Lark Goode lives in a small town with her twin brother Archer Goode. They are part of the cursed Goode family, passed down by generations all because of a Tulip. These tulips cause " love or lust " they make you go crazy , believe things that aren't true and cause damage. Only during Tulip season does this happen, and it's up to Lark and Archer to keep the tulips safe and out of the hands of other people. Lark and Archer are feared and mesmerizing to the people of this little town.



Lark and Archer have been abandoned by both parents and live alone. Their mother left when they were little and we don't hear much about her in the beginning of the story, and their father works away from home. I have a lot of feelings about this especially since they are kids, what kind of mom abandons her kids. We find out that their mother used a tulip to entice their dad, he didn't really Lover her, only thought he did. Thats what the tulips do , but why did he leave , why not stay to take care of the kids ? He will send them money and give them things, but again kids , living alone .

So we essentially have these kids from the town and high school stealing petals from the tulips, it becomes a craze. They are fighting over them , fighting each other and one day at school Lark gets trampled on and notices a boy standing far away watching the whole thing. But the he walks away.
No one walks away when there are tulips involved , so this ,to Lark is a mystery.

She starts seeing this boy around town, and one day they talk. He confesses his name is Oak and he knows of her. They start to have these secret meetings, where they talk about things in their life. Lark is confused because " why is he not falling head over heels in love with her" . Most people act crazy , but he seems to be able to walk away, leave whenever he wants and genuinely doesn't seem to be in Love/ lust with her.

She tells Oak she is leaving the small town after graduation, that even with her twin brother, there is nothing left for her. Thats her plan, but then things change . Oak gives her a book, they spend more tine together, he seems to want to protect her and cares for her. Nothing like being possessed by a tulip. But then one night while at Oaks house , Lark stumbles upon a picture of her mom and Oaks dad. She finds out the horrible truth that her mom had convinced Oaks dad to run away with her, that Oak has also been alone for such long time.

Upon hearing this Lark is devastated and says she's leaving that night, but things change and they make up . BUT , then she notices tucked between the pages of the book Oak is reading , a small tulip petal. She comes to the realization that Oak may not have been in love with her, that the curse had them the whole time. She feels just crushes and leaves that night.

Lark finds a small room for rent in a little town and often thinks of Oak . She's missing him and wonders if he misses her too. But one day Oak comes to find her. You , as a reader think that it really was love and that everything worked out as it should. BUT THEN..
*MAJOR SPOILERS HERE *


we find out that Lark has kept a tulip petal in her pocket. That she's is madly obsessed/ in love with Oak, to the point that she can't risk losing him. Her biggest fear in life is being unloved. I just wonder if come the end of tulip season, Oak will feel the same way .



When I tell you I was shocked by the ending, I mean I was SHOCKED. I just assumed it was going to be love, because Lark deserved some good in her life . It's been pretty bad so far. But no, she had to go and pull the rug from under our feet and now I feel sad and betrayed . Did I love the book " Absolutely . Will I read it again ? Definitely. Will I recommend Sheas books in the future ? Always.
But I think I need to take some time to process that ending. Am I being a little dramatic ? probably. But this is the thing with Shea's book. Her writing captivates you. It makes you FEEL . I was happy, sad, giddy and all of these emotions while reading TBM. Then bam, betrayal . And that is why this book get 5 stars.

Well done.

3.5 stars rounded down

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Beautiful Maddening tells the story of Lark Goode, born to a family followed by cursed tulips that make people fall in love with them. One day when many of these flowers are stolen, the curse begins to spread a certain madness around the town of Cutwater.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. Up until one moment late in the book, I was absolutely in love. The way the story tackled topics like fate, fear, belonging, grief, and love was incredible. I found myself lost in the words of this book, never wanting it to end. But as I reached the inevitable end, the story started to go in a direction that wasn't as enjoyable for me.

I'll start with the good things. One thing I always love in any book is description and pretty prose. I know a lot of people don't like a lot of description in their books, but I can never get enough of it. Fantasy books can always keep me gripped with several pages of non-stop description. It pulls me into the world and gives me a more vivid imagination as I flip through the pages. This book had the most stunning prose and I wanted to read it forever.

I also found the nature-based magic system to be addictive to follow. The way the plants and land in this story were utilized to create that perfect whimsical feeling is something I'll never get over. It's books like this that make magic feel real.

The twin dynamic was interesting as well, but I wish we had gotten just a little bit more of it. I feel like there was plenty of time to dive into Lark and Archer's relationship more.

As for the elements of the story I didn't like, I'll start with where it first started going downhill for me. Fairly late into the book, there's a big plot twist between the main characters that just did not work for me. Out of all the answers we could've gotten for this specific question, I feel like this was one of the less enjoyable ones. The direction the relationship went on after this point was what really knocked the rating down for me. I can't say much more than this for the sake of not spoiling one of the biggest moments of the book.

The other big thing was the ending. After everything we had gone through and everything we had learned about the characters, it just felt all wrong. The story seemed to be building up to something completely different, and I really wish it had been. The last couple chapters felt like a different story with much different characters. It's definitely not the worst ending this book could've had, but it wasn't the best either.

For me, The Beautiful Maddening is a stunning start to a story with an ending that doesn't quite work. I know some people enjoy the ending of the book, and I'm sure even more will in the future, but it felt so out of place for the way I understood the characters and their stories. Even though the end fell flat for me, this is still a book I think is worth giving a try if you like YA contemporary fantasy with romance, nature-based magic, and gorgeous prose.

Review on Goodreads (sophreadingbooks https://www.goodreads.com/sophreadingbooks) expected of 6/7/2025
Review on Instagram (sophiesreading https://www.instagram.com/sophiesreading/) expected 6/7/2025

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family's love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.

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."

Damn, that cover is art!

2.5 Stars. Sigh. I am so bummed. I was SO excited for this one. So excited, in fact that I requested the arc on Netgalley. Something I haven't done for a few years now. I was delighted to find my request approved just in time for my Flower Themed Readathon in April. This story is about magical tulips that put a curse on our main character so that people fall in love with her and her brother when they are in bloom......but also when they are not? The magic was very confusing and contradictory in different places at various times. This story was more about the characters and the romance, but we also didn't get a lot of background on the characters or a reason to bond with them. Our MC was constantly wallowing about her situation and not really doing anything about it. The plot was slow and I thought at first it was because I don't really love reading ebooks, but my other friend felt the same way. I feel terrible since I'm grateful to have received the arc and rarely give out 2 stars. But I want to be honest and unfortunately, this felt more like a contemporary with bits of odd magic and incredibly angsty teens , which didn't work well for me.

‘From #1 New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw comes a haunting romantic contemporary fantasy about a teen navigating her family’s love curse that blooms with their enchanted tulips every year.’

I would read Ernshaw’s to-do list. And this was no exception. Love is heady, dangerous, needy and necessary. I’m left with nothing but chills.

Dig in.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for this arc in exchange for review!

Pub: 6.3.2025.

I'm a sucker for anything gothic! So this was right up my alley. I want to ensure I don't spoil anything, but the storyline was well written. I enjoyed watching our main character try to grapple with the curse. I loved the tension and mystery elements of the story. I wish we got more world-building, especially with the magic, but I still had a great time with this. If you're into gothic mystery vibes, you'll have a fun time with this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Tragic tale of a family that seems blessed but is actually cursed. The story revolves around teen twins left to fend for themselves in a town that excludes them. Lark has dreams of escaping from this small town, while Archer plans to stay and capitalize on the family curse. When the family curse infiltrates the townspeople, their plans are ruined. The story is sad, but hope blooms like the tulips. Oak is a stranger that enters Lark's life at this critical time, and he is a wildcard. I like the way Lark's hopes are expressed as she shares her dreams and frustrations with Oak. The story probably is a fable with life lessons, but I found the tale to be magical and about not trusting destiny or fate. There is a lot of negativity in this book, in the way the other teens treat the twins, the way the town ostracizes them, and the way their family land is desecrated. I am ambivalent about the ending, especially as it pertains to Archer and Lark. Still, I give a thank you to NetGalley for granting me an ARC of this book; I found it to be equal parts somber and hopeful, but with the warmth of Springtime and friends that 'get you.'

I'm usually a big fan of Shea Ernshaw. I think this is the first book I was not a fan of, but I'm still glad I read it.

The beginning of the book set up the atmosphere, a mystery, and even created a tension that I had hoped would turn into an interesting relationship. The writing was beautiful;, and drew me into the story, and while I didn't enjoy the second half of the book I still couldn't put it down. Overall, I wished we got more magic, more history about the tulips, and the folklore. Also, in what world can adults just leave their minor children and nobody gets into trouble? This part really was odd to me. The story was a bit depressing. I would have liked some moments of happiness or something to detract from the overall depression of the characters and the state of their lives. The ending was clever, but not totally satisfying.

The Beautiful Maddenning, a young adult novel by NYT bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, starts out a bit hauntingly.

And within a few chapters it feels more like a horror novel.

The Goode Twins are just the latest of many generations of their family cursed by...tulips. Yup, tulips!

Lark just isn't having it. She does her best to stay away from the people in their community and she wants to skip town pronto. But her brother is all about taking advantage of everyone affected by the love curse...

#thebeautifulmaddening
#SheaErnshaw #Fiction #youngadult #curse #haunting #contemporary #Romance @simonandschuster

as reviews are to be held until within a month of publishing I will come back later to share links

I was very excited to read a gothic YA fantasy and really enjoyed The Beautiful Maddening. I particularly enjoyed Lark's character and feel like she will resonate with a good number of my students. I loved the premise of the cursed tulip blooms and the chaos that ensues when they are stolen. A good mix of mystery, intrigue, and romance!

This novel was maddening. I dont know if it was beautiful. But it was a good read. These characters need some help. It lead to entertainment though and thats what matters.

unfortunately, this book is a perfect example of prose that is MUCH too flowery. i am all for elaborate writing, but i like it in moderation. every sentence doesn’t have to be overly descriptive!! it’s okay to have a boring sentence or five per page!! while we are at it, let’s stop name dropping specific songs in books. it is not necessary to the story.

The Beautiful Maddening centers around Lark Goode, decedent of the Goode Family Curse. Each spring, fated tulips bloom that enthrall and deceive the townspeople into falling in love with the Goode Twins. When a local high school student steals a tulip, the people lose their minds and chaos ensues. Lark, determined to leave her home and never return meets Oak - a boy from a neighboring town that doesn't seem to be effected by the power of the cursed tulips.

I loved Shea Ernshaw's A History of Wild Places, but her Teen/YA novels fall short for me. Teen Romance isn't my normal genre, but I try to read one or two a year. The incessant navel-gazing (she's 18) of the protagonist kept me from enjoying this story. We get no character development and a classically rushed "18 year olds summer romance" trope that does not pop off; but then again - I was telling a boy I loved him after a couple of make out sessions in high school, so I shouldn't judge too much. We are also quickly introduced to the fact that Lark and her twin brother, Archer, have been abandoned by both their living parents, which is not sufficiently dealt with.

Overall, I was entertained and this is a clean Teen/YA Romance, but I felt it lacked depth and heart and did not address some of the larger elephants in the room. I think this could have been YA without the romance in a beautiful story of betrayal and familial love.


Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published June 3, 2025.

I typically really enjoy Shea Ernshaw's books, but this one was just not for me. It felt slow, repetitive, juvenile, and without substance. The writing itself was beautiful, and while I marveled a bit at how Ernshaw could describe so poetically Lark's sudden (and baseless) obsession with a boy she'd seen a couple of times and barely exchanged words with, the reality of the fact that Lark was completely and overwhelmingly obsessed with this boy kept making me want to roll my eyes. It didn't' feel like the behavior of a high school student about to graduate--albeit a sheltered and friendless one--it felt like something a 13-year-old would do. About the eighth time I found myself skimming over the (remarkably beautifully written but) boring and honestly repetitive descriptions of how Lark felt about "The Boy," as well as how he looked, how he moved, her reactions to him...etc, I realized I was kind of fed up with her behavior. This, combined with how extremely slow the pacing was, contributed to the fact that I just did not care--which I'll admit made me sad. I think this should have--and could have--been a magical and poetic tale with a soft-focus fable-like quality. But it didn't land with me. I just felt like I was trying to watch something happen through fogged-up glass, and I kept having to blink real hard, squint, and continually rub distracting condensation off the glass to try to focus and make sense of what was happening. There were too many repetitive sequences, too many passages with flowery (I'm sorry to say it) overly dramatic prose, and not enough action, or interaction between characters. Some very tight editing probably would have done this story a world of good. If you like misty stories that feel like they are lost in the fog of folklore, you may really enjoy this story. But I did not. I am still willing to read more from this author, but this book was a miss for me.

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There was something so magical and fun about this book that made me want to keep reading, I think some of the male characters could use another editing go around to round out their characters because Lark's voice was so strong.

Excellently developed characters and an interesting premise for a story. It was well written, but I found some choices abrupt and frustrating. I would recommend it, but not necessarily wholeheartedly.

Great story but only one issue with it. The names were slightly ridiculous and it took away from my enjoyment of the book. Oak? Yikes. At least Lark was semi-reasonable. Apart from that, it was a great story that left me wanting more. The plot was interesting and felt fresh. I wonder what happens next. A sequel, perhaps? I’d love to read it if the names aren’t too silly.

Thanks to Simon Teen for the gifted copy!

"Love has always been a lie for us."

About the book: The Goode family has been cursed for generations by their tulip field -- snow white & red flowers that make everyone in their small town of Cutwater fall in love with them when they bloom in a period of madness. 17-year-old Lark Goode just wants to escape her family name and have a chance at freedom and real love.

My review: I always love Shea's books - her writing is so lyrical and beautiful that it just sucks me right in. THE BEAUTIFUL MADDENING is exactly what I would expect from Shea - magic with a sense of tragedy, yearning of young love, and earthy, atmospheric vibes. Lark Goode is no witch -- she's just cursed by the tulips, and struggling to leave her small town when she meets a boy who might make her want to stay. Walking alongside Lark as she wonders if she can trust her heart or if she needs to put up walls due to the tulip madness was a lovely journey descending into the madness, too.

"Perhaps this is just what love is: a thing meant for fools. For anyone brave enough to slip into its madness."