The tale of heartbreak and love is as old as time, however the author wove an updated, suspenseful tale to interested readers. The story revolves around a small town girl, who is a senior in high school. This girl feels invisible, but also cursed. Her life has been impacted with a generational “curse.” She struggles to find her way out the town, the curse, and whether or not she will feel love without the curse. There is some supernatural, fairy-tale vibes to the book, but it is written with a more realistic perspective and introspection of what is important in life. This book would be suitable for ages/maturity of 8th grade and older.

I’ve read a lot of Shea Ernshaw’s books and this one also didn’t disappoint! I felt it was a little repetitive in parts but I think the author really knows how to use words magically! I really enjoyed this story and the characters! Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

A field of flowers controls how other people in town feel about the twins. One twin never wants to leave and the other can’t wait to be free.
This book starts out slow but it’s worth the read once it picks up.

Content Warning: parental neglect, trespassing, flood

+ This is a really interesting book that starts off with two teens who are twins, Archer and Lark. They live in a very small town and their family name is cursed because of the tulips that grow in their yard. Yes, magical tulips. Apparently the tulips have so much pheromone that anyone who is carrying the tulip will have people fall in love with them. It’s why Archer can get the girls he wants, it’s how he survives. It’s why Lark wants to leave the town and never look back because how can she tell how really loves her if the tulip draws people to her?

+ Lark meets a boy, Oak, who claims he is from another town over, and that the tulips don’t affect him. During Spring when the tulips are in bloom, the town is in a frenzy. The romance between Lark and Oak is insta-love and heavy but written beautifully because who isn’t scared and vulnerable when falling in love? The author captures all of it – the feelings, fear, not being sure, the questions, the push and pull, the running away, and the wanting. Questioning love was the whole point of the story. We see Lark and her aversion to love because how her parents left them. And with her romance with Oak, she doesn’t know if it’s the tulips or if it’s real. And is it love or obsession?

~ If you don’t like insta-love and angst you might not like this. It actually triggered memories of my first real heartbreak when I was young, but in a good way since I can look back without any bad feelings. So in essence, this story did it’s job in capturing young love and heartbreak and questioning what love is. I mean, who knows what it is in your teen years. But everyone at that age thinks they know.

~ The parents were just non-existent in this book. They left these kids to fend for themselves! Who does that? Addictive tulips or not…talk about parental neglect.

~ I would have loved to get more information about the family curse, and where it originates. Also the ending is an interesting choice for sure!

Final Thoughts:

Oh to be young and in love dealing with all the unknowns, fears and obsession. It’s not fun when you aren’t sure it’s reciprocated and to make matters worse, you add magic, potent tulips that enhances the feelings? Sounds like madness. I think the young adults will enjoy this one. It was a bit too dramatic for me, but I did love how the author captured the madness of falling in love.

What is love if not madness?

Set in the town of Cutwater, where the Goode family's tulips bloom with an intoxicating magic each spring, creating an alluring, dangerous atmosphere to anyone who draws too close. Archer welcomes the attention and gifts that the tulips bring, his sister Lark dreads the season. She anxiously awaits for its end, but when the tulips are stolen, the entire town descends into madness. Only Oak, a boy from the neighboring town, remains immune to the tulips' call, or does he?

The novel reminds me of ‘Practical Magic’, with its bittersweet exploration of whether love is truly real when magic is in play. The question becomes painfully clear: when you fall for someone under the influence of something as powerful as the tulips’ enchantment, how can you ever know if it’s real love, or if it’s simply the magic at work? The concept is both captivating and heartbreaking, and the sense of uncertainty drives the narrative, adding an emotional weight that lingers long after the last page is turned.

Lark is a character rooted in hesitation and fear, shaped by a family legacy of failed relationships. She embodies the struggle to trust in love when it has been tainted by doubt and loss. Her reluctance to let anyone get too close is understandable, but her journey is one of growth, and watching her face both the town’s scrutiny and her own self-doubt is sad to see but makes you root for her all the more. As Lark meets Oak, someone who makes her question her fear of love, the emotional stakes grow higher, and the tension between her desire for connection and her fear of betrayal is palpable.

The romance is beautiful yet filled with tension, and the ever-present threat of the tulips and their curse kept me on edge. It’s impossible not to be drawn into Lark and Oak’s story, especially as they navigate the blurry line between magic and genuine affection. The ending, however, is where the novel truly resonates with a quiet sadness. The question of whether their love is real, or merely a byproduct of the tulips’ enchantment, remains unanswered, and while this open ending may leave some readers craving resolution, it also speaks to the very core of Lark’s fears. Sometimes, it’s too much to face the truth, especially when it means confronting the possibility that love—pure, untainted love—might not exist at all.

If you're a fan of Taylor Swift’s song “The Prophecy,” this book is a perfect fit for you, delivering that same ache in your chest and that emotional longing that you can't quite shake.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I devoured this book in a day! I enjoyed the magical realism of this story and felt for Lark on her discovery of trusting herself and falling in love. This was my first novel by Shea Ernshaw, but I know I will be reading more of her work.

thank you netgallery for providing me with the book! i promise that all my opinions are my own and not influenced by anything <3

★★★★☆
⤷ minimal spoilers (quotes)

"Heartbreak is a powerful thing," she says. "It casts spells and conjures up dangerous magic-I've seen it happen. Never stand in the way of someone with a broken heart," she warns. "It can curse a whole town. Never underestimate what heartbreak can do."

IF U LIKE BELLADONNA YOU WILL LOOOOOVVVEEEEE THIS BOOK! BUT UH WHAT WAS THAT ENDING? WHAT? HOW DARE YOU END IT LIKE THAT, I NEED CONFIRMATION GAHHHHHH! i loved this book! all the plot twists broke me (along with the ending) and i LOVED it! THANK YOU NETGALLERY FOR GIVING ME THIS!

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Beautiful Maddening is a YA gothic romantasy novel about Lark Goode trying to escape her inescapable curse! Lark has lived all of her life being avoided by everyone in Cutwater because of the curse that has plagued her family for generations. She can make anyone fall in love with her. Everyone but one boy. Lark has to break the spell, even if it means surrendering the one thing she’s been evading all her life, love.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆

ೃ⁀➷ 𝐩𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: I GOT THE ARCCCC!! this book literally sounds so good and im so excited to read it! (also the cover is stunning!)

The Beautiful Maddening was a mesmerizing blend of romance, folklore, and quiet devastation wrapped in the author’s signature atmospheric prose. Lark Goode’s struggle against her family’s love curse was beautifully layered—equal parts yearning and defiance, woven through a story that felt as delicate and dangerous as the tulips at its heart.
The novel’s magic was understated yet deeply felt, and Cutwater itself had the eerie, timeworn quality of a town trapped in its own legend. The romance was tender and aching, though at times, I wished for more depth in the boy who resisted the curse—his mystery felt just a touch underdeveloped. But Lark’s journey, her tangled emotions, and the impossible choices she faced kept me utterly captivated.
A haunting, bittersweet tale of love, sacrifice, and the weight of legacy, this book left me spellbound. The author once again proved she can turn even the softest petals into something sharp and unforgettable.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Beautiful Maddening by Shea Ernshaw is nothing short of enchanting—a novel that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page. From the very first sentence, I was swept into the hauntingly atmospheric world of Cutwater, where love and madness are intertwined in the most breathtaking way.

Lark Goode is a protagonist I found myself deeply connected to—her yearning for freedom, her quiet strength, and the way she grapples with the weight of her family’s curse all felt so achingly real. Ernshaw’s writing is as poetic as ever, painting scenes with such vivid beauty that I could almost smell the tulips and feel the magic thrumming beneath the town’s surface.

But what truly stole my heart was the love story—the kind that feels forbidden yet inevitable, wild yet tender. The boy immune to the Goode curse was everything I wanted him to be: mysterious, soulful, and the perfect foil to Lark’s guarded heart. Their connection unfolded in a way that felt both magical and deeply human, making every stolen moment between them feel electric.

Beyond the romance, the novel delves into themes of sacrifice, destiny, and what it truly means to be free. The choices Lark faces are heartbreaking, yet they make her journey all the more compelling. And the ending… oh, the ending. It left me with a bittersweet ache, the kind that only the best stories can evoke.

If you love atmospheric storytelling, lyrical prose, and a romance that feels like fate itself, The Beautiful Maddening is an absolute must-read. Shea Ernshaw has woven a spellbinding tale that will stay with me for a long, long time.


*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

This is so gorgeous! Such an atmospheric and wholesome book that’s really transportive and the romance is so delicate. One star deducted due to repetition and predictability but I had fun reading!

I tried. In fairness I think this would have rated more stars were it not a Shea Ernshaw book. That is, it's perfectly acceptable but I've come to expect more from this author, which, faint praise, I suppose, but here we are.

I loved this book. I love the way Shea wrote the slowing madness that all the characters had. I was not expecting the ending but I loved it anyways. Shea Ernshaw is a wonderful author who show what is going on with her characters not just types them out on a page. Her characters are relatable and always have humanity in them.

While I personally didn't enjoy this, I refuse to give it a bad rating because I feel it is 100% a me problem and not the book. I am just not a YA reader anymore and that becomes more obvious with every one I try to pick up. I loved this authors first 2 books when they came out and feel like if you liked those, you will probably like this. I thought the idea of cursed tulips was really fun, there was a couple of mystery elements in there as well to help keep the momentum going, I just couldn't get into the writing. Which is not an issue with the author. I don't think it's an issue at all, really, because it's YA writing and that's just not what I want out of my books right now.

Enjoyed Shea's other two books but this one was just overwritten and a bit too full of instalove for me. Also, the flowers that make you fall in love felt a little...I don't know...I can see how it would be a problem, but I just couldn't get into it.

I had high hopes for this book as I absolutely adored WINTERWOOD by the same author. Unfortunately I couldn’t get into this one at all. The writing felt frankly felt quite amateur compared to her prior work. The introduction of the main love interest was so campy—it felt like I was reading fan fiction. And the whole set up of the story was riddled with numerous issues. First, it just went on and on repetitively about the tulips and the love madness. Every time it started to repeat the same explanation I’d already read, I assumed a new layer would be added to offer some new angle or insight. But it just repeated what I already knew. Again and again. This was especially problematic because I had so many initial issues with the premise and was struggling to suspend my disbelief. Like why does the main character stay at this cursed house? Of course I’m sure there is a reason but I needed to understand much earlier on what it is. Why wouldn’t her brother go to school if he loved using his power so much? Surely he could meet more girls there and would love the attention. Why the curse? Instead of repeating the exact same limited information over and over, give me something new to keep me reading.

I hate giving poor reviews and only do so on net galley because I am asked to give my honest review. I won’t be posting this review to my social media or commercial sellers. I only post my five star reviews in that forum.

This book had me in tears it’s such a beautifully written emotional read! This book is full of magic,curses,love it has it all big fan of Sheas work

I also love the little Easter eggs to previous books too!

This is a beautiful story told in Shea Earnshaw's haunting style of magical realism. Larke is a character I loved, and I was moved by her desire to escape the curse on her town. This is an emotional read and I will carry the story with me for a long time.

This book is so hauntingly beautiful!! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this masterpiece. I love how her other books are little secret messages for those who have read her books before. I cried and my heart broke in so many pieces. Lark Goode's story os one I'll never forget!

The Beautiful Maddening is the perfect haunting and heartfelt read about family, curses, and the line between love and obsession.

Every spring, when the cursed tulips bloom, the people of Cutwater can't help themselves from falling deliriously in love with the Goodes. All Larke Goode wants is to leave this town and run away from her family's curse, which has done nothing but break them apart. However, when a patch of tulips goes missing from the Goode's garden, a love madness sweeps through the town. At the same time, Larke feels drawn to a mysterious new boy who seems to be the first person immune to the tulips' love spell.

While many novels with the love-curse trope can feel ridiculous and cringe-worthy, I found Ernshaw's take to be very nuanced and realistic, focused more on the ways love and obsession can ruin lives rather than the hilarity of it all. The author's signature flowery prose really compliments this storyline, providing vividly romantic scenes and perfectly encapsulating the love-intoxicated madness that spreads through the town. Ernshaw really plays into unpredictability and open-endedness, keeping the reader both on the edge of their seat and deeply pondering the meaning of love.

Larke, despite having people casually fall in love with her left and right, was a very relatable character through her feelings of being trapped by a family legacy, craving a sense of self away from her suffocating small town, and her struggles with accepting love. This book not only dives deep into Larke's struggles with abandonment from her parents, but also the complex feelings of love and heartbreak that come with being human and deeply rooted trust issues. Her relationship with Oak was beautiful and complex, as their mutual infatuation becomes cause for passion and uncertainty in both their lives. It causes Larke to question everything she's ever known about love, as well as her own feelings, creating a complicated romance that really shapes the storyline.

While there are some aspects of the book I didn't feel were totally fleshed out, overall, it's a very enjoyable read that follows a unique storyline, setting it apart from other YA fantasy-romance books. I liked it!

A richly layered narrative that beautifully explores the complexity of love, identity, and sacrifice. I think everyone will be talking about this novel. Bravo, Ernshaw.