The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic
A Novel
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4.0 • 103 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
For fans of Practical Magic and Gilmore Girls, The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic is a debut novel that explores the shields we build around our hearts to retain our own magic.
Sadie Revelare has always believed that the curse of four heartbreaks that accompanies her magic would be worth the price. But when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer with only weeks to live, and her first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, returns to town after a decade, her carefully structured life begins to unravel.
With the news of their grandmother's impending death, Sadie's estranged twin brother Seth returns to town, bringing with him deeply buried family secrets that threaten to tear Sadie's world apart. Their grandmother has been the backbone of the family for generations, and with her death, Sadie isn't sure she'll have the strength to keep the family, and her magic, together.
As feelings for Jake begin to rekindle, and her grandmother growing sicker by the day, Sadie faces the last of her heartbreaks, and she has to decide: is love more important than magic?
Readers who love the magic of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and the sense of community found in The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches will enjoy this warm, witchy novel.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this quiet, witchy drama, debut author Randall explores the courage it takes to deal with grief and dare to love. Each member of the Revelare family is blessed with magic, but their gifts come with a curse. In heroine Sadie's case, the curse states that after four heartbreaks, she'll lose her magic entirely. She's already had two broken hearts, so she keeps herself closed off and her life carefully structured, infusing her magic into her baked goods and the remedies passed down by her folksy grandmother, Gigi. But then her first love, Jake McNealy, returns to town after 10 years away, and Gigi reveals she's dying of cancer. Toss in some devastating revelations about Sadie's family history, and her comfortable life spirals out of control, as she resists the urge to fall for Jake again, desperately seeks a way to heal Gigi, and tries to protect her heart. Despite the ominous deadline looming over Sadie, the emphasis is on internal, emotional complexity, rather than external threats. The accompanying romance plays as a necessary part of her maturation and growth, allowing her to blossom. It's an intimate portrait of an understandably guarded heroine learning to let down her walls.
Customer Reviews
See AllGood story but needed more thorough editing
The plot of the book was fun. There were quite a few typos and mistakes throughout the book — more than average.
Cute read!
Unfortunate Effects of Heartbreak and Magic" is a delightful and uplifting read. The seamless blend of heartbreak, magic, and family relationships, coupled with the well-developed characters and enticing recipes, make it a book that will captivate readers from beginning to end. Whether you're in need of a light escape or seeking inspiration, this book is sure to leave a lasting impression.
DNF
Spoilers ahead! I never DNF books this far into it, usually I tough it out but good god. This is pitched as a Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls but really it’s annoying Christian witches who bake a lot.
Everything about this book annoyed me- Sadie was one of the worst FMCs I’ve read in a long time. She’s a childish doormat with no backbone and manages to be clingy while keeping everyone at arms length. The ”conflict” with her brother was so stupid (he was only gone for a year!) The way the author described how betrayed Sadie felt you’d think he stole all her money, kicked her cat and slashed her tires before he left town but the poor guy just wanted to explore the world a little bit! Not to mention, their family motto is “Revelares leave but they always come back”, so if you know he’s going to come back why are you acting so betrayed?
Speaking of Seth, if he called her “sister” one more time I was going to launch the book into the sun. We get it, they’re siblings you do not need to constantly remind us. I have 3 sisters and never once in our lives have we ever called each other “sis, sister, little sis, big sister” Why do authors insist on doing this? He’s her twin for god’s sake we’re not going to forget they’re siblings.
Also, how are a bunch of witches Methodists?! At one point the FMC corrects someone who calls her family witches and she says “We’re not witches, we’re magic users, there’s a difference!” You have a potion brewing under the moonlight for a spell you wrote but you’re not a witch? You carry herbs in your pocket to ward off bad vibes but also quote scripture? Pick and choose babe. That almost made DNF right there but what did it was the MMC trying to “save some gang members” by taking them to church. The author made him a literal white savior (firefighter) but of course when his evangelizing didn’t work, he fled the scary big city. Ah yes, evangelizing with a side of white flight, sounds about white, I mean right. Never thought I’d see conservative coded witches but here we are.
I didn’t even get to mention the puppy stealing or the fake pregnancy which reminds me- there are zero trigger warnings. For a story marketed as a cozy rom-com, there are incredibly heavy themes dropped in with zero care. Descriptions of sexual assault/rape, domestic abuse and suicide ideation/attempt. It is so irresponsible to include such triggering themes without warning your readers.