I read this book last year in August and I could have sworn I sent a review in, but I'll send another anyways. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang hit so much harder than any of her other books. I spent a weekend binge reading the other two companion novels and all I can say is that this one was less of romance and more of a tale of self discovery. Ana struggles with her recent diagnosis and although Quan is there to help her through it, this story isn't about him. I did appreciate the moments they spent together, but I felt like the time she spent on her journey to self discovery was more important. I do think that I was fooled a little bit into thinking that this would be more of a romance than it actually was, and that's why I decided to knock it down one star. I will still be recommending this at my store. Thank you for the arc and sorry for the late review!

This caught me by surprise. This was heartwarming and kind of deep-- here I was expect more fun and got something else entirely-- not in a bad way though. These characters fit together so well the only things that I wish the family would have been redeemable at some point but it's ok the mom did eventually.

There are days when you get to a point where you just NEED a new book boyfriend. And then along comes Helen Hoang and suddenly: QUAN.

I waited so long for the next installment in this series and somehow each book gets better than the last, which is hard to go. Brava.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it 100% delivered! I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but I think this might just be my new favorite Helen Hoang book and believe me, that’s a tough feat because honestly, all her books are so wonderful and I have adored them all!

This one follows two equally incredible and fun-loving individuals in Anna and Quan. It was really difficult to not immediately love them both and want the world for them. Anna especially was just so…human. Of course she isn’t perfect and has her struggles, but her flaws are what made her such a lovable character. I enjoyed following her journey as she come to recognize herself and her perseverance and growth were such a joy to watch and I was in her corner the entirety of the book, notably so when she continued to question herself and face criticism from her own family. While it was heartbreaking, it was also empowering to see how she came out in the end.

Now as for the pair— let’s just say their chemistry was off the charts! And if you’ve read any of this author’s previous books, then you know how steamy things can get and this was no different! But at the same time, these scenes are still written with such care to reflect that characters and who they are and I liked that.

The other thing that stood out to me about this book was just how raw it felt compared to the previous two in this series. And after reading the author’s note at the end, it absolutely makes sense why. Reading Anna’s story, it was like you could feel the emotion within the words and I truly appreciated how Hoang incorporated so much of her own life into it because it provided so much depth, particularly with ableism and everything that had domino affect from that.

The third installment in Hoang's romance series, The Heart Principle focuses less on the romantic elements seen in the first two and more on deep trauma for Anna, one of the main characters. She's forced to care for a family member while also being gaslit by family, all of which just exacerbates already present mental health issues. Anna is able to have some character growth despite this, but it left very little room for romance or significant character development for Quan. Fans of the series will enjoy callbacks to other characters as well as Hoang's writing style, but be warned that this romcom is significantly less romcom-y than the first two books.

READ THIS ONE!! Helen Hoang, you let yourself shine in this one and it was such a pleasure to read & review it for you! What an eye opener.

What a beautiful book. This book is heavier than the previous books in the series, but it is also Hoang's most personal (in the author's note she says that while the book is a work of fiction, the book is also half memoir) and I think that shows with how well developed the characters are.

I had been looking forward to the book featuring Quan ever since the first book in the series, but wasn't ready for how much I would love and treasure Anna as well. I also love these two little nerds, and how they are together.

Helen Hoang has once again solidified herself as an auto-read author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an early copy in exchange for an honest review- and I am SO SORRY it took me so long to get started.

I liked this one! It was a good, quick read that covered some topics that are often missed. I will definitely continue to read Helen Hoang's books.

Helen Hoang honestly can do no wrong. She writes such wonderful books. Her characters are always so great, the plotlines are 10/10 and somehow always make me tear up! This book was no different. I loved both of the MCs and getting to see their relationship grow as they got to know eachother better. This book made me cry and i loved every minute of it.

All the lovely things you have heard about Helen Hoang's books are true! I haven't read the other titles in this series, but if THE HEART PRINCIPLE is any indication of their warmth, generosity, warm fuzzies, representation, and steam—then I am going to be a big fan.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Heart Principle is third book by Helen Hoang and my favorite. Anna is a violinist who is struggling- she went viral on YouTube, her family doesn't understand her, and now her boyfriend wants an open relationship. Spurred by friends, she meets Quan through a dating app. Quan is the older brother of Khai (from the Bride Test) and has recovered from his cancer. He's looking for a way to ease back into dating, and Anna's profile fits the bill. But they both get more than they bargained for.

If you know anything about this author, reading this book feels almost biographical (which it kind of is- you must read the author's note). It delves into late diagnosis of Austim Spectrum, caregiving, and cancer. Hoang gets better as she gets more comfortable writing and I can't see where she goes next.

This was a really enjoyable read. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators both did an amazing job. I really loved the story, though I didn't completely enjoy the whiney narrative from Anna. However, I do see where she's coming from and her actions and motives were completely understandable. It just didn't work for me. All in all it was a great novel, one I can really recommend.

Stevie‘s review of The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, Book 3) by Helen Hoang
Contemporary Multicultural Romance published by Berkley 31 Aug 21

I didn’t realise when I picked this one up that it’s part of a series. However, it seems not to be directly linked to either previous book and works very well as a story in and of itself. Anna Sun is a classical violinist, who became famous after a YouTube video in which she had to take over from the delayed soloist went viral – mainly because of Anna’s quirky, nervous behaviour. This sudden fame has resulted in a piece being composed for Anna, but now she has developed extreme anxiety over playing it perfectly and is now blocked for all performances even in private. On top of all that, Anna’s arse of a boyfriend (who is totally focussed on his own pleasure and oblivious to anything that makes Anna uncomfortable) suddenly announces that he wants (them both) to try dating other people before they make a permanent commitment to each other.


Following the advice of her two best friends, both of whom she knows only through social media and messaging (not that that’s a bad thing, but it does show how isolated Anna seems to be), Anna decides to check out some online dating sites in the hope of finding one-night stands to see if her boyfriend’s suggestion has any merit. Also about to (re)enter the world of online dating is Quan Diep, who used to be a player but who has not dated anyone since completing treatment for testicular cancer. When the two are matched, they agree to meet for only one date, but then circumstances align to mean that each of their first few meetings don’t really count.

Meanwhile, Anna’s family is pressuring her to start performing again and are dismissive towards the suggestion broached by Anna’s therapist that Anna might be on the autism spectrum. When Anna’s father experiences a catastrophic stroke, Quan supports her decision to move back into the family home in order to help care for him, bringing food parcels from his family’s catering business in the face of hostility from Anna’s mother and sister. Anna’s family also make attempts to reunite Anna with her ex, and force her into playing a violin piece at a birthday party neither she nor her father want any part in. This all culminates in a pretty disastrous time for Anna and Quan, but also forces them to think about what they really want.

I enjoyed this book in spite of my annoyance at Anna’s indecision at times. I completely got why she was wavering, and I have no problem giving time to real-life friends facing similar issues, but it’s not as easy to make it work as a narrative device. Having said that, I liked all the representation that readers get to see in this book and want to read the rest of the series at some point.

Grade: B

The Kiss Quotient is the 3rd book in the series and my least favorite unfortunately.
It was based around Anna, a violinist, finding out new information about herself within therapy.. all while her boyfriends asks for an open relationship and Anna decides to really give the open relationship a try.. enters Quan. I really liked that this book tackled a few major heavier life alternating circumstances but there was just something about it that just didnt keep my interest. Loved the cover and absolutely loved Quan. bye Julian.

As an avid fan of Helen Hoang, this was a massively anticipated release for me, and it was almost as good as i expected, however i do think it fell short in some ways. the only real problem i had was with quan’s character, he wasn’t what i was expecting and i had so many preconceived notions that it was largely my fault as to why i couldn’t appreciate his character more. despite that, however, the book was exceptionally well written and the storyline made it un-put-down-able.

Intensely vulnerable - it was so clear to me while reading how close this work was to Hoang, which made the apology she felt she had to issue after the Kirkus review questioned whether or not it was really a romance feel that much more icky.

This book felt honest and true and sexy and sad and healing and Hoang doesn't owe anyone anything after serving this up. As much as I had longed for Quan's story, I appreciated that this one is Anna's, and Helen's, and I'm so glad both got the compassionate endings they deserved.

The Heart Principle is the 3rd book I have read from Helen Hoang and the 3rd book of hers that I recommend to my patrons. I think this was my favorite book as I could definitely relate to Anna. Anna is a violinist that has burnout and is seeing a therapist. The therapist thinks that Anna has autism and she begins to realize why things have been hard all her life. I could relate to that as I also was never diagnosed until an adult. Her boyfriend says he wants an open relationship so she tries to date other men. She never really gets past Quan. Quan has been in Helen Hoang's other books and understands autism. I loved their relationship and I could definitely relate to Anna's family and her love/hate relationship with her sister. Of course, like all romances there is a difficulty that Anna and Quan must overcome before they can have their HEA.

This is technically a romance insofar as it has a romance story within it, but more so, it's a story of a woman coming into herself, learning of (and eventually owning) a neurodivergent diagnosis and shedding the weight of her family's emotional abuse, which is heavy to read of at times.

I loved Helen Hoang's first two books and just found myself so disappointed by this one. It felt like she regurgitated Kiss Quotient but intermingled some textbook entries into how females present with autism. It was basically Kiss Quotient, but less good. I didn't review it on Goodreads because I try not to post negative reviews from ARCs I've gotten on Netgalley.