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The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Breanne Randall (Author), Laura Horowitz (Narrator), Blackstone Publishing (Publisher)
3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 2,647 ratings
See all formats and editions

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?

Listeners 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.

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  1. Listening Length
    12 hours and 26 minutes
  2. Author
    Breanne Randall
  3. Narrator
    Laura Horowitz
  4. Audible release date
    October 10, 2023
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Blackstone Publishing
  7. ASIN
    B0CKG1GVM1
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 12 hours and 26 minutes
Author Breanne Randall
Narrator Laura Horowitz
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date October 10, 2023
Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B0CKG1GVM1
Best Sellers Rank #6,185 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#63 in Contemporary Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)
#181 in Paranormal Fantasy (Audible Books & Originals)
#209 in Family Life Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
2,647 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book enchanting, lovely, and full of emotion. They also describe the tone as cozy, light, entertaining, and diverting. Readers love the recipes and directions. However, some find the plot too much with too many storylines and predictable with no nuance. They feel the pacing is very slow. Opinions are mixed on the characterization, with some finding them rich and relatable, while others say they're nonexistent. Reader opinions are mixed also on the writing quality, with others finding it well-written and relatible, while still others say it's monotonous and boggy at times.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Book enjoymentToneEmotional toneRecipesWriting qualityCharacterizationPlotPacing
117 customers mention "Book enjoyment"105 positive12 negative

Customers find the book enchanting, fun to read, and inspiring. They also say the concept is cute, inspiring, and joyful. Customers also mention the setting is lovely and the book makes them laugh, cry, and sing at times.

"...I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book! It was written with so many emotions, and I literally felt every single one...." Read more

"...It was enough for it to be distracting and entertaining even if I am unlikely to remember much about it...." Read more

"...Honestly, the story is cute. There are some very glaring technical problems with this novel, but if you can get passed that, it’s fine...." Read more

"Great book" Read more

23 customers mention "Tone"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the tone cozy, comforting, pleasant, and warm. They also say the book is perfect for autumn and light.

"...I would say that it is a nice, simple, cozy fall read for a rainy day...." Read more

"...I love all the recipes included!! This was a very very cozy read with magic woven into the story throughout...." Read more

"This book was a wonderful way to relax and unwind at the end of each day. The story line was well written and I never felt bored...." Read more

"...It was a good read for this time of year, cozy vibes, and overall I am glad I read it." Read more

21 customers mention "Emotional tone"18 positive3 negative

Customers find the book full of emotion and say they cried, laughed, and were in suspense.

"...It was written with so many emotions, and I literally felt every single one...." Read more

"This book is a light and enjoyable story of magic, heartbreak, romance, and recipes. I enjoyed it...." Read more

"...It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made my heart sing at times. I also loved the hint of darkness that was present and eventually revealed...." Read more

"...This book was simply incredible. It invoked so many feelings in me...." Read more

21 customers mention "Recipes"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the recipes in the book to be great and easy to follow. They also mention that the book has directions.

"...is a light and enjoyable story of magic, heartbreak, romance, and recipes. I enjoyed it...." Read more

"...I could smell, taste and feel everything. I love all the recipes included!!..." Read more

"...The story line was well written and I never felt bored. I LOVED the addition of recipes and can't wait to try them...." Read more

"...with it’s whimsical writing, cozy town of Poppy Meadows, and mouthwatering recipes that I definitely need to test out in my own kitchen...." Read more

34 customers mention "Writing quality"16 positive18 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book. Some find it well-written, with nice descriptions and real-world problems. Others however, find the writing monotonous, boring, and disorganized. They also mention that the book has too much detail on their inner dialogue and feels a little boggy at times.

"...And the overuse of similes and metaphors made this so tedious to read...." Read more

"...The romance is fairly chaste, the language is fairly mild, and there is no gory violence...." Read more

"...The above were probably my favorite parts of the book. It felt a little boggy at times, and even though it wasn't a long book it felt like it was...." Read more

"...I adored this book. It is a beautifully written ode to human nature, family - found and otherwise, and the utter rollercoaster of just being human." Read more

20 customers mention "Characterization"13 positive7 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the characterization in the book. Some find the characters rich and the imagery pulls them along, while others say the development is nonexistent.

"...The setting is lovely, it was very inclusive in regards to characters, and the main characters are very dynamic and relatable...." Read more

"...The main character Sadie was completely unlikeable. She had no real believable growth and no real lessons were learned.•..." Read more

"...Also loved that though there was romance it also had good character growth and family love to...." Read more

"A cute twist in cozy low fantasy romance. I loved the characters and found them relatable and the story really does deliver on that Gilmore girls..." Read more

27 customers mention "Plot"7 positive20 negative

Customers find the plot too much with the storylines and predictable. They say the ending seems too easy, and the romance is extremely predictable. Customers also mention that the characters have no real believable growth and no real lessons are learned.

"...The main character Sadie was completely unlikeable. She had no real believable growth and no real lessons were learned.•..." Read more

"...-finished series of character sketches and cozy vignettes that never built momentum...." Read more

"This book is a light and enjoyable story of magic, heartbreak, romance, and recipes. I enjoyed it...." Read more

"Cozy, cute, a little predictable, but overall a fun read...." Read more

14 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive11 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book very slow and dragging. They also say the pivotal moments seem rushed in the end.

"...The first 1/3 of the book was slow and disorganized. It could have done with a lot of editing. But the story and action did pick up...." Read more

"...The book had a slow start, I was a little bit bored at first. But once the plot picked up I was HOOKED!..." Read more

"...The book ended well, but rushed. I would have loved a bit more." Read more

"...I enjoyed reading this book and read through pretty quickly. I really liked the magic aspect of it...." Read more

I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book!
5 out of 5 stars
I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book!
💜 “ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥, 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖’𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖, 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔.” ✨Synopsis: As the legacy goes, every member of the Revelare family has magic, but unfortunately it is accompanied by a curse. Sadie Revelare learned of her curse at thirteen. It is that of four heartbreaks 💔, each one which will be worse than the last. Her grandmother advised her to love only as she is willing to lose her magic. From that day, she held her magic close and built walls around her heart.Now at age 29, Sadie has already been through two devastating heartbreaks. The third happens when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live. Sadie’s carefully orchestrated life spirals with the diagnosis, her first heartbreak Jake McNealy returning to town after a decade, and her estranged twin brother Seth coming home (carrying dark family secrets) after abandoning her for a year.With only one heartbreak left, Sadie needs to decide if love is more important than magic. Will she allow herself to fully rekindle her feelings for Jake? Will the secrets Seth reveals tear her and her family apart?⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book! It was written with so many emotions, and I literally felt every single one. One moment I was crying and the next I was laughing… and everything in-between. All. The. Feels. If you love the curse aspect of Practical Magic and Lorelai & Luke’s relationship in Gilmore Girls, this book is for you!💜 Romantasy✨ Second Chance Love💜 Slow Burn✨ Dark Family Secrets💜 Family Relationship Dynamics✨ Healing ❤️‍🩹 (Mental Health Rep)💜 Small Town✨ Enchanted Garden 🌱💜 Magical Bakery✨ Yummy Recipes 😋
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Top reviews from the United States

Jenn Trocine
5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
💜 “ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥, 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖’𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖, 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔.” ✨

Synopsis: As the legacy goes, every member of the Revelare family has magic, but unfortunately it is accompanied by a curse. Sadie Revelare learned of her curse at thirteen. It is that of four heartbreaks 💔, each one which will be worse than the last. Her grandmother advised her to love only as she is willing to lose her magic. From that day, she held her magic close and built walls around her heart.

Now at age 29, Sadie has already been through two devastating heartbreaks. The third happens when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live. Sadie’s carefully orchestrated life spirals with the diagnosis, her first heartbreak Jake McNealy returning to town after a decade, and her estranged twin brother Seth coming home (carrying dark family secrets) after abandoning her for a year.

With only one heartbreak left, Sadie needs to decide if love is more important than magic. Will she allow herself to fully rekindle her feelings for Jake? Will the secrets Seth reveals tear her and her family apart?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book! It was written with so many emotions, and I literally felt every single one. One moment I was crying and the next I was laughing… and everything in-between. All. The. Feels. If you love the curse aspect of Practical Magic and Lorelai & Luke’s relationship in Gilmore Girls, this book is for you!

💜 Romantasy
✨ Second Chance Love
💜 Slow Burn
✨ Dark Family Secrets
💜 Family Relationship Dynamics
✨ Healing ❤️‍🩹 (Mental Health Rep)
💜 Small Town
✨ Enchanted Garden 🌱
💜 Magical Bakery
✨ Yummy Recipes 😋
Customer image
Jenn Trocine
5.0 out of 5 stars I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2023
💜 “ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖 𝕟𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕔𝕠𝕤𝕥, 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖’𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕡𝕖, 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕖 𝕚𝕤 𝕛𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕦𝕟𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕔.” ✨

Synopsis: As the legacy goes, every member of the Revelare family has magic, but unfortunately it is accompanied by a curse. Sadie Revelare learned of her curse at thirteen. It is that of four heartbreaks 💔, each one which will be worse than the last. Her grandmother advised her to love only as she is willing to lose her magic. From that day, she held her magic close and built walls around her heart.

Now at age 29, Sadie has already been through two devastating heartbreaks. The third happens when her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and only has weeks to live. Sadie’s carefully orchestrated life spirals with the diagnosis, her first heartbreak Jake McNealy returning to town after a decade, and her estranged twin brother Seth coming home (carrying dark family secrets) after abandoning her for a year.

With only one heartbreak left, Sadie needs to decide if love is more important than magic. Will she allow herself to fully rekindle her feelings for Jake? Will the secrets Seth reveals tear her and her family apart?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I adored this magical, mystical, and enchanting book! It was written with so many emotions, and I literally felt every single one. One moment I was crying and the next I was laughing… and everything in-between. All. The. Feels. If you love the curse aspect of Practical Magic and Lorelai & Luke’s relationship in Gilmore Girls, this book is for you!

💜 Romantasy
✨ Second Chance Love
💜 Slow Burn
✨ Dark Family Secrets
💜 Family Relationship Dynamics
✨ Healing ❤️‍🩹 (Mental Health Rep)
💜 Small Town
✨ Enchanted Garden 🌱
💜 Magical Bakery
✨ Yummy Recipes 😋
Images in this review
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One person found this helpful
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Constant Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars Light, Entertaining, Diverting
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book is a light and enjoyable story of magic, heartbreak, romance, and recipes. I enjoyed it. It was a welcome respite for taking a break from a very serious and depressing book filled with starvation, suffering and poverty. It was fun that each member of the family had a different type of magic. And that each type of magic was offset by a curse that was intended to make some sort of karmic balance. This book will not change your life, it would not be a book group book for my group, and it did not make me a better person, but not every book needs to. It was enough for it to be distracting and entertaining even if I am unlikely to remember much about it. The romance is fairly chaste, the language is fairly mild, and there is no gory violence. Dramatic tension is provided by the need to defeat a curse before the expiration of a time deadline and some romantic complications.
5 people found this helpful
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JMcClelland
3.0 out of 5 stars Cozy Fall Read That’s Just Okay
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
I pre-ordered this book after seeing it hyped so much on social media and I was so excited to read it. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as “Gilmore Girls,” although I think it got that reputation from the small town setting and the grandmother, Gigi, whose dialogue reads like Babette. I would say that it is a nice, simple, cozy fall read for a rainy day. There was nothing very special about this book for me, although there were elements that I did enjoy:
Pros:
• The magic - I liked that with each person’s magic comes a curse and that everyone’s magic is different.
• The recipes at the end of each chapter. Very cute and unexpected.
• I thought the romance ending between Sadie and Jake, while predictable, was decent. I like a good second chance romance.
• Gigi’s rules were so cute- I would have loved a master list somewhere in the book to look at them all.
Cons:
• I was not expecting the religious aspect. It was odd and forced in my opinion- almost bordering on preachy. Definitely not for me, but everyone is different.
• The main character Sadie was completely unlikeable. She had no real believable growth and no real lessons were learned.
• I understand the ending was probably left open for possible sequels, but the ending was lackluster and dissatisfying.
• The first 1/3 of the book was slow and disorganized. It could have done with a lot of editing. But the story and action did pick up.
• The romance was extremely predictable. Between the main characters and others. Which is fine, but there are zero surprises. Absolutely nothing to keep anyone guessing.

Honestly, the story is cute. There are some very glaring technical problems with this novel, but if you can get passed that, it’s fine. For me personally, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I anticipated I would. However, I would still recommend this book to people who are looking for a book to get them in to the fall/October spirit.
47 people found this helpful
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Dianne Whitehead
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
Great book
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Joanne
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely cozy witchy fun
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
I need to say this first. This book should have had a printed Trigger Warning in the beginning and you all need this too. TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide Attempt. I cannot believe that happened without any warning and it hit my anxiety hard.

That being said......
Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character Development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance: ♥️♥️
Spice: 0 (kisses included towards the end)

This was the type of book you live in while you are reading. I could smell, taste and feel everything. I love all the recipes included!! This was a very very cozy read with magic woven into the story throughout. It was like a Hallmark Movie had a baby with the Practical Magic Movie and thats what this book feels like.

The book was definitely 5 stars until the last 1/3 of the book hit. It felt like the book didn't know where to go. Everything sorta just dumped and happened fast and then poof the book is done with no happy future being showed even though we knew it was a happy ending. I would have loved to know how things went after a certain person left again looking for Sadie's lost magic and update us on Jake and Sade!! Seriously what was the dark malevolent thing in the forest or on the Hill? Never explained. Many loose ends. And the last 1/3 had my MAJOR Trigger warning in it too, which hit me hard.

Overall I did enjoy this book.
18 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jenny Lake
5.0 out of 5 stars OBSESSED
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
5⭐️ delicious orange infused honey DROPS of pure nostalgic, warmth and joy!
This is very different from what I’ve currently been reading but has without a doubt, been the warm I’ve been searching for!

Imagine yourself watching practical magic, in a ginormous sweater, wrapped up in a large blanket, eating apple pie and sipping cinnamon tea THIS IS THE VIBE you get from reading this book.

Watching Sadie overcome her grief, exploring her purpose, gasping at plot twists, Jake just being his hot ass self in the background, it was as if we’ve all seen this story before BUT Breanne kept me GUESSING and wanting more from it.
I gasped, I teared up, I wanted to go bake something… it was magical.

AND THE RECIPES, new recipes every chapter for you to explore and create at home. Genius. I’m making them all!

I hope we see more from her!!
2 people found this helpful
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Angelica
5.0 out of 5 stars The Unfortunate Side Effect of Heartbreak and Magic
Reviewed in Sweden on May 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
Heartbreaks are tough, her ex moving back and it rekindles the feelings they shared as teenagers.
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Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing just amazing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book will rip your heart out, stamp on it, set it on fire , and put it back together again.

What an incredible read, I laughed, and by gosh, I cried.
Watching the main character, Sadie, navigating her curse and loss throughout the book, is heartwarming to see.
Each and every character was so lovable.

The recepies at the end of each chapter were a fabulous bonus and well thought out. I couldn't put it down
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Kunde
3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed
Reviewed in Germany on November 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Doesn't live up to the hype. It's not bad -bad, 😕 but it feels a little rough around the edges. There are a lot of illogical parts.
I think that's the danger, when a book is super hyped on Book- Tok you have certain expectations....
2 people found this helpful
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AJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Australia on January 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
It was a great story wish it was a series.
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