The Secret of a Heart Note

by Stacey Lee

From critically acclaimed author 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 Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart. 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.

• ISBN10: 0062428322
• ISBN13: 9780062428325
• Publish Date: 27 December 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 10 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Katherine Tegen Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.com.au/9780062428325

Reviews

[Kat @ Novels & Waffles]

THE PROS:
✍️The Writing Style! I loved the author's use of word choice. All the lush descriptions of scents and flowers created a fragrant tone that was sweetly atmospheric and vibrantly memorable.

[Angie]

The Secret of a Heart Note was a very unique and quiet kind of story. Magical Realism normally isn't my thing, but this one sounded more Contemporary with a hint of magic. Mim and her mother are the last two aromateurs on Earth. They have heightened senses of smell which can detect a person's unique scent and their emotions. They use their ability to make love potions, but are not allowed to fall in love themselves. Doing so would mean losing their nose.

The plot of The Secret of a Heart Note was fairly predictable but I really enjoyed it. Mim's mother is traing her to make the elixirs and strengthen her sense of smell. Mim is also to deliver the latest elixir to her math teacher's crush, but something goes wrong. She gets the wrong target! This is exactly the plot that I expected and it's exactly the plot that I got. I didn't mind though. I love watching Mim try to set it right without her mother knowing. She's not alone though. Court promised to help her, since it's his mother who accidentally got the potion instead.

Of course, there's also a romance between Mim and Court, much to her dismay. Mim is always fending of unwanted advances, but nothing seems to work on Court. She knows he can't possibly really like her; it's just her "aromateur pollen." Plus, she can't fall in love without activating the family curse. They're super cute together though. I also loved how Court didn't pressure her. He's just happy to be around her. In addition to the romance, there's also a lot of focus on Mim's relationship with her mother which is not all sunshine and rainbows.

The Secret of a Heart Note was very cute and unique. The magic was subtle and interesting, and actually fit the character and the story. Sometimes to me, the magical aspect of Magical Realism seems random or too "literary" but this one was just right.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[layawaydragon]

I feel in love with Stacey Lee's second novel, Outrun the Moon. I was super excited to have won an ARC copy of her newest book, The Secret of a Heart Note.

📍 I love the herb alchemy
📍 BFF is 3. She helped save the book when I was annoyed with Mimosa.
📍 It has all the typical cute, angst-y, confused, awkward, and adorable romance troubles.
📍 The twist was really obvious. It made the story feel a bit long and Mimosa a tad irritating. Like, just wanted to shake her and her mom so badly sometimes!
📍 Mimosa's old school mom was realistically annoying and stubborn. She's good and loves her daughter but is her own person with her own issues. I'm really glad how their relationship was done all the way through.

The Secret of a Heart Note is good and cute, perfect for all the YA contemporary fans wanting a little drama and magic. The Secret of a Heart Note has a unique premise with a typical plot and diverse characters with standard relationships.

While I enjoyed The Secret of a Heart Note, it didn't capture me like Outrun the Moon.

I adore Stacey Lee's writing and skill, so I'll be reading her other book Under A Painted Sky and anything new.

[girlinthepages]

Stacey Lee has built herself a reputation of writing strong YA female protagonists with very distinct personalities, and The Secret of a Heart Note is no exception. The story follows Mimosa, one of the last living aromateurs, and her mother as they mix elixirs to help their clients win the affections of their crushes. The entire novel has a bit of a magical realism feel, with the beautiful and wild garden Mimosa and her mother cultivate, their rambling cottage they live in, and their seemingly magical sense of smell and affinity with nature (although their ability to smell is somewhat explained by science if I'm remembering correctly). Though Mimosa and her mother have lived in relative seclusion their whole lives aside from the contact they have with clients through their business, the premise of the novel begins with Mimosa attending public school as she strives to have a somewhat normal life and have some typical teenage experiences.

Though Mimosa's desire to form independence and get away from the stifling plans for the future that her mother has for her (a problem faced by many, non-aromatuer teenagers) I found that the high-school centered aspects of the plot were what I struggled with the most. I found that it took a while to hit my stride with this novel and my attention drifted whenever the scenes would shift from Mim's aromatuer world to that of high school (and this is most likely a personal problem as the farther away I get from being in high school age wise, the lower level of tolerance I have for reading about it). While Mim's social interactions at school present some great and diverse characters (her Samoan best friend, the star athlete who is actually a respectful gentleman, characters struggling with their sexual identities, etc.) I found the antagonist, "mean girl" character to be disappointingly flat in terms of motive and character development (I really, really want YA to move away from girl-on-girl hate as a theme, especially if it's over a guy).

What's truly captivating about this novel is the thought and detail that Stacey Lee put into the creation of smells that emotions and actions evoke to Mim's sensitive nose, and her consistency with using them (anger smelling like burnt tires, nervousness smelling like soap bubbles...aren't the smell descriptions just too perfect?!) Give me a book about the history of the aromatuers that Mim is descended from and I will be all over it! Seriously, this book will make you want to go to your local botanical garden, STAT, and strain your own olfactory senses to see if there's even a hint of the power of Mim's nose in your own.

While I wish I had been more excited throughout the course of reading this novel, I found the last 25% or so to pick up when Mim's mysterious Aunt Byrony begins to be focused on more. Perhaps I'm biased because I have a really awesome aunt myself, but she brings some much needed perspective to the whole novel (though I won't say any more in fear of spoilers!) Just know that Stacey Lee's talents definitely extend into writing some creative and whimsical family dynamics.

Overall: The Secret of a Heart Note was a story built upon so much creativity and whimsy, which I wish had been explored more in depth instead of the contemporary side of the novel. However, Stacey Lee has another winning protagonist with Mim (so earnest and bright and adorable without being your typical quirky clicheé) and her scent descriptions are so imaginative and yet on point at the same time. One of my favorite fellow bloggers, Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books, compared to The Secret of a Heart Note having the feel of a romantic comedy, and she couldn't be more right!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Bianca]

You want to know what I smell in you? Butterscotch pudding. You’re not chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. You dare to be yourself.

— About being yourself no matter what the world says and expects of you. Plus points for the lovely writing, the compelling mother-daughter relationship and of course, the super adorable romance! I swear Stacey Lee writes the sweetest slow-burn romances ever. Now I can't choose between West and Court!

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.


Mimosa and her mom come from a very long line of aromateurs, but they are the last ones for now. All Mother wants is for Mim to focus on being an aromateur and that's it. And for Mim to not think about boys or fall in love since that will mess with her nose. One person in the family already lost their aromateur sense when the person fell in love so it's now forbidden for Mim to fall in love. It's from the start of the book that the story focuses on this mother-daughter relationship. It's hard for Mim to be an aromateur, despite it being what she wants to do in life. She just also wants to fully experience being in high school. But her mom thinks her school work will affect her job as an aromateur.

Mother would be really strict with Mimosa because she had to become a great aromateur. The best, if possible. I totally understood her reasons for being strict with Mimosa, but her strictness was wearing me down. I just wanted Mimosa to have happy teenage years! But I was so happy that the author included a strict Mother and then gave her a little character growth that fit her.

I don't know why but I was scared I wouldn't like Mimosa. There was just a vibe I felt about her that had me thinking I wouldn't like her. Well, that vibe was wrong because I really did like her! Sure, she had her moments where I was questioning what the heck she was thinking but she made normal mistakes (as normal as an aromateur with powers can be). I loved that beside from this story having various focus, it's major one was Mim's self-discovery. She had made a mistake

The romance was so darn cute and adorable!!! Court had me totally rooting for him and Mimosa. That guy has a way with words and without really noticing, so that added to his appeal. Plus, the way he would be with Mimosa would make my heart skip a beat. He's just one of those guys who's always nice. I was so happy that his character wasn't the typical cliche popular jock who thinks he deserves the world. Court is actually very down-to-earth and so freaking nice. He's also a great son who wants what's best for his mom.

Vicky was so infuriating and your typical mean girl. At times, I felt like Vicky was stealing the spotlight and I was getting tired of her actions and her bullying ways.

At the beginning, I wasn't sure if I would love it. I started to imagine possible endings and they wouldn't have fit the story so I was very nervous for the ending. I shouldn't have worried at all. Stacey Lee executed a wonderful outcome to the story that had me smiling and totally loving how everything was resolved. She did a fantastic job and left me feeling warm with the ending.

The Secret of a Heart Note is a very cute and feel good story that will give you all the fuzzy feelings!

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
This is a cute book, a sweet book. It's incredibly imaginative, I loved the family dynamics, and Mim was a great and relatable character. I really cannot think of negatives for this book, which is why this is such a hard review to write. Because there isn't anything wrong with it, I just didn't love it enough to give it five stars, you feel me? Let's break down the good things about this book, shall we?

Thing 1: Stacey Lee's Writing

Stacey Lee is basically auto-buy for me even though this is only the second book of hers that I have read (the first being Outrun the Moon), but her writing is just beyond incredible. It's descriptive and lovely without being overdone, she builds pictures with words, basically. She made me fall in love with Mim, and care for what happened to her.

Thing 2: Mim is just a big ball of adorable

Mim is a wonderful main character. Not perfect, which would be annoying, just a great combination of a good kid who has a pretty good head on her shoulders, and sure, makes a few mistakes here and there. She reminded me a bit of... well, of me. Minus the whole aromateur thing. She wants to please her mom, but she also wants to live her own life, which is something that is super relatable.

Thing 3: Mother-daughter complexities

I wish more books would focus on this incredibly important and oft-overlooked relationship in young adults. Because look, being a teenage girl and trying to navigate a relationship with your mom is hard. But it isn't all bad or angsty, and I liked that Stacey was able to show both sides of the relationship.

Thing 4: The swoons!

There weren't just swoons involved from Mim's love interest either- the whole book is basically about setting people up, so there are so many complicated relationships throughout! I really enjoyed that aspect of it, and yes, I did enjoy Mim's love interest as well. He was just a decent guy, and I like that.

So, what went wrong? I don't know, nothing. I just didn't feel the overwhelming feels that I need to rate a book five stars, I guess? Maybe the aromateur thing was a tiny bit farfetched for me? (I do admit, when they started discussing plants, I did zone out for a second or two.) Regardless, my weird feelings should not stop you from reading this because it is a good book.

Bottom Line: Adorable and full of imaginative plot, great writing, and characters who are loveable, you should definitely give this one a try if you enjoy contemporary and/or magical realism at all!

*Copy provided for review