The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

Some books feel like a gentle nudge. Others feel like a full-body remembering.

This was the book that brought me back to reading — and I mean really back. I read it while flying from Nevada to New York during a major transition in my life, and I absolutely devoured it. I couldn’t put it down. It felt like quenching a thirst I didn’t even realize had grown so deep: a longing for magic, romance, coziness, and story.

Sadie Revelare lives in the small, fictional California town of Poppy Meadows, where magic quietly weaves itself into everyday life. In her family, magic comes with a cost — four heartbreaks — and Sadie has always believed that price would be worth paying. But when her beloved grandmother Gigi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and Sadie’s first heartbreak, Jake McNealy, unexpectedly returns to town, the carefully constructed emotional shields she’s built around herself begin to unravel.

Complicating everything further is the return of Sadie’s estranged twin brother, Seth, whose presence brings long-buried family secrets to the surface. With her grandmother’s health declining and the family’s foundation beginning to crack, Sadie is forced to confront grief, love, and the question at the heart of the story: Is love more important than magic?

One of the things that made this book especially delightful for me is how grounded the magic feels. Sadie and her grandmother run a café, and their baking is infused with love, intention, and spells woven into ordinary rituals. The fact that the book includes actual recipes — the same pastries and dishes made in the story — is such a charming and immersive touch. As a book lover and foodie, I was completely enchanted. It makes the magic feel tangible, lived-in, and warm.

Tonally, the book is mostly cozy, quirky, and light — until it isn’t. The grandmother’s illness and eventual passing bring real emotional weight, and those moments are tender, honest, and genuinely moving without overwhelming the story. The romance remains gentle and slow, focused more on emotional truth and second chances than dramatic intensity, which felt perfectly aligned with the overall vibe.

I originally discovered this book through Instagram, where the author described it as Practical Magic meets Gilmore Girls — and that description absolutely holds up. I know this book has received mixed reviews, and while I personally don’t understand some of the negativity, I also recognize that taste is deeply personal. For me, this story delivered exactly what my heart needed at the time: comfort, magic, and a reminder of why I fell in love with books in the first place.

Anytime you’re craving cozy magic with emotional depth — this is the book I’d recommend.

This book didn’t just entertain me — it reopened a doorway. It reminded me that stories can be homes, that magic can live in kitchens and small towns, and that sometimes the books we find at exactly the right moment don’t just tell a story… they help us remember who we are.

✨ Pages & Portals Rating ✨

Emotional Impact: 💫 💫 💫 💫
Magic & Mystery: 🌌 🌌 🌌
Empath Resonance: 🪽 🪽 🪽
Spice Level: 🫑
Nervous System Impact: 🌬️ 🌬️
Overall Rating: 🔮 Obsessed