This book was presented to me as Christian fiction and has been accepted by many readers as such—the first thing I want to make clear to anyone reading this review is that it is not Christian fiction. Blessings and Curses is a work of Catholic fiction—I acknowledge there are many who will lump any book that mentions God and faith into the same category, especially considering Christian fiction has a stronger presence than Catholic fiction, but I personally find them to be very different genres, as much as they are different religions entirely. Call me nitpicky, but as a devout Christian, I must—and will always—make a difference between Christian and Catholic material. There are no Priests or Fathers or perishes in Christianity, we do not perform the prayer of “Hail Mary” and we do not wear rosary beads. I will say this now and however many times I need to say it again in the future; Christianity and Catholicism are not the same faith nor religion—and that is not up for debate, not with me at least.

Now that the elephant has been ushered from the room, I’d like to say the inclusion of Catholic customs did not hinder my enjoyment of this book nor did it impact my rating. In fact, I think Blessings and Curses is a fine read for YA and adult audiences—Christian, Catholic, or otherwise. The writing was solid and full of emotion; it was very easy to relate to Olivia and her questions, her wavering, and her curiosity about her past. I’ll admit, the mystery behind her life before adoption was a little predictable but that doesn’t mean I didn’t feel my heart skip a beat or feel a tug at my sensitive side while going through each page.

Blessings and Curses introduces faith, mystery, romance, and even a little suspense as we follow Olivia on her journey of self-discovery and spirituality. She comes into the life of a death row inmate and begins asking hard questions about herself, her faith, and the circumstances we find ourselves in as unique human beings. I personally liked Olivia and I think the style of narration really helped to highlight just how unique she was. Olivia was not a shy little church girl filled with everlasting hope—she was a person with problems and was determined to find answers to each one of her questions, no matter how painful the process was. Despite her meek demeanor, I thought Olivia was honestly a strong woman who brought a very interesting sense of grit to the story.

I recommend this story to YA, new adult, and adult readers who enjoy contemporary fiction, Christian fiction, and Catholic fiction. Anyone who likes emotional reads and tough journeys of self-discovery and reflection will certainly want to spend an afternoon with this.

*I received a free copy of this book, on behalf of The Rebel Christian, in exchange for an honest review*