This is a 2024 summer book release from Adam Sass, author of the buzzy YA novels SURRENDER YOUR SONS, THE 99 BOYFRIENDS OF MICAH SUMMERS, and YOUR LONELY NIGHTS ARE OVER, which were honoured by Kirkus, Seventeen Magazine, and USA Today. Adam has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Teen Vogue, and Publishers Weekly. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband.
Ever since Grant Rossi made a wish on his family’s iconic Wishing Rose, his romantic relationships have been cursed to end. For the past year, following his extremely public dumping on social media, Grant has been mellowing in his sorrows, abandoning his beloved design projects, and sinking back into depression. But when his mother suggests spending the summer helping his aunt and uncle to help refurbish the family’s beautiful but rundown B&B and vineyard—the home of the Wishing Rose that changed everything for him—Grant decides to accept. It may be an opportunity to recover his creative spark and face the Wishing Rose to break his curse.
But when Grant arrives at the vineyard, the place is in almost total disrepair. What’s even worse is that his relatives have hired his former childhood crush and ex-best friend Ben to help out. Five years earlier, Ben stole Grant’s boyfriend from him, and Grant never forgave him. As they are now forced to work together at the B&B, the wedge between them can’t be ignored, and they get into some very heated conversations. As they race to restore the B&B in time for the beloved local rose festival, grumpy but lovable Ben starts to break through Grant’s carefully crafted defenses. All the while, Grant is haunted by dreams of his curse and attempts to find a way to overcome it and open his heart once again.
Adam Sass’s latest release, CURSED BOYS AND BROKEN HEARTS, is an honest and highly original young adult queer romance. The book is most definitely a slow-burn romance and features several popular tropes, including second-chance romance, love triangles, one bed, and forced proximity.
The story has likeable characters, especially Grant’s animated Italian family. They are overly affectionate and constantly immersed in Grant’s melodrama and love life, making for a hilarious and captivating story. You may find yourself having a love-hate relationship with Grant himself. For much of the story, he’s wallowing in his past mistakes, and his inner monologue is full of melodrama, sometimes sounding irritatingly repetitive. On the other hand, his talk of depression and therapy sessions is very relatable and makes him easy to empathize with. With Grant’s pain of unlearning that his queerness is a problem and in fitting into the world, Sass makes this book very relatable to queer people who face these same issues growing up. These meaningful universal messages definitely make this book suitable for young adults, new adults, and older readers.
Similar to Sass’ The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, this story is a retelling of a classic fairytale—in this case Beauty and the Beast with a queer twist! Grant and Ben have a very strong chemistry but also strong and conflicting personalities. Realistically, two such individuals wouldn’t be compatible, but their shared history and Ben’s close ties to Grant’s family keep them invested in each other, making for a heartwarming love story. Grant’s real relationships with his siblings are also very compelling. There is clearly a strong foundation of love between them all, and after Grant boldly stood up for himself in his youth, they all came to accept Grant’s uniqueness and sexuality.
Narrator Torian Brackett does a fantastic job narrating. He uses a lot of emotion and drama to accurately portray Grant, especially during Grant’s melodramatic inner monologues. Brackett delivers very unique voices for all the characters, making the audiobook feel more like a multicast production. The narration is also very well paced and easy to listen to.
Overall, this is a unique story of vibrant characters, strong family bonds, personal growth, and a touch of magic. Like many romance novels, the storyline is quite predictable, but the meaningful subject matter and dialogue make this one memorable. If you enjoy contemporary LGBTQ Young Adult romance stories, definitely consider adding this one to your list!
