Curse Boys and Broken Hearts

A swoony contemporary romance from Adam Sass following a boy who is cursed to doom any romantic relationship—and the summer that changes everything.

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?

Adam Sass began writing books in Sharpie on the backs of Starbucks pastry bags. (He’s sorry it distracted him from making your latte.) His debut YA novel, Surrender Your Sons, was named a best book of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and Foreword INDIES, a best first novel for young readers by Booklist, won the Gold Medal for YA fiction at the IPPY Awards, and was a selection for ALA’s Rainbow Book List for 2022. His YA rom-com, The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers, was named a Best Book of 2022 by Seventeen and received starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. He is also the author of the thriller, Your Lonely Nights Are Over.

Adam has been featured in Teen Vogue and the Savage Lovecast. He is also a recurring co-host on the popular podcast Slayerfest98, where he recaps Buffy the Vampire Slayer, horror movies, and other pieces of pop culture. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and dachshunds.

"What an absolute beast of a book. Adam Sass sprinkles fairytale charm onto a story about lost love and flawed but oh-so-delightful family in a way that forced my eyes to leak way more than anticipated. Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts had my gay Midwest heart bursting at the seams."—Robbie Couch, New York Times bestselling author of If I See You Again Tomorrow

"Magic, tender and savage, beats in the heart of Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts. Adam Sass has given us a fairy tale about the work and the growth it takes for us to earn a genuine Happily Ever After."—Caleb Roehrig, author of Teach the Torches to Burn and Last Seen Leaving

"Cursed Boys and Broken Hearts is a hilarious, cozy read. Adam Sass delivers another swoony romance featuring complicated queers, a biting wit, and (most importantly) lots of Italian food. A perfect long weekend of a story."—James Acker, award-winning author of The Long Run and Teenage Dirtbags

"The painterly construction of the characters is a high point of this novel. . . A sincere love story that patient readers will appreciate."—Kirkus Reviews

"Middle school friends reunite to save a moldering B&B in this energetic second-chance romance from Sass"—Publishers Weekly

"The conclusion is the delicate combination of realistic, hopeful,satisfying, and slightly open-ended that Sass has demonstrably mastered. Come for the Wishing Rose, stay for the work-in-progress characters,and walk away assured that Grant's journey is just beginning."—Booklist