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Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
3 reviews
wordwitching's review
I had to come to read the reviews to see if anyone else feels the same as I do about this book.
While I'm relieved to see that many readers do, and I'm grateful to them for calling out the obvious and glaring misogyny, the reinforcement of traditional gender roles, the underhanded promoting of MLM essential oils, the disdain for witchcraft, the insensitive handling of serious and triggering subjects like SA, r@pe, m7rder, and suiçide, which are dropped into the plot like stink bombs only to be brushed off like they don't matter or worse: jokes.
It pains me, however, to see so many positive reviews for this book. I honestly do not understand how it became so popular or indeed how it was published in the first place.
The editing is non existent, the writing shows promise at times, but as with the subject matter, the author does not know when less is more. Instead she threw everything at it, like a cook using every single ingredient in their pantry to make a simple cake. Enough with the overcooked baking metaphors already!
The characters were either stereotypes, purely added to show diversity for diversity's sake, or shallow, childish and infuriating. I love an unlikable female character but Sadie behaves like a teenager. The author is constantly telling us how wonderful she is but everything she SHOWS about her contradicts it. She kidnaps the MMC's dog and it's played for laughs, she uses truth serums on unsuspecting victims and again, this is played off as if it's normal, acceptable behaviour. I have never wanted to shake a heroine more.
There's a completely unnecessary fake pregnancy plotline added just excuse the hero and to demonise another woman. And don't even get me started on everything else the male characters do and say. They are the WORST but everything they do is either excused by other characters or the plot. The internalised misogyny is very loud.
I gather from reading other reviews thatthe FMC ends up losing her magic for one of them, which is just all sorts of NOPE. How are we still publishing books with this tired and sexist narrative in 2023? Head of Zeus, I'm disappointed in you.
It feels like the author took a bunch of toxic positivity quotes and platitudes from social media influencer accounts and just strung them together like flimsy paper doily garlands in a Instagram reel. Pretty to look at but ultimately weightlessly fragile and tissue thin.
Hashtag "Witches Of Instagram"; Hashtag "Trad Wife"; Hashtag "So Blessed".
I'm sorry I cannot find anything positive to say about this book. The recipes might be good, but I cannot bring myself to try them.
I've included cultural appropriation in my content warnings because I truly believe this author is appropriating witchcraft due to her religious beliefs. It is a travesty for this book to be positively compared with Practical Magic.
And on that note, I'll leave this review with a final word from Aunt Jet Owens:
“And this is what comes from dabbling; I mean you can't practice witchcraft while you look down your nose at it.”
While I'm relieved to see that many readers do, and I'm grateful to them for calling out the obvious and glaring misogyny, the reinforcement of traditional gender roles, the underhanded promoting of MLM essential oils, the disdain for witchcraft, the insensitive handling of serious and triggering subjects like SA, r@pe, m7rder, and suiçide, which are dropped into the plot like stink bombs only to be brushed off like they don't matter or worse: jokes.
It pains me, however, to see so many positive reviews for this book. I honestly do not understand how it became so popular or indeed how it was published in the first place.
The editing is non existent, the writing shows promise at times, but as with the subject matter, the author does not know when less is more. Instead she threw everything at it, like a cook using every single ingredient in their pantry to make a simple cake. Enough with the overcooked baking metaphors already!
The characters were either stereotypes, purely added to show diversity for diversity's sake, or shallow, childish and infuriating. I love an unlikable female character but Sadie behaves like a teenager. The author is constantly telling us how wonderful she is but everything she SHOWS about her contradicts it. She kidnaps the MMC's dog and it's played for laughs, she uses truth serums on unsuspecting victims and again, this is played off as if it's normal, acceptable behaviour. I have never wanted to shake a heroine more.
There's a completely unnecessary fake pregnancy plotline added just excuse the hero and to demonise another woman. And don't even get me started on everything else the male characters do and say. They are the WORST but everything they do is either excused by other characters or the plot. The internalised misogyny is very loud.
I gather from reading other reviews that
It feels like the author took a bunch of toxic positivity quotes and platitudes from social media influencer accounts and just strung them together like flimsy paper doily garlands in a Instagram reel. Pretty to look at but ultimately weightlessly fragile and tissue thin.
Hashtag "Witches Of Instagram"; Hashtag "Trad Wife"; Hashtag "So Blessed".
I'm sorry I cannot find anything positive to say about this book. The recipes might be good, but I cannot bring myself to try them.
I've included cultural appropriation in my content warnings because I truly believe this author is appropriating witchcraft due to her religious beliefs. It is a travesty for this book to be positively compared with Practical Magic.
And on that note, I'll leave this review with a final word from Aunt Jet Owens:
“And this is what comes from dabbling; I mean you can't practice witchcraft while you look down your nose at it.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
mhairimc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Quite possibly the worst book I have read.
It reads like the first draft, where every idea is put on the page and then was never returned to for editing.
The pacing is all over the place with several massive plot culminations happening in quick succession, quick changes in location and poor characterisation.
The author is trying too hard to communicate a certain atmosphere within the narrative that sadly they do not handle well. The result is unfortunately incoherent and at times unreadable in its reaching for quirky and cosy.
Too many side characters are introduced purely to add diversity, as they are only defined by their physical characteristics and never mentioned again. In turn this distances the reader from the main characters as they are given the same space within the narrative as these side characters and therefore no sentiment or emotion occurs when plot points are focused on them.
The supposed romance is never developed, no feeling or sentiment is invoked in the reader when the main love interests interact and therefore the pay off is hollow especially with the other plot devices surrounding the relationship. Their time on the page together amounts to so little of the narrative that for long stretches you forget that it is a plot thread at all.
The time not dedicated to the romance is taken up by what could be interesting portrayals of the expectations and relationships that exist within communities and families, but instead amounts to false platitudes and cliches, leaving any experienced reader no doubt about where the plot is headed, which indeed it does. A different author would be able to make you care about these characters, instead the overwrought sentimentality leaves you cold and uninterested.
The magic system is confused and incoherent, I feel because the author is trying too hard to reconcile it with their obvious conservative Christian beliefs. These are apparent in the narrative with repeated references to guns, stereotypes of city environments, the obvious disdain for science based medicine and the traditional gender roles enforced throughout. The beliefs are also communicated to the reader through bible stories and psalms discussed between characters, so the conclusion of the ideological position is not purely through connecting the recurring refrains mentioned above.
There are some deeply insensitive handling of themes surrounding abuse, misogyny and mental illness. Including a particularity insensitive suicide attempt by the main character, after which several characters make jokes about murdering her in the what feels like minutes after the attempt occurs. In addition to this the central theme of sacrifice is handled in such a clumsy and misogynistic manner that the entire novel is coloured with mean asides and judgements of the predominantly female characters, while the central male characters are forgiven for their misdeeds by simply existing within the main characters eyesight.
I feel that this book has been marketed to a niche it does not fulfill, badly written and at times uncomfortable to read. I will never read any of the authors subsequent work.
It reads like the first draft, where every idea is put on the page and then was never returned to for editing.
The pacing is all over the place with several massive plot culminations happening in quick succession, quick changes in location and poor characterisation.
The author is trying too hard to communicate a certain atmosphere within the narrative that sadly they do not handle well. The result is unfortunately incoherent and at times unreadable in its reaching for quirky and cosy.
Too many side characters are introduced purely to add diversity, as they are only defined by their physical characteristics and never mentioned again. In turn this distances the reader from the main characters as they are given the same space within the narrative as these side characters and therefore no sentiment or emotion occurs when plot points are focused on them.
The supposed romance is never developed, no feeling or sentiment is invoked in the reader when the main love interests interact and therefore the pay off is hollow especially with the other plot devices surrounding the relationship. Their time on the page together amounts to so little of the narrative that for long stretches you forget that it is a plot thread at all.
The time not dedicated to the romance is taken up by what could be interesting portrayals of the expectations and relationships that exist within communities and families, but instead amounts to false platitudes and cliches, leaving any experienced reader no doubt about where the plot is headed, which indeed it does. A different author would be able to make you care about these characters, instead the overwrought sentimentality leaves you cold and uninterested.
The magic system is confused and incoherent, I feel because the author is trying too hard to reconcile it with their obvious conservative Christian beliefs. These are apparent in the narrative with repeated references to guns, stereotypes of city environments, the obvious disdain for science based medicine and the traditional gender roles enforced throughout. The beliefs are also communicated to the reader through bible stories and psalms discussed between characters, so the conclusion of the ideological position is not purely through connecting the recurring refrains mentioned above.
There are some deeply insensitive handling of themes surrounding abuse, misogyny and mental illness. Including a particularity insensitive suicide attempt by the main character, after which several characters make jokes about murdering her in the what feels like minutes after the attempt occurs. In addition to this the central theme of sacrifice is handled in such a clumsy and misogynistic manner that the entire novel is coloured with mean asides and judgements of the predominantly female characters, while the central male characters are forgiven for their misdeeds by simply existing within the main characters eyesight.
I feel that this book has been marketed to a niche it does not fulfill, badly written and at times uncomfortable to read. I will never read any of the authors subsequent work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Gun violence and Racism
fancyjess_party's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
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