or two that just screamed out what the twist would be, but I was still pleasantly surprised by a few of them.

The characters I found myself liking. Sadie herself is a good, strong main character. Some of Gigi's dialogue felt inconsistent with her character, but that may have just been preconceived notions of my own. I did very much appreciate the discussions of family love, grief, resentment, and every other emotion felt throughout this book. I did, in fact, cry at the end of it.

The book also contains a fun little recipe with each chapter (magical, of course)! Personally, I skimmed those, but I loved the attention to detail and what a cute little addition that was to each chapter. Particularly since each recipe related directly to what has just been read.

It seems to be setting up nicely for a sequel or series, and I would certainly read the next one! Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me access to this book in exchange for an honest review :)

One of the five laws of library science states that “every book has its reader.” Another states that “every reader has their book.” Why am I referencing my grad school classes in this review? Because I can recognize that this book was for a different reader, and I was not the reader for this book. I was seduced by the title and description of this book, but the reality of this title is that it was too cute and sweet for my taste.

I’d call this a cozy romatasy book, as it’s meant to read as very wholesome with magic and romance involved but is ultimately very low-stakes. I really do think this book will appeal to a specific audience who does not want complex fantasy or sci-fi, enjoys a small-town setting, and reads/watches a lot of contemporary romance. Bonus points if you enjoy gardening and/or baking (none of these descriptions applies to me). The book has lots of biblical and church references, which actually made me think it would appeal to fans of Christian fiction…except they might take issue with all the magic and light profanity.

More objectively, I didn’t enjoy the writing style of the book. The author takes great pains to over-describe everything and everyone, but the characters themselves felt very one dimensional to me. To be frank, I was very bored throughout the story and would have DNF’d it if I hadn’t promised to review it. Just keep in mind that this poor review is only my opinion, and someone else very well could love this story! As I tell my students all the time, one of the best parts of being a reader is getting to share reading experiences with others who have different opinions!

This book was so charming. Set in a small town, with a family of generational magic, you can’t ask for a more cozy set up. It did remind me a lot of practical magic, which isn’t a knock, just an observation. Th e ending was left with an opening for a sequel which I will be glad to read

I am a sucker for any title about witches. This was a sweet and engaging story. It reminded me a lot of Practical Magic, which is one of my favorite books. Not all the loose ends are tied up at the end, leaving the path open for a sequel. I will be watching for that.

I was really excited to read this, but the execution really didn’t do justice to its premise. The pacing was really weird, with things constantly being hinted at that were either never revealed or kept until the very end. The plot was kind of all over the place and really difficult to follow. A whole bunch of characters were introduced out of nowhere, taking focus away from the main relationships. I wish we could’ve just focused on Sadie and Seth, Sadie and Jake, Sadie and Gigi. Sadie never really reacted normally to anything; she was mad at her brother for leaving and then forgave him and then got mad again? And Jake was a complete ass, and I wish she hadn’t forgiven him so easily. And the mother was completely unnecessary. This kind of felt like a first draft of what might’ve become a really good book.

I really wanted to like this book but I honestly couldn't get further than two chapters in. The premise is there but it it borrows so heavily from practical magic without much of the charm for me. I can tell as well that the prose is going to grate on me. I was heavily influenced by the social media presence of this author, and I am all for a feel good "finally" story, but I unfortunately don't think this book will live up to the social media hype.

I wanted to like this book, or even just enjoy it. The plot was ideal for a little contemporary romance magic. It sounded like a fantastic book based on the fact that I love Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls.

This Was Nothing Like Those.

It shouldn't even be in the same sentences as those two.

Plot holes with random storylines that were rushed to try and make sense. Character development that was lacking. A main character who acted like a teenager more often than an adult who owns their own business. Then there's the language...I really tried to get past the language.... after all I am an adult who loves the F word. "Pissant" even written as if its being said from a loving grandmother figure who is "tough as nails and sassy" didn't sound endearing or pleasant as a nickname. Awful word, and used completely out of context. It made no sense, and instead of helping the reader to connect to the character of GiGi, just left me cringing. This was painful to try and finish reading.

This drew me in from the start, and I loved every minute. This book was heartwarming, funny, and such a fun, cozy read. If you're a Gilmore Girls or Practical Magic fan, pick up this book! You won't regret it!

This is just the coziest of cozy romances, if that could be a genre. I think its a great beach read and will recommend it to friends!

So I was really into this until the heroine SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILESR basically kidnaps her ex’s dog and refuses to return him. This is meant to be. A cute meet cute and bring them together but it was really werird and her love interest was way to calm about the whole thing. Additonally she was mad at him after he admits to bacially drugging him to get him to admit how he feels and then is made when her brother leaves after they get into an argument. AFter that i couldnt get back into the story

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was such a cozy and lovely little read. I love the magic and baking. I preordered this book months ago when I saw Breanne Randall’s TikTok stating that it was a mix of Practical Magic and The Gilmore Girls. Two of my favorites. Instantly ordered. So when I saw that I could review it beforehand, I did so happily. And the book did not disappoint. I would recommend to anyone that loves witchy books. I would love to try some of the recipes that are included.

OMG, guys, I can't even! This book, right? It's, like, soooo amazing! I was totally pumped for this wild adventure, and it seriously delivered, no joke. It's all about this awesome small town with, like, practical magic everywhere! And hello, there's also this little dash of spice that adds that extra oomph! I swear, I'm already dying for the sequel!

The best part? It's all about family, friendship, love, forgiveness, and, like, total sacrifices. The Revelare family is, like, beyond quirky and chaotic, but you know what? They're totally lovable. And the book? It's, like, super easy to read, with drama that's paced perfectly. I mean, I barely even had to skim through sentences or paragraphs!

And the magic, you guys! It's, like, the most rad thing ever! It's explained without any boring info dumps, you know? You get that there are rules, and the magic totally follows those rules, but it's all laid out for you, so you're not left scratching your head. So. Freakin'. Cool.

Oh, and wait for it—recipes! Yup, this book has some mouthwatering recipes that I'm totally gonna try out later. No doubt about it. Pinky promise! Seriously, this book is, like, the bomb-dot-com. You gotta read it, peeps!

Not sure why I couldn’t get into this book. I was good for a couple of chapters and then it just didn’t keep my attention. I ended up skimming the rest of book. The ending was good.

Such a joy to read. Set in one of those scenic, tiny towns where everyone knows everyone, Sadie lives and runs the local cafe/bakery with her grandmother Gigi. Gifted with her family’s generational magic the story is a gorgeous read of discovering yourself, healing relationships of the past and passing through grief set amongst cosy, small town drama and humour. A page turner, loved it!

Breanne Randall’s debut novel the Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic tells a compelling story of the Revelare family, magic, curses, heartbreak, loss and love.

Aspects of this book remind me of one of my favorite books, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

The backbone of the family, Gigi, is a real character. Her granddaughter, Sadie, and her twin brother Seth are going to have to pick up the pieces and find a way forward after Gigi reveals that she is dying and shares the secrets she has been carrying for many years.

I would certainly be interested in reading more about tbe Revelares in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

This book was so cute! Literally a cottagecore aesthetic in book form. We follow our protagonist Sadie, who is part of a family of witches with various abilities. Unfortunately, all magic comes with a price, and she has a curse that after four heartbreaks, she will lose her magic. This is such a great story that explores grief, love, and the beauty of opening yourself up to happiness, despite possible risks.

SPOILERS: I didn't really understand some of the plot points, like why Gigi was unnecessarily cryptic about how to break the curse endangering Seth when she knew the cure the whole time, or why Seth couldn't be the one to give up his magic, especially when he didn't want it anyway. Wouldn't that have satisfied the curse without the extra steps of Sadie having to give him her magic so he could give it away? END SPOILERS

Either way, these things didn't really bother me because I was mostly reading for the vibe anyway, and the writing was beautiful, especially the descriptions of baking and the garden. The touch of romance was an added bonus! This will be the perfect autumn read, best enjoyed with a blanket, pastry, and hot beverage!

This book was a touching witchy tale but the comparison to Gilmore Girls is over hyped. I enjoyed the book but it was also a little lacking. Some things were overly descriptive where others could have been fleshed out more. I felt like the book was trying so hard to be quirky, to be Gilmore Girls that it missed the point,. As a witchy fiction, yes. As Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, no.