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A review by tiffanne11
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Overall, the author tried to do too many things and it meant that none of it stuck. She was trying to build a cozy town, with diversity, and a high stakes sub plot, but nothing felt developed.
There are multiple instances of both diversity and mental health issues sprinkled in that seem to exist just to check a box. One example of this is dropping in that a side character goes to therapy, but also saying the main character had to figure out a recipe because of her obsessive compulsive nature. There is also a suicide attempt that becomes a joke, which is messed up.
The portrayal of their magic in general, that it has to have a curse, that there is always a negative effect to it, just feels like someone who doesn't want the magic to exist in their magic book. And then the main character is essentially spelling people without their consent because the town doesn't really believe in magic. Not to mention the multiple times she essentially drugs people into telling her the truth. The way magic works is also very inconsistent. An example of this is her mother who was supposed to be sterile due to her type of magic, but ends up pregnant twice.
The entire romance is a sham. She is still pining over a guy from high school who is emotionally cheating on his fiance with her, and who gets close to physically cheating. But we, as the reader, are supposed to believe it's okay because the woman he's engaged to ends up being a liar.
Other small things that just irritated me:
1) Gigi's constant use of pissant and toot to refer to her grandchildren.
2) A line where Gigi's head only comes to Jake's navel.
3) Sadie is written as the ultimate self sacrificing woman. She does everything for everyone, including making her twin brother his dinner plate while he just sits and waits.
4) All the women cook and the men go outside to play with the kids. All the women clean and the men go hang out outside.
I really wanted to like this book, cozy witchy books are my thing, and it had a lot of potential, but it just wasn't executed well.
There are multiple instances of both diversity and mental health issues sprinkled in that seem to exist just to check a box. One example of this is dropping in that a side character goes to therapy, but also saying the main character had to figure out a recipe because of her obsessive compulsive nature. There is also a suicide attempt that becomes a joke, which is messed up.
The portrayal of their magic in general, that it has to have a curse, that there is always a negative effect to it, just feels like someone who doesn't want the magic to exist in their magic book. And then the main character is essentially spelling people without their consent because the town doesn't really believe in magic. Not to mention the multiple times she essentially drugs people into telling her the truth. The way magic works is also very inconsistent. An example of this is her mother who was supposed to be sterile due to her type of magic, but ends up pregnant twice.
The entire romance is a sham. She is still pining over a guy from high school who is emotionally cheating on his fiance with her, and who gets close to physically cheating. But we, as the reader, are supposed to believe it's okay because the woman he's engaged to ends up being a liar.
Other small things that just irritated me:
1) Gigi's constant use of pissant and toot to refer to her grandchildren.
2) A line where Gigi's head only comes to Jake's navel.
3) Sadie is written as the ultimate self sacrificing woman. She does everything for everyone, including making her twin brother his dinner plate while he just sits and waits.
4) All the women cook and the men go outside to play with the kids. All the women clean and the men go hang out outside.
I really wanted to like this book, cozy witchy books are my thing, and it had a lot of potential, but it just wasn't executed well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy