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.

The Unfortunate Effects of Heartbreak and Magic has:

🩵 Lgbt Characters
🩵 Mental Illness Representation
🩵 Pro-Therapy
🩵 Unique Curses
🩵 Missing & Reuniting Family
🩵 Heartbreak (obviously)
🩵 HEA

You can tell by the way this is written the author puts a lot of thought into the ingredients and the magic system they correlate to. I also loved discovering the list of magic rules they live by. It’s really unique.

Sadie is a 28 y/o and I find it really refreshing that the FMC isn’t a teenager going through her coming of age story.

The butter incident made me laugh out loud but I felt the worse second hand embarrassment for Sadie 🫣🤭

After every chapter a recipe for something described in that chapter is listed out with instructions and I thought that was so cute.

My favorite quote from Sadie’s sassy grandmother “If you’re going to drag my ass to God’s house, He better know I’m not coming willingly.”

This story takes a bit of a dark twist around 50-60% and it also gets pretty sad, but it tells the story about loss, grief, and healing in a really satisfying way.

Gigi’s letter had no business making me cry like it did ok. Unacceptable. And the mom? I sobbed. I’m heartbroken.

The ending of this book made me cry even more and now the only thing left to do is go stare at a wall for 5 hours.

“The Unfortunate Effects of Heartbreak and Magic” uses the concept of magic as a choice rather than something a person is born with to explore themes of limiting beliefs, distance vs connection, family, vulnerability, and identity vs purpose.

While a promising premise, the plot feels disorganized at times, with new concepts/characters introduced later in the story without previous reference, and continuity issues. The chapters are long, and the prose is, in some instances, extremely descriptive. While there are moments of insight and beauty, plot holes distract the reader from the important themes of the story. Also, a recurring word meant to be used as a term of endearment in Spanish does not exist in that language (the correct term is "cariño").

However, the author did a good job of introducing us to Sadie and her magic, making her feel believable for the most part. On the other hand, her grandmother Gigi’s constant cursing caricaturizes and robs her of depth. As for the romance, I did not feel invested. Jake’s character inspires minimal romantic tension and is left in the background in favor of the more important things going on within Sadie’s family.

I did enjoy Seth’s and Sage’s highlights of their intriguing magic and I hope to get a chance to know more of their stories in the future. I loved the recipes at the end of each chapter, the connection to nature and family, the garden and kitchen magic, and all the information about the uses and meanings of plants, food, and spices. I also enjoyed the brief discussions of mental health.

The pacing felt slow for the first half of the book, and the ending felt disconnected, especially the last sentence.

This is a story that would benefit from strong editing, and I hope issues are resolved by the time this book is published.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Alcove Press for providing me with a free digital copy for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

#TheUnfortunateSideEffectsofHeartbreakandMagic #NetGalley#bookstagram#booktrovert#booklover#netgalleyreviewer#bookstagrammer#bookreviews#goodreads#netgalleyreviews#bookstagram#booktrovert#booklover

I wanted to love this. I really wanted to love this. And I know a lot of people do love it and it's possible that I'm completely wrong. But I just didn't love this book.

I wanted a cozy fantasy, because that what we're being told this is. This book is being hyped up as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic, and I think that's probably what it COULD be. But it isn't.

For reasons I don't understand, the main character's grandmother calls her a pissant in the first chapter? I wanted family vibes, and maybe for some people this would give them that, but for me it was jarring and unreliable. Throughout the book the dialogue wavers between jarring and expository.

I love the idea of herbs being magic, using them in cooking. I identify as a kitchen witch, and that side of this was really fun. I also love the representation, especially of mental health issues.

I admire anyone who can complete writing a novel. It's such a difficult thing and every book has its audience. I'm just not the audience for this one, I guess...

When the read the synopsis and saw that this was a cross between Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls I was so excited. I practically clawed my way to request this, sadly it just wasn't my cup of tea. First I couldn't connect to the MC Sadie, she actually made me want to rip my hair out multiple times. Secondly, I just did not like the romance. Jake was just unlikable, and when we hear about why he's even back sniffing around Sadie it just makes it worse to me. I would have loved it if Sadie actually stayed single, as every interaction between them felt forced and flat. Third, Sadie's grandma was annoying, I might just be tired of the 'Hardass but loving Grandmother' trope. Lastly, while in the beginning I really enjoyed Randall's writing, towards the end I felt like she was adding descriptions to make a word count.

The idea behind this sounded so good, it's just the execution could have been better. There are a lot of themes that I would love to have explored like death and heartbreak and how it would affect magic. Also, Randall's magic system seemed interesting.

Overall, This just wasn't for me but it could be for you.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
By Breanne Randall

I absolutely love this fantastically woven tale of Sadie and her family, navigating buried secrets, heartache, & complicated relationships. This witchy Gilmore girls is definitely the vibe and Brianne Randall made me wanna pack up and move to Poppy Meadows. This beautiful story had me cackling at the witty banter and ugly crying and missing my own crazy spunky gran-gran. I wholeheartedly can’t wait to have a physical copy of this and will be hanging onto hope for more Sadie and the rest of the Revelare’s

📚Expected release date
September 19, 2023📚
❤️Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press, & the brilliant author Breanne Randall. I’m super appreciative & gave my honest opinion❤️