I absolutely loved this book!🩷
Grant Rossi is convinced he's cursed. As a kid, he spent summers at his family's vineyard, and that is where he made a wish on the iconic Wishing Rose. This is where he believes all his romantic troubles began. Ever since his last dumping, he has been in a depression, languishing and not working on his designs. So he decides to go back to the vineyard for the summer and help his aunt and uncle clean up the B&B before the local rose festival. And maybe break his curse and get back his creative spark in the process. But when he arrives, he finds the first boy who broke his heart, his childhood crush, and best friend Ben, as the gardener. As the summer wears on, the boys can't deny their chemistry or the pain they caused each other all those years ago. But can they work through this and get back to where they were? Or is Grant forever cursed in love?

First, I have to say people are going to think Grant is selfish and dramatic. But have they ever been a depressed teenager? Grant has a lot on his plate, and he doesn't know how to deal. That's real. His depression is real, and I deeply empathized. I appreciated Sass talking about therapy and medication. As a medicated person, I feel seen. So I love Grant.

Ben was an interesting character who kept me guessing. I honestly wasn't sure how Ben was going to treat Grant. I was pleasantly surprised by his growth. I'm glad he was patient with Grant, but I also never felt like he did things without thinking about himself, too. Which is good because he deserves to be happy after all he has been through, too.
Together, I loved the boys' banter, their easygoing friendship, and definitely their sexual tension! It gets hot for a YA!
I also enjoyed the large Italian family dynamic. I wish I had an Aunt Ro to make me sandwiches and get in my business.
Honestly, though, I cried on and off through almost the entire book. I cried out of sadness, but there was also a lot of happy crying. So be ready for that.
So, another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️read from Adam Sass.
Thank you to @Netgalley for this ARC.

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass is a friends to enemies to lovers tale that's also a story of redemption. Grant Rossi believes he's cursed by his family's famous Wishing Rose to never true love. Spending the summer in the presence of the rose at his family's failing B&B might prove him wrong, especially when his ex-best friend/first love shows up.

Adam Sass manages to deftly weave the heavier theme of depression into a romance. Grant has to learn to love and accept himself before he can truly love or be loved by someone else. The setting of story was like a character itself. I love that Grant uses his art to help save the family business and home.

I absolutely adored this book and I will be screaming that from the rooftops for the forseeable future

This is a book full of family, tradition, mental health, and finding yourself. I thought the setting was great and I loved Grant's aunt and how much she cared for him unconditionally.

The main character Grant struggles with self hatred and sabotages himself over and over. I found him hard to relate to and thought he came across selfish and frustrating. Ben was a good guy and I don't think he should have put up with so much crap from Grant.

The dreams were interesting and the ending was pretty cute.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the copy.

Grant Rossi is supposed to be applying for design schools to attend next fall. Instead, he’s wallowing in depression following the end of his latest romance. Grant is eighteen, out, and (he believes) doomed to never have a steady boyfriend because of a wish he made as a scared 13-year old boy afraid of the deep crush he on his best friend. Ben and Grant were besties since boyhood, with Ben the steadfast companion Grant needed while spending summers at his grandparents home and vineyard, Vero Roseto. These were golden memories, especially as Grant grappled with his sexuality and family trauma as the youngest of eight kids, the one his older siblings joked was conceived to save their parents’ (doomed) marriage. Unfortunately, wishing on his family’s sacred rose resulted in the end of Grant’s friendship with Ben.

Now, Grant has just finished a big exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, one conceived with his now-ex, Micah, and his well of creativity is bone dry. His mom is prodding him to return to Vero Roseto to help his aunt and uncle prepare for the Rose Festiva,l which will only bring more attention to the Wishing Rose, the very one that cursed Grant to a loveless fate, instead of helping him see his true mate. Grant doesn’t want to go, but he has enough self-awareness that he’s being very unhealthy in his current patterns. He shows up only to discover that Vero Roseto is in complete shambles. The vineyard is okay, his aunt and uncle are making good wine, but the grounds and estate are in great disrepair. They need guests to book rooms at the bed and breakfast in order to fund the further repairs needed to restore Vero Roseto to greatness and be prepared for the garden showcase in August. Grant is tasked with designing a knockout showcase and helping repair parts of the estate, including the gardens, which are an overgrown mess, with only the wishing rose spared. And, the gardener that has been hired to make Grant’s designs a reality? Yep, it’s Ben.

Ben who, it turns out, is gay. Ben, who broke Grant’s heart when he was thirteen. Ben, who didn’t want him, even though Ben was Grant’s secret desire.

Yeah, this is going to be a hard summer.

I really enjoyed this book. A couple of years ago, I read and reviewed The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, which introduced us to Grant. It was Grant’s discussion of his VEGAN PUMPKIN JACKET that reminded me of that story and how Grant and Micah had had a brief and tumultuous relationship before Micah dumped him for another boy. Grant wasn’t shown in his best light in that story, so this book is a bit of a redemption for him. It takes him all summer to redeem himself, which made sense considering how much work he needs to do to love himself. He’s sympathetic and relatable, with deep insecurities, depression, and an absolute need to connect to people. I also felt a bit of second-hand embarrassment over his naiveté in his interpersonal interactions, yet it felt true to a teen character who’s always felt he was an afterthought and everyone’s second choice. I honestly LOVED that Ben made him do the work necessary to feel able to accept the love he wanted so badly.

Grant felt real, in that he’s an impetuous, anxiety-riddled, teen boy who’s not sure that he’s ever been really loved, or wanted, in his entire life. As such, he is always looking for the angle that people are trying to use against him, to keep him isolated, and also angry. And, he’s pretty angry–when he isn’t depressed. His internal monologue is bitter, manipulative, and very relatable. He has flashes of brilliance that he immediately squelches with insecurity. He refuses to accept that Ben is also flawed, and that his history is not “their” history because Grant hurt Ben so much, in ways he’s only seeing now, five years later.

This is a YA romance, so expect ups and downs, and a little bit of reconnection, followed by bad feelings, followed by eventual redemption. Grant has to come to terms with his past to be ready for his future to open up. He has to purge his resentments, atone for his own mistakes, and help his family reclaim a bit of the glory they had way back when, in order to find his own happy ending–and his destined mate. I really loved how Grant sought mental wellness in this journey. I also appreciated the steadfastness of Ben, keeping Grant both honest and contrite, while building him back up. There are a lot of family dynamics issues in the book, which seemed to be handled with compassion and honesty, as well. Grant believes himself a Beast, cursed by a rose, and he eventually redeems himself with love–for himself, for Ben, and for his family.

If you like contemporary LGBTQ YA romance, this story is a sweet read with a super happy ending.

A book about depression and self hatred is realistic but a happily ever after is unrealistic. This Beauty and the Beast retelling falls short in being an uplifting tale but shines as a sad gay teen reality. ARC was provided by Viking Books for Young Readers via NetGalley. I read an advance review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My favorite Adam Sass book since Surrender Your Sons, I loved Grant's story so much!

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is a messy, complicated, endearing, big-hearted, coming of age tale and it had me feeling all the emotions. I loved everything about this story, from Grant and Ben, to the Wishing Rose and the "curse", to Aunt Ro and Uncle Paul, to Vero Roseto and Grant's family, and even Hutch.
I loved seeing Grant's growth over the course of the summer. There was a lot he had to work through, and while saving Vero Roseto he also "saved" himself in a way.

This book really did make me feel all kinds of things. Even before I read the acknowledgements, to me it felt like this was Adam's most personal book. While I really only know him through social media, (although I did finally get to meet him in person!), it wasn't hard to "see" him in this story.

I loved this angry boy book, and there’s so much cute moments between them! I really loved the banter!!

I enjoyed the beginning, but I felt it was extremely boring throughout the middle. I ended up DNFing about 35% through.

Thank you for the arc.

I thought this one was really good. It took me almost the entire book for me to realize that Grant is from one of adam's previous books and his ex boyfriend, micah is literally the title character of that book. 99 boyfriends of micah summers. How it took me 99% of the book to realize that I don't know haha. This is what happens when you forget almost everything about a book after you read it. I'm tempted to go back and reread 99 boyfriends now though haha.
Anyways this book was good. I enjoyed the characters, Ben is great. I also loved this one side character that for the life of me I cannot remember the name of. But he was one of the guests and I would love a short story or two about him and his fiance. They were cute.
I want to say that bits and pieces of the story gave off minor beauty and the beast vibes to me. Grant is always referring to himself as a beast, there is a "curse" and a lot of rose mentions.
Overall an enjoyable story that I think many will enjoy, especially if you enjoyed 99 boyfriends and thought that Grant deserved better.

Content warning: homophobia, depression, panic/anxiety attack, death, grief, cancer

“Don’t ever wish straightness on yourself.”

What a beautiful story about finding yourself and learning to love those around you. This book is unapologetically queer and I absolutely love that. This book just cured my cursed, broken heart. The characters were people I feel like I know in my personal life and I relate to the anxieties that Grant goes through! Adam Sass made my queer heart happy!

I’ve read all of the Adam’s books (and this is me saying I will read whatever he writes next) and though I could go on about them, this deserves its own spotlight. From Surrender Your Sons to Cursed Boys, my heart can’t deny how much the ensemble of his characters mean to me.

Adam crafts his characters in a way that they echo the people in your own life. Honestly, I could see myself as both Grant and Ben. He also shapes them into individuals I wish existed. I’d stand by Grant and share my own doubts with him. I’d confide in Aunt Ro about my fear of losing everything because I’ve been there too. Adam infuses his characters with such deep emotions that mine overflowed onto the pages, making me feel truly understood.

I just checked the other comments on this book and I seem to be in the minority here. I liked this book, but I can't honestly say I loved it.

The romance was sweet and I liked the characters and setting and all around family feels. There are a lot of emotions in this book, both good and bad. I guess I just didn't really feel them the way other people did.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This book captured my attention from the first page as I started reading it. I loved reading as Grant heals from the past in order to be able to move forward in his life. The relationship between Grant and Ben is a welcome touch to this story as we see them both grow with one another.

DNF at 30%. The characters feel so one-dimensional, I don’t get their chemistry, there’s very little sensory detail, and the characters go from reading like children (maybe I could have gotten on board with this whole curse thing if the character was, like, 11? but it’s a tough sell for me with someone his age) to reading like they’re 25 and jaded. I was genuinely uncertain how old they were supposed to be.

To be fair, if the blurb had made it clear that this was basically a VERY unsubtle retelling of Beauty and the Beast, I would likely have self-selected out of it. I wanted more substance and depth to the writing and characterizations, and I am aware that this book deals with mental health, of which ownvoices rep is always appreciated. For readers who enjoy fairytale retellings and relish a somewhat theatrical enemies to lovers trope (I know y’all are out there), this may be a better fit.

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

What I loved best about Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass is how the story is an authentic romance, real and beautiful, without any easy answers, full of complexity and mature emotions.
In the story, the characters are genuine and even though the narrative plays with the enemies to lovers trope, it does so in a thoughtful and provocative way, making readers think about how the pair came to be at odds in the first place, that the situation is complex and emotional. I also love how realistically Grant’s depression and trauma is dealt with as he works through the past and both young men work through and handle trust issues between them. It is a beautiful romantic story full of trust, growth, and love of self as much as the love between the pair.
If you enjoy love stories with original ideas and realistic emotions, this is the novel for you. Both Grant and Ben are delightful characters who will charm you and make you fall in love with them as much as they fall in love with each other. The highs and lows are emotional in this authentic romance that is also full of familial love.

CURSED BOYS AND BROKEN HEARTS is Adam Sass's latest romcom set in the same world as his previous. The story follows the tried and true romance formula with plenty of angst and a distinct queer lens. The detail and care in both the setting and characters demonstrate how close this story is to the author's heart, but it's got plenty of comedy to keep it light and charming.

Adam Sass is another one of those reliable, consistent book writers in the queer YA scene. His talent for managing to balance humor with seriousness, wit and trauma, are notable. Like his previous books, "Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts" manages to be both sweet and an absolute gut-punch at the same time.

"I'm cursed to never find someone who stays, and you're cursed to always leave."

Grant, who considers himself a beast after being cursed by his family's legacy (and a rose), is convinced that he's destined to always be left behind romantically. Ben, his ex-crush-turned-enemy, is similarly cursed - but to always be leaving others. As they work together to save Grant's family vineyard, they have to work through their damage and try to find a place of peace again.

"Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts" does such a masterful job of handling depression and childhood trauma, after Grant, the only queer person in his family, convinces himself that he's been cursed after asking his family's Wishing Rose to let him fall in love with a girl. It also shows how those struggles might impact those around us, intentionally or otherwise - as Grant does to Ben through his own insecurities. Anyone who deals with depression, the anxieties of being openly queer, and being a bit of a self-sabotaging mess, will find Grant's story relatable. In particular, the scene of Grant reconnecting with his therapist and returning to his antidepressant subscription, felt particularly poignant (Lexapro team!).

While the story of trying to save the family's vineyard is the backdrop to this lovely summer romance, it's the relationship between Grant and Ben that takes center stage - and it's delightful to watch them go from enemies to tentative friends to romance throughout the book.

This was a beautiful story about love and healing. Growing up knowing you’re queer but not knowing how your family will react is so hard. It takes a toll on your mental health. I think the story did a good job of portraying that.

Aunt Ro’s line of “We all regret wishes we made at 13.” was accurate. Grant’s wish was no different. He made his wish and then believed he was cursed for the next five years. It took a lot before he was able to believe in himself and love again. The fact that he was in love with his childhood best friend, Ben, who he thought betrayed him five years prior, did not help. Luckily everything was able to work out in the best way possible in the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Grant Rossi knows he is cursed after wishing upon his family's famous Wishing Rose. Every relationship he has had since that day has been doomed. After his latest breakup and depression spiral, Grant heads back to his family's vineyard to help his aunt prepare for the area's annual Rose Festival. Once he gets there, he sees how rundown and dilapidated the place has become. With the help of his family, social media, and his ex-best friend slash ex-crush slash gardener, they have mere weeks to turn this place around or risk losing it all.

The themes of living with a mental illness and healing past childhood trauma are prevalent and the best parts of this book. Grant, as the sole LGBTQ+ person in this family coupled with his depression, feels like he is on the outside looking in. His depression follows him throughout the book and isn't magically cured at the end by love but managed by medication, therapy and, okay, maybe a little bit of love. While I've never suffered from depression, I feel the representations are mostly accurate.

While the plot is driven forward by preparing for the Rose Festival, the real plot and growth comes from Grant and Ben, his childhood best friend and first love, unpacking their childhood trauma and past (and present) misunderstandings. Maybe wishing on a rose isn't actually going to determine how your life turns out but childhood belief can be debilitating. 

This book is the perfect second-chance romance to get you through the hottest parts of the summer.

#netgalley #cursedboysandbrokenhearts #penguinteen