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laurenbookishtwins's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.
Mimosa is one of the last aromateurs on the planet. As an aromateur she can smell emotions, personality traits and heart notes and everything else that she needs to concoct elixirs that help people fall in love. Yet she must remain alone. The rules for aromateurs state that if she falls in love, her nose becomes useless. But Mim has dreams of being normal, of going to high school, falling in love and having a boyfriend. When she gives a love elixir to the wrong woman, Mim rushes to fix her mistake with the help of Court, the lovesick woman's son the high school soccer star.
The Secret of A Heart Note is a fun, light-hearted, and cute read. But it's even more because it's also original, magical and full of hopes and dreams. Mim is a curious, intelligent, kind and caring protagonist. I really enjoyed the slow burn, realistic romance between Court and Mim, but I think the real gem is the relationships Mim has with the women close to her, such as her mother, her aunt and her best friend.
It has such a unique premise and I loved how Stacey Lee used flowers and scents to write such a compelling story and I loved Mim's passion for her gift and her unwillingness to choose between her gift and living a normal, teenage life.
The Secret of A Heart Note was a lovely, heart-warming read that I can't recommend enough. Seriously, put it on your TBR already.
Mimosa is one of the last aromateurs on the planet. As an aromateur she can smell emotions, personality traits and heart notes and everything else that she needs to concoct elixirs that help people fall in love. Yet she must remain alone. The rules for aromateurs state that if she falls in love, her nose becomes useless. But Mim has dreams of being normal, of going to high school, falling in love and having a boyfriend. When she gives a love elixir to the wrong woman, Mim rushes to fix her mistake with the help of Court, the lovesick woman's son the high school soccer star.
The Secret of A Heart Note is a fun, light-hearted, and cute read. But it's even more because it's also original, magical and full of hopes and dreams. Mim is a curious, intelligent, kind and caring protagonist. I really enjoyed the slow burn, realistic romance between Court and Mim, but I think the real gem is the relationships Mim has with the women close to her, such as her mother, her aunt and her best friend.
It has such a unique premise and I loved how Stacey Lee used flowers and scents to write such a compelling story and I loved Mim's passion for her gift and her unwillingness to choose between her gift and living a normal, teenage life.
The Secret of A Heart Note was a lovely, heart-warming read that I can't recommend enough. Seriously, put it on your TBR already.
kalista_putri's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. lived up to my expectations, though i expect more romance; i want more! but i guess it's more of a coming-of-age story than romance itself. nonetheless it was an unique and enjoyable story with consistent plot and likeable characters. it makes me wonder too, what smell would i exude? would having an extraordinary ability to smell a blessing, or a curse? particularly like the granularity of flowers and smells descriptions. going through the pages was so easy :) and it's not angsty so enjoyed that as well. mim is genuine and doesnt make me frustrated. i like court and his awkwardness in chasing mim, which makes it more real.
lorilaws's review
3.0
That cover was enough to ensure that I would pick up The Secret of a Heart Note with gusto. Add to that the description full of hints of magic, flowers, and gardens and there was no way I was passing this book up! It had all the ingredients to make a book that I would love, unfortunately it fell a little short of love for me.
The premise for The Secret of a Heart Note was just lovely. There’s a lot of subtle magic in the book. Mimosa and her mother use their extraordinary sense of smell to make love elixirs for their clients. They live in a little cottage, surrounded by gardens. The setting and the elixirs were my favorite parts. It was just so delightful and whimsical.
Mimosa was a fine character. I didn’t love her but I didn’t dislike her either. She was pretty naive and she did her fair share of muddling everything up. Her intentions were always good. I loved her loyalty to her friends and school. One of the main plot points is Mimosa making a big mistake and keeping it from her mother. The problems this caused just kept getting bigger and bigger throughout the story and I found myself frustrated with Mimosa. Things would’ve been so much easier if she would have told her Mom. I understand that she was worried about disappointing her and that a large chunk of the plot would’ve been gone if she had told her. It didn’t stop me from being frustrated though.
The romance aspect was sweet, but I didn’t feel a huge connection with it. I really wanted to! I also found the scent descriptions a bit tedious after awhile. I get that they were a big part of the story and who Mim was, but it made the story drag for me at times. The pace of the story seemed really slow to me at times as well.
The Secret of a Heart Note was still a very enchanting book. The magical elements were certainly my favorite part. Even though I didn’t love it like I wanted to, I would definitely still recommend it. It was a cute story and perfect for curling up with a cup of tea.
The premise for The Secret of a Heart Note was just lovely. There’s a lot of subtle magic in the book. Mimosa and her mother use their extraordinary sense of smell to make love elixirs for their clients. They live in a little cottage, surrounded by gardens. The setting and the elixirs were my favorite parts. It was just so delightful and whimsical.
Mimosa was a fine character. I didn’t love her but I didn’t dislike her either. She was pretty naive and she did her fair share of muddling everything up. Her intentions were always good. I loved her loyalty to her friends and school. One of the main plot points is Mimosa making a big mistake and keeping it from her mother. The problems this caused just kept getting bigger and bigger throughout the story and I found myself frustrated with Mimosa. Things would’ve been so much easier if she would have told her Mom. I understand that she was worried about disappointing her and that a large chunk of the plot would’ve been gone if she had told her. It didn’t stop me from being frustrated though.
The romance aspect was sweet, but I didn’t feel a huge connection with it. I really wanted to! I also found the scent descriptions a bit tedious after awhile. I get that they were a big part of the story and who Mim was, but it made the story drag for me at times. The pace of the story seemed really slow to me at times as well.
The Secret of a Heart Note was still a very enchanting book. The magical elements were certainly my favorite part. Even though I didn’t love it like I wanted to, I would definitely still recommend it. It was a cute story and perfect for curling up with a cup of tea.
keen23's review against another edition
3.0
It was good, but way too much of the action and conflicts happened in the final 25 pages
louris_paige's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
carlisajc's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really sweet story (pun intended) ultimately about friendship, family, and finding yourself. I loved it.
larkken's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
silver_anchor4's review against another edition
3.0
I'm completely head over heels in love with this book!
-2017
Ok, so reread this in 2021 and, sadly, it didn't age well.
I still like the writing and think the concept is wonderfully creative and magical. I still had a good time.
But I found most of the characters flat and lacking personality. I felt uncomfortable by the focus on some characters ethnicities and how they were characterized by stereotypes (mostly with one of the antagonists). And there were other issues as well that had me wincing.
So still entertaining and an idea with lots of potential, but I couldn't fully enjoy it.
-2017
Ok, so reread this in 2021 and, sadly, it didn't age well.
I still like the writing and think the concept is wonderfully creative and magical. I still had a good time.
But I found most of the characters flat and lacking personality. I felt uncomfortable by the focus on some characters ethnicities and how they were characterized by stereotypes (mostly with one of the antagonists). And there were other issues as well that had me wincing.
So still entertaining and an idea with lots of potential, but I couldn't fully enjoy it.
itsjxssica's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
myeisha_123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Once again I'd say this book is underrated and not well appreciated 😔 but it's amazing plz guys let's focus on the diversity of the books we hv access to I lived this book I hope u do too