
My dear friend Melissa See has written the incredibly beautiful book, You, Me and Our Heartstrings, coming out August 2nd from Scholastic. I’m honored to be a stop on her blog tour! This is a 5-star book if I’ve ever read one, and I’m so excited for readers to get their hands on it soon!
Today, I’m going to put my educational background in literary analysis to good use by dissecting the 16 most important characters in the novel and boiling their personalities down to what really matters: the Bath and Body Works scent that most captures their essence.
Special thanks to my best friend Ashley Paul for this idea, as I will no longer be accepting MBTI, Enneagram, or zodiac signs as personality assessments, only B&BW scents.
Also, thanks to Colored Pages Tours for organizing this, and for Scholastic for sending over my ARC for review!
Let’s start with a little bit about the book itself:
“What if the whole world was watching while you fell in love for the first time?
Daisy and Noah have the same plan: use the holiday concert to land a Julliard audition. But when they’re chosen to play a duet for the concert, they worry that their differences will sink their chances.
Noah, a cello prodigy from a long line of musicians, wants to stick to tradition. Daisy, a fiercely independent disabled violinist, is used to fighting for what she wants and likes to take risks. But the two surprise each other when they play. They fall perfectly in tune.
After their performance goes viral, the rest of the country falls for them just as surely as they’re falling for each other. But viral fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. No one seems to care about their talent or their music at all. People have rewritten their love story into one where Daisy is an inspiration for overcoming her cerebral palsy and Noah is a saint for seeing past it.
Daisy is tired of her disability being the only thing people see about her, and all of the attention sends Noah’s anxiety disorder into high speed. They can see their dream coming closer than it’s ever been before. But is the cost suddenly too high?”
Sounds incredible, right? It is.
Now, without further ado, here are 16 You, Me, and Our Heartstrings characters as Bath and Body Works scents.
- Ottavia Abano – Sweet Pea – smells like “a lush, cheery bouquet,” appropriate for the owner of a flower shop that bears her name. As someone who would name her daughters after flowers, Daisy’s mother is sweet pea, watery pear, sheer freesia, luscious raspberry and soft musk.
- Sal Abano – Graphite – smells like “a bold, invigorating rock climbing adventure,” which is a bit much for an Italian dad, but the leather base gives me dad vibes, and the bergamot spice adds in just a bit of warmth.
- Holly Abano – Blueberry Sugar Pancakes – smells like “fruity, sweet, decadent hotcakes.” Daisy’s two year old little sister is adorable, and sweeter than anyone is ready for, like sugared blueberries, fresh pancakes, and caramel cream drizzle.
- Lewis Moray – Legend – smells like “smooth, woodsy, and just so…legendary.” Truly, what could encapsulate Noah’s Soft Dad better? A Scotsman, a world-class musician, an even better father. A legend.
- Mackenzie Moray – Poppy – smells like “sweet florals dancing in fresh late-summer air—bright, bold and cheerful.” Noah’s mother is a force, she loves deeply, she plays beautifully, and she raised three incredibly tall, incredibly talented musicians.
- Douglas Moray-Porter – Black Tie – smells like “a fancy soiree at the cabin,” perfect for a violinist worthy of his spot on the Carnegie Hall stage. Noah’s brothers are deeply important to both him and the story, and Douglas is my personal favorite.
- Gavin Moray – Bourbon – smells like “a bold, barrel-aged pour,” apt for Noah’s brother who was bold enough to move a continent away from their family, yet still down to earth enough to start one of his own, as Douglas did back home in New York.
- Haggis Moray – Warm Vanilla Sugar – smells like “enjoying an irresistibly creamy, sweet treat in your coziest cashmere.” Yes, before you ask, I did include the dog, thank you very much. Bath and Body Works doesn’t have any scents that smell like kibble or walks in the park or tartan coats, and I sincerely hope they don’t have products that smell like whatever haggis actually is, but they do have plenty that smell like being loved by a dog feels – like warm vanilla, white orchid, and sparkling sugar.
- Mr. Castillo – Crisp Morning Air – smells like “a cool, sweet breath of fresh air.” To be honest, I was having trouble finding something that captures the true, dramatic essence of the musical theatre director at Noah and Daisy’s school, and the person who pulls of the most epic surprise in one of my favorite scenes in the book, but I think this is apt, as Mr. Castillo is nothing but a positive influence on Noah and Daisy throughout the book, and he’s a joy.
- Ms. Silverstein – Pink Chiffon – smells like “the sweet, floral, fragrance expression of feeling pretty in pink.” Noah and Daisy’s orchestra director is all the gentleness and genuine warmth you’d want in a teacher at this turning point in your life, with sparkling red pear, jasmine petals, tiare flower, vanilla orchid and chiffon musk.
- Mazhar Tilki – Sport – smells like “a brisk, cross-country run,” and I have to be honest with you, Mazhar, is an excellent friend, hilarious person, and one of this book’s many genuinely stellar boyfriends, but something about him reminds me of those teenagers who wear too much Axe body spray. So, that’s the vibe I went for here, with refreshing citrus and sea salt.
- Amal Shah – Moonlight Path – smells like “wandering out to the lush, fragrant flower garden at midnight.” I was concerned there wouldn’t be a scent pretty enough for a girl who goes to art school, carries her paintings around on the subway, and matches her hijabs so perfectly with her outfits, but then I remembered the beauty of Moonlight Path, a personal favorite B&BW scent that builds from night-blooming jasmine, blue violet, sheer lavender, lily of the valley and soft musk.
- Principal Lowman – Hero – smells “as crisp and clean as a hero’s conscious.” The principal of a prestigious performing arts academy, with degrees from Julliard and Columbia, should be nothing less than a hero. But when his students need him most, it’s possible his conscious won’t be as clean as fresh cardamom, vetiver root, and white cedar.
- Beaux Beckworth – Ocean – smells like “a cool refreshing dip into the deep, blue sea.” But that depth is deceiving, as are the notes of blue cypress, vetiver, and coastal air. Read the book’s first page, and you’ll see he’s no wholesome trip to the beach. And this review is supposed to be free of spoilers and swear words, so I’ll just say this – there’s a reason people are afraid of the ocean.
- Noah Moray – Flannel – “smells like curling up on a chilly, fall night,” and so does Noah Moray, like fresh bergamot and heirloom mahogany. He’s sweet, and warm, and everything Daisy wants to curl up with forever.
- Daisy Abano – Summer Melody – last but certainly not least, smells like “a sunny, happy, endlessly fun summer day.” There are so many scents that could work for our Daisy Abano, there are so many Daisy-adjacent florals, and there is even one called Denim and Daisies. But, I picked this one because this scent describes what this book, and Daisy, will be to readers soon, a sweet, sunny, Summer melody that begins with golden honeydew and bronzed vanilla.
Which character/scent combo is your favorite? Let me know on Twitter!
You, Me, and Our Heartsrings on:
Melissa See is a disabled author of young adult contemporary romances. When not writing, she can be found reading, baking, or curled up with her cat, most likely watching anime or 90 Day Fiancé. She currently lives in the New York countryside. You, Me, and Our Heartstrings is her debut novel.
Author Links:
Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21580287.Melissa_See
Website: https://www.melissasee.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/melissasee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaseewrites/