Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient trilogy is a must-read for romance lovers.

Her books were the first romances I read that featured neurodiverse characters. The stories are on the spicier side, for sure, but they also share a realistic view of inclusivity and mental health.

🎧 I've done this entire series on audio.at 1.5x speed. The narration is clear, and the voice actors do a wonderful job conveying the emotion that is so important to this story.

I loved this book and the audiobook was perfect! Helen Hoang does a wonderful job writing romance books and I have recommended this to everyone I know that would enjoy romance books!

This is the third book that I have read by the author. I enjoy her life like characters, but all of the books are too steamy for me. This one has two great main characters that meet online and both have a lot going on in their lives. It is romantic and predictable, but that is usually what you get in romance books. Thanks to Netgalley for this review copy.

Helen Hoang is a treasure! I love this romance series so much because they aren’t only romances. The characters are real and deep and human. In The Heart Principle, Anna and Quan have to learn to trust each other when they’ve been unable to trust others for most of their life. And that is really beautiful. There’s a lot of grief and other devastating things going on, which happens to be my jam.

What a lovely beautiful audiobook.the narrators voice the characters beautifully and add so much depth. A well rounded story with a wonderful ending, a must read,

After a Youtube video of violinist Anna Sun goes viral, she has been struggling to deal with her success and her constant need to be perfect. When her long-time boyfriend suggests for an open relationship before finally marrying one another, Anna is devastated. She decides that she too will have meaningless sex with as many men as possible. Then she meets Quan through a dating app, and everything changes.

This was definitely the most intense and emotional of the three Kiss Quotient books. In my opinion, I found the topics are a lot deeper in this one than the other two books in the series. I really liked Anna as a main character, and I definitely resonated with her struggle of wanting to please everyone, even if it means often putting aside what you want for yourself. It can be exhausting and I definitely feel for her. I did like the exploration of Anna's toxic family dynamics and how she was trying to navigate that. Quan was one of my favourite characters in the other two books, so I was excited that he was getting a story all about him. I loved how we got to see a more vulnerable side to Quan, in the other books he is so confident and sure of himself, always there for someone who needs him. It was nice to dive deeper into his insecurities and watch him overcome them with Anna's help. This was heavily marketed as a romance... the first half of the book would definitely be considered a great romance. The second half of the book is when I think the romance took a bit of a back seat, focusing more on Anna and Quan's personal matters more frequently than the romance itself. Everything escalated very quickly and the pacing became rushed, in my opinion.

I did enjoy this, but definitely not as much as the other two books in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This book was amazing - possibly one of the best of the year! I didn’t realize until after I received it that it was part of a series and was worried as I had not read other works, however, appreciated that I was able to pick this book up like a standalone romance. On that note, I will definitely be picking up the other books in this series! I was expecting a simple rom-com but it was SO much more than that. This book realistically describes many real life situations, specifically caring for a loved one after stroke. As a nurse and someone who has been a caregiver for family members, this story line was very raw and relatable for me and what I’ve been through. I loved seeing the world through Anna’s eyes - she is diagnosed with Autism during her journey and I appreciated getting a glimpse of life of someone on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. The narrators ( Brian Nishii & Natalie Naudus) were incredible voice actors and look forward to listening to more books narrated by them.

Wow. Just wow. I honestly didn’t have high expectations for this book as I didn’t love The Kiss Quotient and never read The Bride Bet, but The Heart Principle blew me away. This book was so much more than a standard romance.

To very trivially summarize the book, it follows Anna as she navigates her boyfriend deciding that they need to have an open relationship, new love, an autism diagnosis, the inability to perform her job, and her father’s failing health (seriously just go read the real book summary because mine does not do it justice). In her author’s note, Helen states that this is her most personal and autobiographical book and that really comes across in the delicacy of the writing.

I really enjoyed being in Anna’s head because it was absolutely fascinating. Helen Hoang is autistic which gives Anna’s voice that much more power and made her experience feel all the more authentic and really highlights the need for Own Voices authors. I absolutely adored Quan. He is my perfect book boyfriend. Together they had so much chemistry and I loved their strangers to one night stand to friends to lovers story.

So much of this book also revolved around Anna and her complicated relationship with her family. I really liked that the storyline with her family didn’t wrap up in a nice little bow because family is messy. I also liked how honest the book was about the importance of therapy and seeking medication when its needed. I honestly don’t remember the last book I read where the protagonist talked about taking antidepressants, so this was a very refreshing change.

I really enjoyed both Brian Nishii and Natalie Nadus as readers for the audiobook. I love when dual POV romances actually have two narrators rather than have one person read both. Both readers really captured voice and style of the characters and helped me to fully immerse myself in the story.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Words can't express how amazing this book is and moving it is to read. This is the third novel in a series by Helen Hoang where one of the main characters is on the autistic spectrum. Because of the range of the spectrum each character is unique in how autism impacts their lives. Alice Sun is a violist with the San Francisco Symphony and a YouTube sensation. She is overwhelmed with the challenges of her new success and the need to be perfect. While struggling with her playing and her need to please people, her boyfriend of five years suggests they see other people so they can be sure they are right for each other.

Alice decides to try a dating app and meets Quan Diep. Quan is insecure with his body after successful cancer treatments. He is planning on one night stands to boost his confidence. The one night stand plan isn't successful but the two like and trust each other. There is much more depth to the story and I don't want to give everything away. The MC's are fabulous and the story is told alternating in first person from their POVs. To be inside Alice's mind is fascinating and overwhelming. Quan is simpler to understand but he has his own challenges and strengths.

I related to Alice with tissues in hand as she struggles to be a caregiver to her father. As a daughter of someone who was homebound for 3 years, one of those fully bed bound from the effects of Parkinson's, I understood her emotions. I can't imagine adding in the issues of culture expectations and living with ASD.

I enjoyed the narrators. At first it felt slow (I usually speed up when listening to audio books), but I found the slowness matched the earnestness of the characters and I chose to listen at regular speed. This is a book I didn't want to rush through, but to experience.

This can be read as a romance with heat, which it is, but it is so much more. It has humor and sweetness and is heart wrenching and hopeful to read. Many of the aspects of this book lets it easily crossover into women's fiction. This is a novel I will remember long after I've finished reading and will gladly recommend to my friends. It easily stands alone but does have cameos from the MCs in the first two books. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

The Heart Principle touched my heart. I would rather give this a 4.5 especially after reading the author’s note and the acknowlegment section. This story was a work from the heart; Helen Hoang’s heart because it was partly a memoir of her own experiences. Knowing this made the book more real and connected to me more than most romance novels. Although I have not been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and I know people who are, but I do battle depression and anxiety. Her words were real as I read of Anna’s pain and insecurities. I share her thoughts and the need to be myself when everyone expects me to be something else. Helen Hoang has written a wonderful story and I thank her for putting my pain on paper so I can see and try to heal.

Thank you for allowing me to read the advanced copy. But to note, the audio version was well done, however, I was unable to listen to the last 10% of the book because the sound stopped. I checked with other audiobooks and the sound was fine resulting with this copy to be the issue. Luckily I had purchased a printed copy and was able to finish it.

Let me start by saying that I am so, so happy Helen Hoang was able to write the book she wanted and needed to write. Her author’s notes always touch me, but this one was especially poignant. Hoang crafts undeniably beautiful books with imperfect characters you will both relate to and root for and THE HEART PRINCIPLE was no exception.

Anna and Quan’s book hit me right in the solar plexus. From our first meeting with Anna and her detestable boyfriend, I knew this book would grip me from start to finish. Anna’s emotional journey was heart-wrenchingly, achingly real. My heart literally hurt for her at parts.

While I feel this book is very much Anna’s journey, the romance and Quan are still a central and integral part of the plot. Is this book heavy? Yes. Does it tackle multiple serious and important plot points? Absolutely. But it has light moments and sexy parts that help balance the overall tone of the book. Quan is essential to those lighter moments. Quan was everything. Fans of this series have been waiting on his book, and while he has had some bumps and bruises both emotionally and physically since the last book, it only served to make him a better partner to Anna. He’s strong and funny and the solid rock we all want our book boyfriends to be. Plus, he’s super hot? That’s a given, right? When he pulls up on his motorcycle for his first date with Anna? WHEW. HOT.

The relationship between Anna and Quan felt modern and fresh and, honestly, relatable. Anna’s boyfriend wants to be in an open relationship and starts dating other women, so Anna gets on a dating app. From first date anxiety to hook-up culture to awkwardly intimate conversations with strangers online, dating is tough – Anna was lucky she found Quan on her first try!

There is a lot of discussion around this book, for good reason. I read this book weeks ago and I still can’t get it out of my head. I agonized over this review because the book dug up so much emotion in me. The themes of family guilt and expectations, especially within Asian culture was fascinating. Adding in Anna’s diagnosis and the ripple effect through her family, there was a lot going on and it was all handled with a deft and empathetic hand.

Now, was this a five star book for me? Sadly, no. I did love it, but the ending was so incredibly rushed and almost frantic that I felt a little overwhelmed. I think the pacing was a little off. The caretaking scenes were vital, but they took up so much page time that I felt a little shortchanged by the last 10% of the book.

I also had difficulty with Anna and Quan’s emotional connection at the end. It was there at the beginning, but the relationship was so incredibly one-sided. Relationships are often uneven, and partners help you carry the emotional load, but I wanted Anna to help Quan occasionally. Or at least listen to him? There was a part of the book I noted that Anna didn’t even know what Quan did for a living (which, happens to be his passion) well into their dating journey. Additionally, when Quan has struggles at said job, he solves them without Anna getting involved at all. It made their journey feel like two parallel tracks rather than an ultimate merge. Much of their relationship happens off-screen and I think the romance ultimately suffers for it.

I kept this at four stars because it’s a really, really good book, and I adore the idea that the characters we grow to love don’t have to have it all figured out at the end of the book for there to still be a happy and hopeful ending. Oftentimes, emotional struggles last a lifetime and imperfect people deserve to find love and relationships too.

Overall, this was a beautifully written book that I will continue to think about for months to come.

TW: Grief, caretaking, loss of a parent, suicidal thoughts

**I received a free copy of this audiobook in order to provide an honest review**

This book was REALLY GOOD. I read it in just a few hours and I thought the diversity and representation were both stunning. I love how the author is so good at showing what it's really like to live with autism, both for men and women. I also loved how male body image was talked about (also, Quan is bae). However, I do have to say all three of the books in this series are very similar to one another and there's a lot of miscommunication trope, which I didn't love.

Anna had fallen into a rut; her career had stalled after viral success, her family was derailing, and her boyfriend decided to make their relationship an open relationship - without bothering to check with her first. Anna knew she needed a change, and if her (technically) current boyfriend could sleep around, so could she.

Quan was looking for a one-night stand to cure his drought. After some health problems and a blow to his self-image, he wants to get back out there. And Anna, with her no-commitment stance, similar likes and dislikes, and common desired outcome, seems like the perfect girl for him. But then their attempts to have their singular one-night stand keep flopping, and something always seems to come up. And everytime they meet up, Quan becomes more and more attracted to Anna, and despite the chaos going on in her life, she begins to feel the same. Deeply moving and definitely steamy, The Heart Principle is about finding yourself on the journey to finding love.

I have so many good feelings coming off of The Heart Principle. I received an audiobook version of this novel from Dreamscape Media, and I looked for every excuse to find time to listen - there were so many good moments that I did not want to press pause. I loved Anna’s story, and I guess a part of that is the fact that I really resonated with her as a character. Anna was figuring out a lot, and she was absolutely the right character for me at the right time. Helen Hoang writes amazing romances, and The Heart Principle is some of my favorite writing by her yet.

I thought The Heart Principle translated really well into audio format. I don’t have a physical copy to see how the syntax on the page compared to the cadence of the narrators, but the narrators did a fantastic job at lulling me into the story. Natalie Naudus performed Anna so well, it is hard to believe she wasn’t going through all the same things Anna was going though. And Brian Nishii did a wonderful reading of Quan, really bringing out Quan’s love for Anna, his acceptance of her quirks, and his frustrations over his own life. Having separate narrators for Anna and Quan was exactly what the book needed, and both voice actors gave great performances.

The audio version of The Heart Principle definitely swept me away; the audio was relaxing and uplifting, well paced and full of emotion. There were no additional sound effects to signal chapter breaks, but most chapters switched perspectives and the change in narrator made the new chapters obvious. While I can’t say how the text would have affected me, the audio pulled at some heart strings and the steamy parts made work and my commute much more entertaining.

I went into this book fully knowing and expecting it to be a bit less contemporary-romance based than her previous two books. I kept my expectations in check. I did REALLY like these characters and enjoyed the representation of Anna discovering her autism spectrum disorder and what that meant for her past and future. What didn't really work for me in this book is that I sometimes felt a little TINY bit like it was trying to be two different books. I know the author intended it that way and I appreciate the depth of what she was trying to convey (which was A LOT), but it felt just a bit like whiplash here and there. However, it was still good and I liked it. Thank you to Dreamscape & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book isn't *really* part of a series that needs to be read in order but I think my favourite of the three was probably the first.

In all honesty, I didn't love The Kiss Quotient and was lukewarm about The Bride Test, but I still wanted to give the Heart Principle a chance, and I'm so glad I did. As a woman who was recently diagnosed with autism, I saw a lot of myself in Anna - when I listened to her internal monologue in the first scene with her therapist, I truly felt like wow this is exactly how I think. Maybe that's why I liked this book more, because I related to Anna more than I had the previous protagonists, but I really did love this story. Hearing about the journey of Anna and Quan's relationship was so wonderful and I'm so glad I gave it a shot. I can't wait to see what Helen Hoang comes out with next.

I really enjoyed The Heart Principle. The discussing about autism were very well done and I loved seeing the comparison of a healthy relationship juxtaposed with a toxic one. The main characters were incredibly layered. This is the first book I've read from Helen Hoang but it won't be the last!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💭What I thought would happen:

I figured it would mimic the similar plot lines as The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test.

📖What actually happens:

Anna is a cellist protege who is suffering from unbearable people pleasing that causes her crippling anxiety. While she comes from a family of tough love, she turns to therapy who informs her that she is on the spectrum…she wonders how she and her loved ones had never noticed. After a “break” from her long term relationship she decides to say screw him and go looking for an online hookup

Quan is recovering from cancer, once a care free womanizer whom had excellent presence in Hoang’s other books. He is on a mission to get himself back out there. Perhaps from a bit of pressure from his colleague and best friend, Michael.

🗯Thoughts:

I thought I had to read both of the other books in this series to understand The Heart Principle. That is in fact not true! I would 💯 say this was my favorite book in the series.

I liked both Anna and Quan’s insecurities and how they better each other. However, I didn’t exactly love how quickly they started hooking up based on the insecurities they each are battling.

I found the plot extremely similar to the other books in this series. Wildly predictable but enjoyable as far as romances go.

This book is the third in Helen Hoang’s Kiss Quotient series. We meet amazing violinist Anna Sun and begins with her boyfriends decision to have an open relationship. Anna deals with what it means to be different and how she connects with her family. She meets Quran and everything she thought she knew and love and relationships change. This sweet story is one I quickly came to love. I found myself rooting for them the entire book.

This was easily my favorite book of this series. I've been looking forward to Quan's story and Helen Hoang did not disappoint. Violinist Anna is looking for a one night stand after her boyfriend opens up their relationship, and Quan is looking for something casual after his recovery from testicular cancer. They eventually realize that a one night stand is not enough.

This book is not solely a romance. Anna has started seeing a therapist when she can no longer play the violin. Through therapy she discovers that her "quirks" may be masking deeper issues. As with the other books in the series, Hoang does an excellent job representing ASD as well as other topics such as anxiety, depression and long term caregiving.

Anna's situation towards of the end of the book is tough to read (or listen to). The author does a great job in this section. It really elevates the book in my opinion.

When I was given the chance to review this book, I made sure that I didn’t read another book at the same time. I must say that this book is the epitome of what writing and reading romance is all about. It takes your imagination to a place or a situation where you will be able to relate to the characters and feel the emotions. And when I heard the voices of the narrators, it felt like they were telling their own stories and not just reading a book to their audience.

I enjoyed this book very much, and so far the best book this year 😍. Well unfortunately for the books in my list … this book ruined my next book to read.


Note: Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for the audiobook.