The Bad Boyfriend Curse

by Farah Heron

From Farah Heron, the critically acclaimed author of adult rom-com Accidentally Engaged, comes a story about a goody-two-shoes teen who concocts a brilliant plan to fake-date the local bad boy to rebel against her mom.

Meera Noorani has spent her whole life playing it safe.

Raised by her single mom, she’s had to—especially in love. After all, it has been proven, generation after generation, that all Noorani women are cursed to have partners who ruin their lives.

And though she tried her best to avoid it, Meera’s fate comes a-calling, and within the span of a week, she’s broken up with, arrested, and then shipped to small-town Canada, where she’ll be completing her community service under the watchful eye of her mom and her new stepdad.

Meera’s spent her whole life being good, and this is the thanks she gets?

If she can pose a threat to Mom’s perfect new life, though, maybe she can get back to the city. And there’s no better way to do that than date one of her fellow teen delinquents. Noah has got the piercings, tattoos, and rumors to prove that he’s the town’s most infamous bad boy…but when the bad boy isn't actually bad, what’s a girl meant to do?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2026

About the author

Farah Heron is a critically acclaimed author of romantic comedies for adults and young adults filled with huge South Asian families, delectable food, and most importantly, brown people falling stupidly in love. She lives in Toronto with her husband, two children, and a rabbit named Strawberry. She recently adopted two cats, who are now in charge.

Farah’s debut, The Chai Factor was named one of the summer’s best books by The Globe and Mail, and was praised in Book Riot, Smart Bitches Trashy Books, Bustle and more. Her next release, Accidentally Engaged, was listed as a best book of 2021 in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, NPR, CBC Books, Kobo, and more. Her young adult debut, Tahira in Bloom, was recently released, and was praised as one of the best rom-coms of the year by USA today.

Reviews

[⟢₊ Ana ⟣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a book by Farah Heron, and I’m glad to say it will not be my last!
(Also, can we talk about how CUTE the cover is?!)

I honestly loved so much about this story. I found Meera to be such a lovable main character; even if she did act a bit young at times. (she’s only seventeen, so it did feel realistic and relatable)

Also, I absolutely adored Noah! I loved that he had the "bad boy" look but was actually incredibly sweet and genuine. The author did a fantastic job showing that you shouldn’t judge a person by their appearance. Together, they were just too adorable, and I couldn’t get enough of them! 🥹

The family dynamic was another highlight for me. I unexpectedly found myself so invested in her family!

I did enjoy the ending, however I do wish we could have gotten a small epilogue or a time jump to see Meera and Noah’s future in Toronto 🩷 overall if you enjoy YA Romance, I’d highly recommend this one!!

Tropes/Themes:
🩷 Fake dating
🩶 YA Romance
🩷 City girl x small town boy
🩶 Identity
🩷 Generational “curse”

“When I’m with you, I feel like I’m the person I want to be. Who I’m supposed to be.”

Thank you to the author, and publisher, Simon Teen, for the gifted copy!!

[kaitlyn]

ya authors will name a book anything and ill read it

[emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA romance was so cute, emotional, and intense! At first, I was worried that I wouldn't connect with the FMC, Meera, because of how young she was. But as the story unfolded, I realized that her reasons and the situation she was facing were genuinely unfair. I could really feel her desperation, frustration, and anger throughout the book. Despite everything, she came across as incredibly strong and courageous, and I admired how well she adapted to her "new life" over the course of the summer.

Noah seemed like the perfect boyfriend. Unlike so many love interests who feel unrealistically flawless, he wasn't afraid to be honest, speak his mind, pursue his own dreams, and maintain his independence. At the same time, he was kind, generous, empathetic, and funny with the people he cared about, especially Meera. That balance made him feel like a much more realistic and lovable character.

I also really appreciated the way the book explored prejudice and stereotypes related to differences in culture, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and more. It was interesting to see how these issues affected the different characters and I think it's a great way to introduce YA readers to these important topics in a thoughtful and accessible way.

I absolutely devoured this book, and I think it's the perfect summer read!

[Kris Mauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Meera and Noah in The Bad Boyfriend Curse. This book is your classic coming-of-age story with the fake dating trope thrown in for fun!

It's the summer before Meera's senior year of high school and thanks to her family's "curse" her life takes a turn for the "worst". I thought Meera was a great MC for this story. She really was going through a lot and I felt all the teenage angst through her character. My favorite trait of hers was how she never let rumors cloud her judgement especially when it came to Noah and other characters. This story tackles classism in a great way especially for young adults, which was just another plus to the book!

Besides Meera, all of the other characters were GREAT. I really loved Noah and his friends the best.. Which Noah was a swoony, adorable "bad boy" love interest! Was he a little predictable at times? Sure.. but overall I thought he was super sweet and I just loved how he showed how much he cared for Meera from the moment we met him!

Just a fantastic story! Great character development especially within Meera's family - specifically between Meera and her mom. I would love another story from this same universe! *wink wink*

Highly recommend <3

[kara lynn ₊˚⊹ ᰔ [semi ia] · Rating 2 out of 5]

`✦ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ 2.5⭐️
₊˚⊹ spoiler free review !! ⊹˚₊
╰┈➤ read july 2 - july 8
╰┈➤ review posted : july 8
╰┈➤ publication date : july 7

okay wow. i have a lot to say about this one. recently i’ve been loving ya romances, so i was super excited going into this. unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. between the nonexistent chemistry, annoying characters, and really messy ending, i struggled to enjoy it.

⇢ ˗ˏˋ "i’m not going to run away again. i love you.” ࿐ྂ

⋆.𐙚 ̊ the premise ꒰🎸꒱

meera noorani is seventeen and, having been a chronic overachiever her entire life, is finally ready to branch out. little did she know that her first date would result in an arrest and one hundred community service hours. when her mom temporarily forces meera to move to the small-town, cherrybridge, she thinks her summer is completely ruined. sick of parading around trying to be the perfect family for her stepfather’s rich friends, meera pretends to date the boy with the worst reputation in hopes that her mom will send her back to toronto. what meera quickly realizes is that maybe her fake date isn’t so fake...

꩜｡⋆ the writing ꒰📚꒱

i usually don’t say too much about writing because i’m no author, but i do need to mention a couple of things. the biggest issue is the really weird pacing. the beginning hits you with a million different things happening at once, some of which aren’t properly explained. there's just a lot of information at once: she's arrested, she has to move, her mom just got married, and apparently they're cursed? also, some parts drag on for multiple chapters, while other events happen almost instantly. the pacing of the main relationship was so weird too. they go from strangers to friends to best friends to saying i love you so fast. it honestly threw me off so much.

i won’t be too nitpicky about this, but the dialogue was super forced and, for lack of a better word, cringey at times. i just feel like nobody spoke like teenagers at all.

⋆˚࿔ the characters ꒰🎼꒱

all of the characters in this were so annoying. meera was annoying for about seventy-five percent of the book, but she got better toward the end once she had some character development; the mmc was completely fine (boring, but fine) until the third-act breakup; and meera’s mom genuinely made me mad. i know the book explains why they forced her to move, but she still acts like she has zero empathy when they literally took meera away from her friends with practically no warning and then suddenly talked about making her stay for the school year too.

જ⁀➴°⋆ overall ꒰🌿꒱

please keep in mind that while this book wasn’t for me, that doesn’t mean it isn’t for you !! the premise is super cute and felt very ya romcom. i also think there was some great character development, especially with the main character. i just wish it was written a little bit differently. despite all that, i still think farah heron has a lot of talent, and i'd definitely be open to trying another one of her books :)

「 ✦ i received a complimentary copy of this book. opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. thank you to farah heron, netgalley, and simon and schuster children's publishing for giving me an arc in exchange for my honest review !! ✦ 」
╭──╯thank you for reading !! ‹𝟹 ╰──╮

[Michelle (easy.vesey.reads)]

DNF at 43%.

I wasn’t completely vibing with this one as I had hoped. The characters were overly dramatic at times and I felt bad for Meera. She’s definitely going through a rough patch. I also didn’t really care for Noah and the whole fake dating trope (which usually is one of my favorites).

Thank you to Simon Teen for the advanced copy.

[Brianna Higdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by Farah Heron and I loved it. I was originally intrigued by the beautiful cover and the brief synopsis and knew I had to read it. I love a great young adult romance and this one really hit the mark. The fake dating aspect was so cute and I loved reading about different family dynamics. Meera was such an easy character to root for. I loved seeing her grow into herself and who she really is. I really liked Noah’s character and how he was so misunderstood. No one truly knew how great of a person he was and only judged him based on the way he looked and who his family was. It was so nice to see him seen for who he truly is and not who the rumours say he is. It was so easy to root for Meera and Noah. They complimented each other so well and I really enjoyed reading about their relationship. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and rate it 4/5 stars. If you love fake dating, small town, and grumpy/sunshine young adult romances then you’ll love this book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

To every fake dating fan out there looking for your next super cute read: add The Bad Boyfriend Curse by Farah Heron to your tbr immediately! I repeat, IMMEDIATELY!

I have felt so stressed out, and honestly really overwhelmed and mentally exhausted lately because I took six classes this semester (never do that unless you want to cry and be separated from your books, okay 😐), so I desperately needed something that could help pull me out of my head a bit when I had the time to actually take any sort of break.

Though Meera, the protagonist, was facing her own challenges after she was arrested and forced to go live with her mom and stepfather (totally the fault of her family’s curse btw) in a small town far from her home in Toronto, I found her story to be one I could really escape into.

I might be older than the target YA audience, but I loved how relatable she was in the sense that she was so stubbornly determined to let nothing and no one stand in the way of achieving her academic goals and dreams. I think Meera is a character readers are really going to like because, despite some of the immaturity she displayed (though I don’t entirely blame her given the context of her situation), she is a really sweet, kind-hearted, jump-at-any-chance-to-help type of person. Plus, I think her career ambitions were super cool!

I really loved the complicated relationship explored between Meera and her mom, and I think Heron did such an incredible job showing the many layers of their mother-daughter relationship. It has always been hard for me to separate small-town settings from Gilmore Girls and Stars Hollow, but this definitely had a similar charm to it (aesthetically, in the small-business sense at least).

One of the things I really liked about this story was the spotlight Heron put on the rich/conservative vs poor divide that can affect people living in small towns, and how realistic that felt as someone currently living in one. Without spoiling anything, I also really loved getting to learn about Noah beyond the bad boy exterior, and the fake dating relationship absolutely did not disappoint. I found myself smiling so much whenever Meera and Noah had scenes together because they were so cute, and the relationships Meera built with people on both sides of town added to the moments I enjoyed when the two of them were apart.

And while there were many characters I deeply hated, I really loved the dynamic Meera had with her grandmother and friends. I think this would be the perfect addition to a summer tbr, so please consider adding The Bad Boyfriend Curse to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley, Farah Heron, and the wonderful people working at Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! 🩷🏙️🎤📸

[blackcatbookblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

First I'd like to thank the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own. For me 3 stars means that the book was okay, I liked some of it but I didn't love it. The first three or four chapters of this were kind of rough with our FL blaming her bad decision on her family's curse. It got got kind of annoying as well as her attitude toward her mother. I can understand why she was upset, maybe it was even justified to an extent but she's not really showing that she is mature by the way she is acting. But I let it slide because I knew it had to be that way for the set up of the story. It did also get frustrating that instead of just being honest and talking both to her mom, her mom to her and everyone else she encountered, they just keep letting the misunderstandings fester until someone blows up. Anyway the romance did start out very cute and funny and I liked when the FL and ML were pretending to date to make the snobby, rich people and her parents mad. That was fun to watch. I also liked learning about the ML and why he had the "bad boy" image. However by about 3/4 mark I started to get frustrated again. Also started to skip the two characters making out, I know some people won't be bothered by it but I find anytime a kiss with tongue mentioned I immediately get grossed out. Just an FYI. It doesn't got past that however. No sex. There is some mild swearing, a few uses of b****, ect but no f-bombs. There is also mention of a character who was an alcoholic, another that was a drug addict, as well as rumors about a character getting someone pregnant. There is also one scene of a group of characters taking part in underage drinking. It's not glorified but at the same time I wish our FL had a bit more backbone and stood up for herself sooner instead of just going along with it. There were also several curveballs that were thrown in at the last minute that explained things but just annoyed me because again it was about characters not talking and just being honest. Overall it was an okay read, if someone was interested in reading it, I'd still say they might enjoy it but I won't recommend it to everyone.

[Kaisbooknook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4

Plot:

I originally started reading this book thinking it was going to just be a normal YA romance, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that commentary about privilege, wealth, class differences and politics played such a huge part in the story. The book takes place in Cherrybridge, a town that has a literal class divide of its citizens, with two neighborhoods separated by a bridge. The teenaged characters represent so much of this divide, through their judgements of each other and language used throughout the book. I really enjoyed how much privilege impacted the everyday conversations and interactions between characters, especially with mentions of class and white privilege. On the other hand, the way the third act breakup was written felt really sudden and unnecessary. It could have been resolved with a simple conversation, and there still would have been plenty of tension left in the story from the problems Meera had with her family. Even if a third act breakup WAS necessary to the story, it could have been handled much differently, with the solutions that came from its climax possibly written in a different way.


Characters:

I loved our main character Meera. Her teenage angst and rebellion was actually an appropriate reaction to her situation, and I felt myself agreeing with many of her actions towards her family. I found Noah's character to be so mysterious in the beginning, and slowly uncovering his backstory, family issues, and the fact that he was such a different person than Meera assumed he was at first glance was very satisfying. While I did find that the leads had lots of chemistry, the speed in which they fell in love seemed a bit forced, and too fast paced for my liking.

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for the physical ARC of The Bad Boyfriend Curse by Farah Heron!

[Ashley - The Tattered Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from Netgalley

📖𝐸-𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌📖

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝒶𝒹 𝐵𝑜𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒 ʙʏ ғᴀʀᴀʜ ʜᴇʀᴏɴ

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

✨ 𝐻𝑜𝑜𝓀✨

ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴄᴜʀsᴇ, ᴀ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋᴜᴘ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴇ sᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀᴄᴜʟᴀʀ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ ʟᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇᴇʀᴀ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴛɪɴʏ ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅɪᴀɴ ᴛᴏᴡɴ ғᴏʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ sᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇ, sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴛᴄʜᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴ: ғᴀᴋᴇ-ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏᴄᴀʟ ʙᴀᴅ ʙᴏʏ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ? ɴᴏᴀʜ ɪsɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴏᴜʙʟᴇᴍᴀᴋᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋs ʜᴇ ɪs—ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ ᴡᴀs ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴ.

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ sɪᴍᴏɴᴛᴇᴇɴ ғᴏʀ ɢɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴇ-ᴀʀᴄ!

𝒮𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒-𝒹𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓌𝓃'𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝒷𝑜𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓇𝑒𝒷𝑒𝓁 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓂... 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝒸𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒻𝓁𝒶𝑔 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒶𝓁𝓁.

ғᴀʀᴀʜ ʜᴇʀᴏɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs ᴀɴ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴀʙʟᴇ ʏᴀ ʀᴏᴍ-ᴄᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴇǫᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴀʀᴛs ғᴜɴɴʏ, ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ, ᴀɴᴅ sᴡᴏᴏɴʏ. ᴍᴇᴇʀᴀ's ᴊᴏᴜʀɴᴇʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴜᴛʀᴜɴ ʜᴇʀ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ's "ʙᴀᴅ ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴄᴜʀsᴇ" ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪsɴ'ᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴀʀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴍɪɴɢ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ-ᴏғ-ᴀɢᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ. ɴᴏᴀʜ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ sᴛᴇᴀʟs ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴡ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴀᴛᴛᴏᴏᴇᴅ, ᴘɪᴇʀᴄᴇᴅ "ʙᴀᴅ ʙᴏʏ" ᴡʜᴏ's sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴡᴇᴇᴛᴇsᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙᴏʏғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ. ᴀᴅᴅ ɪɴ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴅʏɴᴀᴍɪᴄs, sᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏғ ғᴀᴋᴇ-ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ᴀs ᴡʜᴏʟᴇsᴏᴍᴇ ᴀs ɪᴛ ɪs ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝒱𝒾𝒷𝑒𝓈:
🖤 ғᴀᴋᴇ ᴅᴀᴛɪɴɢ
💚 ᴍɪsᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴀᴅ ʙᴏʏ (ɢᴏʟᴅᴇɴ ʀᴇᴛʀɪᴇᴠᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴅɪsɢᴜɪsᴇ)
💕 ᴏᴘᴘᴏsɪᴛᴇs ᴀᴛᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ
🌸 ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ᴏғ ᴀɢᴇ
🏡 sᴍᴀʟʟ-ᴛᴏᴡɴ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ
👩‍👧 ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴅʀᴀᴍᴀ
🇨🇦 ᴄᴀɴᴀᴅɪᴀɴ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ
✨ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴄᴜʀsᴇ
💛 sᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ
😂 ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴛɪᴄ ᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅʏ

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉:
ᴀ sᴡᴇᴇᴛ, ғᴜɴɴʏ ʏᴀ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғʟɪᴘs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴅ-ʙᴏʏ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇ ᴏɴ ɪᴛs ʜᴇᴀᴅ. ᴡɪᴛʜ ʟᴏᴠᴀʙʟᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs, ʜᴇᴀʀᴛғᴇʟᴛ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ғᴀᴋᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴsʜɪᴘ ᴛʜᴀᴛ's ɪᴍᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴏᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝒶𝒹 𝐵𝑜𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹 𝒞𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒 ɪs ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴇᴄᴛ ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ғᴏʀ ғᴀɴs ᴏғ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇsᴏᴍᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘᴏʀᴀʀʏ ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meera Noorani has been raised by a single mom, and lived with her grandparents for a good portion of her life. Then her mom met and married Jason LeClair and moved to his town, leaving Meera to live in Toronto with her grandparents. When she turned 17, the curse on her family finally lifted and she went on a date. Then she got arrested. Her mom swiftly took her from Toronto to the small town, where she had to do her community service hours. There, she met Noah Jacobs – the perfect bad boy with piercings, tattoos, and rumored sordid history. To make her mom send her back to Toronto, she fake dates Noah. Does it stay fake dating?

This was another cute YA Romance read. I will say that it took a little while for the setup, I think the set up was about the first 30% of the book. So for me, that’s a little drawn out. But once we get past the setup, the book is a really good read.

I loved Meera. She’s so focused on her future and who she wants to be that she doesn’t really know who she is right now. Working her community service hours, meeting her new cousin, and meeting Noah Jacobs really makes her take an introspective look and find who she is. While doing this, she also eventually gets her mom and her new stepdad to do it too.

Her and Noah are super cute together. While they don’t seem like a likely pair, they actually complement each other so well. He’s had a rough life, and she breaths fresh air into his life, she encourages him, and really wants everyone to see the best in him the way that she does. I wish we got a chapter from Noah’s POV just so we could get inside of his head a little. I know he supported Meera, but I wanted a bit more.

This one will be out soon, so make sure to check it out!

[Yai · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC.

What would you do to follow your dreams and break the generational curse that is getting in your way?

In this book we have Meera, a good girl who gets in trouble with authorities thanks to her first date. On the other hand we have Noah, the town's "bad boy." When these two meet and Meera faces the consequences of her actions back home, they decide to fake date so Meera can get what she wants, and Noah... well, he has his motives.

This is a book about breaking the cycle, learning to accept that life and dreams can come in different ways and that you don't have to leave one behind to fulfill the other. The found family was really sweet and the romance was cute (Noah is one of the best book boyfriends I have read). But it was too "in your face" about certain topics and plot points, for my liking, which threw me off a bit while reading (but again, I am not the target population for this book).

I found Meera and her mom to be a little too "combative" for no reason, as well as secretive. The drama with the family (the curse) was repeated so many times, that it was easy (for me) to see what the end message was going to be. On the friendship side, I enjoyed how it was portrayed, having a complex "group of friends" were you can clearly see who is genuine and who isn't is good for this type of book (and I got irritated with some of them which I guess was the author's goal). On the relationship hand, as I said it was cute, it wasn't anything new or groundbreaking, but it was the reason I kept reading.

Who should read it? fake dating fans, readers into family "drama" but wants something lighter

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon Teen and NetGalley for the E-Arc!

This was my first book by Farah Heron and I absolutely loved it!

My favourite part of this book was watching the slow realisation of Meera as she understands that perhaps she should stop relying on her “curse” as a way to remove the blame for her own decisions but rather accept she made mistakes and move forward, taking accountability for her messes and acknowledging that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take (in this case, making mistakes in a relationship).

One of the main aspects that made me kind of annoyed me was Meera’s main character syndrome (ironic given shes the main character but she was so infuriating). However, I adored the relationship between her and Noah. Their witty banter and tree puns had me giggling and Noah acting as a support to help Meera find her emotional growth was so sweet and lovely to watch while Meera genuinely seemed to have Noah’s best interest in mind.

The exploration of a typical “bad boy” not always being the same as rumours portray them was so interesting to see develop. I also enjoyed how the author framed the negative aspects of rumours and gossip to a person’s chances to achieve in life.

The representation of South Asian family dynamics added depth to the typical “good girl rebelling” idea where instead Meera seemed to be exploring her newfound freedom away from always being trapped to her grades and expectations of what she should strive to be.

If you enjoy fake dating, soft romances and misunderstood bad boys, I would absolutely recommend this book!

[charmette.books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farah Heron is an author I always enjoy, and The Bad Boyfriend Curse is her latest YA novel. Meera is 17 and is about to start a fun summer with her friends in Toronto. While out one night, she and her date get caught doing something illegal and she gets in trouble with the police. She has to serve 100 community service hours as punishment, so her Mom decides that Meera will spend the summer with her and her new husband in Cherrybridge, a small town outside of Toronto.
Meera is devastated by the whole situation and very angry about missing her summer plans in Toronto. Her behavior towards her Mom and stepdad was really immature for her age. There was so much miscommunication between them that could have repaired their relationship much earlier in the book.

To rebel against her parents, Meera decided to fake date a boy in her community service program, Noah. Of course the situation gets complicated when they both catch feelings. Meera’s behavior was frustrating throughout the book. She blamed a family curse for her criminal behavior and was unkind and closed off with her family.

This book is targeted to middle school readers, and the characters acted more like 14-15 year olds than teens about to finish high school. The many conflicts in the book felt like they could have been easily resolved, and even the dialogue felt childish at times. I love a good YA romance, but this book didn’t work for me.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Books and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Carolina Moncayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Farah Heron, I owe you medical bills because this book had me cackling!!!!!

The Bad Boyfriend Curse starts with Meera getting arrested after her VERY FIRST kiss because the women in her family are supposedly cursed if they get involved with boys before seventeen. And honestly? That should have been my first clue that this book was about to be a disaster. A very entertaining disaster that is!

I came for the fake dating and stayed for Noah. This man was out here calling Meera by her last name, making tree puns, wiritng songs for her, and generally acting like the blueprint. I love you. But what really got me was the family storyline.

At first I was ready to square up with Meera because girl PLEASE stop beefing with your mother for two seconds. Then the layers started peeling back and suddenly everyone needed therapy, a hug, and a long nap.

The romance was adorable, the banter was top tier, and I loved that Noah and Meera actually pushed each other to grow instead of dragging each other down.

Also, after 300+ pages of investigation, I have reached my final conclusion: The curse was never the problem. The problem was men. Every single plot issue in this book can be traced back to a man making their lifes difficult.

5 stars. No notes :3

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸!

[Jen Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bad Boyfriend Curse by Farah Heron is a cute little YA romance with no explicit scenes, hallelujah! (I cannot count how many YA romances I have read in recent months that were a bit too romance-y).
This one is safe to recommend to teens of all ages and I think most teens would really enjoy this one!
In this small-town setting, Meera rebels against having to spend her time and community hours in the small town called Cherrybridge, all because of her family's curse. She thought if she didn't date until she was 17 years old, she would be in the clear.
She quickly comes up with a plan, one that would make her mother send her back to living with her grandparents in Toronto: she will fake date the bad boy Noah and watch everything fall into place.

If you like fake dating, small-town romances, and a cutie little romance, this book will be right for you. It give me all of the Gilmore Girls vibes, from the gazebo (sorry, bandstand), to the "bad guy" boyfriend, to Meera's mother being a teen mom, to Meera reminding me a bit of Rory.

I must say, the last 10% gave me a bit of whiplash and I found the way the characters acted was all a bit different than expected, alas why I "only" gave the book 3 stars.

Thanks as always to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a free eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book. It has a fun plot premise that is very believable as far as a fake dating situation goes because it is all about a teenager being a teenager and wanting to rebel. Something I did not expect with this book is that it covers some deeper concepts around racism, classism, a generational "curse" (aka generational trauma) and navigating socioeconomic divides and prejudices that stem from those differences. The book might be a romance, but those themes I mentioned I think are what is central to the book, and I enjoyed that this book tackled some of those issues which added depth to the situation and characters. Speaking of the romance, I did like Meera and Noah. They were sweet together. However, I think the romance could have been executed better in my opinion. I didn't love how the payoff of them getting together for real was sabotaged by the fact that it felt like they were barely together before they got ripped apart by circumstances. Secondly, for the romance, and the whole book in general, I think it could have been beneficial for it to be a bit more developed.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this book! I've read a few of Farah Heron's books so far and I just love her writing. The Bad Boyfriend Curse was such a good read with so many different layers and conflicts that wove together so nicely. It's more than just a cute romance, which it definitely was. Meera and Noah and how they hit it off early was sweet. And even though they hadn't known each other long before the developed feelings made sense for them, especially with how they got to know each other and see each other in that time. And the other conflicts and issues that this book touched on - racism, classism, and also being yourself are really important in life and were important in the story. How Meera navigated her new world and figuring out the issues in Cherrybrook and what caused the changes in her mom after marriage was just as interesting. Meera definitely made some mistakes and might have been a bit self centered at times, but she's only 17 and it made perfect sense. I also loved how the truth of the curse ended up being explained. The ending when certain characters decided to fight to be their true selves and go for what they want in life to be happy was so emotional and well written. I really enjoyed this.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher!

[Ari Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t been reading as many YA books recently, but this re-ignited my love for cute YA stories, and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. The prose was so well written and the characters felt real and unique. I was drawn in immediately by Meera and Noah’s chemistry, and it was easy to fall in love with this cast of characters. I loved how character-driven the story was and how deeply the relationship and changing dynamics between Meera, her mom, and her step-dad were explored. The plot was interesting and the will-they won’t-they of the fake dating trope kept me hooked throughout the whole read. If you’re looking to round out your summer tbr with another book, I highly recommend choosing this one!

Summary: All Meera Noorani wants is a problem-free relationship. But in a family where all girls are cursed to have relationship troubles until they turn seventeen, there’s not much she can do to work around it. So when she finally turns seventeen, goes out on a date, and ends up arrested, things are not looking up. Faced with a summer of community service, her mom moves her out of downtown Toronto and into small town Cherrybridge to live with her new step-father. What else is there for her to do, but fake date the local bad boy?

[yourlocalhobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

💓🖤Thank you NetGalley and the author for letting me read the ARC for this book in exchange for honest feedback!🖤💓

🎧Now Playing - 18 by Anarbor🎧

~ “So if you wanna piss of your parents, date me to scare them” ~

Romance: 13+ (kisses, zero spice)
Cursing: Little to none

💓🖤Characters🖤💓

Meera: My girl Meera was bold!! I get that her whole character was finding herself through rebellion but hoo boy I was scared for her😮‍💨 my parents would have beat me if I talked to them like that. Her mom was so tame, especially for Meera being in a brown family.

Noah: Noah!!! I didn’t think I would like him since I’m not a huge fan of the bad boy trope but why was he lowkey eating 🤭😝 he was so sweet and had a real depth to him


💓~ Overall ~ 💓: I liked this one!! This was a fun exploration of love and coming into yourself as a teenager and I enjoyed that aspect. I will say that this book would be a hundred pages shorter if Meera and her mom just had a conversation, but I digress. I also think it was a little unrealistic that Noah and Meera fell in love with each in two weeks, but it’s YA romance book so I’ll let it slide. Overall, this was fun!!! Would recommend!

⭐️Rating⭐️: 3.75 stars!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

I really enjoyed this new YA fake dating romance between a South Asian 'good girl' from Toronto sent to spend the summer with her mother and new stepfather in the small Ontario town of Cherrybridge. Meera knew the women in her family were cursed in love but she thought if she waited to date until she was 17 she could escape the curse. Sadly this was proven false when she gets arrested for trespassing on her first date and sentenced to a summer of community service.

Missing her friends in the city, she finds herself at odds with her mother and feeling like a fish out of water in this snobby town where class divides have caused enormous rifts in the community. Hoping that fake dating Noah, the town 'bad boy' will get her sent back to the city ends up backfiring when she starts to fall for him.

Recommended if you like strong mother-daughter stories, determined youth who know what they want and aren't afraid to fight for it and a swoony misunderstood musician MMC with a huge heart. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[BookieCookie12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to feel the thrill of a rebellious teen phase without the consequences? This is the read for you! With a perfect good girl background, Meera Noorani finds herself into many unfortunate situations and ends up in a new city, with a new stepfather, and some fun hours of community service. Despite her unfortunate fate, Meera goes through a phase of self-discovery, after some not so smart deals with a very cute and charming "bad boy", Noah. Throughout her story, Meera makes new friends while repairing her relationship with others. Now to get to the fun part, Meera and Noah's relationship is, simply put, absolutely adorable. Their connection gave me all the butterflies, while remaining at a sweet YA level. Farah Heron's writing style is also notable; the writing was easy to read and made reading enjoyable. Perfect for a day at the pool, getting some sun, I would know! This is a must read, thank you for letting me be a part of this!! Finally, thank you Net galley for this reviewing opportunity, reviews will be posted on Goodreads, Fable, TikTok, and Instagram!

[Bella and the Bookstack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Simon Teen for sending me an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this one, but I unfortunately spent most of the book frustrated at the characters. I do recognize that most of the characters are teenagers, so a lot of their actions did feel realistic. They learned and grew throughout the story, especially Noorani.

My biggest issue was the communication between Noorani and her mom. The communication was so bad, and there really wasn’t that much resolve by the end? I understand a lot of the pressure that her mom was under; HOWEVER!!!!, she was also NEVER there for her daughter? Everybody makes mistakes, but also she’s an adult and should know how to communicate with her child a little better than that… Even with the new information that was revealed at the end, I still felt frustrated. Nothing was truly resolved in a way where I think things will change.

This was a major plot point in the book, so it was really difficult to move past. Noorani was taken away from all her friends, grandparents, and life with no explanation. I wish there was just more communication so things didn’t get so contentious.

I did enjoy the people that Noorani met at CROP. I was glad that Noorani was able to fully embrace her true self and make new friends. Her relationship with Noah was also really sweet.

Even though this book did not quite work for me, I can definitely see people enjoying it. There were some cute moments and some valuable lessons as well.

[Hannah Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was the kind of cute teen romance that has you kicking your feet back and forth and giggling! Also, fake dating trope? Yes please! Give me more! Despite the sweet romance, this book still tackled serious issues of racism and growing up with different income levels and privileges. I highly enjoyed reading it. The curse aspect was a fun additive to the plot! Noah was adorable, and I found myself falling for the bad boy who turned out to not be so bad. This book was written in first person, which I absolutely loved! They are easier for me to get invested in! This is a great book to read for those who love a good girl/bad boy, fake dating romance that explores deeper themes! I am very interested in reading more of this author's work in the future!

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three previous generations of women have been cursed by failed romance so Meera is determined to avoid disaster by being a perfect student, focusing on her college goals, and not dating until she turns seventeen. Turns out some poor judgement on her first date results in a community service sentence; she leaves Toronto to do her hundred hours in a small town where her mom has just moved with her wealthy new husband. That’s where she meets and falls for musician Noah who is also doing his service hours sprucing up the town park. Meera’s family is from India; she and her mom experience racism plus the cognitive dissonance of having married into the wealthiest family in town. Does Meera really have “main character syndrome?” Does believing in the family curse also mean that she has no chance at happiness? Rom-com tropes feel fresh with these unpredictable characters in a small town Canadian setting. Earc from Edelweiss.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Pleasant enough young adult romance, but a lot of it just didn't make sense. Sure, Meera's mother gets married and moves to her new husband's palatial home. Meera is supposed to stay with her grandparents to finish high school, but runs afoul of the law and has to spend the summer with her mother. Her stepfather is running for mayor, and it looks like her mother will force her to stay in Cherrybridge, so Meera decides to make her mother angry by fake dating bad boy Noah (who is actually fairly cute). There's also a bit about a family curse where the women in the family pick bad first romances, but even that didn't make much sense. It's a cute book, but the whole premise could have been avoided if Meera would just talk to her mother. I might buy it for a high school, but will pass for middle school.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bad Boyfriend Curse by Farah Heron is a charming young adult romance that blends humor, family drama, and heartfelt self-discovery into an engaging coming-of-age story. In this novel, we follow the story of the FMC Meera, a rule-following seventeen-year-old and the MMC Noah, the bad boy she met where she now lived. I really enjoyed how Farah created characters that felt authentic and relatable. Meera was easy to root for as she struggled to balance family expectations and Noah is a refreshing take on the "bad boy" archetype: kind, thoughtful, and emotionally mature beneath his rebellious reputation. Overall, The Bad Boyfriend Curse was an entertaining and heartfelt YA contemporary romance that offers laughs, swoon-worthy moments, and emotional resonance.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read and voluntarily review this novel!

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meera and Noah had a sweet dynamic, and I liked watching their relationship slowly develop throughout the story. Their chemistry was there, and I appreciated that they challenged each other while also bringing out softer sides of one another. The romance itself was enjoyable and kept me turning the pages.

I also thought the family dynamics and cultural elements added a lot of heart to the story. They gave Meera’s journey more depth and made her feel like a well-rounded character with real motivations beyond the romance.

That said, the pacing felt a little uneven for me. There were moments where the story dragged, and I found myself wanting a bit more momentum. I also wanted a little more emotional buildup between Meera and Noah because, by the time everything came together, I wasn’t quite as invested as I wanted to be.

[Lauren Bayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always a fan of YA romances that celebrate and highlight different cultures, as all YA readers deserve to see themselves falling in love. I'm always a fan of an opposites-attract storyline, with the slow growth as they learn what they have in common. I'm always a fan of YA romances that don't go farther than making out, and ones that don't make drinking a huge part of the story. Alas, I am not a fan of pointless miscommunication, "famous" teens in YA, and bad pacing for character growth. If you can get past that, wonderful. But I couldn't, and I felt like it bogged down so much of the goodness in this romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.