Reviews

The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee

itsjxssica's review against another edition

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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

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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

steph01924's review against another edition

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4.0

Another winner from Stacey Lee! This one is contemporary, so it's a bit different from her other two books, but despite missing the historical aspect I still very much enjoyed this book. She replaced the history facts with flower facts, and I dare you not to finish this book and go around sniffing deeply. How helpful/fun would it be to smell people's emotions?

Mim was a sweet character, though obviously very burdened by her extraordinary life. Court was adorable and I loved their story together. I wanted to strangle Mim's mom a few times, for the pressure she put on her daughter.

If you enjoy magic realism and well-written stories, then you should definitely check out this book! (And if you enjoyed this book, I would recommend [a:Sarah Addison Allen|566874|Sarah Addison Allen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1372537232p2/566874.jpg].)

debinhawaii's review against another edition

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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

nicolemhewitt's review against another edition

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5.0

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

This utterly unique book would best be described as magical realism: It’s a perfect blend of contemporary romance and a fantastical twist, which makes it appealing to fans of multiple genres (because it never really goes too far in either direction).

The synopsis describes the book well, so I’m going to jump straight to my review!

What Fed My Addiction:

Everything described in smells.
I thought I might get a bit tired of this, but I didn’t at all. Absolutely everything that happens in this book has an olfactory description because that’s how Mim experiences the world. She recognizes emotions through smells (which definitely helps in her line of work), and she recognizes a person’s scent (and, often, an object’s too). I loved imagining how Mim “sees” the world and the descriptions really helped me experience her perspective!

An adorable romance.
If you love a sweet romance with minimal angst (which I definitely find refreshing sometimes), this is the book for you! That doesn’t mean that there weren’t obstacles or conflict in the romance, but this is an overall light read that will just plain make you happy! The love interest is sweet and an all-around great guy, and I couldn’t help but hope that he and Mim would work things out and end up together in the end.

Complex familial relationships.
I understood why Mim was hesitant to tell her mom the truth about what was going on, but since she was playing with other people’s lives, I kind of wished that she’d been more responsible about admitting to her mistakes. But, then again, the way this story developed is probably a lot more true to life than a good girl character who is wholly and completely good. Mim makes mistakes. Her mom makes mistakes. Their relationship is a bit messy at times, and the relationship with Mim’s aunt is even more so. Still, the book shows us how family relationships can be imperfect and still be based on love.

What Left Me Hungry for More:

Tell the truth!
Like I said earlier, I wished that Mim would have been a bit more honest about everything since there were people’s lives hanging in the balance. But I get why Mim hid the truth for so long.

This creative tale was chock-full of adorable! I give it an enthusiastic 4/5 stars!

***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss (and a physical copy via the YA Fandom Frenzy @ Anderson’s Bookshop) in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

esseve's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5/5
çiçekli böcekli, sihirli, aƟklı, tam beach readlik yaz kitabı.

julieclair's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative 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

This was a sweet YA romance,  lots of high school angst and drama, and a bit cheesy at times, but still a fun read. The main character, Mim, has a super-elevated sense of smell, and can actually smell people’s emotions. She and her mother come from a long line of aromateurs - “love witches” who make elixirs that can open the path to love. Listening to Mim describe what various emotions smelled like was so interesting!

sargar114's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

coffeenbooks74's review against another edition

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hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious 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

4.5

I enjoyed this story of Mim and her mom Dahlia, who are aromateurs. Mim is a teenager trying to find her own path both at school and with her friends, hoping that she can make that work with the expectations set forth for her by her mom, and generations ago by her aromateur ancestors.

joseich37's review against another edition

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funny hopeful relaxing slow-paced

4.0