Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Cursed” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Cursed

Karol Ruth Silverstein (Goodreads Author)

4.37 · Rating details · 131 ratings · 73 reviews

An #ownvoices contemporary/realistic YA debut. 14 year old Erica "Ricky" Bloom, is newly diagnosed with a painful chronic illness and pretty pissed off about it. Her body hurts constantly, her family’s a mess and the boy she’s crushing on seems completely clueless. The best coping mechanisms she can come up with are cursing and cutting school. But when her truancy is ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover

Published June 25th 2019 by Charlesbridge

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Cursed, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman

YA Debuts 2019

157 books — 981 voters

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

The Ten Fantastic Fails of Rory O'Leary by Danielle Dreger

#OwnVoices Mental Health in MG and YA

29 books — 14 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.37 ·

Rating details

· 131 ratings · 73 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Cursed

Jun 18, 2019 Yna the Mood Reader rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Yna the Mood Reader by: Charlesbridge Teen

Shelves: arc

"It’s just . . . why does it have to hurt so much? Why does it have to hurt at all? Why do I have to deal with this . . . stuff?"

Much thanks to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.

Buy This Book: Amazon Barnes & Noble Kobo
Series: No.
Genre: Young Adult.
POV: First Person.
Cliffhanger: No.

Content Warnings: Bullying. Cursing (Duh.) Divorce. Illnesses, doctors and treatments.
Read if: you are a ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2019 Hristina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-books, 2019-faves, ya-and-na, first-read-arcs, reviewed, from-netgalley

I initially wasn't exactly sure about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. I found it quite engaging, the writing felt light and easy to read despite the fact that the subject it tackled at times was everything but light and easy to read. I thought the characters were well-developed, they had a nice dynamic, and they were definitely easy to connect to. The plot was interesting, paced well - it kept my attention throughout.
The story was realistic, captivating, and to me it was very ...more

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Oct 09, 2018 Dave Lee rated it it was amazing

Cursed by Karol Silverstein is an exceptional book. I read it in a single sitting over 4 hours on a Friday night because I couldn't put it down. As a high school special education teacher, I fully intend on purchasing a class set for my 9th and 10th grade English Support class to read.

The protagonist Ricky is a complex and multi-dimensional character with clear motivations and drives. The plot is engaging and every character adds an important dimension to the story and the development of the ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2019 Danielle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade-ya

"Cursed is for those kids and others living with chronic illnesses and/or disabilities—as well as anyone who wants to better understand what it's like to live with chronic pain."

Ricky's story does just that. It covers what it's like to be diagnosed, to be in daily, hourly, moment by moment pain, to have others not get it, or worse, ostracize you for it, treatment, ups and downs, finding a doctor you truly trust, and feeling, well, kinda cursed. It also has a compelling, relatable, lovestruck, ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

May 26, 2019 Anniek rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is such a refreshing read! It's one of the first books I've read with a main character who has chronic pain, where it's actually a central topic of the book. And seeing as the rep for this is own voices, I really appreciated that.

While I don't have a chronic illness myself, the title "cursed" - being used by the MC to describe her chronically ill body - seems a little iffy. But I did love seeing a disabled character portrayed in a way that's not stereotypical and in a way that centers her This is such a refreshing read! It's one of the first books I've read with a main character who has chronic pain, where it's actually a central topic of the book. And seeing as the rep for this is own voices, I really appreciated that.

While I don't have a chronic illness myself, the title "cursed" - being used by the MC to describe her chronically ill body - seems a little iffy. But I did love seeing a disabled character portrayed in a way that's not stereotypical and in a way that centers her as a person, and not as an inspiration or someone to pity for others. She gets to be angry, and she gets to resent how she feels and what she's unable to do.

"I guess it's no big deal to them. It's obviously not suddenly going to be a main topic of conversation [...]. Thank God. But at the same time, I feel a tinge of disappointment, like maybe I want them to care a little. But do I?"

Aspects of the book were very relatable for me, because being autistic, I have some similar experiences. Of course you never want people to make a huge deal about it and treat you differently once they find out, but on the other hand... it also sort of stings when they brush it off like it's nothing. And that happens all the time. You tell someone you're autistic (and I imagine it's the same with a lot of disabilities and chronic illnesses) and maybe you give an example of what you struggle with, and then they'll immediately project it onto themselves and say something like "oh yeah, I get that too!" Which is probably meant to be supportive and accepting, but it feels a lot more like erasure and dismissal.

I also loved some of the on-page discussions, like about how medical professionals aren't always best equipped to deal with chronic pain, and how it should be okay to try to find a doctor who's a good match for you.

Before picking up this book, I actually didn't expect to enjoy it a lot, but I did want to give it a shot. And I'm so pleasantly surprised! There's a lot of character development as well, and not just in the main character, but in her parents as well.

Rep: chronic illness/chronic pain

CWs: (internalized) ableism, bullying, cancer, hospitals, mention of panic attacks ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2019 McKinlay Dennis marked it as to-read

ARC provided by edelweiss and the publisher, Charlesbridge Teen.

I am so dang excited to read a book with chronic pain that doesn’t have the MC addicted to pain pills. As someone who has been in pain every day since she was 12, I’m really effing stoked!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jul 04, 2019 Beth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

YA is not my usual kind of book but as someone with a chronic illness, I had to give it a read. I am all about having more Chronic illness/disability representation out there especially more stories that don’t revolve around that person being cured because that isn’t real life.

I actually really enjoyed this book and I thought it portrayed being a teenager with a chronic illness really well. It showed how difficult everyday things such as getting up and dressed can be as well as how hard we have ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2019 Kara J McDowell rated it it was amazing

This is a perfect "gap" book... a book that bridges the gap between Middle Grade and Upper YA. I think a lot of kids in the 14-15 age range will identify with Ricky, even if they don't deal with chronic illness. Speaking of which, Silverstein's portrayal of arthritis was unflinchingly honest. My heart broke for Ricky as she dealt with daily pain that I've never experienced, but the end was so happy and hopeful and real that I was tearing up. I hope this book finds it's way into the hands of kids ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Feb 06, 2019 Sami rated it it was amazing

Cursed is a book about chronic pain without noble suffering and soapy dramatics. It's simple, frank, and angry, and as a person with chronic pain, it absolutely hit home. Ricky is angry that her arthritis hurts her, causes her to get bullied at school, and that her doctors won't listen to her. But as she begins to seize control of her own treatment, she realizes that even though her chronic pain won't go away, she can make the best of a situation that will never be ideal. Cursed is never preachy ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 21, 2019 Keri (KeriBetweenPages) rated it it was amazing

I loved this book and wished it was on more reader’s radars! Can’t wait to review it on my blog and read her next book!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2019 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: middle-grade-2019, young-adult-2019, read-2019

Here is a marvelous and heart-rending debut by Karol Silverstein, the story of Ricky (Erica, Roo or Ricky Raccoon), newly struggling from a chronic illness and newly starting a 'junior high' as a ninth-grader after a move because of her parent's divorce, thus all new kids. According to Ricky, she is definitely CURSED!
It's hard for me, an older adult, to understand that every movement can be excruciating for a young teen and perhaps even harder for classmates to 'get it'. That's what makes this ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2019 Maggie Tibbitt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

This book had it all. An unforgettable main character, a beautiful and important message, and a lot of entertaining anecdotes along the way. This is the most genuine YA book I've read in a while. Ricky feels so real to me with all of her quirks and sayings. She was also painfully relatable because I remember being a 14 year old and I was not rainbows and sunshine all the time. I was stubborn ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2019 Rachel Artenian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, middle-grade-fiction

Have you ever felt cursed? You know you have. Now, imagine that you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting a contentious divorce. Feeling cursed, right? Imagine you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting divorced and you have to move into a tiny apartment and start a new school where 9th grade is part of junior high when you thought you’d be in high school. Yup, feeling really cursed. Imagine you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting a divorce, Have you ever felt cursed? You know you have. Now, imagine that you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting a contentious divorce. Feeling cursed, right? Imagine you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting divorced and you have to move into a tiny apartment and start a new school where 9th grade is part of junior high when you thought you’d be in high school. Yup, feeling really cursed. Imagine you are a fourteen year old girl whose parents are getting a divorce, you are at a new school, all your old friends have ghosted you and your new classmates bully you. Enough already! That’s eff-ed up!

That’s Erica (Ricky) Bloom’s life as the new novel, “Cursed” by Karol Ruth Silverstein opens. In addition to all that, Ricky has been diagnosed with a painful and debilitating chronic disease. Some days she cannot even get out of bed. How would you react? Would you curse at every person and object in your path? Would you vent fury on your clueless parents? Would you stop going to school? Would you feel sorry for yourself? Probably. I would. Ricky, being a normal human, does all those things.

But eventually, Ricky needs to adjust to her new reality. Chronic means not getting cured; chronic means living forever with a condition that makes it hard to move. Some days will be worse than others and there are treatments that help, but Ricky’s life and body are forever changed. And so Ricky has to decide who she is: am I a wallower or am I pick-myself-upper? It’s not easy to pick yourself up. It means accepting help, standing up for yourself, offering help to others and making hard decisions. It means advocating for yourself and forming your team. Wallowing seems easier, and it is in the short term. But wallowing means disengaging from life, soliciting pity and giving up on your dreams. Ricky is brave; her journey is extremely difficult. And that is the beauty of this book. Ricky finds out that she is a person of character. She accepts help, begrudgingly at first, then she becomes a person who offers help, she creates a community and learns to work with her parents and doctors to create the best life possible. She makes some huge mistakes along the way, but she accepts responsibility for her actions.

In my own life, I know wallowers and I know pick-yourself-uppers. Wallowers live in their small world relying upon the kindness of strangers. Pick-yourself uppers are out in the world living their best lives. They are teachers and writers and musicians and artists. They have their bad days and that’s when family and friends rally round; not out of pity, but because pick-yourself-uppers will cry for a while, but then make you smile, maybe tell a joke. You know they will be there for you when you need help. I love this book because it tells the truth-- for most people with chronic illnesses there is no magic cure; I love this book because it is optimistic-- no matter your challenges, a person can live a full and meaningful life; I love this book because it is beautifully written; I love this book because it is a darn good story.

Karol Silverstein’s #ownvoices novel is a painful, loving, beautiful journey. I recommend this book to everyone who is a human. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 17, 2019 Annette Jordan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, netgalley-review, young-adult, favourites, 2019

A hugely impressive contemporary own voices YA book, Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein is an empowering and emotional read that will speak to people of all ages.
Erika, better known as Ricky, is 14 and trying to come to terms with her parent's divorce, but even worse that that she is coming to terms with a diagnosis that will impact every day of her life. It's only been a few months but she's already changed schools and lost all her friends , embarrassed herself and had to deal with unendurable A hugely impressive contemporary own voices YA book, Cursed by Karol Ruth Silverstein is an empowering and emotional read that will speak to people of all ages.
Erika, better known as Ricky, is 14 and trying to come to terms with her parent's divorce, but even worse that that she is coming to terms with a diagnosis that will impact every day of her life. It's only been a few months but she's already changed schools and lost all her friends , embarrassed herself and had to deal with unendurable pain and frustration, and just to add insult to injury she is still in middle school despite most kids her age having moved on, because her new school is a three year middle school. Its no wonder that she has decided that school is not for her, and has not gone to class for weeks , but unfortunately despite her best scheming and plotting the truth is bound to come out. In order to graduate with her class and avoid either Summer school or yet another year of middle school, she is going to have to put in a serious amount of work, not just academically, but on herself too.
It is rare to find a YA book focused on a character with chronic pain, and as someone who suffers from a similar condition to Erica ( though I am a *cough* few years older , I can attest to how accurate the description of pain and it's impact on even the smallest aspects of your life, really is . I found myself wincing, not just in empathy but also in recognition. I loved that Erika grew, not so much into a tolerance of her condition, but an acceptance of it., in a positive way, where she found ways to work around it to do the things she wanted to do. Another important feature that I appreciated was her increasing confidence in her ability to advocate for herself, both when dealing with her doctors and with teachers at school.The message of being and advocate for your own health, and the importance of having a medical practitioner who listens to you is one that is really important. It is really refreshing to have a character like RIcky be allowed to be angry and frustrated, so much more realistic that the more stereotypical inspirational character she could have been. Sadly it is also a very realistic book in terms of the challenges she faces in school, and the amount of pushing she and her Dad have to do to get the most basic of accommodations like a key for the school elevator and an understanding that she may need more time to move between classrooms. While the focus of the book is on RIcky, the author has not shortchanged the other characters, and their relationships with RIcky are well crafted and very believable. The most interesting of these were her developing friendship with classmate Ollie, and the grudgingly earned mutual respect between her and her teacher. It's also important to note that while Ricky may dealing with a few more physical issues that most teens, she is also dealing with issues like crushes , bullying and learning what it means to be a good friend, and learning a lot about herself along the way, including the importance of not ignoring the fact that other people have problems too, even when your problems seem so much bigger.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2019 Eve beinguniquebooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I wanted to review this book after seeing the main character surfers from a chronic illness, totally relatable to myself in some ways.

Only I suffer from fibromyalgia and other rheumatoid illnesses where as Erica or Ricky suffers with severe arthritis at just fourteen causing her to skip school and struggle with daily life from waking to sleeping, all day is a struggle to walk and be in endless pain.

As she deals with her parents divorce and her health she loses her way with school work, has to ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 10, 2019 Caity rated it it was amazing

This is such a fun and funny book and a great example of contemporary YA. The romance is sweet and so satisfying, the characters are well written, and the overall plot draws you in well. This is also a book about chronic illness. Unfortunately when people think of books about teens with chronic illness they expect things to play out like an old school after school special or with overly sappy upbeat cheesiness. This book is like an antidote to that mentality. The main character Ricky is amazing. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 02, 2019 Jacqueline Firkins rated it it was amazing

Cursed is such a fantastic read. The writing is witty, sharp, emotional, and deeply immersive. Silverstein's heroine is wonderfully complicated. She's far from perfect, which keeps her from being a symbolic hero or martyr and makes her land on the page with the kind of complexity anyone can relate to. She makes some bad choices and some good choices, like everyone else, and she does so while dealing with a challenge most of us don't have to face.

This is a book about a teenager dealing with ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2019 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, middle-school, humor, realistic-fiction, disability, ya, binged

Actual rating: a STRONG 4.5 out of 5

I really enjoyed this book. Ricky (short for Erica) is a 14 year old girl who has been sent to live with her dad after her parents' divorce and her own arthritis diagnosis. Living with her father allows her to live in a place without the need for stairs and closer to a school, but it means transferring from the school she has always gone to (with "friends" who no longer talk to her) and going to a place where middle school ends AFTER 9th grade. She skips 6 ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 24, 2019 Dai Guerra rated it it was amazing

I really enjoy how angry Ricky is at the world and how sometimes she even recognizes that her anger is misplaced. I know that this can sometimes throw you off as a reader but more me it made me find her relatable. She reminded me of having to go through multiple doctors and many tears before someone finally realized that the problem was asthma and that it wasn't going away.

I love when she doesn't want her arthritis to keep her from enjoying things and how hard she tries to keep doing things ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2019 Deanna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgally for review purposes.

So anyone who follows my reviews probably knows I'm a little harsh on YA. I keep reading it then get upset when I don't like it, so clearly I'm a glutten for punishment .

That being said, I really really enjoyed this. From start to finish. Maybe I'm a little biased because being about a girl with chronic illness, I related heavy. I'm also a spoonie and though I'm not out of HS I also was barely there and was told I wouldn't be ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2019 Courtney Pate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cursed definitely got better for me as time went on. It follows the story of Ricky, short for Erica, who has a chronic illness. She's been skipping school for SIX WEEKS and finally gets caught.

We follow Rickey as she goes back to school, tries to connect with her crush, and tries to find acceptance.

The writing seemed juvenile at first - but that was just ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2019 Aastha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Cursed took me by surprise. I was expecting a rant of a teenage girl who lives in self pity and eventually would have the popular boy of school falling in love with her towards the end of the story. How wrong was I!
For one, it wasn't about a ranty bratty teenage girl. Sure she had anger issues, but who could blame her. After all, she had a chronic illness. We see Erica mature emotionally and socially in the book. We see Erica with her flaws and her achievements. We see Erica appreciate the good ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2019 Sophia B rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Middle grade reads can be so difficult to find! (this review caters to that demographic and star rating is specific to that age group). It's really hard to find appropriate, not too racy reads for this age group and this book was perfect. It offered real life lessons about a girl experiencing both common and not too common difficulties in her life. Ricky sees herself as "cursed" mostly because of her juvenile arthritis and the fact that her parents are separating. Ricky's anger and pain cloud ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2019 Doon rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this own voices book about a teen girl with chronic illness. Ricky is a great character, and I especially liked how the book charted Ricky’s journey to accept her arthritis and learn to ask for help.

However, what I really loved was how the book pointed out how the school had to be pushed into giving her accommodations, that the medical profession weren’t always listening to Ricky, and then gave us examples of how much better she coped once the accommodations and the right ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2019 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya-literature

This is a great story for a few reasons:
-It is funny
-It made me cry
-I learned a lot about chronic pain and arthritis

Ricky has been diagnosed with the type of arthritis that changes your life. In Ricky’s case, she feels cursed and has resorted to cursing to deal with life. The cover gives fair warning that there are swears so the reader should not be surprised that there are a lot of them. Part of Ricky’s journey is to learn how to handle her arthritis and her swears. I liked the realistic view ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 19, 2019 Cassandra Federman rated it it was amazing

I love the main character Ricky so much! Thankfully I did not suffer from a chronic illness as a teen, but I getting into her POV really brought me back to middle/high school. The relationship between Ricky and her teacher feels authentic and the romance between Ricky and Oliver—that was right in front of Ricky’s face the whole time!!!—was also a pleasure to escape into. This book is a must read for anyone suffering from chronic pain or anyone who likes a great story.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2019 Kira Brighton rated it really liked it

I'm really grateful for the few novels out there, like this one, that look at being a young person with chronic pain. I hope we keep getting more MG/YA books with disability/chronic illness representation!

The character in this one is, with the exception of having a chronic pain disorder, very different from me. She's quite angry and abrasive, and it startled me a bit. But I suppose if, when I'd gotten sick, I'd been 14 and in middle school (instead of 15 and in high school) with a bad doctor, no ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 28, 2019 Nikki Barthelmess rated it it was amazing

Karol Ruth Silverstein has created a fantastic, thought-provoking novel that encourages compassion while providing a lot of laughs along the way.
CURSED is a must-read for not only anyone suffering from a chronic illness or from being misunderstood, but for anyone who wants to learn a little about having empathy for someone who is struggling – which should be EVERYONE. Read this book! I’m so glad I did.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 01, 2019 Elia rated it it was amazing

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Silverstein tackles a challenging subject with sensitivity and a great deal of humor. I don't read a lot of YA and was completely absorbed by the story and by Ricky, the engaging and irreverent main character. Although Ricky is unusual in being a teen with a serious illness that causes chronic pain, she nevertheless is a typical (and, I think, relatable) teen in many other ways, including desperately wanting to fit in and be accepted by the "cool kids."

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2019 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

This amazing book immerses you in the life and mind of 14 year old Ricky, a girl dealing with juvenile arthritis, her parents divorce, and all the ups and downs of being a ninth grader. Instead of another tale of a heroic teen stoically overcoming her challenges, we get a real person who curses and cries, makes mistakes, loves bath bombs, and deals with all to fallible parents and peers. A must read for teens and adults.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 next »