Godly Moldavsky is my ultimate auto-buy author, because even when she’s doing something that is theoretically outside of my area of interest as reader, it still turns out to be a brilliant book.

This is billed as a dark romance of sorts, and while thats not at all technically wrong, this story is a lot more than that, and cemented my viewpoint that whatever Moldavsky does will hit for me.

This is such an outstanding slow burn, delightfully creepy and menacing without being outright scary until the story’s climax, and the atmosphere is exceptional.

The best atmospheric writers don’t *just* paint a pretty picture, they fuse the atmosphere into the story, and this book is an excellent example of how well that can work in a novel when done right. I’m a sucker for a creepy garden pretty much any time, but this was one was not just well-rendered in terms of sense of place, but beautifully and menacingly woven into the story.

It takes a long time for the reader to figure out what’s really going on with Hart and Rose, and there’s a pretty big jolt in the middle of the book involving a narrator switch that really knocks you off your feet. And even after that, there is still a lot of story yet to unfold.

I love the theme of rot in fiction, and this is an excellent offering in that regard. I also love novels that explore the idea that magic has a cost, and this one really does a good job of showing the consequences of that.

In all, this clever and original and one of the best uses of setting I’ve seen recently. Can’t wait for whatever Moldavsky offers us next.

really enjoyed this book and the journey of the main character and all that they went through. It kept me on my toes and what would happen in the story.

The perfection of this gothic romance!!!!!! The storyline had me hooked from page one with so many twists and turns!!! And that ending left a whole in my heart!!!! Loved this story so much definitely going to read more by this author!!!

Of Earthly Delights is a YA gothic romance that drew me in by the cover. This is about a dark family secrets, a garden that's mysterious, love that won't die and more. The author did a good job writing this one and every character in it was interesting. I enjoyed the gothic element of this book a lot and the fantasy aspect of the book was interesting. Overall, this is one that I enjoyed reading and would recommend to any young adults or readers who like gothic romance. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this one in exchange of my honest review of Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky.

This was very, very different from Goldy Moldavsky's other work, but not in a bad way. From almost the beginning of the story you can tell that something is "off" but honestly I did not figure out the twist until being told what it was, which rarely happens for me unless it's a deus maxima situation that comes out of nowhere — and that wasn't the case here. Extremely good writing as I've come to expect from the author, as well as the ending that isn't exactly a cliffhanger in any real way, but also doesn't wrap up neatly.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

I read as much as I could, but I just couldn't get into this story. I saw other reviews that make me think continuing is worth it, but I just couldn't. There was nothing happening in the first 41% that drew my attention to finishing it.

I wanted to like this, I really did, but I just couldn't get into it.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚Rating*ੈ✩‧₊˚
2/5 Stars

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗Tropes˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗
🌿Insta Crush/Love
🌸 Enchanted Garden
🌿 Hedge Maze
🌸 Dual Pov


𓂃🖊Notes and Highlights-

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･”’In every version of my future,’ Hart said, ‘you’re in it.’”°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

💭 Thoughts-

-ˋˏ✄┈┈The plot and overall book was feeling very rushed throughout the book.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈I felt like it needed a lot more depth to both the characters and the world because I was left without really knowing about them or the world as much as I would have wanted to.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈I defifently did not like also how it went from oh my gosh youre a fricken stranger to oh my gosh I love you. I do get that months where technically passing but it would not tell us that a bunch so it just made the whole thing feel very weird and off.

Now Playing:

⊹ ࣪ ˖A Thousand Years By Christina Perri˖࣪ ⊹
0:01 ❍─────── 4:28
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺
Volume: ▁▂▃ 25%

Of Earthly Delights is a YA romance with fantasy elements. To get into them would be to spoil the whole book, so I won't. It is ultimately a love story between a city girl named Rose and wealthy gardener, Hart, that blooms the summer before their senior year after a wave of loss and grief hits them both. It is tragic and has enough of a nod to The Secret Garden to be worth mentioning. The prose is lyrical, often beautiful, but there's a heavy handedness to the story telling that gives away the main mystery conflict a bit too soon, making it feel anticlimactic. The verb tense often reflects fast-forwarding through time, which results unfortunately in more telling than showing when the showing is really where the writing sings. This is a fast read, but the vibe is unsettling, and overall this was not for me. I think it would most appeal to the teen romance crowd, and the writing is strong enough to merit recommending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for this ARC!

ate and left no crumbs, can’t wait till i can get my hands on a physical copy. Goldy Moldavsky knew what they were doing when the wrote this.

This book gave heavy Crimson Peak vibes and I loved it. Hart and Rose have a wonderfully unique relationship that is admittedly toxic but in the best way. The book starts off a bit slow, but around half way through really began picking up. I didn't mind the slow start if only because the vibes were still there, but if you prefer quick to action stories you may need to force yourself to hang in there.
So many aspects of this story kept me on the edge of my seat and eager for more, and unfortunately was written in a way where I'm not entirely sure how to review it without completely spoiling so much of the foreshadowing and important events. Despite all the positive things I want to say about this book I really wasn't a fan of how some parts of character and/or relationship development was summarized rather than shown or more included with the stoty.

4.5 Stars

This book was refreshing and truly a work of gothic romance and horror. Take The Secret Garden and mix it with Crimson Peak and you have Of Earthly Delights. There is a bit of magic, loads of disturbing moments, terrible family secrets, and what it means to truly love someone. If your toxic trait is being loved by someone whose toxic trait is destroying the world for the love they have, well buckle up for Hart and Rose.

I was so intrigued by the plot and premise of this novel. As I read, I had a feeling that there was going t be a huge twist... but I was not expecting what actually happened!

Until I got to the 60% mark, I was hoping that the novel would move a bit faster... but once I hit the big reveal I realized the pacing was worth it. The second half of the book was WILD and the ending was so appropriate.

I could not put this book down. I absolutely loved the writing style and characters. Rose and Hart’s love story is beautiful and tragic, and I’ll be thinking about this story for a long time.

I’ve read a few other books by this author and I enjoyed them very much. This one was no different. I tend to shy away from YA fantasy but I’m glad that I read this one.

It had fantasy mixed with some romance and it definitely kept me engaged and wanting to know how th story was going to end. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives. I think this allowed the reader to really get into the minds of the characters.

I have always found myself enjoying Moldavsky's work even if it's not directly up my typical alley, and Of Earthly Delights definitely continued that pattern. The mysterious garden vibes mixed with an obsessive love story had me engaged throughout and I really enjoyed my time with this one. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group for my early copy!

Rating: 4.5 ✨

Thank you Netgalley, Goldy Moldavsky, and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Henry Holt and Co for allowing me to read Of Earthy Delights in exchange for a honest review. This was a great, gut-wrenching, sad story about true love and grief. I definitely had a tear forming by the end of the book. I recommend this book if you like:
-darkly family secrets
-a mystery garden
-a love that never dies

This book was a journey that kept me guessing and feeling like I was on the brink of figuring everything out, but then continuously giving me twist after twist and keeping me on my toes. I absolutely loved every minute of it and it is such a good gothic upper YA. It was dark and brooding and romantic and heart wrenching. The subject of grief was done so well, I felt so much for the twins and what they both went through. It's difficult to discuss it without giving away spoilers. The only thing that would have made it so much better is if we pushed into the adult genre to make it a little more unhinged lol Anyway, I love Goldy's books, and this may be one of my favorites she's written! So happy to have read it.

a story of obsessive love and a garden that's more than a few pretty plants than meets the eye. i was hooked from the first page and was never able to tell what turn the story would take. the characters were interesting to read about and i enjoyed learning more about the garden and the character's connection to it. the story explores how far one is willing to go for love, even if it means destroying themselves. a really fun read!

DNFed at 30%. I was hopeful for this one because I did enjoy the setup and vibes, but then once I was settling into the story it started skipping large sections of relationship and plot development by just summarizing in a few lines. I did skip ahead to read the ending and understand why it was written that way, but it was not gripping for me to read summaries, so I put it down.

2.75 stars

I ended up enjoying the twist in this book, but I felt pretty disconnected from the characters. The setup was intriguing but something about the pacing or the emotional depth just didn’t quite do it for me. Once the plot picked up and the family mystery came to light, I got a lot more invested. I liked the atmosphere and the concept overall, but I think I wanted a bit more!