Scan barcode
jandsbell's review
3.0
This was a good read. The story moved and a good pace and I liked the twists and turns. I would have loved more characters descriptions and more development, but overall, good read.
kaci_'s review
3.0
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
This book feels difficult to explain succinctly, which I think is partly because it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. So, I’m pulling part of the description directly from Goodreads:
“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.”
So, the novel seems to want to be a magical realism, small town romance, which it achieves to some extent. Sadie and her relationship with her grandmother is lovely and entertaining. I found the bakery she runs selling foods that have magical elements to be especially charming. Yet the combination of the fantasy elements with the small town story didn’t always mix smoothly. I often found myself confused about how the magic fit into the world—did everyone in town know about it, or just this magical family? How many other magical families were there?—and the dialogue occasionally felt unnatural.
Ultimately, I was a little let down by this one. I think it had great potential, but didn’t quite deliver. I think what it comes down to is a lack of significant world-building. In a way, it almost felt like reading a sequel in a fictional world that I should have already been familiar with.
That said, the story it tells is still pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it. This one isn’t high on my recommendation list, but I’d be excited to read more by this author in the future. Thanks to @netgalley and @alcovepress for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one is out now!
This book feels difficult to explain succinctly, which I think is partly because it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. So, I’m pulling part of the description directly from Goodreads:
“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.”
So, the novel seems to want to be a magical realism, small town romance, which it achieves to some extent. Sadie and her relationship with her grandmother is lovely and entertaining. I found the bakery she runs selling foods that have magical elements to be especially charming. Yet the combination of the fantasy elements with the small town story didn’t always mix smoothly. I often found myself confused about how the magic fit into the world—did everyone in town know about it, or just this magical family? How many other magical families were there?—and the dialogue occasionally felt unnatural.
Ultimately, I was a little let down by this one. I think it had great potential, but didn’t quite deliver. I think what it comes down to is a lack of significant world-building. In a way, it almost felt like reading a sequel in a fictional world that I should have already been familiar with.
That said, the story it tells is still pretty entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it. This one isn’t high on my recommendation list, but I’d be excited to read more by this author in the future. Thanks to @netgalley and @alcovepress for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one is out now!
jrobson16's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
emgordy's review
2.0
I had so many grand plans for all of the spooky books I was going to read in October and ended up spending half the month fighting to finish this. Now I’m reading horror in November because I couldn’t bring myself to care about what happened to these characters. I should’ve DNF’d when I got to the casual MLM reference lol.
mishka_333's review against another edition
2.0
If you like Hallmark romance movies - you'll like this. I did not.
haley_hewson's review
4.0
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**
*
*
*
Surprisingly poignant and thought provoking. Was expecting more of a warm/feel good witchy novel. Not disappointed at all though. I enjoyed GiGi’s sass, just a friendly trigger warning for chapter 10 a very accurate depiction of end of life circumstances and how they actually play out. It felt like a lot of conflicts to keep up with. The strained sibling relationship, the impending death of a terminal loved one, a rekindled flame relationship, an estranged parent returning, etc. It was just a lot to keep track of lol. But I enjoyed the story and the take on magic.
*
*
*
Surprisingly poignant and thought provoking. Was expecting more of a warm/feel good witchy novel. Not disappointed at all though. I enjoyed GiGi’s sass, just a friendly trigger warning for chapter 10 a very accurate depiction of end of life circumstances and how they actually play out. It felt like a lot of conflicts to keep up with. The strained sibling relationship, the impending death of a terminal loved one, a rekindled flame relationship, an estranged parent returning, etc. It was just a lot to keep track of lol. But I enjoyed the story and the take on magic.
laurii's review
1.0
I hated this book. Hated it. I didn't like the writing style, I didn't like any of the characters, the romance was awful and squicky, there were so many plot elements that were so poorly done.
I would've DNF, but I'm using it for a reading challenge so I slogged through it.
I would've DNF, but I'm using it for a reading challenge so I slogged through it.
katieg4's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Abandonment
peonyblue's review
1.0
I'm five chapters in and I'm seriously wondering whether the marketing genius who came up with the promotional blurb copy for this book has ever seen Gilmore Girls, ever.
My guess is "no".
(edited to add: Life is too short to devote twelve hours to this much of a mess. In the twenty years I've had Audible, I've returned exactly two titles, both for technical issues. Today, that number is now *three*. It's that bad.)
My guess is "no".
(edited to add: Life is too short to devote twelve hours to this much of a mess. In the twenty years I've had Audible, I've returned exactly two titles, both for technical issues. Today, that number is now *three*. It's that bad.)
knottystitches's review
1.0
I honestly tried very hard to like this book but it just wasn't for me maybe. It was incredibly over detailed to the point it felt like word fluff. It jumped from plot to plot in an unorganized fashion and just didn't make sense. I didn't get the gilmore girls feel some practical magic but honestly I think it was over hyped so I was expecting more from this book. Also it was very strange to have the witches be Christian church goers and the whole thing about the churches view on children born from rape, just gave me bad vibes it was disturbingly strange say the least.