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

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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rowanhill's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

This cozy, witchy book is the perfect fall read! Family, baking, magic, romance…what more can you ask for?! Despite some of its heavier themes, this book feels like cider and a warm hug throughout and I found it hard to put down just on vibes alone. And the icing on top? There is a recipe to try yourself at the end of each chapter! If you thrive on the fall vibes like me and are interested in magical realism, this is the perfect read for you.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is compared to Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, but I actually feel like Under the Whispering Door is a far more comparable story. It follows Sadie Revelare, a talented magic user who owns a bakery in the small town her family has lived in for generations. However, all magic comes at a cost and Sadie is destined to lose hers after 4 heartbreaks. When her grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sadie knows her passing will be the third heartbreak. But as Sadie soon learns, there is far more than her magic at stake.

I really love all of the characters in this book! Though I find Sadie a bit irritating at times, she is a realistically flawed character who is very relatable as she tries, and often fails, to navigate a very difficult time in her life. Each of the other characters is quirky in their own way and I love how their magic (for those that have it) match their quirks perfectly. Randall really excels at showing how these various personalities interact and allowing both tension and love/comradery to exist at the same time. Though I wouldn’t fully call this a ‘character’ book, these characters and their love for each other definitely form the heart of the story.

Despite the fact that I devoured this book like it was a piece of pumpkin pie, it definitely has its flaws. There was enough repetition in the writing that it started to earn some eyerolls from me towards the end. I never really got annoyed with it, but it did start to undermine the stronger storytelling elements. There were also a few elements that I wished had gotten a little more meaningful development and/or tied together better by the end of the book. This obviously didn’t stop me from loving the book, but it did make me hesitate to give it top marks.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC!

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readwithria's review against another edition

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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.

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