Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

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

dog kidnapping

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

SA, attempted suicide, murder, and also what essentially amounts to the drugging of an unsuspecting third party... TWICE. SHE DOES IT TWICE

. 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.

Content Warnings

emilydamron's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful 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

jcd1013's review

Go to review page

2.25

God that was painful. Poorly edited, too many plots that didn't go anywhere, characters that weren't developed.

Content Warnings

honeynwool's review against another edition

Go to review page

I’m not connecting with any of the characters, the pacing and dialogue are weird, and it’s just a bit overwritten in general. I get the Practical Magic vibe but not the Gilmore Girls one — I got to page 114 and don’t think there was a single joke?

Content Warnings

readwithria's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic was, unfortunately, not for me.

I went into this book thinking it would be similar to The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, and I was very wrong. I think the blurb made me overestimate how much romance would be in the book. This book is part fantasy, part romance, part family drama, part paranormal mystery, and part cookbook. Unfortunately, I don’t think any of those aspects were quite well developed enough for me.

There were some things that I really enjoyed. I liked the recipes at the end of each chapter. I liked the idea of the magic system (even though I have no clue how it works). I like the prose.

And then, there are the things that didn’t work for me. The pacing was a little all over the place. The MC’s best friend is a bit of a walking stereotype. The resolution to some of the mysteries and questions is a bit lackluster, and the romance is really lacking a spark in my opinion. Everything feels really drawn out, and I didn’t feel satisfied by the end of the book. I also wish this book had listed the trigger warnings at the beginning, as I don’t think it handled every situation with as much care and weight as I would have liked.

This last pain point is VERY much a personal preference, but I personally despise real-world religions in my books and there was far too much for my comfort. I was really tempted to DNF when I got the chapter that was spent entirely inside a church, but somehow I kept going and I’m not sure if I regret that or not. It’s a personal boundary that I really don’t like crossing, so I wish I had known that before going into the book (I hate DNFing ARCs, so I wouldn’t have requested it).

All in all, this book is more of a literary fiction book with a fantasy element than the cozy contemporary fantasy I thought it would be, and that’s not what I tend to like in a book. If that’s what you’re looking for, go for it! Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t for me. 2.75 stars.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Content Warnings

tofugal's review against another edition

Go to review page

Turns out I’m not the right audience for this book. A pity because I really wanted to love it.

“For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls,” makes me think sisterly bonds, sassy mentor figures, a love curse, a small town with a colorful cast of characters, snappy dialogue, and sizzling chemistry with the romantic lead. Totally is my cup of tea.

This story hit some of those notes. The mentor has moments of sass, there is a love curse, and the town is small, but unfortunately the the sibling bonds, memorable cast, witty dialogue, and romantic chemistry I was hoping for aren’t there.

The story started out promising, with signs something nefarious was on the way and magical baked goods.

The first sign this book wasn’t for me was Sadie’s church attendance, which didn’t make sense. Christianity has a history of leading witch hunts and executing alleged witches. Given that the religion still frowns on witchcraft today, her accepting the church and vice versa while openly practicing magic didn’t ring true without a compelling explanation.

The second sign was Gigi insisting that they’re not witches, they just use magic. It’s a weird distinction that seemed arbitrary. Besides, what’s wrong with being a witch?

The third and final sign was the book’s attitude toward SA and how precious children resulting from SA are (reminded me of the pro-lifer “gifts from God” mentality). I was troubled by Sadie dismay over the predator responsible getting his just deserts, especially since she was entirely unfazed by the trauma he inflicted on his victim.

Since the values of the characters clashing with my own kept taking me out of the story, I DNF a third of the way through at Chapter 7. This book is may be a better fit for readers who enjoy strong Christian overtones in fantasy books, like the Narnia series.

The recipe inclusion was a cute gimmick, but their placement messed with the pacing. This wasn’t a book that had me craving the food mentioned, unlike Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and Legends & Lattes, so including the recipes at the end of the book might have been a better choice.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Content Warnings

More...