[Review] Love & Other Curses - Michael Thomas Ford

Summary: The Weyward family has been haunted by a curse for generations—if a Weyward falls in love before their seventeenth birthday, the person they love dies. Sam doesn’t plan to fall for anyone in the nine weeks before his birthday. He’ll spend his time working at the Eezy-Freeze with his dad; cooking up some midsummer magic with his grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother (the Grands); and experimenting with drag with the help of the queens at the Shangri-La, the local gay club. But when a new guy comes to town, Sam finds himself in trouble when they strike up a friendship that might be way more than that.

As Sam’s birthday approaches and he still hasn’t quite fallen in love, the curse seems to get more powerful and less specific about who it targets. A mysterious girl Sam talks to on the phone late at night and a woman he’s only seen in a dream might have the answers he’s been looking for—but time is running out to save the people he cares about.
(Pub Date: Apr 09, 2019)

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Different and daring, but only to a point.

I've rounded it down to 3, but it's more like a 3+.

Sam has been helping at the local gay club while he still hasn't found his drag self. When summer comes, it also brings Tom Swift, a trans boy who still couldn't fully transition, since his family doesn't support him. Even though Tom is straight, that doesn't stop Sam from developing a crush, and things only get messier because of a decades-old curse afflicting his superstitious family. According to it, a Weyward who survives their 17th birthday will lose the one they love.

As you can see, the book mixes various things but for most of it it was very interesting. The style is refreshing and the situation is definitely different for me, without being too much. And we have to give it to the Weywards, they're such a fun family to read about I'd love to have more stories with them. Above all, reading about transsexuals, drag queens, and not simply about coming out is a novelty when it comes YA, especially since this is no indies publisher.

But the story loses itself at some point. It drags a little too, but I think the problem is how it feels like the plot went all over the place.It's not that I wanted more about Tom Swift, he was probably the most normal part of the story, though the two boys' relationship was also the best part. But the talks over the phone were random from the beginning and yet they ended up the focus by the end.

Despite the gradual decline, this was a great experience. I'm a little iffy about reccing it to people outside the usual target reader but it was a pleasure to read the story nonetheless. If you're curious about YA LGBT reads, it's not everyday you'll find one not revolving around coming out.

Rating: 3 out of 5.