Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the ARC of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts.

Adam Sass weaves a captivating narrative in Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, where Grant Rossi's journey through love and family curses unfolds against the backdrop of a charming vineyard.

Grant, plagued by a curse since childhood that disrupts his relationships, retreats to his family's vineyard hoping for solace and a chance to break the cycle. Here, amidst the picturesque setting and the legendary Wishing Rose, he encounters his childhood crush, Ben, who has been hired to help restore the vineyard's B&B. As they work together and old feelings resurface, Grant must confront his past hurts and fears to find a path forward.

Sass excels in creating characters that resonate with authenticity and depth. Grant's struggles with his curse and his emotional journey are sensitively portrayed, drawing readers into his quest for healing and self-acceptance. The chemistry between Grant and Ben is palpable, adding layers of tension and emotion to their evolving relationship.

The vineyard setting serves as a charming backdrop, richly described to evoke both its beauty and the challenges of restoring it. Sass's vivid prose brings the location to life, enhancing the novel's atmosphere and grounding the magical elements within a tangible reality.

While the novel follows familiar themes of love, loss, and personal growth, Sass infuses the story with unique twists and heartfelt moments that keep the narrative engaging. The exploration of forgiveness, resilience, and the transformative power of love adds depth to the storyline, resonating with readers long after the final page.

In conclusion, Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is a magical and heartfelt tale that blends romance with themes of redemption and self-discovery. Adam Sass's evocative writing and compelling characters make this novel a captivating read, perfect for anyone seeking a story of love's enduring power and the courage to break free from the past.

In a follow up book from The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers we meet Grant Rossi again who is struggling as a young adult in Chicago. He just got dumped and is feeling uninspired in his fashion designs. When he decides to spend the summer at his family’s B&B Vineyard he gets there to find it run down and in desperate need of some help. What doesn’t need any help at all though? The stunningly beautiful gardener who just so happens to be Grants ex-best friend and life long crush. This second chance romance is a MUST READ with beautiful scenery, angry boys, curses, and wishing roses!
IF THE COVER AND AUTHOR ALONE DIDN’T CONVINCE YOU TO READ THIS…
Imperfect characters with imperfect stories and actions are NECESSARY, especially in young adult books! Grant and Ben both have their faults, but theyre young and miscommunication and mistakes happen! The mental health in this book is unmatched, not only the representation of it but the way it plays out in these characters is supremely relatable. The imagery in the novel is superb, I wish I could book my vacation at the vineyard stat. We need more examples of angry young people just trying to figure out their emotions. Also, Aunt Ro needs to be protected at all costs!!

♡ Hurt/Comfort
♡ Summer Read
♡ Second Chances

Definitely a book you should read the author’s note too, it really makes the reading experience even better. The rom-com vibes in this were great, adding in some more relatable content as well. While it was mostly lighthearted, there are some more emotional parts; the main character works through a breakup, depression, and a rather cruel moment in eighth grade he was still hung up on. The relationship itself was a bit of a fast-paced read but their dynamics worked well, especially as more was revealed about their past.

The highlight for me was the setting, it was genuinely so amazing, the house, the vineyard, all the history behind it was so lovely and the little details made for a great read. While the ending seemed a bit rushed as it tied everything together it was still a really enjoyable book.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Viking Books for Young Readers of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧(1/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 16, July 2024
Rep: LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Characters) Depression

Parts of this book I would give 4 stars but overall I give it 3. Mostly because of Grant's self loathing and his constant referring to himself as "broken". The chemistry between Grant and Ben is pretty good but because this is a YA novel the spice level is low. The plot was really good but again my biggest annoyance was 18 yo Grant beating himself up over something from when he was 13.

Grant Rossi has been cursed ever since making a wish on his family’s Wishing Rose. All of his romantic relationships don’t seem to last; they always come to an end. After his most recent breakup (and probably most public), he heads back to his family’s B&B for the summer. To help them refurbish it to hopefully reopen by the end of summer. Grant also hopes to get his creative spark back.

However, what he doesn’t expect is to find his childhood crush, Ben, also working at the Bed and Breakfast. His first crush who also lead to his first broken heart. Will Grant be able to bury the past and work with Ben? Or will he end the summer with yet another broken heart?

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for an advanced copy of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass to review! Adam Sass has shown that he can write a variety of genres, and I was enchanted by this book from the beginning. Though not necessarily a fairytale in itself, it does have sort of fairytale vibes with the curse. The descriptions of the little bed and breakfast his family owned sounded lovely, and definitely like a place that I’d visit!

At it’s surface, this is a book about curses. But it is also a book about Grant working through his anxiety and trauma with relationships and being queer. His emotional journey is so satisfying by the end. Done with high school, he is also trying to figure out what path he wants to take with the rest of his life. These are all emotional beats that teens will relate to as they read Grant’s story.

The relationship between Grant and Ben is so strained at first, but that also evolves throughout. They are honestly adorable together, and I enjoyed getting to see them grow. The other side characters, especially Grant’s family, are all fun additions, and just make the book generally fun to read.

All in all, if you’re looking for a queer romance to add to your docket this summer, definitely check this one out in July!

Loved this book

It deals with depression and mental illness in a way which for me personally felt so real and raw

It shows the power of forgiveness and self love

I received this ebook for free in exchange for an honest review. Grant is the protagonist we all need. Full of flaws and self hatred, matched by loved ones who wouldn’t take his self-loathing. The tiny nod to Beauty and the Beast was nicely done. The use of the “beast” both in a positive and negative light as well as tying so much of fate to the rose, but still an entirely new story. My one wish for the story would for there to have been more actual conversation between characters. So much of the change and growth was due to introspection. While important, the growth between characters was glossed over in that respect. Otherwise a great story.

One of the easiest 5-star ratings I’ve given in ages.

Adam Sass is a brilliant and versatile author. He can do suspense, he can do slasher horror, he can do charming rom-coms. With Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, he has now shown that he can do romance with a speculative aspect to it … and in doing so, he explores trauma, depression, and self-loathing in a love story that digs deep into the power of emotions, memories, and forgiveness.

Grant rossi believes he is cursed. He made a wish on the wishing rose when he was 13. But instead of finding his love, he wished away boys all together. He was afraid that his family's myth didn't include him because he wasn't straight. This led to a fall out with his best friend and several boyfriends over a 5 year period. He's finally back in Vero rosetto, trying to save the place for his aunt, when of course he runs into the last person he thought would be there, Ben mckittrick. Their love story is full of ups and downs and self love and discovery. I love the mental health representation. This was such a sweet romance and I absolutely loved it!

thank you to netgalley and viking books for my ARC!

i'm not sure why, but i wasn't expecting cursed boys and broken hearts to have such a profound effect on me. i think i thought maybe i wouldn't be able to relate to it since the characters are so young, turns out i was wrong!

the story revolves around 18yo grant, a young gay boy struggling with depression and a "curse" where all the boys he dates end up dumping him. during one of his spirals, he returns to his family's struggling b&b to help spruce it up and hopefully save it from going under. it's here that he reunites with ben, his former best friend (also gay). we get to see grant and ben heal their relationship and see how they've grown as (baby) adults.

i went into this with the reminder that grant is only 18, and remembered what i was like at that age. petty drama and a lack of communication skills caused grant to ice people out the second he thought he'd been wronged in any way. while that behavior is wildly immature to me (at the *ripe* age of 28), i saw myself in him and empathized. the book does a great job of touching on the struggles of a young person who is both queer and struggling with their mental health. grant' story is a story of many young queer kids, and i can see this story helping them navigate those difficult conversations and thoughts of being alone.

In this YA coming of age romance, everything isn't all peachy. There's a mystical rose that might've cursed our main character, and some definitely real events and circumstances that've lead to a drastic decline in his mental health. His aunt forces him to work with the boy he loved all along, whose love caused him to make the wish turned curse five years ago. Now he needs to try to save his family's home, create a great art show, not fall in love (like he ever fell out of it), and hopefully not have a full on breakdown.

SPOILERS!!

Some thoughts I had while reading this book, be warned, they're chaotic: Damn, his aunt really wants them together and manipulated them with the one bed trick. Ummmm not a fan of Ben convincing Grant to have sex with him. Like yes he's wanted to for a long time but he's trying to do what is healthy for him and Ben should respect that. I think I needed chapters from Ben's perspective cause I didn't really feel like he did have feelings for Grant and was very confused when suddenly he acted like it should've been obvious this whole time. Ahhhh they both have a lot of trauma. The first and last chapters are even envy and grateful respectively. I love lil things like that!

Overall, pretty solid book, enjoyed reading it.
Also, I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

CURSED BOYS AND BROKEN HEARTS is a queer YA romance about grant rossi, a boy from a superstitious italian family with a decades-long legacy. when he was 13, grant made a wish on his family's iconic wishing rose, but instead of granting his wish, he was cursed to doom any romantic relationship. he goes back to his family's rundown B&B and breakfast to help refurbish it and finds himself face to face with ben, the boy who broke his heart all those years ago. overall, i really liked the book and the premise, but i felt like everything should have taken place five years later. the backstory didn't feel very believable knowing they were 13 when it all went down and only 18 when they reunite and it did affect my enjoyment of the book a bit. that being said, i still enjoyed it and would recommend it for anyone looking for a queer summer romcom!

read if you like:
- second chances
- childhood friends to lovers
- ~there was only one bed~

thanks to netgalley and viking for advanced copy. CURSED BOYS AND BROKEN HEARTS comes out july 16th.

I love everything about this YA second chance romance. This was such a sweet and realistic romance book. The fact that the main character actually self sabotages his relationships makes it so real. I really love how the 2 men in the book learn that they can follow their dreams and still be in each other's lives. So so so good

Um... wow? I don't even know what to say... I feel awful for rating this so low but I also want to be honest! And I really wanted to like this but I felt like it just wasn't for me. First of all, the writing style was very jarring. There were a lot of metaphors that just didn't work for me and it felt like this book was a walking Beauty and the Beast reference but without the powerful messages that story holds. The message here is very unclear. The main character is so hard to follow and root for and everything felt just a bit too rushed. I know that the author is amazing and well-intentioned but it just felt like this was almost too light? There were a lot of jokes about sexism and homophobia and sexual harassment that felt belittling and didn't sit too well with me. I just wish that this had gone in a different direction, but the writing, characters, and themes kept me from really sinking my teeth into the story. It's a great summer read for people into something very light, cozy, and dramatic, but it just didn't work for me personally. There were a lot of times where I just sat there going, "what?" having to reread the strange sentences that lumped all the characters into two categories, a beast or a bunny, and would just continue to make reference to that throughout the whole story... which is fine of course! It just felt oddly timed and awkward. There were elements I enjoyed, and like I say, the intent was great. But I just don't think this was for me. Thank you, thank you, to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pure magic! It was sweet and beautiful and heartfelt. For starters, I loved the setting of this book with ever fiber of my being. I loved how beautiful it was in all its descriptions, with its flowers and vines and overall fairytale essence. I loved how much emotional significance it held to the characters, and how it worked to facilitate the main character’s development and the romance. Now as for the main character and the romance, I loved both. Grant is a nuanced and complex character. He struggles so much in the book, overwhelmed by his depression, romantic failures, and drudged up painful memories from his childhood. But over the course of the book he is able to do some great healing. And find the love he deserves. Ben is the perfect compliment to Grant, and I loved their shared childhood history and how much angst it contributed to the romance. Along with Grant and Ben, I loved Grant’s family, especially his aunt and uncle. They are so supportive and kind. So overall I loved this book and I highly recommend it!

I really enjoyed this book. This was my first by the author. I loved the complexity of their relationship, the mistrust and working on being friends again. I loved the mental health rep. Thank you!

I am so happy to have Grant’s story. I adored 99 Boyfriends and Micah Summers and this follow up about Grant was deep and tender. This story is nostalgic and magical. As usual, everything I read of Adam’s I love and desire to see his work turned into films/mini series. This book is a fun rom/com that has so much depth exploring trauma, depression, self loathing, and forgiveness. A beautiful second chance story.

I wanted to like this one more than I did, but there were still things I enjoyed about it. I can't be too harsh on the book, as I think it's more of a "it's not you, it's me" type of feeling.

As I get older I find myself wanting to read less about teenage/new adult characters who have a shockingly inept ability to communicate. It's a trademark of the genera, and I think I'm finally realizing that it's just simply not something I enjoy anymore.

The book is good, it's funny and very well written. The humor is biting and modern, but in a way that doesn't feel "Hello, fellow teens" unlike a lot of more recent books. The supporting characters are fantastic as well. The setting is vivid and unique. It's just that I found it hard to connect to the main character.

I wasn't aware that this book is technically a sequel/spin off to another book, so maybe I missed some added context but I felt like everything was explained pretty well at the beginning of the book so it didn't feel like I was completely blind to past events.

Overall, I think I just need to be a little more discerning with what I read in the future. Tastes change all the time, and I think I'm finally learning that certain types of books may just not be for me anymore. Don't let me deter you though, because there is a good book underneath all my feelings, it's just not a book that was right for me.

Really enjoyed this coming-of-age YA Contemporary read! This is my first by author Adam Sass, and now I'm excited to dive into what else he's written.

'Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts' is fully narrated by Grant and the narration was chef's kiss, spot-on: witty one liners, realistic depression rep, and all the emotional heartfelt moments. Especially when dealing with 7 older siblings and when flirting with his former crush, Ben.

Highly recommended LGBTQIA+ reading!

#CursedBoysandBrokenHearts #NetGalley – I voluntarily read a Review Copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely my own and no one else’s.

Oh my gosh! This book was adorable!

I didn’t realize when I started it that it was the follow up to The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers. Don’t worry! You can read this perfectly well without having read the first book.

Grant is collateral damage from the Micah Summers book, dealing with severe depression and the downfall of the family bed and breakfast, Vero Roseto, and winery.

Grant turns up at Vero Roseto to try to calm his mind, and takes on the challenge of bringing her back to her former glory, along with the gorgeous gardener… who just happens to be the boy that broke his heart 5 years prior. It’s a recipe for a great story!

Another great book for fans of the “only one bed” trope! Grant and Ben are such a fun pairing. The tension between the two makes you want to give each a smack upside the head.