I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure if this book is truly supposed to be a rom-com type book but it is trying to be sold that way. Any of the times that she doesn't come first in either her relationship or a silly competition it just made me a little sad.

One of the things that I loved about this book though is that the characters felt insanely realistic. Imogen and Eliot didn't change everything completely about themselves for each other.

I also might be in the minority for this but as much as I did like Eliot, part of me liked Dutch just the tiniest bit more. I would have loved to see more of him.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch was such a pleasant surprise! Imogen Finch has been through 17 break ups, but she’s never surprised by them. But when her childhood first love Elliot Swift returns home, he’s determined to show her she’s not second best. This is such a lovely story of friendship and second chances. There is such warmth and community in this coastal town and such well-developed characters. There’s so much growth and heart, it’s really charming! My heart went out to Imogen—she gives so much love and yet she can’t see herself for the sunshine of a person she is. There was never a lack of communication and the friendships in this were just beautiful. It definitely has some heaviness but it really is just a lovely read with wonderful characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have been reading a lot of fantasy recently, and getting into a romance book really brought me back and reminded me why I love them. This was really good! I was pulled in from the very beginning. I couldn't put this down. I love the development of the story and characters. Jacqueline has such a way with words and every time I read (or re-read) her books, I find new, cute things that make my heart swell even more. She just does such a great job with pulling you into the story, and Never wanting to let it go. The emotion and swooning she pulls out of me is unreal! If you enjoy YA contemporary or romance, definitely grab this one!

A great friends to lovers story, with lots of pining and reflecting. The writing was very engaging and the characters were fun to get to know.

This book has the sweetest love story and mutual character growth I've read in weeks. It gives me heavy Sarah Dessen feels, and I loved every single bit of it.

Imogen feels cursed and has learned to shove down her needs and wants in lieu of other's needs. Eliot is a childhood friend who fled his family life and is now back in town for a few days. She only knows how to stay and he only knows running away. Watching them learn and heal from each other and apart was so beautiful. They really have such a beautiful love story. The spice hits about halfway through and is full of beautiful consent. The first scene in particular is a few pages long (I skip through smut so that's about all I can say). Their first kiss was adorable. So many beautiful moments.

Tropes: finding oneself, healing, friends to lovers, childhood friends, artist x wanderer

Content Warning: mentions and cartoon doodles of "Satan's t*sticles", explicit s*x, lots of flashbacks from past terrible relationships, "naughty" daydreaming, caring for mother with a form of dementia, psychic mother

This was a wonderfully-written, absorbing rom com with a flawed-but-likable protagonist, an interesting and fully-fleshed love interest, and well-developed side characters. I enjoyed reading it and found myself turning pages long after I'd meant to put it down.

But something about the conceit of the story didn't sit right with me, especially toward the end. Imogen Finch is, according to her mother's nature-based divination, destined to never come first. She can't win awards, can't get the best grades, and - most importantly - can't be the most important person to anyone. Every man she ever dated was destined to leave her for someone else.

I was curious to see where the story would go. Would Imogen break the curse? Would she find a man to whom the curse didn't apply? Would she realize she didn't need a man and that she only needed to be first to herself? The book explored all these possibilities, but the eventual answer was... none of the above. Imogen would remain secondary to everyone, including the love interest. And not for what felt like a good reason - simply because he was so fantastically self-centered that nobody could be very important to him, which Imogen considered rather noble (presumably because she was used to this treatment from her mother). I loved most of this book but had to deduct an entire star for the way the relationship and the love interest's character evolved in the last 20%.

This is my first Firkins book, and it won't be my last. A quirky romance that sort of went where I was expecting, but with some surprises along the way.
First I was thinking, how could some people have such horrid parents, but then I remembered mine,plus all the Reddit AITA stories, so yes it is possible.
Also, in a strange twist, this is the 3rd book I am reading this week where the mother and/or the a character, have some kind of clairvoyance of the future.
Imogen, our titular character feels she has a curse of coming in second in all things, and her 17 breakups where the male finds another women is a terrible record for this 28 year old.
She gives up her dream of using her love of drawing, she returns home to take care of her mother in a small town in Oregon. The question asked and answered in this book is, does she get a second chance at love when her high school unrequited love, Elliott returns home for his father's funeral.
Imogen, her best friend Franny, and Elliott were inseparable in High School, but his rich father wanted to dictate Elliott 's life, so he left town and essentially became a travel blogger.
What will happen when Elliott returns to town? Read this book to find out.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This review is my honest opinion.

This was a cute romance but very much not my type of book. I know exactly the reader I would recommend this to. Some parts started to drag a little for me so I ended up Dnfing about halfway through but that is more because I wasn’t the right audience for the book and nothing at all to do with the book itself.

What a fantastic book! As someone who can relate to never being first (ha) I enjoyed this premise. The steamy parts were exactly the kind of spiciness I like to read. Can't wait to read future books by this author.

Read if you like:
🎨 Artist FMC’s
🏘️ Returning Home
😘 Friends to Lovers
🌞 Sunshine MC’s
♥️ Swoon Worthy Romances

We all know or have been the person that didn’t feel like they deserved to be out first, and for those that can identify with that- please read this book, and you may see yourself in Imogen and I hope you see you are worthy after reading this and deserve to be put first.

This book truly pulls all the emotions out and is so beautifully written! If you are looking for your next emotional read with some romance to it, I highly recommend checking this one out as it was too good to pass on!

Thank you SMP for my ARC of this one!

Imogen lives her life knowing she will never finish first at anything thanks to a prophecy her mom had when she was little. She goes into everything she does knowing that no matter how good she is something will come along to ruin it and her love life is no exception. So when her mother starts to have more visions about possible changes coming Imogen is brought face to face with her version of the one who got away. Will history repeat itself or will she find a way to break her curse once and for all. Overall a nice read enjoyed the characters enough though never felt totally connected with them. Enjoyed the book and would recommend it. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't love this rom com nor did I hate it. It was just kind of meh. But I'm glad that I read it. And I will read other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this ARC!

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch was a cute second chance rom-com that features a friends to lovers story. While there were elements of this book that were fairly predictable for a rom-com, there were also elements that were surprising and refreshing. The story revolves around Imogen and her "curse" of never being first - in relationships, in art contests, and in her life. In addition, there is a supernatural element that I felt was incredibly inconsistent. Imogen's mother makes very life changing predictions in a "we don't talk about Bruno" sort of way and in some moments it's taken seriously and in others it's played for laughs.

I really did not enjoy the ending and I felt that the book could have explored a few more chapters to be able to provide something solid. Overall, this is a cute read but be prepared that there are some heavy themes involved.

As I've said before, I am a total sucker for character growth. The story of Imogen Finch and Eliot Swift had plenty of that. I appreciated that the author showed their growth and their relationship over a decent chunk of time rather than a super-duper quick romance. The sort-of twist on the "curse" her mom said she had was wonderful and really helped me enjoy Imogen's personal story more. The ending felt a little rushed to me, but it was still a great way to end it! (And fair warning...there are at least a couple open-door scenes where I felt a need to avert my eyes haha.)

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was different from many contemporary romances that I have read! I really connected with Imogen’s character and think many late 20s early 30s people will feel the same. The connection and love story between Elliot and Imogen was so genuine which made the overall story very enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more of Firkins’ backlist and future work!

This book was just so absolutely stinking cute!! It was so different from all the contemporary romances I've ever read. I loved the plot, the characters were mature and communicated so well. There was so much depth to this book that I was not expecting, but I enjoyed the read very much.

Thank you so much NetGalley for this eArc.

This was a sweet second chance romance that was entertaining overall but felt the curse element brought it down a little. I love when stories have Magic’s elements to them but I feel that it took away a bit from this one. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC copy. Keep your eyes out for the official release on October 31, 2023.

Not sure what I was expecting when I started this one but boy did it put me through the emotional ringer (actual tears at points). It hooked me from the start and pretty much devoured it. I loved Imogen, she was likeable, warm full of love and relatable with her need for roots and a community. I loved her mum and her predictions and Franny who was an awesome friend. The journey through all of Imogens heartbreaks gave great insight into who she was and the almost peace she had made with the curse/ her fate.


Then there was the Eliot of it all. The chemistry and connection between them was just so palpable and their efforts to break her curse were random and funny. Every one of their interactions felt full of meaning, history and emotion. They felt inevitable but also impossible and I stayed up way past my bedtime because I was desperate to see how their story would turn out. First book I have read by this author and I look forward to her next 5 ⭐️

“The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch” by Jacqueline Firkins is a heartfelt tale full of love and friendship. It is rich with multi-layered main leads and side characters, and as a reader, you find yourself rooting for Imogen all the way. This is a warm and lovely romance that will hit just the right spot.

Imogen Finch is cursed.
At an early age, her mother informs her that she'll always come in second.
Rude? Most definitely.
Accurate? Unfortunately.

Imogen makes a strong effort to overcome her mother's prophecy, but with each contest entered, with each relationship, she finds that she never comes in first. However, will things change when her childhood crush (also BFF), Eliot Swift, comes back to town for his father's funeral? Time will tell.

It took some time to figure out if Imogen's crush was one sided. Sure, there are hints of a reciprocal attraction, but given that Eliot had relations with Imogen's other BFF, Franny, years prior, it wasn't always clear. Until he makes it clear.

I loved how Eliot tried to tackle Imogen's curse and get her a first-place prize. It brings them closer than ever, at least for the short time he is in town. Then there is the pesky long-distance thing that causes some drama. But in the end, Eliot just may prove strong enough to break the curse once and for all.

Overall, this sweet romance was a fun page turner and worth checking out if you are a fan of the genre.