THE BEAUTIFUL MADDENING, by Shea Ernshaw, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, June 3, 2025, Hardcover, $19.99 (young adult, ages 14 and up)
A teen tries to navigate her family’s love curse that comes when the tulips bloom in The Beautiful Maddening, a romantic contemporary fantasy by Shea Ernshaw.
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. —Synopsis provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
The Beautiful Maddening is a contemporary Gothic read that is heavy on the atmosphere. Author Shea Ernshaw expertly crafts the settings, especially the Goode house and garden. That’s where Ernshaw shines.
The idea behind the story is compelling, too. But it’s all a bit lackluster. All the pieces seem like they would work, but the pacing drags in places.
The Beautiful Maddening is an introspective read that doesn’t have a whole lot of action. It definitely won’t appeal to everyone. I suggest checking it out from the library prior to purchasing to see if it’s a good fit.
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