Reviews with content warning for Panic attacks/disorders - The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

From the first page of this book, I was already starving. As a foodie, I loved the many descriptions of Sadie making her way around the kitchen and serving delectable sweets. 😋 There were even recipes in between each chapter! The other aspects of the book, however…… 🥴 It was so discombobulated it’s not even funny. For the “romance” course of the novel, I was served second chance and forced proximity tropes—ones I actually enjoy. Where the author lacked is character development. I was given next to no background into Sadie and Jake’s relationship before his return; I didn’t know either character well enough to care if they got back together or not. I also felt like I was thrown into the middle of Sadie’s familial problems, and it was expected that I care with no further explanation. The long chapters killed my reading experience, as well as the randomness of the plot. I definitely skimmed the last two chapters and I was left disappointed as I thought this would be the perfect fall read. 😓 My thoughts summed up in one word: unfortunate.

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rromero721's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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callmeamelia's review

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emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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nrogers_1030's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak & Magic is something magical. I laughed, cried and felt every emotion in between. I feel like it could pull anyone's heart strings. It's been compared to Gilmore Girls and Practical Magic and I agree in a sense; it has characteristics of both, but it has a heart of its own. Ms. Randall has spun a story that is so charming, but real. The importance of self-care and being mentally healthy is a huge in this novel, but it's done subtly so it doesn't feel as if you're listening to a self-help lecture. I can't recommend this book enough. I loved the recipes included; it made you feel like you could bake something alongside Sadie. I feel the same way about The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak & Magic that I do about Legends and Lattes. I could reread this again and again.

Here's some quotes that held meaning for me:
“No, your problem, carina, is that it’s practically impossible for anyone to get in that heart of yours. And when they do, you love them forever. No matter what. No matter how much they shit all over you.”

'"Time ceases to exist for you in bookstores, and I am not sitting by for three hours while you get hot over books you have no intention of buying.”“But they need me,” Sadie argued.'

'"All the cousins there and endless games of hide-and-seek and secrets and sprinklers. Sticky watermelon fingers and sidewalk chalk. As the years went on, the memories stuck, but the get-togethers didn’t."' - This could have come from a page of my life.

"I will love you every moment of forever."

When your heart is split in two, you can’t be true to either piece. It’s like you’re two different people with one beating heart.”

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing an advanced reader copy of the book for an honest review. Any quote(s) used in my review have been uncorrected.

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