The unfortunate side effects of heartbreak and magic A novel

Randall's debut novel contains equal shares of romance, magical mystery, and delicious descriptions (plus actual recipes) of enchanted baked goods. A witchy baker in the charming small town of Poppy Meadows, Sadie has resigned herself to a solitary life of sorrow after her family's magical curse renders her destined to experience four bitter heartbreaks, or else lose her magic. Sadie's first heartbreak came in the form of abandonment by her first love, Jake, and her second by the desertion of her twin brother, Seth. The reader enters Sadie's world as it is turned upside down by both Jake and Seth's returns to Poppy Meadows, the devastating terminal cancer diagnosis of Sadie's grandmother, and the revelation of a magical family secret that threatens to destroy everything Sadie loves most. The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic will win readers over with both endearing small-town and eccentric magical characters. It will enchant readers who loved The Ex Hex, by Erin Sterling (2021), B. K. Borison's novels, or Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, and will charm anyone who enjoys a good pastry or cup of tea.

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. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Irene Goodman Literary. (Sept.)