“Monday, she toiled; Wednesdays, she sold; but on Sundays, clean and holy, Jude picked flowers”
– On Sundays She Picked Flowers, 2026
I finally have the words to describe one of my most anticipated and favorite reads of 2025. Yes, the literary horror novel On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield (they/ them) was traditionally published by Saga Press on January 27, 2026, but a version of the book had been circulating for some time. It became a viral TikTok hit shortly after its indie release in October 2020. I remember wanting to read it because it had everything I love: it addressed generational trauma, personal reckonings, and nature in a speculative horror narrative. By the time I got my hands on the book, Saga Press had snapped it up, with plans for a traditional release. So yes, I begged for this ARC and couldn’t have been more satisfied with the beauty, patience, and horror of On Sundays, She Picked Flowers.
On Sundays, She Picked Flowers follows a woman named Judith Caroline Rice as she journeys to find peace. She begins the story in a decades-long, emotionally and physically abusive relationship with her mother, Ernestine. Her living relatives, two aunts, aren’t any better, as all three women show disdain for Jude’s existence, as it stems from horrible family secrets. All of the control, abuse, and neglect come to a head and jude, for a lack of a better word, SNAPS. In the aftermath of her reckoning, Judith travels and ends up in a cabin in the woods called Candle, where she meets and falls in love with a mysterious woman named Nemoira, who has an interesting yet devastating secret. All secrets are eventually exposed while Jude works diligently to protect the peace she has created for herself.
In the best of ways, this story reminded me of Toni Morrison’s Beloved… with a heavy dose of Rivers Solomon, and with a gentle hand that only Yah Yah Scholfield could provide. Much like Morrison and Solomon, Yah Yah Scholfield doesn’t sugarcoat the truth of the world in On Sundays, She Picked Flowers. In fact, you, the reader wont be able to hide from the truth. The truth is explicitly given numerous times, but with a beauty that causes more sorrow than shock. It creates more mindfulness and sympathy than fear and abhorrence. You, the reader, will see Jude as the beautifully complex woman even in her most horrific moments.
The story’s natural elements form the foundation of the warmth Scholfield creates, serving as a necessary balance to the family trauma. Whether it’s the speculative elements, in which nature magically interacts with Jude and her family, or Jude’s regular, homestead-like connection to the land, Scholfield returns the reader to the earth as a healing space. It reminds me of my reasons for gardening and hiking, and many community programs that help people grow their own gardens. Being in touch with nature reminds us of our place in the world. The space we occupy and our interconnectedness as living organisms. If it wasn’t Jude’s resilience or Candle’s existence, the natural elements of the story always made me smile.
Candle is my favorite character. Yes, it is the house Jude finds while traveling, but it is so much more than that. In the chapter “Interlude: The House,” you see that the house and its spiritual inhabitants are alive. It was a beautiful moment to see Candle reach a consensus to love Judith as a family member. Throughout the story, you can see the love and respect in the relationship Jude and Candle have, even as they disagree with Jude’s decisions. Candle is so much more than a haunted house; it’s the place women built, “made sacred by year upon year of practice, of dedication.”
Now, I won’t lie, there were times when I questioned the narrative choices. What would happen if this character behaved differently? But Scholfield builds up enough trust that I was able to let On Sundays, She Picked Flowers exist as it was created. By the end of the story, every choice makes sense, and the reader walks away a little lighter, something I rarely get to say for horror.
Would I Recommend?
Yes, a resounding yes! This story is a great reminder that freedom can be found in the dark. It doesn’t have to be grotesquely horrific, though that may be needed for some folks. Sometimes, it can be an author and a reader, holding hands and facing the world’s horrific truths together, whispering words of affirmation with the promise of making it through.
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