I thought this story had a lot of potential, it sounded very cute and very charming. Somehow it didn't work for me though. Something about the writing didn't click for me. I felt like there was a lot of explanation and a lot of repetition, and it made the writing feel clunky.

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe is a charmingly spooky mix of romance and magic that feels like stepping into a haunted fairytale. The story whisks us off to the small town of Grimsby, where curses run as deep as the connections between the characters. At its heart are two souls—Enzo, the grumpy cursed boy, and Ophelia, the girl with just enough heart (and stubbornness) to maybe, just maybe, break his curse.

Julie Abe gives us witty dialogue, cursed roses, and a sprinkle of gothic whimsy that will keep you hooked, wondering, “Will they, won’t they?” until the very last page. It’s perfect for fans of Halloweentown-style romance or anyone who believes that love can be magical...and maybe just a little bit cursed.

Unfortunately as I finally got around to reading this one, I could no longer find it on my shelf. I also understand that I've taken way too long to read and review this book as an ARC but I was still looking forward to it. Average reviews were 3.35 on Goodreads, and I tend to only read books 3.8 stars or above. I probably will not spend my money to buy and review based on that fact.

Childhood best friends travel to Japan for their last horrah trip before potentially going their separate ways for college. Atleast one is in love with the other but to afraid to say something and it may be too late when they accidently curse themselves.

Things I enjoyed:
-The writing was lovely.
-Our main characters were consistently committed to each other platonically and maybe more at times and you really root for them individually and together
-Side characters that actually mattered and had some substance to them

Things I didnt enjoy:
-Friends to lovers where there are years of secret pining makes me uncomfortable, and this was no exception. How great of friends could you be if you are constantly lying??
- Really everything magic related seemed both not in depth enough and over written at the same time.


Thank you to netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read and enjoyed The Charmed List by Julie Abe. These books aren’t listed as a series, yet they share the same characters. In Our Cursed Love, Ellie and Jacks’s younger siblings, Remy and Cam, take the spotlight. Their YA story is full of sweet young romance and a hint of magic!

Here’s what I enjoyed:
- Japan setting. The entire story takes place in Tokyo. Loved watching them explore the city and embrace their culture.
- Takes place around Christmas to New Year. I laughed that the KFC tradition was included.
- Alternating perspectives between Remy and Cam.
- Catching up with Ellie and Jack. They are now living in Tokyo!
- Magic! This story focused on the dangers of messing with love potions. I enjoyed the scenes involving magical shops, tea leaf readings and potion making.
- Friends to lovers trope with a twist. Cam doesn’t remember Remy after taking the soulmate potion so they have to work together to reconnect.

This was such a sweet, charming story. I really adored both Remy and Cam. Their hesitancy to take their long friendship to a romantic level felt incredibly realistic. They had the perfect mix of humor and chemistry.

I’d recommend reading, The Charmed List first to fully understand the characters, their intertwined past and more of the backstory involving Cam and Jack’s delicate relationship with their dad.

I listened to the audio and love that two narrators were used. Arina Li and Kevin Shen did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life.

Julie Abe’s "Our Cursed Love" delivers a captivating blend of romance and fantasy. The enchanting world-building and intriguing plot hook readers from the start. While the pacing occasionally lags and some character arcs could use more depth, the story’s charm and imaginative elements make it a delightful and engaging read.

DNF. Will hopefully come back and try again at another time. I really wanted to enjoy this but I struggled to get into it.

I did not realise until I finished this book that it was connected to another book. I read it and found I did not need to read the other one first. This was such a cute YA love story. Friends to lovers with a miscommunication troupe oh my. Splash a little magic in there. It was such an easy read. I found myself wanting to read more so I could find out the conclusion of their love story and if they would ultimately forget each other forever.

When I first requested the book, I didn't realize it was a companion novel, but thankfully I felt like it could be read without reading the other book first. This love story was beautifully told and really stuck with me. It was such a moving novel.

This story is a contemporary magic love story that is cursed from the start but as we know love doesn’t play with the rules sometimes this magical fueled love story is cute and sweet and so sometimes we can’t wait because times wait for no one over all I give this book four stars

I actually didn't immediately realize that this was a sequel/companion novel to The Charmed List, but once I did I was super excited to get to return to this magical world. Unfortunately, I was a little more interested in the magic part of this story than in the relationship between Remy and Cam.

beuatiful, heart breaking book, I cried a little bit and I actually didn't mean to but I was just so caught up and I started feeling so much.. god I kiss your brain Julie

Our Cursed Love by Julie Abe is a companion novel to The Charmed List, in which childhood friends set out on a trip to Japan to visit their siblings who are in college --oh, and they're all a little bit magic. Nothing world changing, just cute little charms and tricks. Remy loves Cam, and this trip is her last chance to tell him. Everything changes when she receives a fortune from a prestigious magically-gifted family that Cam is not her soulmate--in fact, she has no soulmate. In an act of desperation, she convinces Cam to take a old (and forbidden) love potion with her. That should fix the problem......except, it doesn't. Cam instantly forgets who she is. And if they don't fix it within six days, he will forget her forever.

I loved this as a sorta-sequel to The Charmed List. This contained a bit more magic and world-building than TCL, and the stakes were definitely higher. Overall, I enjoyed it. That being said, Remy and Cam didn't act all the smart at times. I also felt so bad for a certain college boy--everything was so unfair for him.

An early DNF, will not review any further due to the ongoing Speak Up SMP boycott on social media.
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Sweet and true friends to loves that reflects teenage love in a way many other authors miss. The characters are well developed and charming. This is a sweet, magical, YA romance that will continue to appeal to many readers.

One Curse Love by Julie Abe is perfect for fans of Axie Oh and Christine Riccio. It's a fun summer adventure.

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.