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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall
44 reviews
cwallace1005's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
lyricallit's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
I can understand and agree with the Gilmore girls comparison a bit. The pace felt a bit slow, but I initially enjoyed the overall cozy approach. Then about 2/3 into the book, the plot lost the thread. I find the ending dissatisfying. I saw it coming so it wasn't a wild shock. As a result, I assumed that the remainder of the book would be about Sadie's transition into a life without her magic. But it wasn't. The last 1/3 was just marking time, drawing out the conflict of saving Seth so that they only figure it out just in time. In summary, I like the first two thirds of the book, but the last third/ ending fell flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer
rosh's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
1.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Cancer
Minor: Death of parent, Rape, and Infertility
mv_reads's review against another edition
1.5
I had such high hopes for this book, especially with the enticing promise of a "Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic" vibe. However, it left me with mixed feelings.
To be honest, it fell short on the Gilmore Girls theme and seemed to try a bit too hard to mimic Practical Magic. Some plot points left me scratching my head, and not all of them seemed necessary.
The main "romantic" relationship had me cringing more than rooting for the characters. That dynamic felt entirely unnecessary, and it gave me "the ick."
The pacing was a struggle for me, and the story felt slow throughout. It just couldn't hold my attention as I'd hoped.
On the bright side, the inclusion of recipes was a lovely touch. I enjoyed that part immensely and may try a recipe or two.
What left me truly perplexed was the mix of witchcraft and religious elements. It was a bit challenging to grasp the whole premise when they were going to church, quoting Bible verses, and discussing God. It left me a tad confused.
I read this for a bookclub that I am a part of and if it wasn’t for that I most likely would not have finished. All in all, "The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" had its moments, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
To be honest, it fell short on the Gilmore Girls theme and seemed to try a bit too hard to mimic Practical Magic. Some plot points left me scratching my head, and not all of them seemed necessary.
The main "romantic" relationship had me cringing more than rooting for the characters. That dynamic felt entirely unnecessary, and it gave me "the ick."
The pacing was a struggle for me, and the story felt slow throughout. It just couldn't hold my attention as I'd hoped.
On the bright side, the inclusion of recipes was a lovely touch. I enjoyed that part immensely and may try a recipe or two.
What left me truly perplexed was the mix of witchcraft and religious elements. It was a bit challenging to grasp the whole premise when they were going to church, quoting Bible verses, and discussing God. It left me a tad confused.
I read this for a bookclub that I am a part of and if it wasn’t for that I most likely would not have finished. All in all, "The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" had its moments, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Death of parent, and Abandonment
amanda_mh's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
There is a subtle beauty to this story. Reading this felt as if I was calmly walking alongside the characters in the story. It’s a quiet small town cozy fantasy novel filled with magical baking, and a very real depiction of grief which I appreciated. I’m glad I picked up this book from BOTM.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
etl's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
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.
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
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Rape, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Pregnancy and Infertility
amandaboyer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
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
Graphic: Death of parent, Cancer, Drug use, Death, Suicide, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
emmerroo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, and Suicide attempt
ashlynldavis1's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cancer
honeynwool's review against another edition
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
Minor: Rape, Death, and Death of parent