Love that we were able to get a companion novel to the 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers. Grant was one of my favorites from that story, so it was nice to see him get his own story.

Absolutely adored Ben, sweet baby boy. And Vero Roseto, with its makeover montage, was probably my favorite part of the book.

All in all, it was a great read, easy and fast paced for the most part. Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for the e-arc!

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts will make you sad, mad, happy, laugh and want to both love and hate Grant.

Grant made a wish 5 years ago on the family's wishing rose and believes it has cursed him and his quest to find love ever since. Ben is the bestie who Grant wishes was more who seems to have betrayed Grant when they were kids. Grant makes a impulse decision to head to his family's winery/hotel, which is famous for it's wishing rose and runs into Ben again, whose helping fix up the property.

This story did a great job dealing with both mental health, anger, family dynamics and although it's not about coming out, it deals with how difficult that can be when you're young and when you feel like you have no one to turn to.

As someone with anxiety I can totally sympathize with Grant and a lot of the choices he makes. I liked that this story didn't stigmatize getting help and medications. I couldn't put the story down. Other than Aunt Ro getting on my nerve a bit I really enjoyed all the characters. I love characters who actually talk things out and communicate, even if it takes a little time to get there.

This is heartfelt and wonderful summer read.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Arc of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts.

While a little long winded at times, I did end up liking this booked. I did have a harder time connecting with Grant in the beginning of the story but in the last third of the book, I felt like I did finally understand him. I say this book was long winded in that I thought we could have come to some conclusions a little sooner to help move the story along at a better pace. The middle was slower. Overall though, a great story about perceived destiny and taking it into your own hands.

Thank you so much, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Grant Rossi is sure he's cursed. Ever since he made a wish on his family's Wishing Rose, every single relationship has been cursed and now, after a very public breakup, he only wants to sink back into depression, unable to create and alone in Chicago. But when he learns his aunt is strugglin with her B&B, with the Wishing Rose, Grant decides to intervene and spend some time with her and his uncle, hoping to help them refurbish it in time for the Rose Festival. But the place is in total disrepair and, worse, the new gardener is his ex best friend and first crush, Ben. As they help the B&B, feelings blossom again and Grant fights to give himself a second chance, against his own walls and his curse. Will he be willing to fall in love again?

Sort of a sequel of "The 99 boyfriends of Micah Summers", Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is a sweet, swoony and funny contemporary romance, following one of Micah's boyfriend, Grant Rossi and his journey into loving himself and opening his heart again.
I loved reading this book, because it gave me the feeling of a warm hug, a sunny day. Grant is a beautiful and complex MC, who, believing his family's tale about a Wishing Rose and having made a wrong wish when he was a kid, now he believes he's cursed, erecting walls all around him and refusing to really let anyone in.
When he decides to fight his depression and help his aunt and uncle in the very place of the Wishing Rose, he's forced to confront his past and fears and the misunderstandings that made him lose his best friend and first crush.
I really loved his journey, both psychological and artistic, how he, slowly, starts to live again in the B&B with his family, how he and Ben reconnect, mixing past and present and moving on from there and how his art and designs blossom again when he's better.

The story is funny and sweet and made me fall in love with love and roses!

My goodness what a beautiful, painful, and wonderful story. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find a queer, teenage boy relatable. But the author paints such a vivid picture, not just of who the characters are, but what they feel and how they see the world it’s impossible not to. The way in which Grant’s depression was handled with such care and depth was incredible. It was SO refreshing to see how Grant healed throughout the book. He needed medication and took it. He needed therapy and got it. Love wasn’t the magic fix but a support. You wanted to hug him, shake him, confort him, and beg him to get out of his own way all at the same time. The story itself was good, though it moved pretty slowly. I enjoyed the fun loose twist on Beauty and the Beast, liked all the characters, and I thought the end was fittingly sweet. We need more stories like this one and I’m just so grateful to have had the chance to read it.

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!

Adam Sass returns with one of the most swoon-worthy romances I have read this year! Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is going to tug on all of your heartstrings. This novel starts off strongly, introducing you to your main character who is dealing with life as it comes. One day at a time. Once building out the setting (and what a romantic setting at that), this story blazes a trail forward mixing romance, comedy, and drama to build in such a way that readers everywhere are going to love it.

I couldn't put this story down! Ben and Grant have been dancing through my mind ever since I started their story. It's just fantastic writing that is so dynamic that I easily found myself rooting for both of them come hell or highwater. The magic in this story is ever so present everywhere as well. Let the magic be the selling point for this story, honestly. Because it was the first thing that stood out to me in this book. Magic exists for the main characters in such a way that the reader gets to experience every bit of it with them. It just felt so relatable and fun. ALSO THE SPICE IS DELICIOUS!

Honestly, I cannot say how much I loved this book. I devoured it and know that Ben and Grant are going to be living rent free in my mind for weeks to come. Seriously, do yourself a favor and check out this story.

Perfect for fans of Practical Magic, the one bed trope, and plenty more of your romance favorites!

3.5 stars. Adam Sass' CURSED BOYS AND BROKEN HEARTS is giving netflix original movie with the romance curse trope, but Grant and Ben are cute, so it's okay. . Lot's of stuff revolving around mental health and these two have their own journey's and it's nice to see. I just wish we could've seen more of the cutesy parts of their relationship and more post Grant reckoning with himself. Love me a queer romance any day of the week! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I adored this book from the first chapter and found it really hard to put it down. The characters are written with such depth and caring that I was immediately drawn into the story. Grant's development is really well done and his struggles feel real, especially the spirals. The support that Ro and Paul give both Grant and Ben was so special, particularly the scenes where they address knowing Grant was gay when he was younger.

I truly wish I could visit Vero Roseto. I want to watch the stars from the deck and take a tour with Ro. I want visit the Wishing Rose and see the gardens. The setting is such a big part of the story and the way Sass describes it and the characters inhabit it makes it feel larger and life and as real as can be.

It’s so special to find a book that immerses you in a vibrant world you never want to leave where you get to explore a cute romance, family ties, and personal growth.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC
of this book!

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts" is a beautifully crafted YA tale that left me eager for more. The setting and characters set the stage perfectly for a rom com.(I could easily see this as a netflix adaptation!) While Grant's journey took a while to unfold, the glimpses of him and Ben together were delightful. Although I wished for more development in their relationship, I still enjoyed the story. Once Grant finally got over himself, there just wasn't much time left for us to see them together! I’m a sucker for those soft romantic moments. (Give me more!) As a newcomer to Adam Sass's work, I'm definitely going to explore more, starting with "The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers." This book earns shaky 4 out of 5 stars from me, offering valuable queer representation that deserves a spot in YA literature. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I didn't connect with the setting of this book, which is a shame because it is the heart of the story. I liked the lgbtq+ romance, and their history/how they grew from it. This was a lot more like The 99 boyfriends of Micah Summers than your Lonely nights are over. If you liked 99 boyfriends or queer YA romcoms I think you'll love this one!

It would be so easy just to say what a cute book about second chances! But it was definitely way more than that, it was about family, love, self acceptance and forgiveness of others and of ourselves, and how we might try to sabotage ourselves and ruin our own happiness because we don’t think we deserve it, but Grant did it! He grew and stand up for himself and what he deserves and for he loves, and for others kids like him

I wanted to love this book but unfortunately, it didn’t hit the mark for me. It was well written and the main character, Grant, had some relatable mental health issues that I felt were handled well. Grant’s escape from the big city to the rural vineyard that is his family’s legacy was definitely a great setup for a romance, and the fantasy elements that played in were executed well. I think the main problem, for me, is that the story moved too slowly and there was too much of Grant getting in his own way, which sometimes doesn’t bother me but did in this particular book. I think that there is absolutely an audience for Grant and Ben’s story, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a friend, it’s just that unfortunately, the audience isn’t me.

The author’s introduction states, “this story takes a look at characters in the throes of depression and self-hatred.” I found the main character, Grant, to be so full of depression and self-hatred that this became monotonous, and as a result I was skim reading the book in the hope of finding some redemption. We do get this eventually but it is a long and difficult journey; it would have been nice to get some more light relief along the way.

Cursed Boys and Warrm Hearts, by Adam Sass, has many heartfelt moments involving family and lovers. Grant Rossi, the center of the story, has too much drama, and one wondered how longit was going to take to play out. Ben, his desired boyfriend, is a lot more together.
Watching these two as the story progresses was not always easy. But hearts win. Thankfully.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I can appreciate the premise and the main characters mental health. Thanks to the author for the note in the beginning of the book, Yet, the execution of the plot was a bit boring and too long for me. I’m not sure if this book would be memorable in 6 months time. Overall, it was an okay story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for my review.

“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me” is the echoing sentiment behind Adam Sass’s next book Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts. In this story we follow Grant, cursed by a wish he made on his family’s wishing rose years prior, now he can’t keep a boyfriend for longer than a few months. This dates all the way back to the very first boy he lost, his former best friend, Ben. Now in Chicago, spiraling from the fall out of his last relationship, he flees back to his family’s winery where the wish took place and he must face the inner demons he never slayed, including his relationship with Ben. Grant explores his past to move forward in this fairytale spin that will leave your heart full and wishes granted.
 
Yet another captivating book from Sass, an emotional story, one where at the heart, the realization that trusting yourself before you can love others is key, an especially difficult struggle for LGBTQ+ people who have to discover who they are before they can fully trust themselves. Grant must reckon with his past, his coming out, his family, and the boy he never got over, all those feelings, that hurt, trapped deep inside him, shaping who he is today. A deeply relatable struggle, having to overcome the pain of the past to confront your future, through Grant’s struggle, Sass highlights how the battle with mental health and trauma is daunting but through therapy, learning, and time, you can heal. This might be a YA book, but at 29 I resonate so much with Grant and his healing, this story is universal, the pain of unlearning that your queerness is a problem, that you solely might be at fault, and understanding that the world wasn’t made for us. Telling queer narratives such as these, Sass opens the door on struggles that queer people have faced growing up and I can only hope that adults who read this book find a little bit of themselves in these characters and can heal through them and I hope that the YA audience who picks it up knows that their struggles are not theirs alone and that they can fight for who they are. You are not the problem, a lesson so hard to learn, and you deserve happiness at the end of it all, a lesson that might even be harder to grasp.
 
Sass has enchanted me with Grant and Ben, and I can only hope that you all fall in love with them as I have. A story that weaves the struggle with sexuality and the fight to find the one, a tale of second chances, grand wishes, and big hearts, this Beauty and the Beast laced tale is sure to blossom like a rose in your heart.

Scarf Rating: 🧣🧣🧣🧣🧣 (5/5)

Taylor Swift Songs I associate with this book: Anti-Hero, question…, I Almost Do, Treacherous, You Are In Love, long story short, Enchanted, It’s Nice To Have A Friend, Fearless, Sparks Fly, The Story of Us, this is me trying, Out of The Woods

Adam Sass is an incredible author who has written some very captivating books and this one is no exception. The way Grant’s depression is dealt with, along with many other things the book deals with, is one of the reasons this book is at the top of my favorites for this year. I felt like nothing was written for no reason and in fact, only gave the book yet another edge and the characters more development, unlike many other books.

Reading it didn’t feel like I was reading an MLM story, and, while it is of course, it felt more than that. It felt natural. It didn’t feel forced or ungenuine. The writing was engaging and unapologetic and I will absolutely be recommending it to anyone who asks.

Wow, Adam Sass has done it again and created yet another book where I didn't want to ever put it down.

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts follows Grant Rossi from, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, and starts with the emotional fallout Grant experienced in that book. This book follows some of my favorite gay YA storytelling elements, along with the author's usual flair of the fantastical combined with the relatable and often too real reality of finding and accepting love. Sometimes our greatest villain is ourselves and our inability as humans to get out of our own way and stop self sabotaging ourselves and this book isn't afraid to showcase that front and center. So if you enjoy summer romances in idyllic settings, with two guys who can't help but flirt and where you often want to shake them while yelling "just kiss already" have I got a book for you.

There is so much to love about Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, I hope you will give this book the chance it rightly deserves and I can't wait to see what Adam Sass comes up with next.

Also a huge thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for a review.

I requested and received an eARC of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass via NetGalley. I super enjoyed this author's previous works, especially Your Lonely Nights Are Over so this was an insta request for me! In his newest story we meet Grant Rossi, an aspiring fashion design student, who believes his love life is cursed thanks to a wish-that-didn’t-go-well upon his family’s Wishing Rose. We join Grant as he escapes from Chicago to his aunt’s B&B and vineyard after a particularly bad breakup. When he discovers that his family has employed Ben, the first boy to break his heart, it becomes clear that his escape from heartbreak won’t be an easy one.

The overall setup works very well, definitely very rom-comesque. Grant and Ben have a unique history which gives this book a special touch. Both of the men are complicated and grounded in reality and I think their faults are what make this story effective. The narrative handles Grant’s depression, as well as his trust issues, in a thoughtful way that is important to his character arc. Part of me wishes this would have also been applied to Ben, who in my opinion, could have used a bit more growth himself in the story. I really enjoy Grant’s Aunt Ro and there was a really knockout scene between Grant and Ro’s husband, Paul, that touched me. I love a well-developed supporting cast in a novel, because it shows the author has really considered the world that their protagonist’s inhabit, and Sass does not disappoint (though I would have liked more of Grant’s siblings!)

Grant’s continued vulnerability with the reader and the way he learns to share that with Ben throughout the novel made him a character that it’s difficult not to root for even when you want to scold him for his decisions. I really think this book also excels at handling the issue of queer related family trauma. As queer people we have to contend with those painful little memories from our childhood where we were made aware of our differences and through his characters Sass shows the possibility of open dialogue and healing. A light premise blended with heavy, sometimes difficult, emotion makes this an enjoyable read.

i loved this book truly. i loved the characters and the development, i do wish i'd read adam's other books before this but alas, i enjoyed it nonetheless. the differences between the characters and their relationship as it grew was very interesting. i also love the cover!!