This is not just one of the best YA fantasy books of 2025, it’s going on my all-time favorites list—it blew my mind, especially with its breathtaking epic ending! Love can be madness, and the pain of grief feels like shards of glass lodged in your lungs, leaving you bleeding each time you're stuck in memories. I fell in love with this dark, gothic, and disturbingly beautiful love story.

The story centers on Rose Pauly, an aspiring artist who moves from New York to a small town in Connecticut with her father, following her parents’ divorce. She’s not thrilled to start her senior year in an unfamiliar place, but on her first day, she meets a charming, mysterious boy named Hart at a gas station, despite their initial encounter leaving her shirt soaked in cherry soda. Hart quickly invites her to a party, where she meets Lowell, who becomes her best friend, and his sister, Heather, the queen bee who oddly warns Rose to leave the event.

Hart later invites Rose and Lowell to the exclusive solstice garden party at the Hargrove mansion, a lavish estate surrounded by beautiful, almost otherworldly gardens. As Rose is drawn to Hart, who is also grieving his late mother, their connection deepens despite their different backgrounds. Meanwhile, Heather struggles with depression and substance abuse, withdrawing further into her own darkness.

When Rose starts to suspect something sinister about Hemlock Hill and the forbidden garden that Hart tries to keep her away from, she realizes the twins are hiding dangerous secrets that could change everything. Her love story might not be the fairytale she imagined, but rather a chilling nightmare waiting to unfold.

I won’t spoil any more, but this book is a smart, twisty puzzle that masterfully explores themes of love, grief, greed, power, and the consequences of our wishes. It’s a hidden gem deserving to be fully appreciated, and I’m giving it a well-earned five stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group / Henry Holt and Co. for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.