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The Secret of a Heart Note

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee, an evocative novel about a teen aroma expert who uses her extrasensitive sense of smell to help others fall in love—while protecting her own heart at all costs. Perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and I'll Be the One and now in paperback.

Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone.

For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn't want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend.

But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman's son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn't always a choice you can make.

At once hopeful, funny, and romantic, Stacey Lee's The Secret of a Heart Note is a richly evocative coming-of-age story that gives a fresh perspective on falling in love and finding one's place in the world.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 10, 2016
      Mimosa has inherited an ultra-sensitive nose. Besides being able to smell people’s moods, she and her mother are skilled at mixing scents to create personalized aphrodisiacs for lovelorn clients. Growing weary of her cloistered life as one of the last aromateurs on Earth, Mimosa enrolls in public school but discovers that her private life and the high school social scene don’t blend as smoothly as the ingredients in her potions. The trouble begins when Mimosa’s algebra teacher requests an elixir that falls into the hands of the mother of popular soccer player Court Sawyer, who is, in turn, on his way to winning Mimosa’s heart. In this tantalizing book of contrasts—science and magic, ancient tradition and contemporary life, and seclusion and exploration, among them—Lee (Outrun the Moon) introduces a cast of memorable characters while tracing the external and internal conflicts of an engaging heroine. The book, a playful departure from Lee’s historical fiction, opens the door to many possible outcomes, and readers will be on the edge of their seats to find out how Mimosa’s snowballing dilemmas are resolved. Ages 13–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary.

    • Kirkus

      The daughter and apprentice of a famous magic-worker who helps others fall in love doesn't know the feeling herself. Bay Area residents Mimosa and her mother are the world's last two aromateurs, "love witches" with senses of smell so precise they, like their ancestors, perceive individual scentprints the way most people can distinguish faces. They dedicate themselves to making pro-bono customized love elixirs for clients. But the cost of being an aromateur is high for 15-year-old Mim: she's not supposed to fall in love herself, or she'll lose her "nose" and the ancestral profession will die. When Mim accidentally gives her algebra teacher's scentprint elixir to school soccer star Court's newly divorced mother, she must figure out a way to undo the damage before her mother finds out. The cast of characters is refreshingly diverse, starting with the multicultural Mim, her Samoan best friend Kali (who's also LGBTQ), white Court, his Latina ex-girlfriend, and other identifiably ethnic students. Lee is a synesthete, and her appreciation of natural fragrances and botanicals is evident. Although not as exceptional as the author's previous historical novels (Under a Painted Sky, 2015; Outrun the Moon, 2016), this contemporary fantasy is charming and likely to resonate with readers who gravitate toward romance or mother-daughter stories. This imaginative and sweet coming-of-age tale is infused with the magic of first love. (Magical realism. 12-16) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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