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Cover of On Sundays She Picked Flowers

On Sundays She Picked Flowers

by Yah-Yah Scholfield

🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
4.3 on Goodreads (406)

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Ending

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Why Read This?The one-sentence sell. What do you get for showing up to this book, even when it's hard?

A Black woman fleeing her abusive mother finds shelter in a haunted house deep in the Georgia woods — and falls into a sapphic entanglement with a beautiful, terrifying supernatural being. The prose is lush and devastating, the body horror is unflinching, and the exploration of generational trauma will wreck you. Not a cozy read, but an unforgettable one.

Synopsis

In this sinister and surreal Southern Gothic debut, a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia and must contend with ghosts, haints, and most dangerous of all, the truth about herself. When Judith Rice fled her childhood home, she thought she’d severed her abusive mother’s hold on her. She didn’t have a plan or destination, just a desperate need to escape. Drawn to the forests of southern Georgia, Jude finds shelter in a house as haunted by its violent history as she is by her own. Jude embraces the eccentricities of the dilapidated house, soothing its ghosts and haints, honoring its blood-soaked land. And over the next thirteen years, Jude blossoms from her bitter beginnings into a wisewoman, a healer. But her hard-won peace is threatened when an enigmatic woman shows up on her doorstep. The woman is beautiful but unsettling, captivating but uncanny. Ensnared by her desire for this stranger, Jude is caught off guard by brutal urges suddenly simmering beneath her skin. As the woman stirs up memories of her escape years ago, Jude must confront the calls of violence rooted in her bloodline. Haunting and thought-provoking, On Sunday She Picked Flowers explores retribution, family trauma, and the power of building oneself back up after breaking down.

book details below may contain spoilers. some hidden

At a Glance

A curator's note goes here with flavor that could spoil the plot.

trope onetrope twotrope threetrope four

Book Details

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Goodreads RatingThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.

4.25 ★ (406)

Page CountHow long the commitment is.

240 pages

PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.

2020

Primary GenreWhat type of book this is. Romance? Fantasy? A 400-page therapy session disguised as a thriller?

Gothic Romance

PairingWho's falling in love? The gender makeup of your main romance. Helps you find your specific flavor of love story.

F/F

POVWhose head are you in? First person = deep in the feels. Third = watching from above. Dual = emotional whiplash (affectionate).

Multi-POV

Romance PacingHow long until they kiss? Slow burn = 300 pages of tension. Insta-love = page 12 and it's already chaos.

Slow Burn

CliffhangerEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.

reveal ending

AudiobookCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

AvailableCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

Yes

FormatHow fancy is the audio? Standard = one narrator. Full cast = theater kids went off. GraphicAudio = a MoViE iN yOuR mInD.

Single Narrator (unspecified)

NarratorThe voice in your ears.

Angel Pean, Patryce Williams, York Whitaker

TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
dark romancestranger in the woodshaunted housesapphic monster romancehealing through lovesecond chance at lifemorally gray love interest
RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.

gothichauntingatmosphericdarkly beautifulunsettling

Writing StyleHow the author writes - prose style, dialogue approach, and narrative voice. This is about craft and delivery, not emotional effect.

lush and evocativeatmospheric proseliterary horrorvivid imagery

Story PacingDoes the story sprint or saunter? Fast = you'll miss sleep. Slow = you'll savor every word. Medium = balanced chaos.

medium

Emotional WeightHow much are you gonna cry? Light = fun feels. Moderate = real stakes. Heavy = bring tissues. Devastating = call your therapist.

devastating

Energy RequiredCan you read this on a Tuesday after work, or do you need a full Saturday and three cups of coffee? Low/Medium/High.

high

VibesOne perfect sentence that captures the essence. Like: 'Fae politics meets forbidden romance with zero chill.'

page turner

Characters

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FMC ArchetypeWho is she? The female main character's core identity/role. Assassin? Healer? General Badass?

survivorthe runaway

Relationship DynamicsThe interpersonal dynamic between the main characters. How do they relate to each other? This is about character energy and connection style, not plot situations.

mysterious strangerdangerous attractiontoxic but tendersupernatural power imbalancetransformative love

Spice Details 🌶️

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Spice Level 3

Spice StyleNot just how much spice, but what kind. Emotional intimacy? Explicit but vanilla? Plot-driven heat? Know your flavor.

dark and visceralsapphic monster romancetension between tenderness and horrorbody-focused

Getting SteamyGentle kinks. Fun but nothing too crazy. The appetizer, so to speak.

None

Bringing the HeatFor those who know exactly what they came for. This is where you find your exact brand of chaos. The good stuff.

None
Browse more books by spice level →
This stuff might hit different. No shame in needing to know what's coming. (11)▼
spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
child abuse and parental abuseincestself-harmmurder and matricidegore and graphic violencereferences to slaveryanimal deathcannibalismracism and segregationbody horrorvomiting
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World & Setting

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World TypeWhat kind of world are you stepping into? High fantasy = full secondary world. Urban fantasy = magic in modern cities. Portal = starts here, goes there.

Southern Gothicmagical realism

Primary SettingWhere does the story physically take place? Court intrigue = palace. Dark academia = campus. Cozy witch vibes = small town. This is about location, not world rules.

rural southern Georgia forests and a haunted house

Fantasy CreaturesWhat supernatural beings populate this world? Fae courts, vampire covens, dragon riders, or just regular humans doing their best.

supernatural entityhaintsghosts

RepresentationIdentity representation in the book. LGBTQ+, race/ethnicity, disability, neurodivergence, body type, age and more.

Black female protagonist (40s-50s)sapphic/lesbian romancenon-binary authorthemes of racism and generational traumaAfro-gothic tradition

Reading Context

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

Emotional PayoffWhat you get for showing up. The catharsis, the growth, the 'I'm a different person now' moment. This is why the hard books are worth it.

cathartic but bittersweetbreaking cycles of abusehard-won self-acceptance

Best Time of YearSeasonal mood rings for books. Summer romance reads different than winter gothic.

autumn

When & Where to ReadContext matters. Some books are Beach Trip energy, others are 3am Bedtime spiral-reads. Trust.

when you want something that haunts youliterary horror moodnot before bed if squeamishrainy weekend deep read

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Quick Facts

Spice LevelThe heat scale. 0=wholesome, 1=kisses, 2=fade-to-black, 3=tasteful spice, 4=explicit, 5=you need a cold shower. Know thyself.🌶️🌶️🌶️moderate
PagesHow long the commitment is.240
PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.2020
GoodreadsThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.4.25 ★ (406)
EndingEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.reveal ending
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