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Of Curses and Kisses

(St. Rosetta's Academy #1)

Sandhya Menon (Goodreads Author)

4.06 · Rating details · 116 ratings · 83 reviews

From the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi comes the first novel in a brand-new series set at an elite international boarding school, that’s a contemporary spin on Beauty and the Beast.

Will the princess save the beast?

For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to ...more

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Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: February 18th 2020 by Simon Pulse

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Community Reviews

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Average rating 4.06 ·

Rating details

· 116 ratings · 83 reviews

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Start your review of Of Curses and Kisses (St. Rosetta's Academy, #1)

Oct 17, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: bookstagram-made-me-do-it, from-publisher, netgalley

Some mornings you wake up to the best virtual book mail a girl could dream of! A diverse retelling of Beauty and the Beast? Set at a boarding school? #HereForIt

*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy via NetGalley. ...more

flag 57 likes · Like · see review

Nov 13, 2019 Tucker marked it as not-released-tbr · review of another edition

i had to look up "misanthrope"

according to google, a misanthrope is "a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society."

honestly, who here can honestly say this doesn't describe them on monday mornings before coffee

flag 60 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2019 Jaime marked it as tbr-unreleased

“a spin on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and follows an Indian princess who must con her worst enemy, a misanthropic British aristocrat, into falling in love with her in order to restore honor to her family”

This ticks all my boxes and is already on my most anticipated of 2020 list

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Aug 23, 2019 Ad Rocks Socks (semi hiatus) marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2020-releases

Why I am excited about this book:
- Retelling of Beauty & The Beast with an Indian MC!
- interracial couple
- themes of colonialism
- set in a boarding school (say what)

I want an ARC so badly, sigh.

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2019 marie ☆彡 marked it as to-read · review of another edition

giveaway win!

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 23, 2019 Taylor (Frayed Books) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: need-to-review

This was such a magical and unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

I absolutely loved it! As with all of Menon’s books, she captures the characters in a way that makes you feel like you’re right there in the story.

Full review to come release week (February 2020) on Frayed Books!

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 05, 2019 priya marked it as to-read

the cover is stunning

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Feb 13, 2019 Dia marked it as 2020-releases

oh my god, the concept for this one is so cool

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2019 Molina rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, ya

*4.25 (Full review below - spoilers have been hidden!)

Grey nodded, his intense gaze never leaving her face.

Jaya took a drink, not because she was thirsty, but because his eyes, those wild eyes, all storms and thunder and crashing waves, unnerved her. Normal people didn’t look at you like that.

OHHHH Where do I begin?
If you're looking for another one of Sandhya Menon's light-hearted, feel-good, whirlwind, romance novels with strong, diverse characters, easy to read dialogue, drama, family ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2019 Lauren R. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-contemporary, 2019-read, cover-love, genre-retellings, arc-kindle, young-adult, just-kiss-already, boarding-school-ish, super-disappointed, series-starter

3.5 stars. I'm sad. Yes, it's 80% a case of "it's not you, it's me" with this book. I was overly excited and put it on too high of a pedestal, assuming it would be perfection, so I was almost bound to be disappointed. I do think the pacing was off for this one, with not much happening in the first 40% or so, but there are other issues that are more on MY end of things. I recently have been reading more royal-related books, but one thing that has always annoyed me (and is the reason I've avoided ...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Amairo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2019

I loved it. It was really good retelling, but also sweet story by itself. Full review to come later.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2019 Isabella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020-books, best-books-i-ve-read, asian-main-character, favorites, fairy-tale-retelling, cute-contemporary, diversity

10.4.19 Wow, I am already in love with this book and I'm not even halfway through. Sandhya Menon's prose is so vivid and I feel like I'm at St. Rosetta's Academy with the characters.

10.13.19 This is already one of my favorite books. What an amazing start to a new series! RTC.

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Oct 13, 2019 Saynab rated it it was amazing

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Oct 08, 2019 Zoe rated it it was ok

I looooved the premise of this YA novel - retelling of Beauty and the Beast in an elite private school? Exactly the kind of trashy stuff I love to gobble up! Unfortunately I found the dialogue and plot to be stilted and melodramatic (I know it's YA but come on!) None of the characters were very fleshed out, and overall I was disappointed in what seemed to me to be a poor execution of a brilliant idea.

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Oct 27, 2019 Steff Pasciuti rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: a-little-unrealistic, cover-gems, creative-tales, hard-to-rate, 2019, arcs, bad-writing, coming-of-age, retelling-central, meh

Over the years, retellings have come to be one of my favorite types of novels. Of them all,Beauty and the Beastis one that I've always been rather eager to pick up. With its added diversity, there was no question that I'd be incredibly excited to pick up Sandhya Menon'sOf Curses and Kisses. A modernizedBeauty and the Beast with a little twist in the form of feuding families, this story had all the makings of a fun tale to fall in love with. For me, unfortunately, this novel didn't live up to its ...more

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Oct 31, 2019 Star Shyne Brite (Stargirl) rated it it was amazing

Initial Thoughts: WHY DO I HAVE TEARS IN MY EYES I AM HAPPY THIS WAS SO CUTE I’M GONNA SHOVE THIS IN ALL OF YOUR FACES WHEN IT RELEASES OK?!

Anyway, full review will be on my blog probably closer to release date but y’all should know by now that I’ll love anything Sandhya Menon writes. Plus, this was just really magical!

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Nov 28, 2019 Azrah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs-digital, diverse-recs-2020, arcs-physical

Loved this take on the classic story! Sandhya never let's me down
4.25
FRTC (closer to release) ...more

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Aug 02, 2019 Ashlee marked it as i-need-it-now

Omg y'all, THE COVER!!! So excited for this one.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 06, 2019 Kalie rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, fairytales, retellings, young-adult

Reading a novel from Sandhya Menon feels very much like the literary equivalent of wrapping yourself up with a warm blanket and staying within that cozy cocoon long after you finish. Her stories exude that kind of warmth and joy. While I wish I had loved OF CURSES AND KISSES more than I did (though, I did appreciate that tackling a fairytale retelling feels like a refreshing departure and I loved that), it's full of Menon's trademark charm that makes me keep picking up her books again and again.

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Nov 11, 2019 Kales rated it liked it

Shelves: 3-star, arc, racial-diversity, romance, ya-contemporary

This was a cute book. Menon did a good job transfering the classic fairytale into a modern day setting. The clever correlations were great. The rose necklace, the Indian Royalty, the curse, and the mountain boarding school. It all was well done. If you let yourself fall into the world and lean into the fairytale-ness of the book, you will really enjoy it.

One of the other things I liked about this book was the communication. I thought the way the characters talked to each other about their This was a cute book. Menon did a good job transfering the classic fairytale into a modern day setting. The clever correlations were great. The rose necklace, the Indian Royalty, the curse, and the mountain boarding school. It all was well done. If you let yourself fall into the world and lean into the fairytale-ness of the book, you will really enjoy it.

One of the other things I liked about this book was the communication. I thought the way the characters talked to each other about their problems and feelings, especially during the end, was advanced. It was refreshing to have people talk and forgive and work together in a modern way. Also, the redemption arch for Catalina was great. Honestly, she ended up being by favorite character in the whole book.

For me, I didn't like this couple. I struggled with believing that they really cared for each other. Something about their relationship felt off. It might have been that there wasn't enough time for them to really fall for one another. This is line with the fairytale but something about it in this book format didn't work for me.

I knew I was supposed to root for Jaya and Grey but I just didn't. As per usual, I liked the side characters better but while some of them were fleshed out, others were completely stereotypical and left to the wayside. Finally, my last problem was the setting. There were just come continuity errors that I struggled with. It's picky but the skiing scene bothered me because of the specifics of having an entire conversation in their ski books and sitting on the ground, or skiing at night. Which, yes, is a thing but no one starts skiing at four pm in the afternoon. Most lifts close at that time. But maybe they will fix this by the final print.

Overall, it's a cute book. I like the concept but the main couple just didn't do it for me. I didn't believe in their chemistry and relationship, I found myself kind of hoping for them to just be friends and rescue themselves some other way than through love.

Conclusion: Don't need it but would recommend it to those who love this genre ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Sara rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, romance, young-adult

Super cute. Nothing mind-blowing here, just an adorable enemies-to-lovers fairy-tale retelling. I liked how Jaya was kind of controlling and a rule-follower since I was the exact opposite of that as a teen (and now). Also, the female friendships in this book, whilst often not passing the Bechdel test, still subvert many of the cliched ideas of what it means to be a friend and choosing sides and being loyal and all that gobshite. It was cool to see a little bit of nuance in there where the ...more

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Nov 28, 2019 Trianna rated it it was ok

It was a struggle to get through this one. I didn't like the pacing, the chapters were way too long for me. I could not connect to the characters or the story. I kind of wish that the characters were older or it wasn't set in modern times? Idk, but something about this did not work for me. The retelling element was okay, parts were really solid and others lacked.

I will say that I am kind of in a reading slump and this could have just been a me thing. But, unfortunately I really did not want to ...more

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Oct 19, 2019 Danielle (always_read_the_end_first) rated it really liked it

4 Stars
“What’d she say?”
“I believe her exacts words were, ‘Fuck off and die.’”
“Savage,” Isha muttered.

This was a modern day contemporary retelling of beauty and the beast with a sprinkle of royalty & high school! I enjoy this very much! I am not sure if there is going to be a sequel but it comes together at the end and could go either way. This comes out in 2020 and if you are looking for a contemporary to fall in love with for the 2020 year I would add this to your TBR! ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Saira rated it liked it

I really love how Sandhya Menon's books always have the magic to pull me out of a reading slump. This book was no exception.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2019 Jessica Jeffers rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, edelweiss, authors-of-color

This was cute, but it didn't always quite work if you thought about it too hard, because the royalty aspect of the story and the modern teen aspect of the story sometimes rubbed up against each other in strange ways. I think I might have like it more if she'd set it in not-the-present-day.

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Oct 23, 2019 Shelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: diverse, coming-of-age, recommend, royals, simon-and-schuster, retelling, romance, series

Beauty and the Beast isn't my favourite fairy tale (sacrilegious, I know) but I utterly adored this retelling. Menon did an amazing job updating the fairy tale but also including crucial parts of it in a fun modern way. I can't wait to read the next books in the series & see who all of the couples are!

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 20, 2019 Nicole rated it it was amazing

I’ll write a review later, but for now I just want to say I LOVE THIS BOOK! A wonderful take on Beauty & the Beast. It is perfection.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2019 Kat rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases

* Thank you S&S Canada for an advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review *

- review to come -

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2019 Jessie May rated it really liked it

Sandhya Menon writes some of the swooniest YA romances out there, plus she always features such a diverse cast of characters! Of Curses and Kisses, was no exception. I loved the characters, the boarding school setting, and the Beauty and the Beast retelling. Read this book, and get ready to be whisked away to a magical and mysterious boarding school nestled in the Colorado mountains!

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Aug 25, 2019 prabhleen marked it as to-read

retelling of beauty and the beast? indian princess mc?? BROODING white boy???? PLEASE...sandhya menon...simon pulse...i need this book asap
...more

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About Sandhya Menon

Sandhya Menon

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Sandhya Menon is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels with lots of kissing, girl power, and swoony boys. Her books have been featured in several cool places, including on The Today Show, Teen Vogue, NPR Book Review, Buzzfeed, and Seventeen. A full-time dog servant and part-time writer, she makes her home in the foggy mountains of Colorado.