Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I)

Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I) - Hardcover

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Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I)
  • Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I)
Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I) - Hardcover

Hearts on the Table: (A Young Adult Historical Romance and Queer Shakespeare Retelling Set During World War I) - Hardcover

by Susan Metallo
$19.99
$19.99

Book Overview

"A masterful reimagining of Shakespearean characters." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

In a twisty transformation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, populated with queer, trans, and neurodivergent characters, a seventeen-year-old feminist with a penchant for thrashing men at cards finds herself tangled in the last mess she'd ever expect: love.

Violet is used to winning--with her mathematical mind, no one stands a chance of beating her at cards, or much of anything else. So, when her wrathful father threatens to marry her and her trans twin brother Seb to the highest bidders, she's certain they can escape England, even with a war on. But before they reach safety in Italy, a U-boat sinks their ship, and Violet washes up on a small island, on the wrong side of enemy lines, desperate to find her missing twin.

To earn passage to the mainland, where she hopes Seb has landed, Violet disguises herself as a man and accepts a job delivering love poetry for melancholy pacifist Teo, the island's irritating golden boy. The object of his affection, fair Olivia, is less than enchanted, but she is intrigued by the handsome delivery boy--Violet in disguise. While Violet struggles to sidestep Olivia's attentions, she's vexed by her own inconvenient but undeniable attraction to Teo.

Add a mysterious newcomer, who converts the love triangle into a square, and Olivia's autistic sister, who's concocting a devilish revenge against the island's biggest bully, and odds are things will only get messier.

Fortunately, playing the odds is Violet's specialty.
Susan Metallo's whip-smart writing makes for a witty, elegant, and high-stakes exploration of love, loss, friendship, and identity.
ISBN9781536240368
Author Susan Metallo
PublisherCandlewick Press (MA)
GenreYoung adult
FormatHardcover
PublishedSeptember 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages464
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceTeens & young adults and Adults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Young Adult Fiction Young Adult LGBTQ+ Young Adult Romance Young Adults

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More by Susan Metallo

Reasons to Hate Me: (A Young Adult Novel about an Autistic Teen, Friendship, Cyberbullying, and Romance)
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Reasons to Hate Me: (A Young Adult Novel about an Autistic Teen, Friendship, Cyberbullying, and Romance) - Paperback

Reasons to Hate Me: (A Young Adult Novel about an Autistic Teen, Friendship, Cyberbullying, and Romance) - Paperback

By Susan Metallo

About Susan Metallo

Susan Metallo is a neurodivergent author and youth services librarian. Reasons to Hate Me, her debut novel, won the SCBWI Work-in-Progress Award for Young Adult Fiction and the Seven Hills Literary Contest and was honored by Book Pipeline and the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards. She serves as regional advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in New Mexico.

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