Love & Other Curses

By Michael Thomas Ford

“I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy in my school who can replace a faulty kick-down switch and also create the perfect smoky eye.”

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 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062791221

Michael Thomas Ford

Michael Thomas Ford is the award-winning author of numerous works for both adults and young readers, including Suicide Notes, as well as some of the earliest books about the HIV/AIDS crisis and several books about the LGBTQ community. He lives in rural Appalachia with his husband and dogs.

Reviews for Love & Other Curses

[Jewelry Bonney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story is amazing and unique. I am so hooked on the characters. I love the plot and everything about this book. You did well! You can join in the NovelStar writing contest happening right now till the end of May with a theme Werewolf. You can also publish your stories in NovelStar, just email our editors [e-mail], [e-mail], or [e-mail].

[charlotte_kinzie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was funny, heart warming, mysterious and sad. The story flows beautifully and drew me in from the very first page. I loved the characters ... all of them. What a remarkable job this author did to have such a cast in one story and yet still make me want to know them all.

I know that this book isn’t everyone’s experience of being trans ... but I KNOW some of these stories. I have friends who have lived some of them, friends who have made mistakes, friends who have said and done things they regret.

This is a beautiful book.

[widdersyns · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved Sam's family and the magical aspects of the story. They were really charming. I thought Sam acted like an insensitive idiot, which is a realistic part of being a teenage boy, but I felt like his apology to Tom really didn't cut it. I'm amazed that Tom forgave him so easily, but honestly Tom lacked depth as a character. I was prepared to rate this book a little higher, because I did enjoy the reading experience, but after reading some opinions of trans people on the trans rep, I had to knock it down. It has some serious issues that need to be acknowledged.