I adore Beauty and the Beast, and I have loved all of Sandhya Menon's books to here. Unfortunately, I didn't feel the same about this one.

I think the issue was me. I'm not a big fantasy lover, so while I could appreciate the fabulous story telling and the wonderful world building Sandhya brought to us, it wasn't my kind of book. I felt it was a little erring on the side of fantasy for me.

Despite this, I'll still be looking out for Sandhya's books. We're not breaking up – we're just on a break.

Unfortunately I got approved for this book on the day it was archived, so cannot access it on Netgalley.

Jaya Rao and Grey Emerson have never met before but they're already sworn enemies. Jaya thinks that Grey tries to destroy her family's image while Grey is quite sure that curse created by Rao family is going to kill him on his 18th birthday. But when both of them end up in the same school something is off. Grey doesn't seem to be a person who could even try to destroy anyone, he seems broken and utterly sad. Jaya's plan to seduce him and break his heart as a revenge is no longer valid. Instead she genuinelly falls in love with Grey. Is possible to be together? Jaya is a princess promised to Kieran (an Indian heir) whom she doesn't love. Will she choose her own happiness over her royal duties? Well, it's for you to find out! I enjoyed this book, it's about trust, looking for solutions and your own happiness. I give it 4 stars because even though it was a nice, decent read, it wasn't extraordinary.

This book from start to finish was a fantastic read. Loosely based on the classic Beauty and The Beast story, it captures the reader from the first page with a compelling and gripping story, lovable characters that are easy to engage with and feel connected to. A must read book, that leaves readers really wanting to read the 2nd book in the series.

As anyone who has met me knows, I am an obsessive Beauty and the Beast fan and will always be far too excited when a new retelling is announced.  I loved Sandhya Menon’s Dimple and Rishi books and was very interested to see how she would take the fun of those books and transfer it into this retelling, especially with its contemporary setting.
I liked the way that the curse was woven into the story, and throughout the story I questioned whether the curse was real or just a myth. Despite being a contemporary setting, this book managed to still include a sense of fairytale magic throughout but without feeling out of place.  This really is quite an achievement and was what really kept be hooked from beginning to end.
I liked the slowburn nature of the relationship between Grey and Jaya.  Not only that, but I really appreciated the fact that the author used their growing relationship to help both characters learn things about themselves they hadn’t realised before.
Grey made for an excellent misanthrope and I felt that he was well rounded as a character.  The glimpses into his past and his deep unhappiness allowed me to understand his motivations and really feel sorry for him.  One thing I really didn’t understand was the way that other characters who had been attending St. Rosetta’s for a while interacted with Grey.  I couldn’t understand why his group of friends continued to try and include him when it is very clear he hasn’t made an effort with them up until mid-way through the book.  Either something was left out or he has some amazing friends!
On many occasions I found Jaya very frustrating as a main character, especially in her treatment of her younger sister, Isha.  I understand that her role as the eldest sister meant that she feels the pressure to conform and uphold the family name, but at times Jaya’s fixed vision of how her sister should behave really did irritate me.  I liked the fact that these social and cultural pressures were woven into the storyline, but I felt that Jaya’s response to them could have been a bit more nuanced.
I really like the other characters in the book, Jaya’s sister Isha in particular who was so unapologetically herself which is amazing to see. I really hope that she makes a come back in future books in this series.
If you are a fan of retellings then I would definitely recommend picking up Of Curses and Kisses.  It is fun, romantic and magical – what is there not to enjoy?

Whilst this was a slight departure for me, genre wise, I love this author so there was no way I was not going to read this one and I was drawn into this story line right from the off and the drama and intrigue kept me turning the pages until the very end!



I really liked the characters in this book, there wasn't too big of a cast of people to get to know so it felt easy to slot into the school environment with Jaya and Grey. I liked all of Jaya's girl group and they were all so different from one another, as well as Jaya's sister Isha that I found them easy to identify and felt like I was part of the group. Grey is also very different from anyone else and I loved the little nods that he had to his unhappiness and his past in the same way as we see in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.



There is genuinely a good amount of diversity in this novel and it never seems to be there for diversity's sake. These characters are just who they are, this is their lives and we pick up right where we find them. I love when books show me people who are different from myself but not in a 'this book is here to show you diversity for diversity's sake' kind of way. This is something that I feel like translates into all of Sandhya Menon's books and why I love her writing and her characters so much.



I really like the setting for this book, a boarding school right here in Colorado. I found it easy ti picture the comings and goings of the school day and I enjoyed getting to know their rules and traditions. You know this is a fancy boarding school becauaee they take a day out to go shopping in Aspen and also the fact that there is a good amount of royalty at this school-so fun.



Another thing that this author does so well is romance and I loved all of the romantic moments in this one. Whether it was a look or an out and out kiss these moments were all wonderful and made me feel all smushy inside.



I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait for more of this kind of romance from Sandhya Menon.

I'm happy to report that <i>Of Curses and Kisses was a great success for me</i> and made me incredibly excited for the other retellings (focusing on a different couple) in the series 🥰 This book <b>solidifies my love for Sandhya Menon's writing and storytelling</b>, that has stolen my heart with her Dimple and Rishi Series before! This time, there's even a slightly magical twist (at least in this first book) to the contemporary story that was subtle and so well done. From the amazing characters to the slow burn enemies to lovers romance and the great supporting cast Of Curses and Kisses has it all to be a lovely book 💗

<img src="https://bookcheshirecat.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/review.png">

<b>Enter: Jaya Rao, Princess & Book Lover 🌹 </b> Raised as the oldest child in the Dao Dynasty that still holds a lot of power in India, Jaya has always been taught to be dutiful and do what's best for her family. This showed in her fierceness to protect her little sister and sacrifice her own happiness to keep her family safe. The show of dedication really warmed me to Jaya even though she could sometimes also be a bit too traditional and overprotective when it came to her little sister Isha, who is her exact opposite: carefree and not caring much for rules. What I <strong>loved about Jaya was that she came across as very realistic: she's got her flaws but is still trying her best to protect her loves ones and tries to be a good friend</strong>. There's a lot of expectation on her to always be diplomatic and flawless, as well as follow the plan that has been laid out for her. However, her fierceness, cynic inner comments, and dedication also show that there's a lot of passion simmering under the surface. I personally loved that Jaya came to realize how she wanted her life to look like and how to reconcile the expectations of her culture and parents with her own happiness and independence.

<b>Enter: Grey Emmerson, Beast & Unhappy Heir 🌹 </b> The second main character, Grey is the heir to the British Emmerson Dynasty that has always been feuding with the Rao's. Unlike what you'd expect Grey is not the spoiled, arrogant heir who has everything. Instead, he's been cast off by his grieving father after his mother died in childhood and since believes to be under a curse that the Rao family issues long ago. As a result of being told constantly by his father that he's damaged, dangerous and better off isolated from everyone else<strong>, Grey has shut himself off from the world</strong>. He pushed the people trying to be his friends away, is stoic and believes he deserves his fate. His self-hatred and loneliness really made my heartache. I understood why he'd hidden away and it made me so angry at his father for manipulating him into thinking he wasn't worthy of love and that there was something wrong with him that made everyone leave. Throughout the story, however, he slowly comes to realize that there could be a different way for him.

<b>A Tale as Old as Time ... 🌹 </b> Of course, I was here for the main romantic relationship between Grey and Jaya, as part of the <strong>Beauty and the Beast retelling</strong>. It's enemies to lovers and an incredibly slow burn romance! However, I liked it that way as the angst of all the worries and secrets they each kept made it only sweeter to see how they both grew to like the other despite their families hatred for each other. Jaya initially sets out to punish Grey for a scandal she belives of his own making, but as she gets closer, she realizes that he's not what she expected and much more lonely than everyone she's meet. Grey himself is suspicious and tries to hide his heart, for fear of getting rejected like all his life. Yet they both can be honest with each other and despite the secrets they have, I liked that there was a lot of communication and <strong>many scenes with deep, emotional talks that had the characters come to a realization about themselves</strong>. Their romance is hard-earned and it swept me off my feet as you can see how well Jaya and Grey fit together, despite the odds 💕 Not going to say more, but I liked how the curse played out in the end and how there was a slightly magical twist, in the way that you never knew if it was real or not. All in all, the retelling was very creative and imaginative!

<b>The Amazing Supporting Cast had me hungry for more 🌹</b> I am so happy that we're getting more books set at St. Rosetta's Academy because I loved all the secondary characters and wanted to see much more of them. We have <strong>Isha - Jaya's little sister</strong> - who was caught up in a scandal, but is still carefree and defying the expectations set for her. She loves robotics and wants to break free of the stereotypes set on her. I loved the messy sisterly bond between her and Jaya, especially because it felt so real to me. Jaya could be controlling at the beginning of the book and judged her sister very harshly, as she was always attuned to tradition, even though deep down she knows that it's not right. As Jaya coms to realize that she loves her sister for who she is and that she doesn't want to be constantly telling her what to do, both sisters got even closer and Isha is ready to make her see that Jaya deserves her own happiness.

Then there are <strong>Grey's 'friends'</strong> aka the people who want to connect to hi,m, but sadly get pushed away by him a lot. <strong>Daphne Elizabeth</strong> <strong>is caught up in a bad relationship</strong> that messes her up and despite knowing that what she did wasn't okay, I really felt for her, as the guy clearly was playing both girls. DE (her nickname) is aware that she messed up and I like that the story handled the cheating with nuance, not making her seem like a monster for it, but highlighting that it wasn't okay. Jaya telling her friend that she deserved love and to be her own person was really warming my heart, I loved the bond the two of them developed. Then<strong> there's chaotic Leo</strong> who's a bit adorkable against his will, but has a good heart and has always tried hard to connect with Grey, as he sees that he's a good guy. Not too far off is <strong>Rahul</strong>, <strong>a genius nd huge nerd</strong>, who's not only incredibly clever but also very dorky and shy. I really hope we see more of him in future books, as he was such an interesting character! Last but not least, there's <strong>Catrina</strong>, <strong>who's one of the antagonists, but very well written one</strong>. At first, I feared that she would be the stereotypical 'mean girl' but you can see how lonely she is, as her friends are more like transactions and not there for her emotionally. Her relationship with Jaya is messy, but you can understand why she's reacting so harshly, as Catarina is set on appearing strong and in control.

I am a huge fan of Fairytale retellings, especially when there are different takes on the original story and originality.. I believe that Beauty and the Beast is one of the most difficult stories to remake, mostly because it's very well known, it has been remade both in books and movies, a million times and is a universally loved!

This was not my favourite retelling, but it had some very interesting aspects.

What I really liked was that it was a contemporary story with some very interesting characters, such as Isha and Grey. Isha was my favourite and I wish we had seen more of her. She was smart, loyal to her family, but at the same time fighting for her needs. She was a modern young woman, unapologetic about her choices.
Grey was such a nice guy. Such a big heart, filled with guilt and uncertainty, because of his father's acts! I loved him and I wanted him to be happy!

As for Jaya... she was the main reason I didn't enjoy the book that much. She was a confused girl who pretended to be an adult. Undoubtedly, she loved her family and especially her sister very much, but her actions were ridiculous... and for god's sake, she should have seen the bad guy from a million miles away!! To be fair, she was a good person and I liked her, it's just that I didn't like her actions and her beliefs...

The writing was ok, but the book could be a little more fast paced. There were a lot of scenes that felt exactly the same, especially when Jaya was thinking her plan....

This has been a bit of a rollercoaster read for me.

Being a Beauty and the Beast retelling AND a contemporary set in a boarding school environment, I had very high hopes that I was going to absolutely adore this. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

The first 40% I was absolutely hooked. The plot was fascinating, I was enjoying getting to know the characters and learning more about how they ended up at St. Rosettas. I'm sad to say that this didn't last. I'm not sure what went wrong exactly. Jaya's character was very inconsistent in her actions - she'd come across as so caring and lovely at times, and then make a decision which contradicts all of that outright. I struggled throughout to decide whether I actually liked her character or not.

Isha turned out to be my favourite. She was so unapologetic about being herself. Never mind what her family and her culture wanted her to be, Isha refused to try and conform to their regulations if that meant compromising her sense of individuality. I LOVED that.

Kiran made my blood boil from the outset. Zero redeeming qualities. Garbage person. Instant dislike.

As for Grey, I haven't really figured out my feelings yet.

One thing I did really enjoy about the book was the fairytale vibes it gave off all the way through. Some things weren't exactly realistic but they added a sense of magic to the story which made it easier to forgive some things that wouldn't usually make sense. Did the ending wrap up a little too neatly? Yeah. But thats what we like about fairytales so how can I be mad about it, you know?

I don't think there was anything really wrong with the book, it's mostly just a me thing. A personal preference. I still enjoyed it for the most part, so thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!

<b><I> 4.5 stars </I></b>

<I>And how amazing would it feel, to set this burden down, just for a few moments? To share it with someone else for a bit? How sweet would the relief taste, if he were able to share this shameful, dark secret that had plagued him since he was born?</I>

Of Curses And Kisses was a book that I desperately wanted to read, ever since I learnt of its existence in August 2019. There were three main reasons why I wanted to read this book.

A. A Beauty and The Beast retelling with an Indian MC. I’m a sucker for B&B retellings, and as an Indian myself, the very idea of being represented made me way too happy.

B. Interracial romance. I’m a firm believer of the fact that people should be allowed to date whomever they want to, and that skin colour shouldn’t matter — only who you are on the inside should.

C. Addressing colonisation appropriately. My country was colonised for a fairly long time, as any Indian history text book will tell you, and we still feel the repercussions of the plundering which happened then today.

Come Jan 2020, I learnt that it was possible to score an ARC through Netgalley. It was an amazing surprise to be approved by the publisher, and then ta-da! I had the e-book in my hands… And I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

This book delivered on all the things it promised. A cute YA romance story, with points A, B, and C discussed above making the foundation. What wasn’t there to love?

Jaya Rao is the Princess of Mysuru, and the heir to the throne. (Though India doesn’t have a feudal system anymore and is a complete democracy, descendants of old royal families still wield a hell lot of respect — the Wadiyars of Mysore, whom I guess inspired Jaya’s ancestors in this story, and the Pataudis, are two such examples.)

Her younger sister has seen some public disgrace recently, and thus their parents think sending them to a boarding school, far away from India, would help the media forget about the scandal and move on to a new news cycle.

But Jaya doesn’t plan to sit quietly and study. She knows the person who leaked the stories to the tabloids is an Emerson, and she plans to take revenge.

Grey Emerson is the heir to a British lordship, and coincidentally attends the school that Jaya joins. Back in the day when India was under the British Raj, the Emersons plundered temples in Mysore and stole a sacred ruby from one such temple. The then Rao matriarch cursed the Emersons in retaliation, and ever since, for generations, the two clans have been dragging the other through the mud.

Jaya’s plan is simple. Make Grey fall in love with her (which shouldn’t be difficult since she’s a stunning beauty), and break his heart as revenge for destroying her sister’s reputation.

Meanwhile, Grey lives in constant fear because all his life, his dad has told him that he’s the target of the Rao curse — that Grey is going to die at 18. Naturally, he’s a bit of a recluse, a misanthrope, and in his own eyes, a beast.

This book is a very loose retelling of Beauty and The Beast. It shares some of the more basic elements, but it’s more of an original story than anything else. It’s mildly fantastical, and I’d say that rather than seeing it as a retelling, we should see it as an homage to the original story.

Both Jaya and Grey take turns narrating the story, and I found that I enjoyed both POVs immensely. Jaya is always obsessed with following the rules and keeping up with her duties as a princess — in another life, she’d have made a fantastic ruler for her people. Grey is brooding and full of angst over the Emerson curse that he doesn’t really enjoy his life due to his anxiety over the future.

They were endearing in their own way, and though sometimes Jaya sounded sanctimonious and Grey, for the lack of a better term, like Edward Cullen, I liked them all the more for their flaws.

The supporting characters were pretty cool, and I enjoyed all of their backstories. They didn’t exist just for the two protagonists to get together. They had independent lives of their own which sometimes intersected with Jaya’s and Grey’s.

The only drawback, I’d say, was the lack of time dedicated to their falling in love. The way the writing was, they were right in that close friends zone where you are before you fall in love. There was no time devoted to the transition from that close friendship to their ILYs. I would have liked the book to be longer than that with this part alone included.

I really hope this becomes a series where Menon bases each book on a different “fairytale”, with all the characters being from this school. I want a story for DE!

A definite read for people who adore cutesy romance YA with POC characters and good representation.

Thanks to the publisher, as well as Netgalley, for making a dream of mine come true!

P.S. It was absolutely lovely to see a character who calls her mom “Amma” and her dad “Appa” — I felt so represented by Jaya. I only wish someone had written stories with amazing rep when I was younger, like what Menon is doing today.

The publisher kindly offered me a reader copy via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my unbiased opinion.

This book is like a soothing balm for the heart and soul. It healed my very stressed, very tired heart and filled my brain with optimism and hope.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from this book in terms of genre. To clarify, this is a YA contemporary/romance with a single fantastical element--the curse. It's a modern diverse retelling of Beauty & the Beast set in a boarding school. And I loved it. This comes from a person who isn't a big fan of retellings, but Sandhya's story felt new and fresh.

I loved Jaya and Grey. Jaya was bright like the sun, while my poor, sweet Grey was like the stars asking for permission to shine. My heart broke for him, but Jaya was there to fix the problem like the smart, competent princess that she is.

The characters were a little different than usual but in a great way. They had more emotional baggage and grit, yet the author permeated the story with her adorable, cute, loving style. When I reached the end, I took a deep breath, relieved and happy for my characters because I love them too much. I should also say that the side characters were all incredible and well-developed, and I can't wait to read their stories in the future.

Sandhya Menon has this way of bringing people together and wrapping them up with love and tenderness--even when they're battling curses. I am a huge fan of Sandhya Menon. I have read and loved every book of hers, but this feels extra special. Jaya and Grey will always have a place in my heart.

I promise you that Grey will melt your hearts.

5 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Sandhya Menon
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

WOW!

I knew Sandhya Menon could write awesome contemporary romances after reading When Dimple Met Rishi and From Twinkle, With Love, so I was surprised that she had a new magical romance coming out and I was so happy to be approved by NetGalley!

This was quite different to her other books, but her writing and the way the plot was weaved into perfection was just right! I loved Jaya's sassy character and Grey's broody demeanour. There is a such a diverse cast in this story and they were all quite distinct from each other. I loved the way the story was told. There were some classic romantic scenes in here and the details of Beauty and the Beast were woven in so well, it was hard to stop reading!

The only issue I had with the book was some of the characters were a little cliched, which took the story a little off-track. However, I mostly enjoyed everything about it! I can't believe this is a series and am super excited for the next one! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Of Curses and Kiss was a sensational read. I enjoyed every moment, it was truly breathtaking.

The story begins when Jaya Rao, heiress to the Rao throne, and her sister Isha get sent away to a school in Morocco, to avoid publicity after a scandal that could affect the future of the Rao Dynasty. At this school, Jaya meets Grey Emerson - who is part of a bloodline that has a long-lasting rivalry with the Rao’s. Grey, believing he is cursed, completely isolates himself from everyone, but what happens when a certain Rao Princess comes along and changes him in ways he never thought anyone ever would?

You could tell the book was well thought out, every event leading into the next. Towards the end there were a lot of plot twists, making the book even more interesting. I even cried at the end, it was too much for me just to keep a straight face.

The author did a great job conveying Jaya’s and Grey’s emotions across to the reader. You could almost just feel what they were going through on every, single page.

Stars ~ 4

Such a cute read. It's a feel-good novel for the times you need a warm hug. Loved the characters and the story.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Firstly thank you to netgalley and the publishers for approving my request if this arc

Ahhh I loved this book so much, sandhya Menon never disappoints with her contemporary stories and it was a breath of fresh air to see her write something completely new and meeting some fresh faces to be introduced too!!! The characters were so good In this story especially the main characters Jaya and Grey. Really loved the sassiness that Jaya had In her even when she is trying to follow her parents rules, and loved the broodiness and hard exterior that you have to break down about Grey.

This also had some very awesome side characters most I loved some i didn’t like (as they are meant to be portrayed like that anyway...I’m sure anyway haha) and the bond of this group of people.

What first got me excited about this book was 1. Sandhya Menon (a fav author of mine)
2. Boarding school
3. Beauty and the beast retelling (I cant get enough of them)
And lastly I liked that this is a contemporary but it has a little piece of fantasy element intertwined!!! (In my opinion anyway)

Loved this story and so excited to see what Sandhya does for the next books In this series, I’m very very intrigued as I felt the ending was actually satisfying. But I’m not complaining because more sandhya Menon’s writing and these characters I’m all in for haha.

A wonderful read. A beautiful twist of the story of Beauty and the beast.

I adored getting to know Jaya and Grey. They both had strong memorable personalities that were fantastic.

I loved this story and can't wait to see what happens next! Thank you for introducing me to them and the others at Saint Rs.

Rating: 3.5/5

Thanks NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review 😊

This book is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast and I know what you're thinking: "Really? Do we really need one more of those?" It was my first thought as well when I heard about it, however there are two key words that made me REALLY want to read it: Boarding School + an Indian protagonist.

After a big scandal involving her younger sister, Princess Jaya Rao wants revenge. She and her sister go to St. Rosetta's Academy and in there is the person who she thinks is responsible for her sister's public humiliation: the male heir of her family's worst enemy: Grey Emerson. So she draws a plan to avenge her sister

This was the first book I read by the author and I enjoyed it. I really appreciated the humor. Not only the dialogues, but also the narrative had a lot of jokes and sarcastic remarks, which made me laugh a lot of times during the read.

The romance was very cute and I liked the way their relationship evolved. Grey is a very brooding guy - Mr. Darcy fans will love him - and has a great chemistry with Jaya.

What really didn't work for me was the whole curse plot. The first part of the retelling was well done since the author brought to the table some social commentary about England exploring India, however there was a part of it - I won't go into details, because it can be considered a spoiler - that was not convincing at all. There are also some side plots which didn't grab me very much, but it was a very personal perception.

I really recommend it if you like modern retellings, boarding school settings and heart warming romance :)

I'm very sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I was going to.
I quite liked how the theme of Beauty and the Beast was taken and woven into the storyline, you can definitely see its elements in the novel.

I appreciated how the story was told from the points of view of Jaya and Grey, so that we got both of their perspectives. Grey was the character I liked the most, but there is no surprise there. He's a misanthropist who enjoys to read and to spend his time alone, I was bound to like him.
Jaya was okay, but at times she was a bit frustrating in my opinion. She just kept reciting herself the same mantra, that is "I'm the big sister and so I must sacrifice myself", throughout the whole book and after a while it just got annoying.

Also, I wish we could have seen more of the boarding school. We just got a few glimpses here and there and they weren't nearly enough to satisfy my interest for the school. I definitely needed more.

In the end this was just an okay read for me, but if you're into retellings you might want to check this book out!

I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting! Great mash up of genres & entertaining dialogue made me stay up far too late.

Well, that was exactly what I was expecting when I requested this book for review.

This book, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast & Romeo and Juliet was a light contemporary that you'll love if you enjoy retellings. Both stories didn't bleed through too much in the plot of Of Curses and Kisses, but instead they both leant enough details to recognize the original story woven into the plot.

I have to say, character-wise, I liked Grey and Isha more than I did Jaya. I found the princess to be slightly obnoxious at times and I got frustrated with her constant views on what would be best for her kingdom and family than what would be best for her.
When she finally admitted that she would be choosing for herself instead of her family's values, I found the ending to be wrapped up a little too quickly. I'd have loved to see Grey and Jaya on her gap year together, or at least a little scene of domesticity to showcase their relationship after the endless pining in the book.

I have to say, the one who eventually leaked all the stories and pictures (I won't say who did it in the end) surprised me. I wasn't expecting them to do it all.

Going in to this book, I expected it to be a sweet romance and a "feel-good" book, and that's exactly what it was. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a royal romance that takes place in a boarding school somewhere far off.