cover image Harmony and Heartbreak (Suitehearts #1)

Harmony and Heartbreak (Suitehearts #1)

Claire Kann. HarperCollins, $17.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-06-306939-8

Two Fledgling Matchmakers seek to level up in a frothy San Francisco–set novel from Kann (The Marvelous). Cousins Rose and Cora Seville, who share twin fathers, may be Matchmakers in training and reside together in a lavish penthouse suite at the family’s Hotel Coeur, but they approach their calling very differently. Rose, deemed the “best in their generation” by the Matchmaker Oracle Council, is confident with her magic, while Cora, who lives with Rose’s family, thinks less of herself by comparison and fears being left behind. When the Council accelerates the girls’ training, allowing them to take their Matchmaking exam early if they each complete two assignments solo, the opportunity comes with high stakes: fail one challenge, and they’ll have to wait an extra year to test; fail two, and they’ll be stripped of their magic. Cora tries to distinguish herself by chairing a dance-planning committee, but a sweet, resultant crush reaches a crossroads around one of her assignments. Featuring a dual emotional arc and a magical system based around themes of authentic connection and compatibility, this buoyant, romantic fantasy holds the hope of two magical Black girls who remain optimistic about love. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)