A review by wornpagesandendlesscoffey
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • 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

2.5

Always thankful for the ARCs I receive, and this is my honest review. I am certain there is an audience for this book, one that will adore it and make it their entire identity. I am not that audience. I want to first say, the marketing here was super deceptive and I was almost immediately disappointed. Nothing about this story was "Gilmore Girls"- literally, nothing. There was a huge chunk of Practical Magic in there, so much so it almost felt like the same story, adjusted. It wasn't a bad book, it wasn't poorly written, but the false marketing left me with a horrid taste in my mouth for the book. I love Gilmore Girls, I named my child after the show and watch it once a year (at least), so I was thrilled to have a book that had that vibe. This book wasn't that at all, There are also a mountain of triggers and no TW of any kind, the dynamics of the grandmother felt off, the way everyone treated the main character was shady and bad, and worst of all
the female main character had to sacrifice her magic and her identity for a man. Lorelai would *never*.
The conflict was rushed and the resolution was sloppy. Every character treated the FMC like she was loved for how she made them feel or how she was useful to them, her boundaries were ignored or pushed past by nearly everyone, and have I mentioned the massive triggers. SO since the author didn't include them, a few to note are death, abandonment, toxic relationships, magic bypassing consent, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, cancer, manipulation, gaslighting, murder, and relationship abuse- this is not an exhaustive list by any means but someone should put it out there.
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