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

Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
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.
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