I was so honored to review an advanced copy of Outrun the Moon by author and UCD alum Stacey Lee earlier this year. I love her historical young adult fiction, which combines exciting, overlooked history with really terrific characters and a ton of heart. So when I got to review her upcoming magical contemporary, The Secret of a Heart Note, as well, I eagerly said yes!
The Secret of a Heart Note follows Mimosa, a 15-year-old high school student in California who happens to be the last of the aromateurs, powerful love witches with an extraordinary sense of smell. Mim’s mother trains her to brew elixirs to open people’s hearts to love, but they can’t fall in love themselves—or they will lose their powers forever.
However, a chance encounter with Court Sawyer, the school soccer star, causes Mim to accidentally give an elixir to the wrong woman—his mother. To correct her mistake before her own mother finds out, she has to work with Court to fix an antidote, but it’s not long before Mim realizes that this might complicate the whole “love witches can’t fall in love” rule.
This book was just so charming. I ate this story up like macarons and throughout much of it I had a smile on my face. (Bonus fun for California girls: there’s a tourist attraction with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Winchester Mystery House that made me laugh out loud.) At times it reminded me of a grown-up Disney Channel movie, with all the sparkle and fun hijinks of your favorite childhood DCOMs but with more diverse characters, both in terms of ethnicity as well as sexual orientation. And I loved the magic: this isn’t quite a fantasy, but a contemporary high school story juxtaposed with the scent-based magic and imaginative history of the aromateurs was a ton of fun.
Like first love itself, though, The Secret of a Heart Note isn’t just sweet and magic: it’s also sharp. The protagonist, Mim, is lovable and her relationship with Court is very endearing, but they’re also relatable and authentic, and the central conflict between whether Mim should follow her heart but possibly give up her identity was actually really suspenseful. This is very much a story rooted in teenage anxieties—about love, but also friendship and school and family—but the heart, magic, and insight make it a delightful read for anyone who’s ever struggled to catch a falling heart (which is, of course, basically everyone).
You can pre-order The Secret of a Heart Note on Amazon now, or pick it up when it releases on December 27—you’ll be supporting a fellow Aggie, and getting a great read while you’re at it!