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

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Funny enough I finally finished reading this book after buying it on my kindle a few months back, reading a few chapters, becoming bored and closing out the book. I was on a trip across the country when I bought a "blind book date" wrapped in plain paper from a bookstore that had an enticing description on it. I unwrapped it and found this book, again. I decided I should finish it since it kept finding it's way back to me. 

Don't get me wrong, this book is very cozy and sweet. I loved the nuggets of magic and Gigi's wisdom throughout. The recipes were a nice touch. I will say this isn't the type of book you want to tear through and not put down. It was more so a comforting and slow read. 

Some quotes that hit me were the quotes on grief, as I recently lost my own grandmother to cancer. "What were you supposed to do after the matriarch died?" "The real consolation was seeing their own grief reflected in the eyes and tears of friends and neighbors and cafe patrons because it meant they were unified in their sorrow and love for a woman who had touched so many lives." Those sort of things you reflect on differently after losing someone you love. I appreciated the sincerity in the thought behind those words and showing the depth of Sadie's grief for such an important person in her life.


I felt that the characters had so much more potential for depth and character development, but it did feel very surface level. I also couldn't help myself rolling my eyes at "Jake" the small town firefighter who couldn't seem to be honest with himself or Sadie. Some parts of the story seemed like distractions and almost like the author couldn't choose which path she was going to go down story-line wise. The dark energy in the woods ends up being Sadie's grandfather? This didn't make much sense to me considering Sadie was supposed to be this very in-tune witch, but she couldn't differentiate an evil spirit and her grandpa? Just seemed a bit of a rush to close that part of the story because it didn't pan out the way it had initially been written.


I also have to mention, Gigi killing a man, and Sadie and her brother being the products of SA seemed almost glossed over, with no actual reflection from any of the characters on this part of the story line. It seemed like a heavy explanation to toss into the book without it being a bit more of a discussion.


Otherwise, this book is a cute and cozy read. It would be a great book to read through the fall and I look forward to seeing other books this author puts out as I am sure her writing will grow with practice.
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