Be Happy I Am Mad

by Dakota Warren

A blistering tale of sapphic obsession and an extreme first love set in 1960s Australia.

Aspiring artist Lilith has been dragged to her father’s homeland of Australia, a place in which she never feels at home, following a scandal she refuses to talk about. Her one saving grace amidst the oppressive heat and the tight grip of her mother is her dearest friend, Mona. Lilith is captivated by Mona at first sight, her fixation manifesting itself in unending, feverish reproductions of da Vinci’s most famous work as she paints her muse again and again. But when Lilith’s past begins to interfere with her present and captivation starts to feel like captivity, can Lilith and Mona survive the sharpest edges of a love that Lilith would rather kill than let go of?

A visceral and discomfiting debut of obsession, possession, and the extremes of how a first love can shape—or mangle—our lives, Be Happy I Am Mad is a romantic, gothic fever dream from a major talent and blazing new voice.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Adult, Queer, LGBT, Romance, Fiction, Literary Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 6, 2027

Reviews

[angelinabvby ۶ৎ]

ragel we need to rage read this

[eris · Rating 3 out of 5]

very evident that this is a debut novel - the prose leaves no question with its indulgence and desire to over-explain (trust your reader, i shout from the crevice of the page!) - but the same indulgence pulls you into its current, especially towards the second half of the novel.

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5! thank you to Simon & Schuster for the arc! it felt like fate that this book came into my inbox. I love it. it’s fantastically lush with a dark edge of foreboding. it’s honest. it’s unique. and it’s very much my taste. so happy to have read it and will continue to read Warren’s work!

[Emily Pencil · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was dark, twisted, and manic. This is not a love story, this a love haunting. Lilith is overwhelmingly infatuated with her best friend Mona, and then the story spirals like a twister. The beginning of the book the two are dancing around each other, just waiting to see if something will happen. And then all hell breaks loose, and Lilith becomes Mona’s worst nightmare. At moments while reading this I felt like I was getting vertigo. The way Warren writes some passages, you really slip into the deep, creepy thought spiral with Lilith. If you want to read about chaotic queer women doing messed up things, then this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. A darkly fun debut from Dakota Warren. After a few pages I was prepared not to like this. Immediately felt like it was just very indulgent writing that I wasn't going to be interested in. But I actually got used to it quickly and started enjoying the way any overdone writing felt like it emphasized Lilith's obsession and downward spiral. You know pretty quickly that Lilith and Mona's friendship is not healthy but the ways it plays out are wild, creepy, and entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be Happy I am Mad by Dakota Warren read like interconnected poetry. The descriptions of love, infatuation, obsession were vivid and raw. This novel captivated me with both the writing and the story- if you enjoy a book that in some ways indulges in description as though there is longing for not only other characters but longing for atmosphere as well then you will thoroughly enjoy this one! Thank you to NetGalley as well as Simon and Schuster for the ARC!