Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is more of a "it's not you, it's me" issue with this one. I used to absolutely adore YA books, but not that I'm almost 30, they just don't hit the same.

I'm not sure if with YA novels they're a bit slower paced than New Adult/Adult books, but man...the pacing on this one was just a bit off for me. Not only that, but it had one of my least favorite "tropes" included. I hate miscommunication, especially when it can be solved so easily.

The book was also just a bit hard to follow throughout and that took away from the overall enjoyment.

I received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took me awhile to get around to a review of this book because I just wasn't sure what to say about it. I've read Abe's Middle Grade Fantasy series [book:Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch|51285821] and thought it was so cute! I loved reading it, so I thought I would give this one a try. It was so lackluster in comparison.

The magic that was in this world was very creative and that was the best part of the book. However, the relationship between Remy and Cam was almost agonizing. They both had crushes on each other, but wouldn't talk about it at all. Then, one of them drinks a potion that made it to where they don't have a soulmate? Cam loses memories of Remy and there's only six days to get them back or else they'll forget about each other The plot was a bunch of flashbacks to where they had moments with each other to "prove" that they were soulmates, but to me, it was just one scene to the next where nothing really moved the plot forward.

I will say that romance isn't really my genre, so I could be biased in that aspect. I will read more of Julie Abe's books because I did enjoy Eva Evergreen. This one could've just fallen flat for me.

Definitely sweet and in the vein of its predecessor, The Charmed List. I loved the pining and angst between childhood best friends Remy and Cameron, it's absolutely up my alley, and honestly maybe the pining hit a little too close to home lol. My one gripe is that the twist/reveal in the climax was haphazardly constructed and frankly unnecessary. It came out of nowhere and didn't necessarily serve the plot much. But I was, yet again, hungry and caught up in the whimsy of Julie Abe's descriptive, magical writing.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Dual POV, friends to lovers, magical

First of all, I know this is a book with magical elements, but so much of it was unbelievable. He just happened to have easily accessible photos going back to both of their births? The book was cute in some parts, but overall, it didn't do it for me.

I was a huge fan of Julie Abe's The Charmed List, so when I found out this book was set in the same world I was delighted.

This is a lowborn romance set in Tokyo and has all the charm and whimsy of The Chamed List. When Cam loses his memory Remi must find a way to restore his memories in six days are lose him forever.

I loved the characters and the slow burn romance.The magic and the mystery was also a fun retreat from the real world. I didn't;t see the twist coming and loved the resolution at the end.

Overall, this is a light, fun romance with heart. Perfect for when you want something that's fun and comforting,

This was another great book from Julie Abe! I would definitely recommend to fans of her previous novels!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Our Cursed Love is a cute YA romance. I really enjoyed the characters, and I enjoyed the magic woven in throughout the story. There were parts of the story where things seemed to jump around, and by the end, I still had some questions about the plot. Everything didn't seem to tie neatly together, especially what was going on with Taka and his family. I overall enjoyed this sweet love story and would recommend it for a light romance and fantasy read.

Cute quick read, exactly as advertised (50 first dates meets love and gelato). Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

I loved The Charmed List and this book was no different. I liked that it included the characters from the first book. This one went very deep though and it was surprising, but I did enjoy it. The magical world Abe has built is so beautiful. I also get so immersed in her stories and this one was no different. I definitely hope she keeps writing more books like this and The Charmed List.

unfortunately just could not get invested in this novel. It took me this long to get back to the review because of it. I was determined to finish and did not want to dnf but it took forever,

It took me a while to start and get into this, but I did enjoy it a bit.
I liked the magical, modern Japan setting. I felt like the magic blended well with reality.

Our Curse Love is an excellent look at what happens if we always worry about what the future holds instead of living in the here and now, as no one knows what the future holds. Remy has known Cam her entire life; they were born on the same day in the same hospital, only a few doors apart. She has loved him just as long. As they’ve gotten older, Remy has struggled with her feelings for Cam because she’s afraid to lose him as her best friend if he doesn’t feel the same towards her. Looking for guidance and hope, Remy gets a tea leaves reading done. When she doesn’t get the answer she’s hoping for, she turns to a magical apothecary for help. What happens next is the loss of what she’s always loved.

Like many romances, YA or adult, if Cam and Remy had told each other the truth about their feelings before their trip to Tokyo, none of this would have happened. But if characters were to be open and honest about their feelings, there wouldn’t be a book to write. Besides, how many times have you had strong feelings for someone special in your life, and you refused to tell them because you didn’t want to lose the relationship you had? Especially when you were in high school?

I also enjoyed seeing Japan during Christmas, as the book is set December 23-January 1. Our Curse Love is a holiday read because of when the story is set. But the holidays are not the focus of the story. Nor are they a significant player in the story.

I’m unsure if I would consider this a companion to The Charmed List, which introduces readers to the characters. You could read this as a standalone, as there is minimal overlap between the two stories. In The Charmed List, you are introduced to Remy and Cam, but the focus of that story is Ellie and Jack.

If you are looking for a quick, magical read about our choices and how they impact our lives, give Our Cursed Love a read.

Synopsis, cover, description, title? Sold.

I wanted this book to be so much more. It was cute. But that was about it. Cute.

I wanted more. I love books with hints of magic and I wanted to love this one.

It was a little cumbersome the amount of times they "tried" to confess to one another but didn't.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy this at all. There was not enough plot for me, and too much teenage melodrama. What plot there was felt confusing and messy. This was not a good fit for me.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love Our Cursed Love as I adored Julie Abe's debut novel. It was fun to see the cameos from those characters however; I didn't find the relationship between Remy and Cam. It felt like Cam preferred his magical license and didn't want to truly figure out his feelings for his best friend. While I wasn't the biggest fan of OCL, I will pick up another book by Abe.

Our Cursed Love was a beautifully crafted story by Julie Abe that was hard to stop once you got started. Japanese folklore is so beautiful, and following along with Remy and Cam as their friendship grows into so much more along the way. Following along with a magic love potion gone wrong made me laugh out loud several times. This was truly a beautiful story!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this beautiful read in exchange for an honest review. Easily a 5 star read!

Our Cursed Love
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Julie Abe

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Six days to remember.
Love or lose him forever.

Remy Kobata has always wished she was destined to be with her best friend, Cam Yasuda. All the way from being neighbors from birth to mixing up magical prank potions together to their “just friends” homecoming date during their senior year in high school, nothing’s a secret between Remy and Cam—except for how much she is in love with him.

Remy is trying to work up the courage to confess her feelings during their winter break trip to Japan, when she gets selected for a mystical tea leaves reading and it reveals that they’re not meant to be together. After they stumble upon a secret magical apothecary in the back alleys of Tokyo, Remy and Cam are offered an ancient soulmate elixir, created before all love potions were banned by the magical government. They each have their reasons for wanting to take it, but what could go wrong with finding your soulmate a little earlier?

Except, after they drink up, their senior year trip flips into the worst vacation Cam has forgotten who Remy is. If she can't help Cam remember her by midnight New Year’s Eve, they’ll both be cursed to forget each other. To unravel their past and rewrite the future, Remy and Cam must travel through Tokyo to rediscover Cam’s memories and make new ones—and maybe even fall in love all over again.

My Thoughts: This was a cute YA romance. Here lately, I have to be in a mood to read YA, and I still enjoy them but not as much as I used to. While I did enjoy the story, I think it would have been better served under the magical realism guide versus the fantasy guide it was written under; especially with Magical University and how magic exists. Even though this seems like a little thing, I think it would have made a big difference on how the plot was delivered. I personally don’t read a lot of fantasy, however I love magic and witches, so I had different expectations from this book and felt a little let down. But again, I do want to empathize that this was a good read, just not what I wanted out of it. Remy has secretly pined for Cam, but has settled as being his best friend for years. They are visiting Japan for winter break. They did a tea leave read that shows they are not “soul mates” and drank a magical potion in a magical apothecary store, a soulmate elixir (this is currently banned). A few minutes after consuming the elixir, Cam does not know Remy and their history is erased from his mind. If they do not get him to remember by New Year’s Eve, they will be “cursed” to forget each other. Will making new memories wake up Cam’s old memories, or even make Cam fall for Remy? This follows the tropes of friends to lovers, magic, best friends, soulmates, and a touch of miscommunication, or lack of communication.

This was told in a dual POV narration, which I tend to love. I did not realize that this was the second book in a series. The first book, A Charmed Life, was truly amazing. I loved the Candy Crush references, a game I used to spend hours on, I can definitely relate, even though I do not play anymore. Remy and Cam have an adorable relationship, even if a little misguided by secret pining and lack of honest feelings. Having said that, I absolutely rooted for them throughout the story. We have supporting characters and the backdrop of Japan happening and it felt like it took away from Remy and Cam’s love story. Remy has secretly pined for Cam for years but it has never felt like the right time to tell him. Then when he loses his memories, the focus shifts to either finding an antidote or helping him remember before NYE. The characters were developed but could have used some more depth, they had witty banter, chemistry, and were creative. The author’s writing style was closed door, YA-geared, funny, romantic, and swoony.

Overall, this was a cute magical story of two best friends finding their passion and more. It is classified as magical fantasy romance, and could have used a little more in the world building aspect of the story, but overall, an enjoyable read. This book is geared towards younger readers but all readers would enjoy this book. I would recommend this book to others.

I really enjoyed reading about Remy and Cam. I thought this was an interesting premise, the world imbued with magic, and that only some of the population is aware of this magic. Personally, I would love to dive into this world more. The book really focused on Remy and Cam, which makes sense, but I was fascinated with the talk of Old and New Families, magical universities including things like alchemy, and the connections that the main characters have with their families. Most of the book takes place in Japan as we follow Remy trying to chase her dreams of getting into her dream university, and this sets up the mythical space over winter break. There's more depth in Japan than back in the United States, and with the added stress of the time limit before break is over adds to the intrigue.

This novel’s concept absolutely broke my heart, but the actual execution unfortunately didn’t live up to that for me. I especially struggled with the writing.