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  • Book Review: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts By Adam Sass

    Book Review: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts By Adam Sass

    There’s just something about summer romances that can cure a reading slump. Adam Sass is back with his latest YA romance, Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts! And we needed to get our hands on a review copy.

    Before we jump into the review, let’s go over some Easter eggs we found in Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts. Our main character Grant Rossi’s ex-boyfriend, Micah Summers, is the same character as the protagonist from Adam Sass’s The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers. We love this tie-in! And the concept of a cursed rose in this book parallels Prince Adam/the Beast’s curse in the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast.

    From LGBTQIA+ representation to addressing teen depression and therapy, we fell in love with this summer read. Here are three things we love about Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts!

    Cover: Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass
    Image Source: Penguin Random House

    Book Overview: Cursed Boys And Broken Hearts

    Content Warnings: homophobia, depression, mention of grandparent deaths, divorce, trauma

    Summary: Grant Rossi is never getting a happily-ever-after.

    Ever since he was a kid and made a wish on his family’s iconic Wishing Rose, his romantic relationships have been cursed to end. Following his most recent (and extremely public) dumping, Grant is languishing in a hot Chicago summer, abandoning his beloved design projects to sink back into depression. But when his family suggests spending the summer helping his aunt and uncle refurbish their beautiful but rundown B&B and vineyard—the home of the Wishing Rose that changed everything for him—Grant decides to accept. Maybe he can finally find a way to recover his creative spark…and break his curse. 

    But things at the vineyard are not what Grant expects. The place is in almost total disrepair, and—even worse—the person his relatives hired to help is his former childhood crush, Ben—the first boy who broke his heart.  

    As their chemistry sparks and the summer heats up, the wedge between them can’t be ignored. But while 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. Can Grant find a way to overcome his curse and open his heart, even when it’s broken?

    Grant’s Character Development

    In the beginning of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, Grant Rossi fully believes that he’s cursed. That he’s the reason why his relationships never last long. But after weeks of staying with his aunt and uncle at the Vero Roseto Garden Inn & Vineyard, he’s able to reevaluate his curse. It’s taken him five years to find out what really happened between his ex-boyfriend, Hutch, and longtime crush, Ben, when they were 13. As he starts to trust himself not to “ruin” things, he can finally break his curse. And we couldn’t be more proud!

    Aunt Ro

    We all have those nosy relatives who mean well, right? Well, Grant’s Aunt Ro won us over with her lovely personality. She’s been running the B&B and vineyard ever since her mother passed, even when it’s in danger of closing down. And she’s been a safe space and supportive of Grant through everything. It’s partly thanks to her meddling that Grant and Ben find their way back to each other. Aunt Ro and her husband Paul have such a sweet marriage. We were gushing over them almost as much as the main love interests.

    The Rose Festival

    Maybe we’re too much of a romantic, but seeing Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts culminate with the annual Rose Festival healed us. We can only imagine how breathtaking Grant’s flower gown designs looked, along with the centerpiece for the Wishing Rose bush. The atmosphere feels so dreamy, and we wish to experience something similar in our lifetime. We also loved the full-circle ending between Grant and Ben as they make another wish with the Wishing Rose. Only this time, they have a better understanding of themselves and are learning how to be a couple for real.

    Adam Sass outdoes himself with Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts, a deeply personal and complex second chance romance that made us feel all the emotions!

    Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts by Adam Sass releases July 16th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!

    What do you think of Adam Sass’s Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts? Is it one of your favorite books by Adam Sass yet? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

    Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ADAM SASS:
    FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE

    Julie Dam

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  • We’re Falling For The Next Best Fling By Gabriella Gamez

    We’re Falling For The Next Best Fling By Gabriella Gamez

    It’s no secret that one of our biggest weaknesses is a swoony adult romance. Gabriella Gamez’s debut novel, The Next Best Fling, may just be our favorite one this year! And we can’t think of a better time to read it (or re-read it) than now, just before the peak of the summer.

    The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez follows Marcela Ortiz, a plus-size, Latina librarian who’s been secretly in love with Ben Young, her best friend from college. When Ben gets engaged, she realizes it’s time to move on. But what she doesn’t realize is how much Theo Young, Ben’s older brother, will change her life with a rebound relationship.

    We read this book in one sitting, so we can tell you just how much we’re obsessed with this debut! Here are three things we love about Gabriella Gamez’s The Next Best Fling!

    Cover: The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez
    Image Source: Hachette Book Group

    Book Overview: The Next Best Fling

    Content Warnings: fatphobia, parental abandonment, divorce, codependent/toxic friendship, emotional manipulation

    Summary: Librarian Marcela Ortiz has been secretly in love with her best friend for years—and when he gets engaged, she knows it’s long past time to move on. But before she gets the chance, she has a bigger problem to contend with in the form of Theo Young, ex-NFL player and older brother of the man she’s in love with. When she discovers Theo’s plans to confess his feelings for his brother’s fiancée at their engagement party, Marcela is quick to stop him—despite how tempting it is to let him run away with the bride-to-be. She manages to convince Theo to sleep off his drunken almost-mistake at her place and when they arrive at a family brunch the next day together, everyone wrongly assumes they hooked up.

    Since Theo needs a cover for his feelings for the bride and Marcela needs a distraction from her unrequited feelings for the groom, they decide to roll with the lie. Until one late night at a bar, they take it a step further and discover a layer of attraction neither realized existed. Soon, they find themselves exploring the simmering chemistry between them, whether in library aisles or Marcela’s bed. There are no boundaries for the rebound relationship they form—just a host of complicated feelings, messy familial dynamics, and uncovered secrets that threaten to tear them apart before they can even admit to themselves that their rebound is working. Maybe a little too well.

    Marcela’s Relatability

    We love when a book makes us feel seen, and The Next Best Fling does exactly that! The main character, Marcela, has a lot of baggage. But who doesn’t? Her father left her when she was 12, and she’s been pining after her best friend Ben for years. She’s dealt with dating and hooking up with people who have treated her terribly for being plus-size. Marcela’s character is so relatable, both in how she copes with trauma and in the growth she goes through. And it helps that she’s a huge bookworm like us, even starting a YA book club at her library. We want to be her when we grow up (we say as if we aren’t around the same age).

    Theo’s Green Flags

    If we ever met someone who treats us the way Theo treated Marcela, we’d fold immediately. Because we fell in love with the way he communicates with Marcela and is as honest as he can be, given his past trauma. Theo respects Marcela’s boundaries, making sure she initiates the intimacy she’s most comfortable with. He took two weeks to plan a proper date with a super sweet surprise at the end of the night. And he pays attention to so many details about Marcela that even we forgot about. Theo’s just a 10/10 love interest. We want to know how to find someone like that ourselves.

    Their Chemistry

    Okay, we need another section just to talk about Marcela and Theo’s chemistry because hello?? We can honestly say we’ve never giggled this much reading an adult romance before! Their flirting and banter checked off all our boxes. We can feel the passion radiating off our main characters. Not only that, but they make each other better people when they’re together. They share so much patience while figuring out their complicated relationship. And there’s a perfect balance between the sweet romance, the emotional angst, and, of course, the spicy scenes!

    Good news! The Next Best Fling is only the first in Gabriella Gamez’s Librarians in Love series, so we’re already excited for the next installment. Will it be Marcela’s best friend Angela exploring her asexuality? Or will it be the mysterious managing librarian Erica? Either way, we hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see Marcela and Theo!

    Gabriella Gamez’s debut captures the perfect blend of a swoony and spicy romance, combined with an emotional plot that will have you crying, laughing, and everything in between!

    The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez is out July 9th, and you can preorder a copy of it here!

    Have we convinced you to read The Next Best Fling yet? Are you giving this debut romance a try? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

    Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

    TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GABRIELLA GAMEZ:
    INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | TWITTER | WEBSITE

    Julie Dam

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