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I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

I’m a sucker for second-chance romances, and Imogen Finch certainly deserves some sort of break in her dating life. She’s suffered seventeen break-ups over the past ten years, each one of them more brutal than the last. Imogen is definitely a people pleaser, putting aside her own feelings and wants to make the relationships work. Yet they never do because the men she gets involved don’t appreciate her.

Imogen’s childhood crush, Eliot, left ten years prior from a stifling upper-class life. He’s been traveling the world and has gained a massive YouTube following with his adventures but is unexpectedly called home when his father dies. It’s been years since Eliot has communicated with Imogen or Franny, their mutual best friend, but when he arrives, the three pick up right where they left off a decade ago. Except for one thing, that is. There’s a definite attraction between Imogen and Eliot, yet she’s so filled with self-doubt, she can’t see the forest for the trees. You see, her mom is a clairvoyant and predicted that Imogen would never come first in life, whether it’s a contest or a man, and Imogen has come to believe that. She doesn’t believe she’s worthy of love.

Naturally, the two childhood friends hook up, and as good as it is, Imogen knows that Eliot will leave, because he wants nothing to do with his family home or his stuffy upper crust family. He’s wandered the world by himself for a decade, and he likes it that way. And therein lies the conflict of the story. Can Imogen find true happiness with a man who most likely will become breakup #18? You’ll just have to read this heartfelt, lovely story about friendship, love, one’s obligations to family, to find out for yourself. Highly recommend.

My thanks goes to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

I found this book was going to be too spicy for my taste. The descriptions were even there in a rather crude way for casual sex. I didn't finish the book for this reason even though I was rooting for the mc to get together with her original love.

I think others will enjoy this book.

Happy reading!

Imogen seems to be destined for spinsterhood.
None of her relationships last.
Rather the boyfriends all find a reason to end the relationship only to find 'the one' after leaving Imogen.

Lucky for her, her high school crush Eliot is ready to help her break the losing streak. They embark on a series of adventures seeking a win for Imogen that will break the curse.

As is typically the case with a good second chance story, things do work out for Imogen in the end. Just not exactly how she may have pictured it.

This was a more unique romance read that is friends to lovers. I definitely enjoyed the more uniqueness of the two main characters and their budding relationship and how it all played out (even if it did worry me at times lol). I also enjoyed the small town community and the quirkiness of some of the characters but also how they all came together for each other.

“The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch” by Jacqueline Firkins is a heartfelt tale that revolves around Imogen Finch, a woman who has faced seventeen heartbreaks in her life, leaving her with a deep-seated belief that she will never come first in love. The novel takes readers on a poignant journey as Imogen confronts her past, her insecurities, and a potential curse on her love life.

One of the most captivating aspects of this story is the lifelong, unwavering friendship between Imogen, Eliot, and Franny. Their bond adds depth and authenticity to the narrative, making you feel like a part of their tight-knit circle. The romantic relationship that blossoms between Imogen and Eliot is beautifully portrayed, showing how they complement each other and help each other grow.

Imogen’s character shines through as a beacon of positivity, even in the face of life’s challenges. Her unwavering commitment and sacrifice to take care of her mother resonate with readers, highlighting the power of familial love and responsibility. The portrayal of the community looking out for Imogen’s mother adds a heartwarming touch to the story.

The glimpses into Imogen’s past relationships gone wrong provide insight into her character and her journey of self-discovery. The emotional rollercoaster that the book takes you on, from joy to sorrow, is a testament to the author’s ability to evoke genuine feelings.

One of the most touching themes in the book is the idea that not all families are surrounded by love, emphasizing the importance of finding and cherishing the love that does exist. The novel delivers a powerful message of hope and resilience.

In my opinion, “The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch” is a moving and memorable story that will stay with me for a long time. Jacqueline Firkins has created a captivating narrative filled with relatable characters and profound emotions. I eagerly anticipate her future works, as this book has left a lasting impression on me.

This heartfelt novel is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of love, friendship, and personal growth. It beautifully illustrates that, sometimes, magic and love can be found in the most unexpected places, reminding us that love is far from predictable.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

"But I no longer believe he doesn't get lonely. I think he needs people, too. I hope one day that thought doesn't fill him with fear. I hope it brings him comfort, and I hope that thought brings him back."

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of 'The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch'.

Imogen is unlucky in love. It seems every relationship she has ever had is doomed to fall apart. And to make matters worse, her first love, Eliot, is back in their hometown. Eliot turned his back on their hometown years ago and vowed never to return. But, the unexpected death of his estranged father forces him to return.

Imogen never was brave enough to tell him her true feelings, but now that he's back, maybe a second chance is all she needs. But, adulthood has only made their lives more complicated. Imogen is holding six jobs down while tending to her mother, and Eliot is a free spirit, haunted by the town he used to call home. Imogen now only has days to convince Eliot that her love is enough to make him stay.

I really enjoyed reading this one. I loved Imogen and her kindheartedness. She was always putting others before herself.

Overall, this was a unique spin on second chances and the sacrifices people make to make others happy.
I only wish there had been more development between Eliot and Imogen. It felt like things got rushed - and there wasn't enough buildup to feel satisfied with the end result.

This book is definitely different than a lot of other romances I’ve read. I liked Imogen and Eliot, and while I’m not a second chance fan, in this instance I didn’t mind it that much.

Imogen has been cursed since she was a girl to never come in first and so far its been true through her life into her late twenties. She left her hometown to go to Art School and the curse followed, she returned to care for her aging, misfortune telling mother and it remained true.

The only person that never believed in the curse was her best friend from high school that left and never returned. Until he is forced to return for his father's funeral. Eliot always had a crush on Imogen and Imogen always had a crush on Eliot and it seems with all the time that passed, neithers crush faded away.

This book is a story of second and third chances, about coming second or third to everyone in your life, and trying to put yourself first. It was a heartwarming and quick read.

This story had me tearing up quite a bit. The unsaid feelings as teenagers spoken ten years later lead to a great love story. The willingness of Eliot help Imogene to find something she came in first at was a fun ride. They formed a great bond. Imogene’ having to care for her eccentric mother frustrated me. It shows what a truly good person she is but if you can’t put yourself first sometimes it’s a vicious cycle to living life and getting nowhere. This story did not end the way I thought, well it got there in the end but there was a big detour. That’s where the story fell from 5 stars to 4. Them knowingly hurting one another made me dislike both characters. All in all I would recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC for my review.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
This is such a hard review to write because I absolutely adored Marlowe Banks, Redesigned, so I was anxiously awaiting this book and it just didn't work for me. I thought the curse part of the book was interesting. It was a unique take on a character problem in a book, and I appreciated the oringinality. I absolutely loved all of the side characters in this one - Franny and Dutch and even Imogen's mother. But I didn't like the romance here. 🙈 I am not sure if I needed two narrators - Imogen and Eliot - or some more development towards the ending. I honestly wished she would've ended up with Dutch because he seemed like that character that would put her first throughout the entire novel. Ending up with Eliot still traveling most of the time still felt like she ended second and the curse was going strong. I am glad she accomplished solo goals, but when it comes to a romance, I expected there to be a bit more with the characters coming together than there was. I just didn't like these two together and thought they both deserved someone more acclimated to their current lifestyles. I still look forward to reading what this author writes in the future.

The Predictable Heartbreaks is a moving story about family, friendship, and second chances. Imogen is tied to her hometown, working multiple jobs to help and take care of her mom, and is used to always coming in second. When her childhood crush/friend returns after many years away, we see Imogen work through her self-confidence and find the people that put her first while learning that she can put herself first once in a while, too.
I loved the way the story unfolded and the growth that Imogen showed. This is more than your second-chance/friends-to-lovers romance and is more than worth the read!!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Imogen Finch has long since accepted she will never come first. Whether its elementary school sports, an art contest she was a shoo-in to win, or a friendly game of trivia at the local bar-- Imogen's mother (a sometimes oracle) accurately predicted her daughter's two decade long losing streak. So its no surprise when all of her seventeen relationship end because the other person found someone... better. However, when the long-lost third leg of her friend trio finally returns home after years of vagabonding, Imogen may finally have the encouragement she needs to break her second-place curse.

Personally, my favorite romances are the ones that end on a more realistic note (warning: HEA not to be found at the end of this story) but are still so achingly satisfying. All the characters in this story are well developed and utterly lovable, and Imogen and Eliot are just the right amount of infuriating to make everything that much sweeter. And the setting? I would love to find myself a member of their tight-knit coastal community. THE PREDICTABLE HEARTBREAKS OF IMOGEN FINCH has a little bit of everything for everybody. It's a little steamy, a little funny, a little tender, and a little magical-- and definitely worth a try.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch is a small town second chance romance, with childhood friends to lovers. After 17 failed relationships and a prophecy of only being second best at everything, Imogen's hopes aren't very high in just about any department. When her only love, and childhood best friend, Eliot, comes home after they lost contact 10 years prior, they set out on a mission to break the second place curse on Imogen.

This was a very cute, quick read! I got through it in 2 days and I enjoyed it a lot! It really focused on the individual growth of both parties with really open communication all around. I liked all of the characters and really related to Imogen in a lot of ways. I felt like the characters made really adult choices the whole time, and this didn't feel like most contemporary romances I have read before.

If you're a romance reader, you'll like this book.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read an electronic advanced copy, to share my honest opinions.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch by Jacqueline Firkins
Genre: contemporary romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5 stars)
Format: ebook

Read this if you like…
🤍 Small town settings
🤍 Friends to lovers
🤍 A bit of superstition and looking into the future
🤍 Emily Henry
🤍 Friends that are like family
🤍 Books that give you all the feels

This book is also for anyone who has struggled with allowing themselves to be loved. If you’re a person that puts everyone else first and forgets yourself a bit in the process, you’ll definitely identify with Imogen. If you’ve ever had your heart broken (repeatedly), Imogen is your girl and has been there as well.

I loved Eliot and Imogen and the reoccurring imagery of the birds (Swift and Finch). Their relationship and the way they came together felt very realistic to me. It gave “it’s always been you” without being ridiculous. This book could’ve easily been cheesy, but it wasn’t at all in my opinion!

Favorite quote:
“Either one of you would take a single day with the other rather than a lifetime with anyone else.” 🥹🥹🥹

This one was nearly perfect and gave me major Emily Henry vibes.

In the acknowledgments (always read the acknowledgments and/or author’s note, peeps!!), one dedication made me fall in love with the book even more:
“To anyone and everyone who’s been knocked down so many times, reaching for happiness or your own personal version of success has come to feel impossible. Wait for sunset. Dip your toes in the ocean. Find a ladybug. Count the spots. Let it go. That’s when the magic begins.” 😭😭😭

Jacqueline Firkins - I love your writing style and the love you put into these characters. I’m officially a fan.

A big thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really liked Imogen. I did think the book would go a bit differently than it actually did, but it was pretty enjoyable. In the beginning, I thought each chapter would be about an ex boyfriend but that was just kind of sprinkled into some chapters as she’s living her life. I was a bit disappointed with Eliot, though the ending started to make up for it, and that’s why this wasn’t rated any higher.

Would recommend! Not your typical romance though.

This book was fun! Imogene has definitely been put through the wringer with breakups. This is perfect for readers who enjoy second chance romance with some open door steamy scenes.

I liked the heroine of this story, Imogen, as she works to build her self-confidence after having been convinced by her mother’s prediction that she will always be second all her life. She has not ever been able to be first. Then her teenage friend and secret crush, Eliot, returns to their small town and realizes that she is still attracted to him.

I was quite exasperated with Eliot. He had a crummy childhood with cold, distant, yet wealthy parents. So, as soon as he could, he fled his hometown and has spent the past 10 years traveling around the world and uploading his stories to youtube. He hasn’t returned to his hometown and dropped off communicating with his two best friends, Imogen and her best friend, Franny. Now he’s come back for his father’s funeral and spends 10 days recovering his friendships and forming a relationship with Imogen. He knows that all she wants is a relationship. Yet, he feels that he can’t settle down back in their small town. Even though he loves Imogen, he fears that he will hurt her because he can’t give her what she needs - the confidence that she is first in his life. He wasn’t willing to make an attempt to address his problems. He clearly wasn’t happy traveling his solitary road in life without any true friends. He knows all her insecurities and he just intensifies them because he’s too self-involved to make changes.

And that mother. What mother tells a small child that she’ll always be second in life? I don’t care that the mother is a bit woo-hoo with her ability to see the future. Her behavior has forced her daughter to give up her dreams and return home to take care of her mother. The mother is also too self-involved to see how she has damaged her daughter’s life.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This was an awesome read, a romance novel about friendship, and self discovery. We have Imogen who has the worst luck when it comes to relationships and her mom calls it a curse. She was a promising artist, but everything went downhill when it came to that and then also back home. She’s now living with her mom to help, and gave up her dreams, or better yet she put them on pause. Then when one of her best friends Eliot comes back to town because his dad just passed, and they are rekindling their friendship, she realizes that he was the one who got away.

Eliot has his own battles, and the way he handles it and Imogen, their new found relationship 20 years overdue, and the way he supports and is there for her, encouraging her, and putting her first was amazing to read. She was drawing again, she was finally putting her needs first, she finally had control over her own life. I loved the little twists and their relationship I’m general.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

A wonderful story of self growth, friendship, love and family. Eliot and Imogene are perfect together.

Sweeter and lovelier than your mainstream romance books. Imogen Finch gets her true love, but what she really gains is confidence and self-love. To realize she should never settle for being anyone's second best and her happiness is worth the time. I really liked her connection with Eliot, her flirtation and friendship with Dutch, the sisterhood with Franny, and bond with her mother. A lot happens in the span of a couple weeks but it's intensely felt, romantic and heartbreaking all at once.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins for the arc.