Hearts on the Table
Sep 2026 · Candlewick Press
Ebook
464
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
"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
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
"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 t...
Discover more
About the author
Susan Metallo is a neurodivergent author and youth services librarian. Reasons To Hate Me, her debut novel, was an Indies Introduce Selection for Summer/Fall 2025. She serves as regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in New Mexico. “My intentions for Hearts on the Table,” she writes, “were to honor the neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ experiences of the early twentieth century with a balance of accuracy and hope, acknowledging the challenges and discrimination while focusing on agency and joy.”
Susan Metallo is a neurodivergent author and youth services librarian. Reasons To Hate Me, her debut novel, was an Indies Introduce Selection for Summer/Fall 2025. She serves as regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in New Mexico. “My intentions for Hearts o...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
