The Beautiful Maddening

Everyone in Cutwater knows to avoid the Goodes, a cursed family that only inflict desire and madness upon anyone who interacts with them. After inheriting a family secret, 17-year-old Lark Goode knows this to be true: the tulips growing behind her ramshackle house are responsible for the madness each spring. Her twin, Archer, embraces the curse, enjoying the favors he receives from admirers, while Lark rejects it, isolating herself and yearning for the day she graduates and can move far away. When Lark’s classmates start begging her for tulips, she discovers that some have been stolen and are circulating around Cutwater, wreaking havoc and heartbreak. As Lark searches for solutions to save her peers, she tries to stop herself from doing the one thing she’s always avoided: falling in love. Drawn to Oak, a stranger unaffected by the madness, Lark finds herself spending more time in his company, unsure whether her burgeoning feelings are real or another aspect of the curse. Lyrical prose by Ernshaw (A Wilderness of Stars) ponders love, portents, and family legacy in an electric romance that weaves together magic and suspense. The protagonists cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jess Regel, Helm Literary. (June)