Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
12 reviews
luverbyrd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cursing, Rape, Pregnancy, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness
tinathesmall89's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.5
I loved the book, it was slow, it did meet the notes stating it was practical magic meets Gilmore girls. It was a slow read and I had a bit of trouble at first getting into the book, this isn’t the kind of book I normally read but overall it was nicely written and I loved that at the end of each chapter she has a recipe for one thing that is made in the chapter. This book was creative, loving, it put me in an emotional state since this is about the loss of a loved one and it made me think of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Murder
dwhiting's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness
Minor: Toxic relationship
etl's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
This book was.... not for me. Plot lines that go nowhere, confusing and bizarre christian ideology that comes out of nowhere (in a book about a witch...?), plot holes, a bizarre that I think we're supposed to read as quirky and banter-y, overly-descriptive language while still not actually telling us anything, wildly casual mentions of very serious topics . I can't believe this was marketed as a cozy read tbh.
The only reason I finished this book is because I became absolutely obsessed with the frankly absurd similes and metaphors. The writing is chock full of some truly bizarre writing but by chapter two I started highlighting the comparisons to food (specifically sweet treats) just in case the reader forgot that the main character was a baker. My favorites are below for your reading pleasure:
- "the tenuous peace they'd formed in the kitchen cracked like creme brulee"
- "shaking her momentary mirth off like powdered sugar"
- "excitement brushed along her skin like confectioners' sugar"
- "gingersnap laugh"
- "The air turned sweet like sparkle-dusted rainbow cotton candy"
and my number one, the line I will be thinking about for the rest of my life:
- "hugs were passed around like a tray of chocolate truffles, sweet and decadent until too much made you sad for no reason" - huh. huh?I have never ever been sad due to too many chocolate truffles OR too many hugs. sick? yes. touched out? yes. sad...? am I missing something? do chocolates and hugs make people sad?
Overall I counted 41 instances of food-related symbolism, and this doesn't include anything from chapter one or descriptive language like "butter-soft" or "caramel-colored" because at least those descriptions make sense.
I'm sure this book is for someone. That someone is not me.
Spoiler
dog kidnappingSpoiler
SA, attempted suicide, murder, and also what essentially amounts to the drugging of an unsuspecting third party... TWICE. SHE DOES IT TWICEThe only reason I finished this book is because I became absolutely obsessed with the frankly absurd similes and metaphors. The writing is chock full of some truly bizarre writing but by chapter two I started highlighting the comparisons to food (specifically sweet treats) just in case the reader forgot that the main character was a baker. My favorites are below for your reading pleasure:
- "the tenuous peace they'd formed in the kitchen cracked like creme brulee"
- "shaking her momentary mirth off like powdered sugar"
- "excitement brushed along her skin like confectioners' sugar"
- "gingersnap laugh"
- "The air turned sweet like sparkle-dusted rainbow cotton candy"
and my number one, the line I will be thinking about for the rest of my life:
- "hugs were passed around like a tray of chocolate truffles, sweet and decadent until too much made you sad for no reason" - huh. huh?I have never ever been sad due to too many chocolate truffles OR too many hugs. sick? yes. touched out? yes. sad...? am I missing something? do chocolates and hugs make people sad?
Overall I counted 41 instances of food-related symbolism, and this doesn't include anything from chapter one or descriptive language like "butter-soft" or "caramel-colored" because at least those descriptions make sense.
I'm sure this book is for someone. That someone is not me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Pregnancy and Infertility
amandaboyer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Drug use, Death, Suicide, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
condls27's review against another edition
Spoilers ahead! I never DNF books this far into it, usually I tough it out but good god. This is pitched as a Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls but really it’s annoying Christian witches who bake a lot.
Everything about this book annoyed me- Sadie was one of the worst FMCs I’ve read in a long time. She’s childish, a doormat with no backbone and manages to be clingy while keeping everyone at arms length. The shit with her brother was so stupid (he was only gone for a year! They way the author described how betrayed Sadie felt you’d think he stole all her money, kicked her cat and slashed her tires before he left town but the poor guy just wanted to explore the world a little bit) Not to mention, their family motto is was “Revelares leave but they always come back” so if you know he’s going to come back why are you acting so betrayed?
Speaking of Seth, if he called her “sister” one more time I was going to launch the book into the sun. We get it, they’re siblings you do not need to constantly remind us. I have 3 sisters and never once in our lives have we ever called each other “sis, sister, little sis, big sister”Why do authors insist on doing this? He’s her fucking twin for god’s sake we’re not going to forget they’re siblings.
Speaking of god, how in the hell are a bunch of witches Methodists?! That whole scene at church was so dumb, I almost DNF-ed right there but what did it was Jake talking about taking gang members to church. Shut all the way up this book has enough going on it doesn’t need white savior evangelizing bullshit on top of it.
I’m so mad I wasted 14 bucks on this conservative coded bullshit.
Everything about this book annoyed me- Sadie was one of the worst FMCs I’ve read in a long time. She’s childish, a doormat with no backbone and manages to be clingy while keeping everyone at arms length. The shit with her brother was so stupid (he was only gone for a year! They way the author described how betrayed Sadie felt you’d think he stole all her money, kicked her cat and slashed her tires before he left town but the poor guy just wanted to explore the world a little bit) Not to mention, their family motto is was “Revelares leave but they always come back” so if you know he’s going to come back why are you acting so betrayed?
Speaking of Seth, if he called her “sister” one more time I was going to launch the book into the sun. We get it, they’re siblings you do not need to constantly remind us. I have 3 sisters and never once in our lives have we ever called each other “sis, sister, little sis, big sister”Why do authors insist on doing this? He’s her fucking twin for god’s sake we’re not going to forget they’re siblings.
Speaking of god, how in the hell are a bunch of witches Methodists?! That whole scene at church was so dumb, I almost DNF-ed right there but what did it was Jake talking about taking gang members to church. Shut all the way up this book has enough going on it doesn’t need white savior evangelizing bullshit on top of it.
I’m so mad I wasted 14 bucks on this conservative coded bullshit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness
cc_shelflove's review against another edition
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
2.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Mental illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
aishoka's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Emotional. A bit Mary Sue. Lots of lush garden and food descriptions
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Sexual assault
roguereads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I was not prepared for the emotional gut punch that was this book.
The pacing was wonderful, the magic system fascinating, and I want more abojt this town and it’s founding families!
Spoiler
Tw: death, cancer, grief. Having been my father-in-law’s primary caretaker during his last months of life, the scenes of the MC’s grandmother’s rapid decline, death at home, and the grief that followed I was wholly unprepared for. It was incredibly difficult, and painful. If I missed any TW listing, that’s on me, but I was not expecting to relive those experiences from a book that was marketed as Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic.The pacing was wonderful, the magic system fascinating, and I want more abojt this town and it’s founding families!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
rowanhill's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This cozy, witchy book is the perfect fall read! Family, baking, magic, romance…what more can you ask for?! Despite some of its heavier themes, this book feels like cider and a warm hug throughout and I found it hard to put down just on vibes alone. And the icing on top? There is a recipe to try yourself at the end of each chapter! If you thrive on the fall vibes like me and are interested in magical realism, this is the perfect read for you.
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is compared to Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, but I actually feel like Under the Whispering Door is a far more comparable story. It follows Sadie Revelare, a talented magic user who owns a bakery in the small town her family has lived in for generations. However, all magic comes at a cost and Sadie is destined to lose hers after 4 heartbreaks. When her grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sadie knows her passing will be the third heartbreak. But as Sadie soon learns, there is far more than her magic at stake.
I really love all of the characters in this book! Though I find Sadie a bit irritating at times, she is a realistically flawed character who is very relatable as she tries, and often fails, to navigate a very difficult time in her life. Each of the other characters is quirky in their own way and I love how their magic (for those that have it) match their quirks perfectly. Randall really excels at showing how these various personalities interact and allowing both tension and love/comradery to exist at the same time. Though I wouldn’t fully call this a ‘character’ book, these characters and their love for each other definitely form the heart of the story.
Despite the fact that I devoured this book like it was a piece of pumpkin pie, it definitely has its flaws. There was enough repetition in the writing that it started to earn some eyerolls from me towards the end. I never really got annoyed with it, but it did start to undermine the stronger storytelling elements. There were also a few elements that I wished had gotten a little more meaningful development and/or tied together better by the end of the book. This obviously didn’t stop me from loving the book, but it did make me hesitate to give it top marks.
Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
Minor: Abandonment, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship