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The Heart Principle

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Member Reviews

Wow! This is a romance like no other romance. It was heartbreaking! The Heart Principle was a great mix of raw and personal, yet so sweet. The struggles Anna and Quan faced broke my heart. But because of those struggles they were able to understand each other on a deep level. They had a wonderful amount of patience and understanding for each other.
I loved both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, but I truly believe The Heart Principle is Hoang’s best book. I was able to feel every bit of emotion she wrote into this story and it made the story even more beautiful. She’s an auto buy author for me now.

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Violinist Anna Sun finally achieves career success when a video of her goes viral on YouTube. Instead of riding the wave of success, she finds herself crippled by the fear of not being able to live up to it. This crippling fear and some of Anna's other habits lead slowly to the realization that Anna is on the autism spectrum. When her longtime boyfriend asks her for an open relationship, Anna decides it is time to try some one-night stands. Enter our bad boy/soon to be love interest, Quan.

Helen Hoang's to have us rooting for her neurodivergent protagonists is unassailable. Her stories are heart-warming, charming, funny and contain a lot of depth. This one is no different.

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Thank you Penguin Random House International for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Heart Principle has been my most anticipated book for years because this is Quan Diep's book. I thought this is going to be a feel good romance. Instead, the story left me numb and depressed. Anna's story hits home and there are situations in this book I had experienced. It drained my energy and I can't help feeling emotional. I didn't cry but the heaviness lingered.

Anna has an autism spectrum. She is a people pleaser and has troubles of coping. Having a toxic family doesn't help because they are so INSENSITIVE, JUDGMENTAL AND CLOSE MINDED PEOPLE. I despise them especially Anna's sister and mother. It's if Anna's feelings are invalid. Ugh. I am frustrated and concerned with her situation. Sometimes it is okay to cut off toxic people for good for being disrespectful.

Forgiving someone is difficult. It's a tough pill to swallow when someone did something unforgivable. It will take years or forever to do so.

Unfortunately, this isn't my favorite book. It is a good contemporary fiction and I don't consider it as a romance novel per se. The story dealt heavily with familial issues and I don't know if it's just me..... Quan didn't get enough spotlight which is quite disappointing since this is his book. That's just my unpopular opinion.

Moving forward. It is still a solid series but I wish it leans more on romance.

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I have read all three books in this "series" now. (That being said, these books are hardly a series and you do not need to know anything about the earlier books to understand this one.). I think this one was my favorite. I definitely liked it more than the Bride test. I found Anna to be a much more believable neurodivergent than the ones in earlier books, and the instant chemistry between Anna and Quan really worked for me. I liked that both of the characters had vulnerabilities, and the story didn't all come together at once. Like the earlier books, lots of steaminess here.

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Love. Helen Hoang writes characters that are deeply complicated and tenderly human. Her heroes are sexy as hell, and I can't wait to read whatever she has in store for us next.

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Some books you give five stars to because they’re fluffy and light and hilarious. Some you give five stars to after they destroy you. This one more than lives up to the hype.

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Everything about Helen Hoang makes me happy: she knows how to write gripping love stories, and The Heart Principle was no different. The title of this book lived up: it is a heart story. Anna and Quan are the love story I needed. This book is full of hardship and pain and trying again and having to live in the between. It's a story of survival really. I cannot wait for more books by Hoang, she knows how to grip me.

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Anna Sun has issues. Lots of issues. Her boyfriend wants an "open relationship" which throws her for a loop. After discussing this with her online friends, she tries out a dating app. Quan Diep was the profile she chose. The first try at a date was a failure in person, but worked out online. Overtime, they became an item. But just as things seemed looking up, a family emergency intervenes and screws up their relationship. Plenty of drama, heartbreak and finally, a happy ending. A nice addition to the series Helen Hong has going.

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Sometimes, a book is so bad, it's hard to give it a fair review. Other times, a book is so magnificent, it's hard to put my thoughts into words. And then, there are books like The Heart Principle, which hit me so deeply that, no matter how much I loved the book, it hurts too much to review until I've had time to process.

This book hurt me in all of the best ways. It drew out so many little pieces of myself, some that I don't believe even I had looked in the eye yet, and laid them all out in the light where I couldn't avoid facing them any longer. It's been 3 months since I finished this book, and I'm still working through a few of those shards. Helen Hoang has a way of doing that to me, though.

I'm supposed to be telling you how much I love this book, too, and I do. Out of this entire series, despite having loved each and every installment very much, this was my favorite, by leaps and bounds. Quan and Anna mean so very much to me, and watching the two of them find happiness — even if they had to fight tooth and nail for it — was a journey I can't imagine having missed out on.

The Heart Principle is an incredibly heavy, tragic read at times. There are moments where I found myself wondering how Helen Hoang could ever deliver the HEA I had been promised, because Quan and Anna are both broken in so many ways — but, much like with real people in the real world, healing isn't an overnight process. It isn't easy, and it isn't pretty... but it's doable, and it's worth the fight.

Even with the weight of the topics this story covers, though, there are so many shimmering moments of joy and light. We get to see characters we love from the previous installments, and we meet one or two new ones that I wish we could have more time with, too. We get to watch Anna and Quan triumph over so many battles, both within themselves and in the outside world, and the love that these two find together is one of the most satisfying, hard-earned love stories I've read in the romance genre. If you're comfortable with the content within (I'll list everything I can remember in the content warnings below), I can't recommend this book enough.

✨ Representation: Anna is Chinese and autistic, Quan is Vietnamese, many BIPOC side characters, two autistic side characters

✨ Content warnings for: anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, ableism, cancer, infertility, terminal illness and death of a parent, hospice care, autistic burnout, masking, familial verbal/emotional abuse, gaslighting

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

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I am so glad that I waited until my heart was ready to listen/read this. I knew going in that it would be an emotional ride and not like the author's previous 2 books, but I still wasn't fully prepared for the heartache I encountered. The Heart Principle is a beautifully written novel about love, family, and living your truth. I do not consider it a romance, but there is a romantic subplot.

Anna's journey is bittersweet, but it's ultimately a hopeful and uplifting one. I loved how Quan truly saw and accepted her exactly the way that she was. It's a beautiful thing to be truly seen. Quan has his own powerful emotional journey in the book, and I would have loved to see more development with his character, but I understand that the heart of this story was Anna's. I was particularly struck by the guilt associated with familial responsibility and caregiver burnout that Anna experienced. How the relationships that should be the most supportive in our lives can actually be oppressive. I appreciated that Helen Hoang didn't shy away from the hard topics and that she didn't tie everything up with a bow. Relationships and feelings are complicated, and I think Helen Hoang did an excellent job showcasing that. I did feel that the last portion of the book felt a bit rushed and there was a lot to unpack in those final chapters, but this is a book that will stay with me.

I was completely blown away by Natalie Naudus's performance. She captured so much feeling and vulnerability in her performance. The quaver of her voice pulled on my heartstrings, and I was completely consumed by this audiobook. Brian Nishii took me a bit to warm up to, but he also gave an incredible performance and I ended up loving him as Quan. I wish that the author's note would have been included in the audio version because it adds another layer to this powerful semi-autobiographical novel.

Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5+ stars
Story 4.5 stars

CW: hospitalization, long term care, and death of parent (stroke related), grief, anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal ideation, cancer and related infertility, strained familial relationships, creative burnout

*I read and listened to a review copy of this book*

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This was a much heavier read than expected. I thought that Helen did a beautiful job at tackling both character's issues, however, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

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These books just keep getting better and better! I hope there are more stories coming because I relate so much to these characters. Anna’s burnout may be extreme, but I know where she is coming from. The fact that she experience both autistic burnout and caregiver burnout was very timely. These are both topics that need more attention.

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QUICK TAKE: I don't read a lot of romance, but when I do, I read Helen Hoang. her KISS QUOTIENT and BRIDE TEST are two of my favorites, so of course I was very excited for THP. And while this is a very good book, I had issues with the main characters: it felt like the inner monologue of each didn't match their outward actions, which left me confused. I also thought this was a much sadder book, which isn't a bad thing at all, but not what I was expecting going into this one. Ultimately, a solid addition to the series, and look forward to whatever Hoang writes next.

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Although I thought it was a very well written book, it was way heavier than I was expecting for a romance. I have read the author's other titles and I was still not expecting the heavy topics explored in the story.

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“I’ll draw a line around you, and I’ll protect you and stand up for you and speak up for you when it’s right. I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll do the same for me. Because I matter , too.”

What a precious, precious story of love and acceptance and revelations. I am so in love with this new wave of respectful, inclusive, and tender love stories. This was not an easy love story, but it was a special one for sure.

5 stars.

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Just sobbed my way through the author's note and I am not okay wow this was absolutely Helen Hoang's best book yet. So very different from her previous work, but in the best way. I can definitely see why this book wouldn't work for everyone; it is extremely different from the previous two books in the series and has a much, much darker tone and subject matter. But if I'm being honest, this was probably my favorite in the series for those exact reasons. This book was such a heartfelt exploration of anxiety and burn out, and how hard it can be to have to watch a loved one not be able to take care of themselves and it was just so raw and so powerful. While I personally loved this, I'll be blunt: if you go into this one expecting a romance like the previous two installments in the series, you will probably be disappointed. This book does have a romance (and a vert sweet one, at that), but it absolutely takes a back seat to Anna's own personal journey working through her severe depression. I have said this before, but with this book more than most, please be mindful of content warnings and proceed with caution if you plan to read. This book was hard to read but if you think you can handle the subject matter it was so, so worth it. Helen Hoang is a gift.

CW: severe anxiety/depression/burnout, ableism, hospice care, cancer, sterility, death of a loved one, toxic familial relationships, suicidal ideation

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THE HEART PRINCIPLE is not for the faint hearted. There has been some debate about whether the book has an HEA, but Helen Hoang deftly weaves a romance that seriously looks at neurodivergence, depression, and grief, and what love looks like when it finds someone dealing with all three.

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I received a free copy of this book from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Anna Lam is an aspiring classical violinist. When a video of her playing goes viral, she becomes paralyzed from her pursuit of perfection and can't play. Then, her boyfriend asks her for an open relationship before committing to something long term. Anna decides she wants to pursue a bunch of one night stands to see if she's been missing out on anything and also to try to unblock her stifled creative life. When she meets a tattooed motorcycle riding guy on her first blind date, she doesn't expect to find someone so tender...someone she could fall in love with. I love Helen Hoang but this book was not my favorite of hers. Still a heart warming story. #TheHeartPrinciple #Netgalley

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CW/TW: ableism, trauma, death
⭐️ Rep: American-Chinese, autistic MC, Vietnamese SC

Wow. What is it about the holiday season that makes me want to suddenly read all of these romance novels? After having greedily consumed the first two of Helen Hoang‘s novels, The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, The Heart Principle did not disappoint. Following protagonist Annie, an overnight viral violinist who embarks on a journey of self discovery after her long-term boyfriend asks for an open relationship. With the usual combination of wit, incredible character development, heart racing intimate scenes, and insights into marginalized experiences, Hoang has written another five star read. This one in particular, with its tight net east Asian family who is summarily dismissive of the main characters mental health struggles, hit a little too close to home, which may have resulted in some tears shed during reading. I cannot recommend this, and the previous two books, enough. In addition to an amazing reading experience, being seen in writing, is an experience truly like no other.

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for a #gifted eARC in return for an honest review.

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I've been struggling with how to review this book ever since I finished reading it last week. I was very excited to read this book, because I truly adored The Bride Test. I decided to buddy read it with Jamsu @ Jamsudreams and I am very happy that I did it, because this is a book that I needed a lot of hand-holding through. You can read Jamsu's review here. As for my review, let's dive right in!

I have to start my review by saying that this book is not a romance book. It should have been marketed as women's fiction, which is not a bad thing at all. But it was marketed as a romance book, and that's what sits at the core of my rating. 

The Heart Principle is the story of Anna accepting herself for who she is, despite her family's expectations. It's the story of Anna demanding respect from her family, her boyfriend, her family's friends. It is the story of Anna. And I adored that story. It's a story that needed to be told and shared with the world. I enjoyed reading about Anna's journey to accept herself, and to accept help to be the best version of herself that she could be. 

You get to see the story of the caregiver, which isn't an easy journey to experience. It's full of sadness, pain, self-doubt, and everything you could possibly imagine, and it's all reflected on the page. It was hard to read at times. There was one scene when Anna was feeding her dad that just about killed me. But it all made for an interesting read, and I appreciated what Hoang did with Anna.

Weaved into the plot is Quan, Anna's love interest. I say weaved, because he never felt like a main character to me. Even though I liked Quan, I felt like he was there to give Anna a reason for wanting to change her life, and I hated that for him. Quan had the potential of being such an interesting and complex character, and a lot of times he even shows that. He is such a good character, but again, he never felt like the other main character. 

I will be honest with you: I loved 94% of this book. And then the last 6% happened. Or rather it didn't. There are a lot of very heavy stuff hinted at in those last few 20 or 30 pages of the book, things that are eventually explained away with "a few weeks after that passed" passages that just didn't sit well with me. I understand that maybe there was a need to keep this book under a certain number of pages, but I didn't enjoy having so many dark, heavy topics approached, only to be glossed over. I have a feeling that had this book been marketed from the very start as a women's fiction, rather than romance, the ending would have been better. 

I wish I could have enjoyed this book more, and I wish it had been marketed with the right genre. Had I known in advance what this book was about, I am certain my rating would be higher, because I would have been better prepared to deal emotionally with the themes of the book. I am curious to see if the author will continue writing in this series, and I'll definitely check out her future books, because I did enjoy the writing style.

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