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The Beautiful Maddening
Seventeen year-old Lark Goode wants only one thing: to escape her small town of Cutwater and the history of her family name. It’s a history that began during the Dutch tulip mania of 1636, when Lark’s ancestor stole the last remaining tulip bulbs and fled to America. But when the tulips bloomed on American soil, madness sprouted from their snowy white petals.
The madness was love.
Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.
But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.
To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.
The madness was love.
Now, generations later, the Goodes remain cursed—the unnatural flowers outside their home causing locals to fall helplessly in love with anyone carrying Goode blood in their veins. While her brother embraces the strange power, Lark wants nothing more than to be free from it.
But when she meets a boy who seems unaffected by the family curse, Lark finds herself falling headlong into a feeling she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid. Yet, all curses and magic come with a price, and the town of Cutwater soon sinks into a dangerous sickness tied to Lark and the ill-fated tulips.
To save the town, Lark will need to sacrifice everything—even true love—to break the spell. Because in the Goode family, love has a way of destroying everything.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2025
87 people are currently reading
13232 people want to read
About the author
Shea Ernshaw
10 books5,446 followersShea Ernshaw is the #1 New York Times, USA Today, and Indie Bestselling author of THE WICKED DEEP, WINTERWOOD, A WILDERNESS OF STARS, LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN, and A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES. Her novels have repeatedly been chosen as Indie Next Picks and A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES was a Book of the Month selection. She is also the winner of the Oregon Book Award.
She often writes late, late, late into the night, enjoys dark woods, scary stories and moonlight on lakes.
You can connect with her here:
www.sheaernshaw.com.
www.instagram.com/sheaernshaw/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
July 18, 2025
this book isnt perfect, but there is just something about SEs storytelling that i cant help but be enchanted by.
the main thing holding this story back is its basicness and short length, which makes everything feel like its underdeveloped and the reader feeling like they arent given much. but! what i was given, i fell in love with.
i honestly cant get over the writing and how lovely it is. its so atmospherically beautiful and the interactions between lark and oak made my heart ache. its definitely a story that made me feel, rather than think.
this is probably the sweetest story SE has written and i think its a good look for her style of writing. so more of this please (maybe just a bit more developed)!
↠ 4 stars
the main thing holding this story back is its basicness and short length, which makes everything feel like its underdeveloped and the reader feeling like they arent given much. but! what i was given, i fell in love with.
i honestly cant get over the writing and how lovely it is. its so atmospherically beautiful and the interactions between lark and oak made my heart ache. its definitely a story that made me feel, rather than think.
this is probably the sweetest story SE has written and i think its a good look for her style of writing. so more of this please (maybe just a bit more developed)!
↠ 4 stars
February 28, 2025
thank you netgallery for providing me with the book! i promise that all my opinions are my own and not influenced by anything <3
★★★★☆
⤷ minimal spoilers (quotes)
"Heartbreak is a powerful thing," she says. "It casts spells and conjures up dangerous magic-I've seen it happen. Never stand in the way of someone with a broken heart," she warns. "It can curse a whole town. Never underestimate what heartbreak can do."
IF U LIKE BELLADONNA YOU WILL LOOOOOVVVEEEEE THIS BOOK! BUT UH WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? WHAT? HOW DARE YOU END IT LIKE THAT, I NEED CONFIRMATION GAHHHHHH! i loved this book! all the plot twists broke me (along with the ending) and i LOVED it! THANK YOU NETGALLERY FOR GIVING ME THIS!
ೃ⁀➷ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Beautiful Maddening is a YA gothic romantasy novel about Lark Goode trying to escape her inescapable curse! Lark has lived all of her life being avoided by everyone in Cutwater because of the curse that has plagued her family for generations. She can make anyone fall in love with her. Everyone but one boy. Lark has to break the spell, even if it means surrendering the one thing she’s been evading all her life, love.
˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆
ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I GOT THE ARCCCC!! this book literally sounds so good and im so excited to read it! (also the cover is stunning!)
★★★★☆
⤷ minimal spoilers (quotes)
"Heartbreak is a powerful thing," she says. "It casts spells and conjures up dangerous magic-I've seen it happen. Never stand in the way of someone with a broken heart," she warns. "It can curse a whole town. Never underestimate what heartbreak can do."
IF U LIKE BELLADONNA YOU WILL LOOOOOVVVEEEEE THIS BOOK! BUT UH WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? WHAT? HOW DARE YOU END IT LIKE THAT, I NEED CONFIRMATION GAHHHHHH! i loved this book! all the plot twists broke me (along with the ending) and i LOVED it! THANK YOU NETGALLERY FOR GIVING ME THIS!
ೃ⁀➷ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Beautiful Maddening is a YA gothic romantasy novel about Lark Goode trying to escape her inescapable curse! Lark has lived all of her life being avoided by everyone in Cutwater because of the curse that has plagued her family for generations. She can make anyone fall in love with her. Everyone but one boy. Lark has to break the spell, even if it means surrendering the one thing she’s been evading all her life, love.
˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆
ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I GOT THE ARCCCC!! this book literally sounds so good and im so excited to read it! (also the cover is stunning!)
June 24, 2025
✨Shea Ernshaw is back ✨
It has been over a month since I finished this book and I still can't stop thinking about it.
I was very curious to see where this book would land for me as I loved Shea Ernshaw’s first three books, but the Wilderness of Stars was a huge miss for me.
I’m happy to say I really enjoyed this. As a gardener, I always enjoy a book based around flowers of any kind. This was a unique concept that was entertaining to explore, and I really enjoyed the mystery of this story as well.
The one thing I did want is a little more of an epilogue that wrapped the story up. I do understand why the author left the ending to be something people can interpret on their own, but I do wish we can some solid answers.
Very excited to see what this author has in store for her next novel!
Blessed to have been sent an ARC via Netgalley! Can't wait to jump in to this right away.
It has been over a month since I finished this book and I still can't stop thinking about it.
I was very curious to see where this book would land for me as I loved Shea Ernshaw’s first three books, but the Wilderness of Stars was a huge miss for me.
I’m happy to say I really enjoyed this. As a gardener, I always enjoy a book based around flowers of any kind. This was a unique concept that was entertaining to explore, and I really enjoyed the mystery of this story as well.
The one thing I did want is a little more of an epilogue that wrapped the story up. I do understand why the author left the ending to be something people can interpret on their own, but I do wish we can some solid answers.
Very excited to see what this author has in store for her next novel!
Blessed to have been sent an ARC via Netgalley! Can't wait to jump in to this right away.
May 3, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon Teen for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review
Magical tulip garden and a cursed family, generation after generation, sounds interesting, right? I thought so too.
The book started interestingly with Goode’s family and their history, and how the curse has been affecting them and the town they live in. After that small part, the book was exhaustingly slow and kept going in circles. I was hoping for more magic, more history behind the tulips, and more effort from the main characters to break the curse or at least do something about it. But no, it was all about Lark and her weird obsession with Oak, a guy she knows nothing about. Her twin (Archer?) didn’t have much to offer except getting letters and food from girls, that’s all. All of the characters felt painfully shallow and one-dimensional.
The writing was very flowery and poetic, which might work for some people, but it just made the story feel slow and hard to connect with. I was desperately looking for some story or conversations among these ongoing texts of details.
Overall, it felt like a huge missed opportunity. I am so sad that I picked this book for my weekend.
Magical tulip garden and a cursed family, generation after generation, sounds interesting, right? I thought so too.
The book started interestingly with Goode’s family and their history, and how the curse has been affecting them and the town they live in. After that small part, the book was exhaustingly slow and kept going in circles. I was hoping for more magic, more history behind the tulips, and more effort from the main characters to break the curse or at least do something about it. But no, it was all about Lark and her weird obsession with Oak, a guy she knows nothing about. Her twin (Archer?) didn’t have much to offer except getting letters and food from girls, that’s all. All of the characters felt painfully shallow and one-dimensional.
The writing was very flowery and poetic, which might work for some people, but it just made the story feel slow and hard to connect with. I was desperately looking for some story or conversations among these ongoing texts of details.
Overall, it felt like a huge missed opportunity. I am so sad that I picked this book for my weekend.
July 21, 2025
This story was good but a bit slow for my liking. This story was about love. When you possess this special tulip, others, both boys and girls will fall madly in love with you. You may love this fake love and you may not. If you love someone, with this tulip, the love will be reciprocated. The bad thing is, it's short lived to just tulip season. Once the tulip season comes to an end, their love for you may end too. Incoming love comes from everyone, not just from someone you love. It's a chore fighting off unwanted love.
This story followed Lark Goode. She has a twin brother, Archer. Both live by the creek, abandoned by both parents, though their dad do give them money once in awhile. There are tulips grow by their house. It was there when their grandfather grew it. When tulips season starts blooming, the siblings became more bewitching to the rest of the people in town. Guys and girls will fall blindly in love with the siblings. Her brother reap the benefits, kissing the girls, enjoying the freebies. As for Lark, she knew the love and attention weren't real, so she didn't want it. She hid out in the bathroom. She turned down date requests. She wanted to leave town as soon as she graduate high school.
One day, she saw a new guy, and this guy didn't fall in love with her after seeing her. She wondered about him. She spent a few days with him and felt for him. They felt for each other, but still she wasn't sure if his love for her is true due to the tulip behind her house for generations. Then she learned of his secrets. Then she saw the tulip in his book. She was heartbroken because she realized she might have fallen for him because he possessed her tulip. She left but later he found her. She thought his love might be genuine because the tulips is now long gone, until she found a small petal in her pocket. At this point, she's in love too deep to test the love..
Thank you Simonteen and SimonAudio for the opportunity to read, listen, and review!
This story followed Lark Goode. She has a twin brother, Archer. Both live by the creek, abandoned by both parents, though their dad do give them money once in awhile. There are tulips grow by their house. It was there when their grandfather grew it. When tulips season starts blooming, the siblings became more bewitching to the rest of the people in town. Guys and girls will fall blindly in love with the siblings. Her brother reap the benefits, kissing the girls, enjoying the freebies. As for Lark, she knew the love and attention weren't real, so she didn't want it. She hid out in the bathroom. She turned down date requests. She wanted to leave town as soon as she graduate high school.
One day, she saw a new guy, and this guy didn't fall in love with her after seeing her. She wondered about him. She spent a few days with him and felt for him. They felt for each other, but still she wasn't sure if his love for her is true due to the tulip behind her house for generations. Then she learned of his secrets. Then she saw the tulip in his book. She was heartbroken because she realized she might have fallen for him because he possessed her tulip. She left but later he found her. She thought his love might be genuine because the tulips is now long gone, until she found a small petal in her pocket. At this point, she's in love too deep to test the love..
Thank you Simonteen and SimonAudio for the opportunity to read, listen, and review!
June 10, 2025
I should've known not to give in.
I should've known not to give freaking Shea Ernshaw another try when I know she repeatedly wrote things I hate like shitty single mother syndrome and slut-shaming. Alas, I stupidly hoped that was chance and not compulsion - no one has to include shitty single mother syndrome and slut-shaming in every book. But apparently, Shea Ernshaw does.
This book made me so maddeningly angry (excuse the coming exclamation marks). Right from the start, it hits directly into the double standards about sex where the twin brother Archer flirts his ass off and it's shrugged off while the twin sister Lark is in constant fear of catching people's attraction. You see, these siblings and their family are cursed with seduction magic.
We see here how desire is blamed on women and girls and how they are responsible to control themselves, their bodies and appearances and the reactions of men to them so poor men don't get too sexually excited. As if a man is never responsible for staying in control of his desire and women and girls who do attract men too much or even - gasp!! - want to have sex are super evil, manipulative and calcaluting. The only in-between, of course, is when the chaste and pure main character who rejects desire is swayed by her one true monogamous (male) love interest. The veiled purity agenda here is crazy (yes, it isn't directly against sex before marriage but the veiling is terrible on its own and the misogynistic message remains).
I want to note that the magicked desire is pansexual but it remains unclear if this desire is connected to the person's real orientation (a gay boy will only feel attraction to the twin brother) or completely artificial (everyone feeling attracted to both siblings no matter who they feel attracted to otherwise), so I'm not sure if the book is queer-inclusive or not.
And can we finally consider that such a rare occasion as a mother leaving her family behind is absurdly common in fiction, especially young adult? I must've seen it a handful times just in the last few weeks and my usual cynical reaction to it is Good For Her. Because I don't get why authors keep overusing this idea vilifying mothers (other than having a lazy option to give protagonists something to be sad about and one less parent to inhibit stupid decisions). But what messages does this give (young) readers? It seems like too many authors can only imagine a mother as perfectly self-sacrificing and if she isn't, she can only be a selfish, calculating, heartless slutty monster because apparently, mothers who think of themselves every now and then and deserving it aren't allowed to exist. Fuck that so much. I'm glad more feminist thinkers consider maternal mental health.
The book could've and should've taken into account the cursed family isn't even in control of activating or ending the seduction magic so it's not like they can only target someone and are unbothered otherwise. No, instead there is a moment the magic turns on by itself and everyone lusts after the siblings. Now, the book should point out how it's not just some cursed family members acting on magicked desire is immoral, but how they're also harassed by countless people they possibly can't fight off!! They're very much in danger of sexual violence and thus more victims than perpetrators! But that never happens beyond one vague move quickly ended while the threat must be so, so present. And even so, the criticism on men and boys acting under the seduction magic they could defy with willpower is minimal while the judgment on women and girls who use seduction magic is omnipresent. It's unsettling how the author drills in that men are poor and helpless against desire but totally allowed to flirt and have sex as they please while wanton sluts should behave better and not torture them with their sexuality!!
And I know, seduction magic can take free will and thus equals to rape but the thing is, seduction magic IS NOT REAL (and even when it considers lack of free will, the book only relates it to assault in one direction and not the other as I explain above). What is real is that women and girls live under double standards that vilify their sexualities and downplay the sexual violence THEY endure. And reinforcing these double standards is what definitely happens in this book.
I should've known not to give freaking Shea Ernshaw another try when I know she repeatedly wrote things I hate like shitty single mother syndrome and slut-shaming. Alas, I stupidly hoped that was chance and not compulsion - no one has to include shitty single mother syndrome and slut-shaming in every book. But apparently, Shea Ernshaw does.
This book made me so maddeningly angry (excuse the coming exclamation marks). Right from the start, it hits directly into the double standards about sex where the twin brother Archer flirts his ass off and it's shrugged off while the twin sister Lark is in constant fear of catching people's attraction. You see, these siblings and their family are cursed with seduction magic.
We see here how desire is blamed on women and girls and how they are responsible to control themselves, their bodies and appearances and the reactions of men to them so poor men don't get too sexually excited. As if a man is never responsible for staying in control of his desire and women and girls who do attract men too much or even - gasp!! - want to have sex are super evil, manipulative and calcaluting. The only in-between, of course, is when the chaste and pure main character who rejects desire is swayed by her one true monogamous (male) love interest. The veiled purity agenda here is crazy (yes, it isn't directly against sex before marriage but the veiling is terrible on its own and the misogynistic message remains).
I want to note that the magicked desire is pansexual but it remains unclear if this desire is connected to the person's real orientation (a gay boy will only feel attraction to the twin brother) or completely artificial (everyone feeling attracted to both siblings no matter who they feel attracted to otherwise), so I'm not sure if the book is queer-inclusive or not.
And can we finally consider that such a rare occasion as a mother leaving her family behind is absurdly common in fiction, especially young adult? I must've seen it a handful times just in the last few weeks and my usual cynical reaction to it is Good For Her. Because I don't get why authors keep overusing this idea vilifying mothers (other than having a lazy option to give protagonists something to be sad about and one less parent to inhibit stupid decisions). But what messages does this give (young) readers? It seems like too many authors can only imagine a mother as perfectly self-sacrificing and if she isn't, she can only be a selfish, calculating, heartless slutty monster because apparently, mothers who think of themselves every now and then and deserving it aren't allowed to exist. Fuck that so much. I'm glad more feminist thinkers consider maternal mental health.
The book could've and should've taken into account the cursed family isn't even in control of activating or ending the seduction magic so it's not like they can only target someone and are unbothered otherwise. No, instead there is a moment the magic turns on by itself and everyone lusts after the siblings. Now, the book should point out how it's not just some cursed family members acting on magicked desire is immoral, but how they're also harassed by countless people they possibly can't fight off!! They're very much in danger of sexual violence and thus more victims than perpetrators! But that never happens beyond one vague move quickly ended while the threat must be so, so present. And even so, the criticism on men and boys acting under the seduction magic they could defy with willpower is minimal while the judgment on women and girls who use seduction magic is omnipresent. It's unsettling how the author drills in that men are poor and helpless against desire but totally allowed to flirt and have sex as they please while wanton sluts should behave better and not torture them with their sexuality!!
And I know, seduction magic can take free will and thus equals to rape but the thing is, seduction magic IS NOT REAL (and even when it considers lack of free will, the book only relates it to assault in one direction and not the other as I explain above). What is real is that women and girls live under double standards that vilify their sexualities and downplay the sexual violence THEY endure. And reinforcing these double standards is what definitely happens in this book.
May 30, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
"We write our own story, not what anyone else tells us it should be."
Great writing with a story I wasn't sold on.
Mixed feelings seem to be typical for me when reading Shea Ernshaw's books. Her writing is SO good but there seem to be inevitable parts of her stories that leave me with real ICK.
This story centers around a cruse that makes people fall in love with a certain family in town, and the FMC's twin brother is actively taking advantage of all of these girls who are being affected by this curse, and this has real consent issues for me and I couldn't drop that for the entirety of this book. You see that in an even worse scenario from their parents. Just ICK.
But I liked the main characters and their developing relationship and the ending was real good until the VERY end.
I just don't know if I'm made for her books 😣
"We write our own story, not what anyone else tells us it should be."
Great writing with a story I wasn't sold on.
Mixed feelings seem to be typical for me when reading Shea Ernshaw's books. Her writing is SO good but there seem to be inevitable parts of her stories that leave me with real ICK.
This story centers around a cruse that makes people fall in love with a certain family in town, and the FMC's twin brother is actively taking advantage of all of these girls who are being affected by this curse, and this has real consent issues for me and I couldn't drop that for the entirety of this book. You see that in an even worse scenario from their parents. Just ICK.
But I liked the main characters and their developing relationship and the ending was real good until the VERY end.
I just don't know if I'm made for her books 😣
July 31, 2025
Hauntingly beautiful.
Shea Ernshaw's books stay with you.
Shea Ernshaw's books stay with you.
June 6, 2025
This book was one of the biggest wastes of my time ever. Like, genuinely, it pissed me off so much that I lowered my rating of The Wicked Deep from two stars to one out of spite. The narration felt very "I'm 14 and this is deep", and like 100 pages in I thought that if I read about Oak's green eyes again I was going to end up in the news (spoiler: it never stops talking about his green eyes. Btw did you know his eyes are green? Because they're green. Emerald, some might say. Others might say green. Not me. I would just say that he has green eyes).
The plot made absolutely no sense either. Full of plot holes, painstakingly slow and pointless. Everything felt repetitive and immature, and it genuinely has one of the worst structures and character arcs I've ever read. I thought that the point would be discovering who stole the tulips, but don't worry, this book doesn't want to waste your time and talk about things that are not the romance, so the culprit just confesses out of nowhere in a very weird scene and every problem is immediately solved.
Also, it was never fully explained how the tulips work. Hey, can you be consistent for five fucking seconds? For what I understand, if you have a tulip, people fall in love with you as long as it serves the plot, otherwise they don't work, or they make you fall in love with someone else, unless the author doesn't want you to, and they only work in the main character's village, which is why she wants to move away, except that it's implied that they might work in other places as well <3 don't worry about it. If you think about it for two seconds, you might have given it more thought than the author did.
The characters are atrocious. The only thing that Lark ever did was complain and whine, she was incredibly passive and I kept waiting for her to do literally anything. I'm going to copy and paste what I told my boyfriend while I was reading. Spoiled in case you want to read this book because you don't value your free time:
Something else that made me feel I was losing braincells.
The ending of the book felt like a big slap to the face. Lark hadn't had a lot of character growth or evolution (if she'd had any), and then the last scene reverses everything she had stood for. Alright. What was the point?
BTW, in case you forgot, Oak has green eyes.
Don't waste your time with this.
The plot made absolutely no sense either. Full of plot holes, painstakingly slow and pointless. Everything felt repetitive and immature, and it genuinely has one of the worst structures and character arcs I've ever read. I thought that the point would be discovering who stole the tulips, but don't worry, this book doesn't want to waste your time and talk about things that are not the romance, so the culprit just confesses out of nowhere in a very weird scene and every problem is immediately solved.
Also, it was never fully explained how the tulips work. Hey, can you be consistent for five fucking seconds? For what I understand, if you have a tulip, people fall in love with you as long as it serves the plot, otherwise they don't work, or they make you fall in love with someone else, unless the author doesn't want you to, and they only work in the main character's village, which is why she wants to move away, except that it's implied that they might work in other places as well <3 don't worry about it. If you think about it for two seconds, you might have given it more thought than the author did.
The characters are atrocious. The only thing that Lark ever did was complain and whine, she was incredibly passive and I kept waiting for her to do literally anything. I'm going to copy and paste what I told my boyfriend while I was reading. Spoiled in case you want to read this book because you don't value your free time:
Something else that made me feel I was losing braincells.
The ending of the book felt like a big slap to the face. Lark hadn't had a lot of character growth or evolution (if she'd had any), and then the last scene reverses everything she had stood for. Alright. What was the point?
BTW, in case you forgot, Oak has green eyes.
Don't waste your time with this.
September 23, 2025
a gothic romantasy about a girl who tries to escape a curse she can't get rid of. it's a quick, enjoyable read, although it could pass as a bit basic with not much development in several aspects of the story. but the twists left me shook and made me wonder if what i was reading was real or otherwise. i had fun with this!
(3.5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
(3.5 stars)
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2025
The Beautiful Maddening was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Ernshaw is a favorite author of mine, and an auto-read. I love the writing style. The story was unique, mostly paced well, and interesting. I enjoyed the characters and their development a lot. The conclusion felt rushed, though, and I would have liked it to be stronger for the MC.
If you love active book communities, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh Book Club (on Facebook)! Games, giveaways, discussions, reviews, bingo, swaps, pen pals, traveling books, and a lot more!
If you love active book communities, check out LiterALLy BOOKiSh Book Club (on Facebook)! Games, giveaways, discussions, reviews, bingo, swaps, pen pals, traveling books, and a lot more!
March 1, 2025
What is love if not madness?
Set in the town of Cutwater, where the Goode family's tulips bloom with an intoxicating magic each spring, creating an alluring, dangerous atmosphere to anyone who draws too close. Archer welcomes the attention and gifts that the tulips bring, his sister Lark dreads the season. She anxiously awaits for its end, but when the tulips are stolen, the entire town descends into madness. Only Oak, a boy from the neighboring town, remains immune to the tulips' call, or does he?
The novel reminds me of ‘Practical Magic’, with its bittersweet exploration of whether love is truly real when magic is in play. The question becomes painfully clear: when you fall for someone under the influence of something as powerful as the tulips’ enchantment, how can you ever know if it’s real love, or if it’s simply the magic at work? The concept is both captivating and heartbreaking, and the sense of uncertainty drives the narrative, adding an emotional weight that lingers long after the last page is turned.
Lark is a character rooted in hesitation and fear, shaped by a family legacy of failed relationships. She embodies the struggle to trust in love when it has been tainted by doubt and loss. Her reluctance to let anyone get too close is understandable, but her journey is one of growth, and watching her face both the town’s scrutiny and her own self-doubt is sad to see but makes you root for her all the more. As Lark meets Oak, someone who makes her question her fear of love, the emotional stakes grow higher, and the tension between her desire for connection and her fear of betrayal is palpable.
The romance is beautiful yet filled with tension, and the ever-present threat of the tulips and their curse kept me on edge. It’s impossible not to be drawn into Lark and Oak’s story, especially as they navigate the blurry line between magic and genuine affection. The ending, however, is where the novel truly resonates with a quiet sadness. The question of whether their love is real, or merely a byproduct of the tulips’ enchantment, remains unanswered, and while this open ending may leave some readers craving resolution, it also speaks to the very core of Lark’s fears. Sometimes, it’s too much to face the truth, especially when it means confronting the possibility that love—pure, untainted love—might not exist at all.
If you're a fan of Taylor Swift’s song “The Prophecy,” this book is a perfect fit for you, delivering that same ache in your chest and that emotional longing that you can't quite shake.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
Set in the town of Cutwater, where the Goode family's tulips bloom with an intoxicating magic each spring, creating an alluring, dangerous atmosphere to anyone who draws too close. Archer welcomes the attention and gifts that the tulips bring, his sister Lark dreads the season. She anxiously awaits for its end, but when the tulips are stolen, the entire town descends into madness. Only Oak, a boy from the neighboring town, remains immune to the tulips' call, or does he?
The novel reminds me of ‘Practical Magic’, with its bittersweet exploration of whether love is truly real when magic is in play. The question becomes painfully clear: when you fall for someone under the influence of something as powerful as the tulips’ enchantment, how can you ever know if it’s real love, or if it’s simply the magic at work? The concept is both captivating and heartbreaking, and the sense of uncertainty drives the narrative, adding an emotional weight that lingers long after the last page is turned.
Lark is a character rooted in hesitation and fear, shaped by a family legacy of failed relationships. She embodies the struggle to trust in love when it has been tainted by doubt and loss. Her reluctance to let anyone get too close is understandable, but her journey is one of growth, and watching her face both the town’s scrutiny and her own self-doubt is sad to see but makes you root for her all the more. As Lark meets Oak, someone who makes her question her fear of love, the emotional stakes grow higher, and the tension between her desire for connection and her fear of betrayal is palpable.
The romance is beautiful yet filled with tension, and the ever-present threat of the tulips and their curse kept me on edge. It’s impossible not to be drawn into Lark and Oak’s story, especially as they navigate the blurry line between magic and genuine affection. The ending, however, is where the novel truly resonates with a quiet sadness. The question of whether their love is real, or merely a byproduct of the tulips’ enchantment, remains unanswered, and while this open ending may leave some readers craving resolution, it also speaks to the very core of Lark’s fears. Sometimes, it’s too much to face the truth, especially when it means confronting the possibility that love—pure, untainted love—might not exist at all.
If you're a fan of Taylor Swift’s song “The Prophecy,” this book is a perfect fit for you, delivering that same ache in your chest and that emotional longing that you can't quite shake.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
July 21, 2025
3.5
Me encanta la autora, y volver a su narración, y la forma en que crea esas ambientaciones tan mágicas a la par de que oscuras ha sido estupendo. Ahora, es verdad que siento que este se ha quedado poco desarrollado, que se ha centrado de más en ese romance, cuando tenía una mina con los tulipanes y su magia... pero lo he devorado y me ha gustado.
Me encanta la autora, y volver a su narración, y la forma en que crea esas ambientaciones tan mágicas a la par de que oscuras ha sido estupendo. Ahora, es verdad que siento que este se ha quedado poco desarrollado, que se ha centrado de más en ese romance, cuando tenía una mina con los tulipanes y su magia... pero lo he devorado y me ha gustado.
May 31, 2025
Los tulipanes están a punto de florecer y eso significa que la maldición que lleva generaciones afectando a la familia Goode, vuelve una vez más. El delirio y la locura de amor atrae a cualquiera hacia ellos, todos creen amarles... Pero cuando un chico de ojos verdes se cruza con Lark y parece no sentir ese amor obligado, eso la intriga y la hace acercarse a él. ¿Será verdad que no funciona la maldición en él? ¿Será que puede quererla de verdad?
La historia de ellos te atrapa, te intriga y necesitas seguir leyendo para saber si realmente sienten algo real, o son los tulipanes con su magia una vez más.
La historia de ellos te atrapa, te intriga y necesitas seguir leyendo para saber si realmente sienten algo real, o son los tulipanes con su magia una vez más.
June 10, 2025
2.5 "Heartbreak is a powerful thing," she says. "It casts spells and conjures up dangerous magic-I've seen it happen. Never stand in the way of someone with a broken heart," she warns. "It can curse a whole town. Never underestimate what heartbreak can do."
I have been a fan of Ernshaw's writing for many years, and this is the first book of hers that I really haven't enjoyed. But I will say that I think it's more a "me" thing than a book thing, and I think that there will be a perfect audience for the book out there...it just wasn't me. The writing was beautiful and dreamy and even poetic at times, so if you love flowery writing and magical romance then you may really enjoy this book. (For instance, if you loved Rachel Griffin's Bring Me Your Midnight, Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart series, and Adalyn Grace's Belladonna, this feels along the same lines in terms of writing and romantic plot.)
Some issues I had with the book were the insta-love, the nonstop ruminations about tulips and love and being cursed, minors being abandoned with no lawful repercussions, and the issues with consent or lack thereof that happened several times throughout the book. I felt like there wasn't enough depth to the characters, and I was hoping for more.
That being said, romantasy books often focus on the sweetness of the romance and not character/plot depth, so this may not be a deal-breaker for many of you romantasy girlies out there! This is a quiet story that feels bittersweet in its exploration of enchantment versus love, while the characters spend their every moment trying to discern between the two. The curse of the tulips was an interesting premise that forced confusion and obsessive longing into the narrative. I felt empathy for the main character as she wrestled with the uncertainty of not knowing what was illusion from the curse and what was real.
This book wasn't for me, but if you love quieter romantasy, it might be for you! Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book!
I have been a fan of Ernshaw's writing for many years, and this is the first book of hers that I really haven't enjoyed. But I will say that I think it's more a "me" thing than a book thing, and I think that there will be a perfect audience for the book out there...it just wasn't me. The writing was beautiful and dreamy and even poetic at times, so if you love flowery writing and magical romance then you may really enjoy this book. (For instance, if you loved Rachel Griffin's Bring Me Your Midnight, Stephanie Garber's Once Upon a Broken Heart series, and Adalyn Grace's Belladonna, this feels along the same lines in terms of writing and romantic plot.)
Some issues I had with the book were the insta-love, the nonstop ruminations about tulips and love and being cursed, minors being abandoned with no lawful repercussions, and the issues with consent or lack thereof that happened several times throughout the book. I felt like there wasn't enough depth to the characters, and I was hoping for more.
That being said, romantasy books often focus on the sweetness of the romance and not character/plot depth, so this may not be a deal-breaker for many of you romantasy girlies out there! This is a quiet story that feels bittersweet in its exploration of enchantment versus love, while the characters spend their every moment trying to discern between the two. The curse of the tulips was an interesting premise that forced confusion and obsessive longing into the narrative. I felt empathy for the main character as she wrestled with the uncertainty of not knowing what was illusion from the curse and what was real.
This book wasn't for me, but if you love quieter romantasy, it might be for you! Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the advanced copy of the book!
June 16, 2025
'The Beautiful Maddening' is a YA fantasy novel by Shea Ernshaw.
What I love about this author's works are the major twists that they manage to use, especially in the ending, twists that are unpredictable and a shocker more often than not, and the atmosphere that is always lush and enchanting.
This time around, the mood feels like a fever dream, haunting, maddening, and beautiful. It has those vibes of a bayou in a hot, sticky summer.
Also, the magic was interesting, but, in the end, it wasn't handled well. There were a lot of plot holes when it came to how the tulips and the sickening love work for the family and those around them.
In addition, there were way too many repetitions of the same thing. At some point, a chapter was just repeating the same idea through different metaphors, like how Oak's eyes looked like or what the magical love was. And hardly anything happened to move the story forward.
Moreover, I can't say that the ending was that great, but it was nice enough. The characters were interesting and likable as well.
What I love about this author's works are the major twists that they manage to use, especially in the ending, twists that are unpredictable and a shocker more often than not, and the atmosphere that is always lush and enchanting.
This time around, the mood feels like a fever dream, haunting, maddening, and beautiful. It has those vibes of a bayou in a hot, sticky summer.
Also, the magic was interesting, but, in the end, it wasn't handled well. There were a lot of plot holes when it came to how the tulips and the sickening love work for the family and those around them.
In addition, there were way too many repetitions of the same thing. At some point, a chapter was just repeating the same idea through different metaphors, like how Oak's eyes looked like or what the magical love was. And hardly anything happened to move the story forward.
Moreover, I can't say that the ending was that great, but it was nice enough. The characters were interesting and likable as well.
April 27, 2025
In the spirit of this story, I’m pretty convinced that Shea Ernshaw is carrying around an enchanted tulip that keeps drawing me back to her work. 🌷
I have read, or attempted to read, every book she’s ever published. I don’t think I realized that until I looked back on my previous reviews.
It’s been a while since I’ve read something by her, but I think I’ll always come back. Even though my reading taste has evolved over the past 5 years of reading her stories, she somehow keeps me entranced.
In every story I’ve read from her, it takes me at least 100 pages to get invested, and I often find I like the second half of the book more than the first. But her flowery writing and heartbreaking love stories are what sell me every time. This one is no different.
Inspired by the Dutch Tulip Mania, Shea wove a story about the cursed Goode Family. To them, love was always a lie. The tulips that bloomed in their backyard every spring would cause locals to fall helplessly and hopelessly in love with them.
Lark Goode wants nothing more than to be free from her family’s curse, until one day she happens upon a boy who seems unaffected by the tulips.
There were two things that help my attention in this story. The first was the question of who this mysterious boy was, and the second was the empathy and heartbreak of watching Lark wrestle with living a life where you never truly know if anyone will love you outside of your family’s curse. 🥺
I also loved the nods to her first book, The Wicked Deep!
I think if you enjoy the enchantment of Practical Magic mixed with the vibes of books like The Unmaking of June Farrow, you might also enjoy The Beautiful Maddening.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I have read, or attempted to read, every book she’s ever published. I don’t think I realized that until I looked back on my previous reviews.
It’s been a while since I’ve read something by her, but I think I’ll always come back. Even though my reading taste has evolved over the past 5 years of reading her stories, she somehow keeps me entranced.
In every story I’ve read from her, it takes me at least 100 pages to get invested, and I often find I like the second half of the book more than the first. But her flowery writing and heartbreaking love stories are what sell me every time. This one is no different.
Inspired by the Dutch Tulip Mania, Shea wove a story about the cursed Goode Family. To them, love was always a lie. The tulips that bloomed in their backyard every spring would cause locals to fall helplessly and hopelessly in love with them.
Lark Goode wants nothing more than to be free from her family’s curse, until one day she happens upon a boy who seems unaffected by the tulips.
There were two things that help my attention in this story. The first was the question of who this mysterious boy was, and the second was the empathy and heartbreak of watching Lark wrestle with living a life where you never truly know if anyone will love you outside of your family’s curse. 🥺
I also loved the nods to her first book, The Wicked Deep!
I think if you enjoy the enchantment of Practical Magic mixed with the vibes of books like The Unmaking of June Farrow, you might also enjoy The Beautiful Maddening.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the free e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2025
~~Thank you to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!~~
This was just frustratingly mind numbing.
I went into this hoping we'd learn more about the tulips, about the love magic and possibly trying to "break the curse." But NO. The majority of this book is Lark going ga-ga over Oak, the stupidly named love interest, angsting over her mommy issues, and hating on the tulips (And the concept of love by extension). That's it. It's just those three points over and over again until the book ends. Nothing is explored about the tulips other than questioning if the magic was even real, and that's thrown to the wall when I hate that this book has legitimately mad me this upset.
Also, another red flag about this book: Oak's favorite author is Jack Kerouac, whom I personally despise due to reading On the Road. Yeah, no, screw this guy and this whole book.
This was just frustratingly mind numbing.
I went into this hoping we'd learn more about the tulips, about the love magic and possibly trying to "break the curse." But NO. The majority of this book is Lark going ga-ga over Oak, the stupidly named love interest, angsting over her mommy issues, and hating on the tulips (And the concept of love by extension). That's it. It's just those three points over and over again until the book ends. Nothing is explored about the tulips other than questioning if the magic was even real, and that's thrown to the wall when I hate that this book has legitimately mad me this upset.
Also, another red flag about this book: Oak's favorite author is Jack Kerouac, whom I personally despise due to reading On the Road. Yeah, no, screw this guy and this whole book.
February 2, 2025
I received this ARC of The Beautiful Maddening and my review is of my own.
This is a book that gives a Starling House meets Twilight vibe.
I am familiar with the historical Tulip Madness and have a bias to the flower as I was born in the Netherlands. This author writes in a hauntingly poetic way and I thoroughly enjoyed her story. It is an easy read and perfect for a YA audience. The cover is gorgeous.
Reasons this is a 4 star review:
Something that has nagged at me is the constant repetition of “I’m cursed.” Over and over and over again. I’m like “OK, I get it! You’re a Goode and cursed and love sucks.” It overshadowed any kind of plot moves. The dreamy writing is what kept me reading though, outside of that chatter.
I really wanted a happy ending. After all the FMC had gone through she deserved confirmation. If you have seen the ending of Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides and was confused as hell on what happened to the missionary and mermaid, prepare for those feelings again.
I didn’t once get the feeling of “I should DNF.” I’m curious to what other readers think about this one and I’m happy I read it. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with friends when they finish it too.
This is a book that gives a Starling House meets Twilight vibe.
I am familiar with the historical Tulip Madness and have a bias to the flower as I was born in the Netherlands. This author writes in a hauntingly poetic way and I thoroughly enjoyed her story. It is an easy read and perfect for a YA audience. The cover is gorgeous.
Reasons this is a 4 star review:
Something that has nagged at me is the constant repetition of “I’m cursed.” Over and over and over again. I’m like “OK, I get it! You’re a Goode and cursed and love sucks.” It overshadowed any kind of plot moves. The dreamy writing is what kept me reading though, outside of that chatter.
I really wanted a happy ending. After all the FMC had gone through she deserved confirmation. If you have seen the ending of Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides and was confused as hell on what happened to the missionary and mermaid, prepare for those feelings again.
I didn’t once get the feeling of “I should DNF.” I’m curious to what other readers think about this one and I’m happy I read it. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with friends when they finish it too.
June 17, 2025
I'm such a sucker for Shea Ernshaw's writing! She has a way of immersing you into her worlds that makes it so atmospheric!
This story is inspired by the Tulip madness and follows twins who are cursed to be loved by everyone. Archer, the brother, embraces it while Lark, the sister, hates it. She keeps everyone at a distance and denies love. When the tulips escape it's up to them to right the wrong.
The think that bothered me about this book was how much they didn't care about the tulips getting out even though that's the whole thing! But it's ok cause everything figures itself out in the end. This is a very YA read including a fade to black scene and literally like 4 kisses, the romance was a nice slow burn. I would've loved to see them meeting their parents though after all that time!
This story is inspired by the Tulip madness and follows twins who are cursed to be loved by everyone. Archer, the brother, embraces it while Lark, the sister, hates it. She keeps everyone at a distance and denies love. When the tulips escape it's up to them to right the wrong.
The think that bothered me about this book was how much they didn't care about the tulips getting out even though that's the whole thing! But it's ok cause everything figures itself out in the end. This is a very YA read including a fade to black scene and literally like 4 kisses, the romance was a nice slow burn. I would've loved to see them meeting their parents though after all that time!
May 20, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating book. The narrative skillfully explores the themes of love and heartbreak, incorporating magical elements and curses that shape Lark’s worldview.
The book explores Lark’s family’s experiences and the townspeople’s perceptions of them, shaping her understanding of love and loss. Ultimately, Lark must distinguish between reality and illusion, determine the worth of fighting for love, and let go of what she believes to be a curse.
I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advanced reader copy.
The book explores Lark’s family’s experiences and the townspeople’s perceptions of them, shaping her understanding of love and loss. Ultimately, Lark must distinguish between reality and illusion, determine the worth of fighting for love, and let go of what she believes to be a curse.
I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advanced reader copy.
April 15, 2025
I love Shea Ernshaw’s writing and this book was no exception. One of my favorite parts was the nod to one of per previous books (no spoilers so I won’t say which) but it made me want to reread everything Shea has ever written which I think is the best reaction to a reference like that.
If you enjoy this type of atmospheric writing style and are looking for more books of this type, Adrienne Young’s adult novels give you a similar vibe.
The only reason I took off one star was because of the ending. It’s difficult to say why without giving away any spoilers but it was just a feeling I got that the ending felt empty in a way that the rest of the story felt full and rich.
I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Shea’s previous works.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If you enjoy this type of atmospheric writing style and are looking for more books of this type, Adrienne Young’s adult novels give you a similar vibe.
The only reason I took off one star was because of the ending. It’s difficult to say why without giving away any spoilers but it was just a feeling I got that the ending felt empty in a way that the rest of the story felt full and rich.
I would definitely recommend this book for fans of Shea’s previous works.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 10, 2025
Great, now I wanna have my heart broken again
August 15, 2025
I hoped and prayed that if I was patient and slogged my way to the end of this book, that something interesting would happen, or I would get answers to the questions posed throughout about the tulips and the curse. If anything, the ending was even worse than I could have imagined. Lark has no interest in figuring out the thing that’s supposedly controlling her life other than asking herself a million useless questions she does nothing about, and trying to run away. In the end she decides to accept that she’ll never really know what’s going on, and we leave it at that.
The flowery language, ridiculous metaphors, and sentences that weren’t sentences throughout were too much for me. I feel that this book is only as long as it is because of them. How can you say so much and so little at the same time?
“He takes a brave step towards me, and I can see all the pain crashing against the shore of his eyelids. ‘You’re not afraid of being loved…,’ he says, defiant, cavernous.”
How does someone even say something cavernously?
I’ve no doubt some might find the writing in this book beautiful, but for me, every page was pain, a cruel, unending misery that left me bored and exhausted, desperate for some relief in the form of an interesting character or plot development. And if you thought that sentence was too much, try thousands. The book was boring, okay? And I’m upset I wasted my time on it.
The flowery language, ridiculous metaphors, and sentences that weren’t sentences throughout were too much for me. I feel that this book is only as long as it is because of them. How can you say so much and so little at the same time?
“He takes a brave step towards me, and I can see all the pain crashing against the shore of his eyelids. ‘You’re not afraid of being loved…,’ he says, defiant, cavernous.”
How does someone even say something cavernously?
I’ve no doubt some might find the writing in this book beautiful, but for me, every page was pain, a cruel, unending misery that left me bored and exhausted, desperate for some relief in the form of an interesting character or plot development. And if you thought that sentence was too much, try thousands. The book was boring, okay? And I’m upset I wasted my time on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2025
I tried. In fairness I think this would have rated more stars were it not a Shea Ernshaw book. That is, it's perfectly acceptable but I've come to expect more from this author, which, faint praise, I suppose, but here we are.
June 3, 2025
Thank you Simon Teen and Simon Audio for my advanced copies!
This sadly did not work for me, while it was a super quick read and the writing per usual is beautiful it really fell flat in other areas. Shea Ernshaw took the inspiration from the Tulip Mania and created a story that has a generational curse at play, a magical Tulip garden, prophecies and a mysterious boy named Oak. I naturally felt drawn to the intriguing premise but I wished it had more, I don't want to sound rude but by the end of the book I kept thinking "but what's the point of the book?" because the ending felt very anticlimactic and contradictory to what has been established in the story from the beginning
The Goode family is cursed to not ever experience true love because of their Tulip garden which is said to grow magical Tulips every spring that lures the town's people and puts them in an infatuated state. Lark and Archer, the twin siblings are the current residents of the home and the garden after their mom abandons them a few years back and a father who only visits them occasionally. Lark can't wait to get out of the town once she graduates high school.
However, she meets Oak who she feels immediately drawn towards making her delay her plans. However, she is unsure of herself wondering if she will ever know if it is true love or the Tulips. Can she risk her heart and face a possible heart break?can she ever escape the cursed town and the curse that seem to follow her everywhere? Is love worth risking it all or would Lark become everything she was scared of becoming?
I felt a lot of things happen in the book without much context or the explanation and it feels super slow with Lark constantly going in circles about the curse, Oak and how she is unwilling to risk her heart. The chemistry between Lark and Oak felt bland with little to no development, I also thought the sibling relation was weird especially given that they were twins. I was holding on to the hope that the ending might make it all fall into place but it only left me more frustrated. Overall, it wasn't a book for me unfortunately
This sadly did not work for me, while it was a super quick read and the writing per usual is beautiful it really fell flat in other areas. Shea Ernshaw took the inspiration from the Tulip Mania and created a story that has a generational curse at play, a magical Tulip garden, prophecies and a mysterious boy named Oak. I naturally felt drawn to the intriguing premise but I wished it had more, I don't want to sound rude but by the end of the book I kept thinking "but what's the point of the book?" because the ending felt very anticlimactic and contradictory to what has been established in the story from the beginning
The Goode family is cursed to not ever experience true love because of their Tulip garden which is said to grow magical Tulips every spring that lures the town's people and puts them in an infatuated state. Lark and Archer, the twin siblings are the current residents of the home and the garden after their mom abandons them a few years back and a father who only visits them occasionally. Lark can't wait to get out of the town once she graduates high school.
However, she meets Oak who she feels immediately drawn towards making her delay her plans. However, she is unsure of herself wondering if she will ever know if it is true love or the Tulips. Can she risk her heart and face a possible heart break?can she ever escape the cursed town and the curse that seem to follow her everywhere? Is love worth risking it all or would Lark become everything she was scared of becoming?
I felt a lot of things happen in the book without much context or the explanation and it feels super slow with Lark constantly going in circles about the curse, Oak and how she is unwilling to risk her heart. The chemistry between Lark and Oak felt bland with little to no development, I also thought the sibling relation was weird especially given that they were twins. I was holding on to the hope that the ending might make it all fall into place but it only left me more frustrated. Overall, it wasn't a book for me unfortunately
May 22, 2025
Thank you to Shea Ernshaw, NetGalley, and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book!
2.5 stars
Age rating: 13+
Lark Goode has known only one kind of love for the entirety of her life: the false kind.
For decades, her family has been cursed by the tulips growing in their back yard. They cast a spell over everyone that views the Goodes, intoxicating them with simmering, desperate love that matures in the spring. But this love—though irresistible—is false, fleeting, and brings only a brittle despair with it, leaving emptiness when the tulips wilt in the fall.
Unlike her twin brother, Archer, who takes advantage of this unearthly power to woo several village teenagers, Lark wants nothing to do with it. Whenever someone gets close, she pushes them away, discouraging any relationships due to a fear that they will turn into this blind obsession. She sees where it got her mother, and adamantly refuses to follow that path. Instead, she is dead-set on becoming one of the first Goodes to leave the backwards town she calls home for somewhere bigger, away from the tulips, where—hopefully—their curse will no longer haunt her.
However, as graduation nears, she begins to find reasons to stay, and begins second-guessing her original decision. Can a Goode ever escape the clutches of the tulips?
I was very excited about this book, and read it quickly.
The structure of the individual sentences achieved a musical quality only a lover of words can manage. The dialogue flowed; there was no heaviness or awkwardness stunting the enjoyability of this book.
HOWEVER. There was very little plot. I expected this book to center around breaking the curse of the tulips, but it was much more focused around Lark as a person and the relationships she builds/loses along the way. Which was regrettable, due to the fact that none of the characters retained their motivations or goals or, honestly, even their personalities throughout the chapters.
Unfortunately, this focus was so concentrated that the storyline suffered because of it, resulting in massive plot holes. The magic system of the tulips, their influence on others, etc., was remarkably inconsistent, to the point where I couldn’t ignore it. This created a layer of discordance that successfully disrupted the overall flow and prevented me from appreciating the experience to the extent I believe I could have otherwise.
The ending was also anticlimactic and disappointing, but I won’t go into that too much, as I don’t want to spoil anything before this book is even released.
If you’re looking to read this book, look at it as more of a palate cleanser than anything serious.
That said, I would still read another of Ernshaw’s books without hesitation. The writing, itself, was by far the strongest point. Just for that, I would be willing to invest my time in another of her works.
Happy reading!
2.5 stars
Age rating: 13+
Lark Goode has known only one kind of love for the entirety of her life: the false kind.
For decades, her family has been cursed by the tulips growing in their back yard. They cast a spell over everyone that views the Goodes, intoxicating them with simmering, desperate love that matures in the spring. But this love—though irresistible—is false, fleeting, and brings only a brittle despair with it, leaving emptiness when the tulips wilt in the fall.
Unlike her twin brother, Archer, who takes advantage of this unearthly power to woo several village teenagers, Lark wants nothing to do with it. Whenever someone gets close, she pushes them away, discouraging any relationships due to a fear that they will turn into this blind obsession. She sees where it got her mother, and adamantly refuses to follow that path. Instead, she is dead-set on becoming one of the first Goodes to leave the backwards town she calls home for somewhere bigger, away from the tulips, where—hopefully—their curse will no longer haunt her.
However, as graduation nears, she begins to find reasons to stay, and begins second-guessing her original decision. Can a Goode ever escape the clutches of the tulips?
I was very excited about this book, and read it quickly.
The structure of the individual sentences achieved a musical quality only a lover of words can manage. The dialogue flowed; there was no heaviness or awkwardness stunting the enjoyability of this book.
HOWEVER. There was very little plot. I expected this book to center around breaking the curse of the tulips, but it was much more focused around Lark as a person and the relationships she builds/loses along the way. Which was regrettable, due to the fact that none of the characters retained their motivations or goals or, honestly, even their personalities throughout the chapters.
Unfortunately, this focus was so concentrated that the storyline suffered because of it, resulting in massive plot holes. The magic system of the tulips, their influence on others, etc., was remarkably inconsistent, to the point where I couldn’t ignore it. This created a layer of discordance that successfully disrupted the overall flow and prevented me from appreciating the experience to the extent I believe I could have otherwise.
The ending was also anticlimactic and disappointing, but I won’t go into that too much, as I don’t want to spoil anything before this book is even released.
If you’re looking to read this book, look at it as more of a palate cleanser than anything serious.
That said, I would still read another of Ernshaw’s books without hesitation. The writing, itself, was by far the strongest point. Just for that, I would be willing to invest my time in another of her works.
Happy reading!
June 9, 2025
i didn’t know what to expect going into this, but somehow this book utterly enthralled me. it’s quiet, slow, and more introspective than plot-driven, which normally wouldn’t be my thing, but something about it just worked. it’s haunting and soft, yet it hit me so deeply i was left a little stunned. if you’re looking for action or twists, this isn’t that kind of book, but if you’re open to something more atmospheric and emotional, it’s unforgettable. i highly recommend going into this blind!
there’s an overwhelming sense of melancholy woven through every page, but not in a heavy or depressing way. it’s a tender kind of sadness, one that wraps around you gently and lingers. the themes of grief, first love, and memory are handled with such subtlety. the prose is beautiful. there’s a quiet magic to ernshaw’s writing, the kind you find in quiet moments or old photographs. it’s soft, but it stays with you.
honestly, i think i read this at the exact moment i needed it. it’s the perfect palate cleanser, and it’s incredibly bingeable. i ended up devouring it in one sitting.
there’s a stillness to this story that made me slow down and just feel. i can’t fully explain what it was that reached into my chest and pulled something loose, but i know that by the end, i was both heartbroken and grateful. it’s not a book for everyone, and i can imagine some readers feeling like it was repetitive or nothing really happened. but for me, it was beautiful in its quiet way. if you’ve ever needed a story to sit with you in your sadness and remind you that there is still magic in the stillness, the beautiful maddening might be exactly what you’re looking for.
there’s an overwhelming sense of melancholy woven through every page, but not in a heavy or depressing way. it’s a tender kind of sadness, one that wraps around you gently and lingers. the themes of grief, first love, and memory are handled with such subtlety. the prose is beautiful. there’s a quiet magic to ernshaw’s writing, the kind you find in quiet moments or old photographs. it’s soft, but it stays with you.
honestly, i think i read this at the exact moment i needed it. it’s the perfect palate cleanser, and it’s incredibly bingeable. i ended up devouring it in one sitting.
there’s a stillness to this story that made me slow down and just feel. i can’t fully explain what it was that reached into my chest and pulled something loose, but i know that by the end, i was both heartbroken and grateful. it’s not a book for everyone, and i can imagine some readers feeling like it was repetitive or nothing really happened. but for me, it was beautiful in its quiet way. if you’ve ever needed a story to sit with you in your sadness and remind you that there is still magic in the stillness, the beautiful maddening might be exactly what you’re looking for.
September 8, 2025
Un pueblo donde los secretos florecen igual que los tulipanes.
Una familia marcada por una maldición que convierte el amor en condena.
Y una chica que solo quiere huir… hasta que alguien no se enamora de ella.
Lark Goode ha crecido con la certeza de que nadie la quiere por lo que es, sino por lo que su apellido arrastra. Pero un verano, alguien aparece. Alguien inmune a la maldición. Y entonces, todo cambia, a ella le causa intriga ese chico misterioso que no reacciona como el resto de gente.
Entre jardines hechizados, promesas rotas y un amor que podría ser real, Lark tendrá que elegir entre quedarse atrapada en su historia… o escribir una nueva.
Una historia con estética gótica, realismo mágico y una pregunta que flota hasta la última página:
¿Puedes confiar realmente en lo que parece ser amor?
·
Esta historia promete una trama original, una historia adictiva con muchos puntos a destacar, Tanto Lark como su hermano llevan una vida distinta a cualquier adolescente de su edad y su pasado y todo lo que rodea la maldición me pareció muy interesante.
Deseaba enamorarme de esta historia tanto como los vecinos de ese pequeño pueblo lo hacen de los Goode, pero no ha sido así.
Conforme avanzaba la historia me costaba avanzar ya que empieza a hacerse un poco cuesta arriba, las dudas de Lark también me causaban confusión en algunos momentos.
Y ver como reaccionaban los vecinos en ocasiones no llegaba a entenderlo del todo. En mi opinión me habría gustado ver más sobre el misterio y el pasado de la maldición que sobre el propio romance, que tampoco era tan destacable para mí como por ejemplo la relación de los hermanos.
Tengo que decir que la ambientación sí me enamoró, el tema de los tulipanes, la casa antigua junto al rio... me pareció todo perfecto para esta historia.
Otro punto positivo es como nos habla del deseo de ser libre. Te la recomiendo si buscas un día de lectura sin exigencias, dejándote envolver por la ambientación y con una trama diferente.
Una familia marcada por una maldición que convierte el amor en condena.
Y una chica que solo quiere huir… hasta que alguien no se enamora de ella.
Lark Goode ha crecido con la certeza de que nadie la quiere por lo que es, sino por lo que su apellido arrastra. Pero un verano, alguien aparece. Alguien inmune a la maldición. Y entonces, todo cambia, a ella le causa intriga ese chico misterioso que no reacciona como el resto de gente.
Entre jardines hechizados, promesas rotas y un amor que podría ser real, Lark tendrá que elegir entre quedarse atrapada en su historia… o escribir una nueva.
Una historia con estética gótica, realismo mágico y una pregunta que flota hasta la última página:
¿Puedes confiar realmente en lo que parece ser amor?
·
Esta historia promete una trama original, una historia adictiva con muchos puntos a destacar, Tanto Lark como su hermano llevan una vida distinta a cualquier adolescente de su edad y su pasado y todo lo que rodea la maldición me pareció muy interesante.
Deseaba enamorarme de esta historia tanto como los vecinos de ese pequeño pueblo lo hacen de los Goode, pero no ha sido así.
Conforme avanzaba la historia me costaba avanzar ya que empieza a hacerse un poco cuesta arriba, las dudas de Lark también me causaban confusión en algunos momentos.
Y ver como reaccionaban los vecinos en ocasiones no llegaba a entenderlo del todo. En mi opinión me habría gustado ver más sobre el misterio y el pasado de la maldición que sobre el propio romance, que tampoco era tan destacable para mí como por ejemplo la relación de los hermanos.
Tengo que decir que la ambientación sí me enamoró, el tema de los tulipanes, la casa antigua junto al rio... me pareció todo perfecto para esta historia.
Otro punto positivo es como nos habla del deseo de ser libre. Te la recomiendo si buscas un día de lectura sin exigencias, dejándote envolver por la ambientación y con una trama diferente.
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