ARC Review: The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

The Secret of a Heart Note
Author: Stacey Lee
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (December 27, 2016)

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: Mimosa is one of only two aromateurs left on the planet. She uses her super sense of smell to concoct love potions as her ancestors have done for countless years. She is also a fifteen-year-old girl who is tired of being homeschooled and wants to get to know other people. She is lonely with only her mother's companionship. But school isn't what she imagined. She manages to attract boys with no problem. In fact, she has to keep spraying them with a potion so that they lose interest in her. The boy she is attracted to is a soccer star named Court. He likes her back but she fears it is just her natural boy-attracting scent. And besides, the rule book says that aromateurs mustn't fall in love.

When Mim accidentally doses Court's mother with a love potion that was supposed to go to someone else, she has five days to make the antidote and administer it. She relies on Court's help to find all the ingredients including an illusive one that smells like miso. They save each other's lives a couple of times since Court is allergic to bee stings and Mim doesn't know how to swim but needs to get a type of seaweed for her potion.

When Mim loses her super-ability to smell, she is afraid that it is because she fell in love and she is also afraid that her mother will write her out of her life like she did with her twin sister when she fell in love.

This was an engaging story. I loved all the various descriptions of scents. I loved that Mim was so eager to help her friends which led to some of her problems. I liked her growing romance with Court.

Favorite Quote:

One moment, Mother and Aunt Bryony are as close as two daffodils on a double-headed stalk, and the next, each is a single-headed species. If Mother ever cut me off, I would have to start anew, somewhere far away sow we don't compete or, worse, eke out a living assisnt the police in drug busts like a dog, or hunting expensive truffles like a pig.

I received this one for review. You can buy your copy here.