Happy book birthday to Love & Other Curses, and thank you to HarperCollins Canada for the advance copy!

I’ve been trying to think of a good way to describe this story, and I think I’m going to go with: Jeff Zentner writes Practical Magic. In case you didn’t know, I love both those things! So obviously, I really enjoyed this book.

The blurb on the back cover sounds rather lighthearted, but the story itself is a bit more heavy and serious. It mentions romance, but it’s not really about Sam falling in love - it’s more about this 16yo guy trying to figure out who he is growing up to be. There’s a bit of magic and a supernatural twist that adds a great dimension to the story. And I totally did not see that twist coming!

The only bit I felt could use a little help, was the character Tom. He’s supposed to be the romantic interest, but is dull/more 2D than he should have been. The character is completely defined by being trans, with nothing else added to his personality. I felt a bit shortchanged by the portrayal - he really could have been a fantastic character.

All of the other characters felt wonderfully quirky and real. The Grands were amazing, and I just wanted to give all the drag queens big hugs! Overall, it’s a very solid story and I would definitely recommend it.