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

Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

109 reviews

kaylabriavel's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

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hello_lovely13's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This was an extremely mixed bag (and I’m glad I read this via the library and didn’t spend any money on it). The overall vibe of the book was well done, very cozy, but I did have a problem with the writing. There were many instances where you could tell the author was trying really hard to make the writing atmospheric by adding too many unnecessary descriptive words, such as something along the lines of “the air was crisp like my apple pie”. It was a bit annoying. I love flowery writing, but this felt forced. Also, there were a few times where there were pop culture references that made me cringe (I.e.: her wanting appear cool when she was angry and saying to herself “conceal, don’t feel”…give me a break). Not to mention that I hated pretty much every single character (and you’re not supposed to!!!!!). Let’s start off with Sadie: she’s supposed to be the lovable, relatable people-pleaser that we root for, but she makes so many decisions that either annoy or enrage me.

One of the main things that completely turned me off from her character is that she literally STOLE her ex’s dog and NEVER gave it back. Yes, initially it was a misunderstanding, but then she goes out of her way to hide it from him once she realized who it belonged to, changed the dog’s name, and the two of them just joke about this???? Girl, give him his fucking dog back.

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mzleishman's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Didn’t love the ending. The plot had nice potential, but have read others in this genre that I prefer.

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amandaan89's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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tallard's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75

This book had a wonderful cozy small town vibe (think practical magic). That said, while the plot was interesting, I personally wasn't sold on the love interest. In fact, I really disliked Jake by the end and I was disappointed in Sadie for not having higher standards for herself. Truly the whole romance part was lack luster.

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kiahsm's review against another edition

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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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bambifaun's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I didn't get the Gilmore Girl vibes the book promised. Instead, the romance felt forced and uncomfortable. It seemed like all except a couple of side characters had the same personality. There were dark themes I wasn't prepared for such as suicide/child death/mental health.

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adhw930's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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megletronic's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

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

0.75

NOT practical magic or Gilmore girls… weirdly Christian?? Apparently the author has said the book was rejected 500 times before publishing…. Clearly for a reason.

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briannajlittle's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

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

2.75

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