When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she has just started to understand herself.

However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of family expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.

This book dealt with some heavy topics, including mental health, toxic family dynamics, racism, and catastrophic illness. It was not your typical light and fluffy romance, and I was OK with that. In the author’s note, Helen Hoang says that this book was the most autobiographical out of all her books. I loved seeing Anna begin to understand and value herself more. Get ready to get sucker-punched in the feels.

This book absolutely broke me, in the best possible way.

This series has become so important to me. I'm not kidding when I say it's changed my life. Needless to say, my expectations for The Heart Principle was high- but it managed to exceed all of them.

The romance, the mental health rep, the characters... I honestly don't know where to start. This book is beautiful, start to finish. I cried so much while reading, but it also was incredibly healing. I can't recommend this book enough.

This novel was 5-star perfect *for me*. There are so many great qualities about it but my favorite is that it pushes a bit against the bounds of the romance genre. Yes, it is a love story and there are sex scenes, just as expected. BUT… there is so much more. There is the representation of Asian American life and autism. There is a depiction of autistic burnout and a struggle with caregiver burnout. Suicidal ideation also occurs. The male lead is dealing with the demons that surface after treatment of cancer. These things give the characters a beautiful complexity. I found both Anna and Quan to be very relatable. The author’s note informs us that this novel is the closest to autobiographical that Hoang has yet written, which added a whole new level of emotion in reading this novel.

I am known to like my books a little on the heavy-side, so I want to acknowledge that this novel might not be for everyone. I did not want to put this one down! Comparisons always seem to be popular so I would say that if you were really into the issues worked through by the characters in Emily Henry’s Beach Read, then I think you won’t mind the mix of heavy and happy found here.

I have loved every book in this series, and THE HEART PRINCIPLE was no exception. Though not a rom-com, this book still brought a major swoon factor while also tackling some bigger issues. Moments of lightness and humor helped break up some of the heaviness, but this is a book that packs a big emotional punch. I absolutely adored Anna and Quan, and seeing their relationship blossom from awkward first encounter to life-saving support made this a hugely rewarding book to read. Grab some tissues (& some cheetos) and prepare to laugh and cry your way through this one.

I love this author and her complex characters, whose personalities and quirks remind me of someone I love on the spectrum. Heart Principle is the third novel in the Kiss Quotient companion contemporary romance series. I laughed, got angry, talked to the characters and lost myself in their story.

Coffee Dates With Heart Principle

First Date: I was so excited to read Heart Principe. I loved the first two novels in this series, from the characters to the situations. I was pulled in the moment we met violinist Anna Sun. I felt for her and saw many characteristics of my son in Anna. I also wanted to throttle her boyfriend. Don’t worry, there isn’t cheating if that disqualifies a romance for you. This is more than a romance, although there are plenty of swoons. It is the story of Anna finding herself, identifying and accepting who she is and letting go of trying to please everyone.

Second Date: Dating Apps weren’t around when I was dating. In fact, I met my husband through my sister. When Anna and her boyfriend take a break, she is mad but her friends encourage her to get back out there. I laughed at her profile and loved the entire met cute between Anna and tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep. It was honest, sweet and made me fall for Quan. I love how Hoang touches on autism and other issues from family to disfigurement. Her characters are relatable, allowing you to connect and feel for them.

Third Date: The romance was a slow-burn with adorkable moments, fish talk and growth, as the heat built. Events forced our couple apart and had me flipped the pages as the train wreck unfolded. I desperately wanted Anna to shout out and stop those trying to control her life. Her family tried to force their version of normal on her. The drama wasn’t overdone, but got me emotionally involved and forced Anna to find herself. I cried, laughed, swooned, and cheered my way to the last page.

Fans of well-developed diverse characters who are flawed and realistic will love Hoang’s books and the Heart Principle. I loved the topics she addressed while keeping it real and allowing me to become connected.

This is the third book in The Kiss Quotient series, and if you haven't read the first two you really should, they're so good!

Anna Sun is a violinist who goes viral on YouTube, but then finds herself completely burnt out by trying to replicate that success. While she's struggling to understand herself better her stress is compounded when her boyfriend declares that he wants to play the field before settling down. Hurt, angry, and looking to take back some control in her life, Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship he's going to get one. In other words, she's going to have some fun of her own. Enter Quan Diep. He's inked-up, rides and motorcycle, and hotter than sin. Anna thinks she wants a one-night stand, but Quan seems to understand and accept her in ways she doesn't expect.

I always love Hoang's characters so much. They're real and nuanced and I always feel like I really know them. This book will leave you feeling raw and emotional—it's intense but beautiful. There are a lot of serious topics in the book, but they're handled in a way that will rip your heart wide open but also make you want to hug the book when you're done.

Basically, if you haven't got this on your TBR yet, you need to rectify that.

This book was the best book I read this year!

This was the most emotional, raw, realistic, beautiful portrayal of working through insecurities and difficult times, and it’s presented with the most genuine slow burn relationship. It’s literally everything I’ve ever WANTED!!!

This story follows Anna, who is struggling with the pressure of living up to eveyone's expectations, coming to terms with a recent diagnosis of autism, and caregiver burnout while helping her family take care of her father. And Quan, who is struggling with his sense of self, security and confidence after having a brush with cancer.

The story explores how these two characters come to terms with their problems, while finding comfort in each other. It's a beautiful portrayal of how much mental health can impact you as well as the people around you, and also how much we as people are impacted by the people in our lives.

This was so real and personal, it breaks your heart and fills you with hope at the same time. It destroyed me in the very best way. My favorite book of the year, for sure, and definitely my favorite of the kiss quotient series.

Can I first just say: WOW. This book is sweet and sad and steamy and deeply personal. It exposes the deepest parts of both Quan and Anna with such care and vulnerability, showing the reader a depth that is hard to execute well in a book. I felt deeply connected to these characters, like I was holding their hearts in my hands, watching them break and be put back together.

this book is a bit heavier than the other books in The Kiss Quotient series, but it’s worth every page (and tear).

**please read author’s note at the end of the book. I feel like this gave me a fresh perspective and made my heart fall even more for Anna and her journey.

I'd recommend for fans of Life's Too Short, P.S. I Love You, and slow paced romances.
AT A GLANCE…
steam: 🔥🔥🔥/5
genre: romance
⚠️: death of parent, mental illness, suicidal thoughts, cancer, ableism

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2021/08/31/the-heart-principle-by-helen-hoang/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
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<i>Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i>

I have really enjoyed the books by this author in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/256914-the-kiss-quotient" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><strong>Kiss Quotient</strong> </em></a>series.  I find I am emotionally absorbed with the character's personal issues and growth.   People are going through things and they may not be able to tell you or understand themselves why some things are so difficult.

Anna is a high functioning autistic.  All her life, her sister and parents have pushed her and been angry with her if she has issues with things, for example, crowds or having her hair touched.  So she masks all her feelings, and does and says what she thinks they want to hear.  She also avoids them mostly, since acting is exhausting. I really hate how they treat her and make her feel, many times.

She has recently had a smashing success with a violin solo and somehow that makes it worse.   No one in her family understands or tries to understand.  She takes a leave from the Symphony and starts therapy.  There she discovers she might be autistic and reads about it. She tries to tell her family about it but it doesn't go well.

Her boyfriend of several years, decides he wants to experience more women and have an open relationship before he makes a commitment. So Anna decides to date other people also. Yeah, he's totally a tool and I would punch him if I could.

She meets Quan Diep who runs the clothing business with his cousin, Michael, who we met in <strong>The Kiss Quotient</strong>. For the first time, Anna experiences someone who listens to her and cares enough to  know the real person. I heart Quan from start to finish.  He is so kind and caring.  He really supports Anna in many ways as she grows and deals with some other changes in her life.  He has some of his own issues but thankfully Michael and Stella have his back.

Anna and Quan are such a great couple and I was happy to see them together. I learned about them as they learned about each other.   They may be a bit different than each other, but that gives them new things to learn and discuss, as they are curious about each other's lives and hobbies.  This author never seems to fail in her storytelling about people and their issues and growth in a realistic and inspiring way which fill the heart.

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for the ARC!

"How much of what people say is genuine and how much is politeness? Is anyone really living life or are we all reading lives from a giant script written by other people?"

Anna is a gifted violinist, a member of a prestigious symphony, and an unlikely star due to a YouTube video of one of her performances that went viral. Her overnight success however, paralyzed her creative efforts. In her need for perfection and to avoid disappointing her new legion of fans, she practices her pieces obsessively, but is never satisfied with the results, never feeling like she can be "good enough" again and be worthy of her new-found fame.

Her family, particularly her older sister, Priscilla, are demanding of her time and attention, wholly unsympathetic to her creative process. Her longtime boyfriend also abruptly announces that he wants an open relationship, leaving Anna feeling more isolated and alone than ever.

Even though its out of her comfort zone, she seeks out a dating app, hoping an one-night stand will level the playing field and distract her from her heartache.

Enter Quan. ( He's a beloved minor character from Hoang's previous novels, The Bride Test and The Kiss Quotient, although it is not necessary to have read them prior to THP). He's everything that her parents would disapprove of with his motorcycle, many tattoos, and rebellious spirit. Their one-night stand keeps getting delayed due to a comedy of errors, but in the meantime a deep intimacy evolves between Quan and Anna, the likes of which Anna has never experienced.

As Anna wrestles with an unexpected diagnosis and a family crisis that tests her on every level, Anna must decide how much longer she is going to let other people's plans and expectations rule her life and if she can find the courage to claim her love for Quan.

This is a deeply powerful story with aching vulnerability and heart. As someone who has a nephew with autism, this resonated for me on so many levels as Hoang explores the facets of the autism spectrum through Anna with integrity and grace.

The novel also explores the dynamics of family and the crushing weight of expectations that can cause us to falter if we don't find the strength to put them down and claim our authentic lives.

The Heart Principle is a powerful novel that will stay with me for some time.

Thank you @prhinternational and Net Galley for the free book.

Since I really loved The Kiss Quotient, I had high expectations for this book, and Helen Hoang didn't disappoint, The Heart Principle really exceeded all of my expectations. I fell in love with her writing again.

I must confess that I'm not a big fan of romance, however this book is much more than that.

In this book we meet Anna and Quan. She is a talented violinist, but she is not in a good moment with her music, also she is struggling with some problems since her boyfriend decides it is a good idea to date other people before they commit to marry each other. Obviously, Anna is not happy with this decision and she joins a dating service to meet other people too. Quan, who we have known in earlier books, has his own struggles too, he is recovering from a cancer battle and also we will discover that he has other insecurities related to it.

Although they start their relationship with the idea of one-night stand, soon they'll realize that they are genuinely attracted to each other and their relationship will escalate into something else.

I can't tell which character I loved the most, both Quan and Anna are adorable and their chemistry is perfect, they made a wonderful couple.

Anna is very sweet and although she is going through so much, she is strong and I love that. Quan is very thoughtful and kind which make him perfect for Anna.

Besides these lovely characters, the book also explores many sensitive issues such as anxiety, family issues, autism, and cancer and Hoang manages to touch these topics really well.

I can't say too much because spoilers, but I can tell you need to read this book and fall in love with it. I'm looking forward to more from Hoang in the future.

After going viral on YouTube, violinist Anna Sun finds herself stuck trying to recreate her success. Things get even worse when her longtime boyfriend insists on opening up their relationship before making a commitment. Anna decides to set off on a series of one-night stands herself. That is, until she finds she can’t walk away from her first one-night stand with Quan Diep.

Okay so I loved Helen Hoang's first two books, but I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Heart Principle even more! This is a romance novel, but it's also a story of a woman coming to terms with receiving an autism diagnosis after reaching adulthood and learning to recognize her own needs and desires. It's incredibly powerful, vulnerable, thoughtful, and still a delightfully charming love story. I can't get enough of Anna and Quan!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I was hoping that NetGalley would get this book as I loved the other books written by author Hoang. I did get the audio and have two different people voice the main characters was great. I will say there should be a trigger warning for those with anxiety and autism. I found that some of the anxiety that Anna went through started my mind whirling and I had to take a break. Some parts were really hard to get through but it was a great book.

4.5 'No more masking' Stars!
ARC provided by the the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously love Helen Hoang. Not kidding. Like I fell in love at first read after The Kiss Quotient and many of us have been waiting for this very moment for what seems quite a long time. Quan's story is finally here and my heart can't take it! I knew Helen would give him a unique and wonderful love story and she did not disappoint. AT ALL. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time, it was sweet and sexy and it has a whole lot of feels. Trust me when I say you don't want to miss this!

So, The Heart Principle is Helen's third novel and also the third installment in her The Kiss Quotient series. We met Quan in the first book, he is Michael's cousin and best friend, who also takes care of the behind the scenes side of the fashion business he has with Michael. But Quan has had a life changing experience and he is not feeling himself anymore. Enter Anna Sun. She is a super talented violinist who happens to feel trapped in her life and she is always trying to make everyone happy. Except her. That starts to change when she truly discovers herself and when she starts seeing Quan. Life is about to change for these two and a beautiful love story will flourish.

You’re a big deal—to me. You’re amazing—to me.
This yearning for her, this craving, it’s sunk so deep into me that it’s part of me now. This is how Quan is now. He’s crazy about this one girl.

You probably already know that Helen's stories are special and out of the ordinary. All of them revolve around the autism spectrum and real life experiences. The Heart Principle is no exception and that is part of what makes this novel (and the other two in the series) so unique. Quan and Anna are such wonderful characters. They have their ups and downs, they have to deal with very difficult moments in their lives, they are a bit broken for different personal reasons and together they heal. Neither expected the connection that sparks between them from the very first message. Neither expected their "one-night" stand to become so much more. Neither expected to find true love and happiness. It was just so beautiful to see this couple leaning on each other, giving each other strength and falling in love. Their chemistry was sugary sweet and slow burning and it was so explosive when they finally acted on it. Two very different people found solace and true happiness together and it made my heart melt all over.

“You’ve been my bright spot. You’ve pulled me through. The only good thing this broken heart of mine can feel is love for you.”

Therefore, I am rating The Heart Principle with 4.5 STARS because Helen Hoang gave us another unique love story that I am sure many will love. She definitely delivered for the ones that have been impatiently anticipating it and it was such an amazing novel from start to finish. I loved Quan and Anna. I loved them as individuals, I loved their growth as characters, I loved how they learn to love themselves as they are and how they fall madly in love with each other. Trust me when I say, you have to start this series if you haven't because it's absolutely worth it. Highly, highly recommend!

The Heart Principle is so much more than a contemporary romance. It tackles caregiving, burnout, cancer, depression, end of life care, and family dynamics. It also gives us the incredible protagonist, Anna, an Asian American violinist with autism who is trying to navigate life. This one will give you all the feels.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the electronic advanced copy.

I received a gifted galley of THE HEART PRINCIPLE by Helen Hoang for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

THE HEART PRINCIPLE follows Anna and Quan. Anna is a violinist who achieved internet fame and is now struggling to even play a note. She is constantly caught up in the quest to be good enough, but knows she never can be. Meanwhile her boyfriend has decided that he wants to have an open relationship so he can see (sleep with) other women. With this new freedom, Anna meets Quan for a one night stand, but it doesn’t go as planned. Instead of one night, the pair slowly get to know each other. Each is dealing with struggles in their lives and grow to rely on the other more and more as the weight of additional struggles pile on.

This book was definitely not what I expected when I picked it up – it is much more of a heartbreaker than a cheerful romance. I did enjoy the way that Anna and Quan became friends before they became more to each other and appreciated their relationship.

What this book really excels at is delving into serious issues of autistic burnout, family pressures especially around mental health and diagnoses, autistic burnout, depression and suicidal thoughts, end of life care and decisions, caregiver burnout, and more. The author’s note at the end explains that this novel was particularly close to home and that understanding and first hand experience comes through on the page. It definitely is a book to enter into in the right frame of mind, though, as a lot of this content could be potentially triggering.

This is an emotional read and one I did very much appreciate! THE HEART PRINCIPLE is available now!

I meannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn....

I've been wanting Quan's story for so long, and the wait was SO WORTH IT. I loved Quan's story. Anna and Quan were adorable, the romance was literally everything I've needed lately (especially as I've only been able to read romance recently, lol).

The Heart principle brought me so much joy and I hope it brings you some, too!

This was my first book by this author and I went in pretty unaware. Truthfully it took me a little while to get into it but when I finally did, I flew through it. The characters experiences were explained in an obviously very personal way and I really enjoyed getting to know both of the main characters. Anna’s sister however, *side eyes*.

the heart principle
5 🌟
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IF YOU LIKE: the kiss quotient, the bride test, act your age, eve brown
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PLOT: swipe ⬅️
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YALLLLLLLLL. I’ve been waiting for this book for ages and IT LIVED UP to my expectations SO HARD!!
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LIKES:
📝 personal, relatable writing
👥 multi-pov (Anna & Quan)
🧩 ASD representation (complex & so well done!)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 explores family dynamics & crises
🇨🇳 + Anna’s chinese-American experience
🛏 one-night stand trope
🏍 + a bad boy w/ a tender heart!!
🔥 slow burn romance
🥵 5/5 steam (and the good kind 👀)
❤️ lots of sweet romantic moments
♀+ feminist themes re: female ownership of intimacy
🌱 themes of growth
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DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for trigger warnings
🌶 may be too spicy for some
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VERDICT: full of romance & spice with MAJOR depth in exploring ASD, family dynamics, the female Chinese-American experience, & women’s struggle with owning themselves intimately - a MUST READ for honestly all women!

REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Anna Sung's violinist career takes a turn when a video of her goes viral, and she finds herself burned out from her attempts at replicating that moment, the perfectness of it. When her boyfriend wishes to open-up their relationship before making a life-long commitment, hurt and anger leads her on a one-night stand mission. That's when she meets Quan Diep, their attempts at remaining a one-night stand fails miserably over and over again, because being together is more than sex. However, when tragedy strikes, Anna takes on a role in her family that slowly destroys her. They must keep fighting for their love and for themselves through hardship and pyjama shark-filled waters.

CW: Anxiety, panic attack, depression, autism, masking, ableism, autistic burnout, cancer (remission), sterility, suicidal ideation, severe (non-cancer illness of a family member), caretaking burnout, death of a family member, toxic family relationship, classism, unnecessarily putting oneself in danger, overexertion as coping mechanism.

This book completely wrecked me, in the best and most awful ways possible, and I loved every moment of it. I would like to talk about how incredibly beautiful Hoang's writing is. I loved how personal and delicate the story telling felt. I loved how intricate all the characters were, even smaller characters had purpose and deeper meaning. I loved how in this book, Hoang changed the narrating style from 3rd person to first. This choice was perfect for this couple, how close we felt to them while going through their struggles was enhanced even more because of this choice. From the author's words, this book is part memoir and Helen wrote a masterpiece. Such a vulnerable tale that has incredibly moving and heavy themes interwoven so expertly within the core love story. I loved how in the end, taking a step back from my own tears and heartbreak from this book I can see how completely perfect they are for each other. You might not expect it from what we knew about Quan, but they are. Their struggles emerging from the same toxic society expectations: the gendered roles they are meant to be stuck in. Anna's role as caregiver, wife, submissive, and her family's expectation that she would adopt allistic characteristic to mask her true self, and many more. Quan's role as a money-maker and provider, as a fertile male, etc.

I loved how Anna and Quan's love story's timing was all wrong, but also so perfectly right. How they were exactly what the other needed. Even in their failings, they were perfect for each other. Even in their heartbreaks, their love brought them back together. Their love for each other, and also through their self-discovering journey, their love and respect for themselves. I love how by the end of the book, nothing is wrapped in a perfect bow, I love how the only certainty we are left with is their love. Every other conflict isn't magically resolved by the end, it brings so much value to their triumph in adversity. Adversity is overwhelming in their story; It brings them together but it also tears them apart. I love how they both see the hardships the other had to overcome, and cherishes them for it. Quan.. What can I say? He is marvelous. His kindness, his strength, how delicate he is with Anna, not delicate in a way to convey superiority but in a caring way that allows her to grow, and cherish that growth. I loved how considerate he was, for every person that came his way, from the children he taught martial art to, to his admiration for quirkiness in the people he loves. His relationship with Michael was so heartwarming, I loved how much love and support hey have for each other, but also how healthy that relationship is. I loved how perceptive he was, how he paid attention and noticed details people usually pass and stomp over. Anna, sweet and so strong Anna. I want to punch every single person that brought her harm, especially her sister. It was so hard to read how she endured so much emotional abuse during her life, her sister only hiding behind this tough-love crap, trying to mold her into a person that would be easier for her to love. I'm still so angry. But also so freaking proud of Anna, building boundaries around herself and Quan, protecting them from further harm. I feel like Anna herself didn't see how strong she was. I loved how courageous of her it was so see the struggle her father was going through, even if at this point in her own journey she was profoundly burned-out. I loved her growth so much. She goes through so much in this book, and in the end, I love how kind she finally is to herself, but how it's also a purposeful kindness. One that is not instinctual, but that she is actively working towards.

Now, the steam. You all know how I love truly intimate scenes in romance, and this one did not disappoint in the slightest. I was so pleased with their sexual relationship. How they had to work at it, but also how it deviated from the usual penetration-centric hetero sex. I loved how they were both focused on the other's pleasure, that communication is hard, but also earned through intimacy, patience and most of all trust. I love when sex scenes can't be interchangeable, and this one is so deeply personal to Anna and Quan, to their story and to the adversity and challenges they go through as the book progresses.

To conclude, I had to read this book twice, be able to process all the precious words that made it into this final manuscript. The author crafted a wonderful book that will stay with me for forever. It is going straight to my all time favourites shelf.

Thank you @Berkley for gifting me a digital advanced reader's copy via @netgalley . As always all thoughts and opinions are and will be honest and my own.