Review by asims723 - Of Earthly Delights

asims723 's review for:

Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky

2.75

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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!

Content Warnings