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!!

i’m truly 100% in awe of this book. i’m a huge fan of Adam’s and think everything he touches is perfection, but this one is really just above and beyond all his previous works.

following Grant after the Micah-events was a BRILLIANT choice. while reading Micah’s book, i felt this connection to Grant and what he was going through. i really wanted to know more about him, so this book is a wish come true.

there’s an friends-to-enemies-to-lovers dynamic going on here, and Adam balances the banter, wit, and angst with all the tension and romance really well. the moments with Grant and Ben going back and forth were some of the best parts.

there’s this beautiful shared history between these boys that goes deeper than friendship and romance. their bond is something that’s forged out of a sacred safe space that comes from building a sense of queer solidarity at a young age.

and this book is GAY. yeah, it’s a queer romance book, but it’s just so gay in it’s DNA. it’s in the way the queer boys act, think, and interact with each other. it’s the way they interact with the WORLD and the language they use. it’s the kind of authenticity that i think more queer books need.

and i think that authenticity and the way these characters exist is so important. all of Adam’s books like that. they are so genuinely, unapologetically queer and they are SO important. every story he tells is important.

oh, and then my sweet bby Grant. he's such a sensitive boy (i think something a lot of queer boys can relate to). what an emotional journey he goes on. there’s so much healing happening here. so much forgiveness for those who’ve wronged you, who you think have wronged you, and for yourself. it’s understanding you might not get better right away, but knowing there is that path to healing.

truly a career best for Adam. i’m going to need you to preorder this, request it for your library, and reccomend every bookstore that will listen to stock it.

available july 16 :)

I won’t lie, this took me a minute to get into, but when I did I enjoyed it. I liked the fact that Grant and Bens relationship wasn’t your typical story and the banter was great. I also loved the family aspect of it. I definitely will be reading more Adam Sass in the future!

(4.25 rounded up)

I'm not sure I needed Grant's story, spinning out of Sass's 99 Boyfriends, but it was certainly a welcome tale. Grant's self-obsessed narration means that we don't get most of the family/supporting as fully developed characters, but it mostly works since, as we said, Grant really is neck-deep in processing his own trauma and figuring out if saving a vineyard can help him save himself. The sexiness of Ben also figures into all this, naturally.

So here's the thing - it's a great YA sorta-rom-com (broad strokes, people!), with a pair of gay boys taking center stage in this Hallmarkesque tale and definitely good for youths figuring out that balance of post-high-school making decisions for themselves or for love or for family. Lots of honest explorations there.

Adam Sass produces a beautiful love story in his most intimate and personal work yet. It's a testament to his writing skill that he can write thrillers, rom-coms, and slashers, then stick the landing on such a touching love story. It's about forgiveness, second chances, mental health, and learning to love yourself and those around you, but still written in the sassy, funny style we've all come to expect from Adam Sass.

For those of you familiar with The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, this book is a spin-off exploring the life of Grant, the spurned lover in the first book. I didn't know this going into reading it, but I figured it out quickly in the first chapter (pumpkin jacket). I was pleasantly surprised because, while Grant was clearly not meant for Micah, I felt sorry for what a wreck his life was and was glad he got his own story. While this is a standalone book, and reading 99 Boyfriends is not required, it certainly adds context, and I would recommend it.

I got this ARC but had to read 99 boyfriends first. Since my hold came in and I finished it earlier today… well … you can guess what happened next.

Cursed Boys is Grant’s story, the artist from 99 boyfriends. He goes to his childhood summer home - a vineyard owned by his Aunt Ro, to help fix it up. He sees a hot gardener and lo and behold, it’s his childhood best friend and crush who broke his heart 5 years ago Ben!

Things I loved about this book:
First of all - do NOT skip the author’s note. Adam Sass lets you in his world immediately and gives a great intro to the book and characters.
Grant. My sweet angel. He just wanted to be loved but was also broken and scared. As he realized his true feelings and he worried about his past and future, my heart ached for him. His depression was so real and when he was down, I felt it in my core.
Ben. My Scottish boy. The best boy. Sexy and fun. Sweet and protective. Scared and fearless at the same time. I loved how he didn’t let Grant hide. He brought out the fire in Grant - the passion to live life. I could go on and on about these two but I won’t.
Aunt Ro and Uncle Paul!! What good people. Loved them loved them.
Innuendo. The jokes were so silly. The banter was great in this book. So much fun and I laughed a lot.
The curse actually felt so damn relatable. Sometimes I feel Iike that too. That I’ll be alone forever. That no one will love all of the messy parts of me.
The mud fight was so fun and cute.
Loved seeing the house and vineyard come together!
Only one bed!!!
The honest conversations and casual intimacy.
Oh man that ending. Adam had me for a minute with one of the chapter titles but we persevered!!
I highlighted so so many passages. Loved this.
That ending!!! The rose festival and beyond!!

I adored this book so much. It’s out this summer and you better believe I’m recommending it! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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 also do romance with a speculative aspect to it … and in doing so, explores trauma, depression, and self-loathing in a love story that digs deep into the power of emotions, memories, and forgiveness.

In every single Adam Sass book, it’s so easy to love the narrators. Never has that been truer than with Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts. Grant Rossi is Adam’s most compelling, well-developed, and emotionally complex character to date. Will he frustrate you? Yes. Will you question his decisions? Yes. Will you love him, give him a chance, and truly SEE him by the end of the novel? Yes. And it is glorious.

From start to finish, the book is about anger and the many ways it can manifest — in how we view the world, how we treat others, and how we see ourselves. I loved the way that mental health was approached, and the way it normalized both SSRI’s / medication and therapy. Watching Grant grow as a human being was one of the most rewarding journeys I’ve watched a protagonist go on in quite some time.

The one liners, the wit, the humor — immaculate. The tender, soft, emotional moments — absolutely touching. I laughed, I cried, and I had so much fun spending time with Grant and Ben. I’ll be thinking about them for a while.

An absolute home-run of a book and Adam Sass at the top of his game. This is, undoubtedly, his best work to date.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for a review!

It's been a long time since a book has personally touched my heart. I adored The 99 Boyfriends of Michah Summers and so desperately hoped for a Grant story. When I saw this book announced on Sass's Instagram I went INSANE. I was so happy to see a sequel of sorts and even happier to read Grant's story. Grant's battle with depression was what really pulled me in, and Ben and his cute little Scottish self just sealed the deal. I was so happy and so thankful to receive an ARC of this, and I can't wait for it to hit stores so I can nab a copy and read it and annotate it to my heart's content.

So, if you have followed any of my reviews for any amount of time, you know that Adam Sass is one of those authors who hits me right in my too-soft, too-big heart. And Grant's story? Ouch.

Like Micah Summers, this story takes a classic fairy tale and gives it a queer twist. I was obsessed with the idea of following someone who was collateral damage in someone else's happily ever after, and oh boy, was Grant damaged. Sweet, sweet Grant.

I loved the way Grant's depression was written because it is just so incredibly relatable. There's nothing like being heartbroken and depressed and away from family and friends, and Grant reacts the same way I think I would- spiraling and hiding in my room while avoiding everyone about it. His family dynamics were also everything to me- family is often a queer kid's first bully and seeing Grant realize that and stand up to them both for himself (and for any smaller family members that may have needed to see it) really choked me up. Also, a big, loud-ass, Italian family is so fun to read. The. relationships between Grant and his siblings were some of my favorites and just really healed my heart.

Vero Roseto is a character of its own and I adored her makeover montage. Grant and Ben working together and through their own hang-ups (despite Grant doing everything he could to KEEP himself hung up) to help save such a special place for their families was a love story within a love story for me.

Also, Ben? An angel. A doll. Never done one single thing wrong in his whole cute little Scottish life. Adored him and how he pushed and prodded and was just mean enough to get Grant out of his own head and stop trying to sabotage himself. He was so loyal to the Rossi family and watching Grant really realize just how loyal was soothing and irritating because OPEN YOUR EYES, KID. Perfection.

I spent probably the last twenty or so minutes of the book silently crying and reading because Grant finally stopped standing in his own way and let himself be happy and it was everything I wanted it to be.

Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is heartfelt, healing, and full of a messy, real-life queer fairy tale. Another Adam Sass story I will be peddling on everyone I meet.