The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang is one of my top reads of the year. It starts with Anna Sun whose current relationship leaves much to be desired and whose career as a violist is struggling. She achieves career success and notoriety after a YouTube performance went viral but the pressures of living up to those expectations leave her unable to play. After an intimate evening, her longtime boyfriend announces that before they make things permanent that he wants to check out what else is “out there” and my hatred of Julian was solidified. This open relationship leads Anna to look for a one-night stand where she meets Quan Diep. Quan has some insecurities following some health issues. Between the two of them and what they are dealing with emotionally, the one-night stand attempt fails as does their second attempt but what they gain is a person who understands them as they are and accepts them unconditionally. When a family emergency puts Anna in a position she is uncomfortable with and ill suited to handle, Quan becomes a source of strength for her.

I absolutely loved this book and Anna and Quan’s relationship. They are understanding and empathetic and treat each other with consideration and love. It was beautiful to see their relationship develop while they had to endure the hardships and how they responded to the difficulties of life with the support of the other person. The book takes on some more serious topics but still has some funny quirky humor. I was given the audiobook version of this book and I thought the narration was wonderful. The voices suited characters well and the performance was spot on. Highly recommend!!

Thank you @NetGalley and @Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.

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I have read the other two books in this series and have to say that this one was my favorite. I thought the first book was okay and did not like the second one. Which is okay because not every story has to be for everyone. I think this is the best one in the series and it makes me want to continue to read more books from the author.
I liked both narrators and think they did an amazing job which contributed to my enjoyment of the story.
I had read about Quan from a previous book and was looking forward to his own story. I will say that this book focused more on Anna than Quan though. I wish there had been a little bit more focus on Quan and his own battle with cancer and how it affected him after having survived it. Especially because there was a part where he mentioned not feeling like a real man after his procedure. It was swept under the rug to focus on Anna and her family situation.
I liked that Anna and her sister did not resolve their problems with each other because sometimes authors will tie up all loose ends into a pretty bow. Sometimes you have to let go of those who cause you harm and refuse to acknowledge the harm that is being done to you by their actions. That felt realistic to me. Also, Anna's feelings about her father's situation were valid and I wish she had been able to articulate everything she was feeling. But then again, I did see her slowly grow throughout the book which was more realistic for her character.
One thing I would have LOVED to listen to would have been Anna's ex-boyfriend's reaction to Anna moving on with her life without him. I would have loved to hear about his reaction/emotions after Anna calls off the engagement. He was an ass in every way he treated her and how he expected her to stay docile while he sowed his oats. But then again, I love revenge and spiteful actions in my books.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for providing me with this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more books by the author.

<b> “i can tell him things not because he doesn’t matter but because he’s kind” </b>

After reading The Bride Test, I couldn’t wait to read Quan’s book. All the things he did for his brother made me fall in love with his character. So many times side-characters can fall flat in their own books, but that wasn't the case with Quan. Quan's kindness and likability only got better in this book. He is such a sweet character and so emotionally mature.

Before going further into my review, I have to address the classification of this book as a contemporary romance. I do not think this book should be called a romance. There is a romantic storyline, but the main storyline is Anna dealing with her burnout and her family tragedy.

That's not to say the book wasn't amazingly written! I just wouldn't recommend it if you are looking for a light and fluffy contemporary romance. This book was HEAVY. Make sure to check content warnings because the topics in the book are not easy, but they are very real. Hoang does an amazing job of putting readers into Anna's shoes. I felt her frustration, her pain, and her struggles. So many points in the book, I just wanted to give Anna a hug and at other points I wanted to yell at her I was so frustrated with her.

With so much focus on Anna it almost felt like we were robbed of Quan’s great love story. The story was not Anna and Quan's but Anna featuring Quan. While we got to see the chemistry of the two when they failed at their attempts to have a one night stand, there was a lack of relationship development.

The narrators of the audiobook were great, especially the male narrator. It's my pet peeve when male narrators make their all high pitched and squeaky for the female characters and this one didn’t do that.

*Thanks to Netgalley and Helen Hoang for providing this audiobook in exchange for a fair review.

It think too much happened in this book as Quan and Anna BOTH have issues. This felt more of Anna's story than it should have been Quan's. I wished we saw more family dynamics again. I'm curious to see what's next.

The narrators were good and I liked both narrations for their characters.

I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This is the best of an already amazing series! I was honored to get to review the ALC of this book!

This story follows Quan who has been described as a tattooed, motorcycle riding, ladies man. He proved to have a very soft underside in book two but in this book that took on a whole new meaning. As we meet him he is coming off some very serious medical issues and venturing back into dating. Ana who he meets through a dating app is looking for something temporary after her longtime boyfriend asked for an open relationship.

Their personal struggles and the amount of crap they have to overcome during this book was a lot. I was constantly impressed with the author's ability to create a soft place for Ana to land in Quan as she dealt with some major revelations about herself. I was also in awe of the complexity of his ability to understand and discredit any misconceptions the reader may have build about him from the earlier two books.

This was a deeply emotional book. Hoang is great at the open door steam in all her writing but I appreciated how much was said in what wasn't done.

I was SOOO excited to get approved to read the third book in The Kiss Quotient Series (one of my favorite romance series of all time!!) The representation across the board in this book is unmatched. Quan, our sexy Vietnamese, motorcycle riding, tattooed, cancer surviving hero and Anna, our quirky, quiet, violin playing heroine who learns so much about herself and finds her voice!! Fantastic! ALL THE STARS

I’m sad while I sit here writing this review because the book was good and I’ll have to wait patiently for another one. Helen Hoang is a favorite author of mine and I love all her books. They can all be read as stand-alones just in case you’re wondering. I was so excited when I got this audiobook from Dreamscape Media! This was book 3 of The Kiss Quotient and it was wonderful. Quan is one of my favorite characters and I was urgently waiting for this story.
This book explores the pressures of family, relationships and self acceptance. These two characters had the breathtaking chemistry and charm that HH always delivers. Book 3 was a little different than the previous 2 but equally enjoyable. I highly recommend.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

The Heart Principle is the third book in the Kiss Quotient series by Helen Hoang. What I love most about these books is the fact that they can stand alone. Each book introduces a new pair of characters so you don’t have to know what happened in the previous books before you read the newer ones. There are times characters from the previous books are mentioned, but the author does a great job giving a little bit of background information so you know who those characters are and what they do.

When the story begins, we automatically can tell Anna is not like most people. She avoids eye contact, hates to touch and be touched, and would rather spend time with her pet rock (I love that!). Anna shot to fame after a video of her playing the violin went viral. But with unexpected success comes the pressure to replicate that success. Adding to that pressure is the fact that her long time boyfriend decides they should be in an open relationship despite the fact he said she’s the one he wants to marry. So she follows his advice and embarks on creating a string of one night stands.

However, she didn’t anticipate Quan. He’s a tattooed, motorcycling man who understands her wants and needs better than he boyfriend ever could. They attempt to have a one night stand, but they keep failing, causing them to actually fall for one another.

I actually like this story the most out of all three in the series. Not only was there chemistry between Anna and Quan, but there was also something else the others didn’t have that much of… family. Anna’s father is ill and Quan becomes the rock Anna needs to help her through a tough time.

There really isn’t much about the book I didn’t like. I felt for Anna because she knew what she wanted but she couldn’t articulate it. She has gone through most of her life putting others before herself, so when it came time to speak up for herself, she didn’t know how to. Quan also had his own insecurities, and much like Anna, he put others first. In the end, they both decide to fight what they want the most… each other.

I loved this book. I give it five stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for the Advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for generously providing me with an audio ARC of The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang. This nicely is phenomenal. It has to be my favorite of the whole series. The narrator did a perfect job.

There seems to have emerged a sub-class of the romance genre that is focused primarily on how to make healthy emotional choices while navigating a specific mental or physical adversity, and I gotta say…I am HERE FOR IT. You can keep your dragons & swords—this is the kind of fantasy I’m after. Men as emotionally intelligent as women? People recognizing the importance of effective communication? Mental health awareness & boundary-setting with oneself & others?? Bring. It. On.
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Helen Hoang’s THE HEART PRINCIPLE is chiefly about those things. It opens with a frustrated Anna, a violinist whose perfectionism is making it impossible to play and who carefully modulates her facial expressions & vocal tone to ensure her therapist likes her. What could be quirky set-pieces for the unfolding of her romance with Quan are revealed to be (if undiagnosed/unacknowledged by her) serious impediments to her living a happy and healthy life.

Hoang has stated that this is her most personal book, reflective of her own experiences with an adult diagnosis, acceptance, & healing. With a subplot that includes end-of-life care & (spoiler/trigger warning here) loss of a parent, I think it’s fair to say that the romance—while lovely/funny/hot—is secondary in this book. But it’s very much a book of the heart, and I don’t think romance readers will leave disappointed.
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Is there a better name/genre classification for books like this? Hoang’s series began firmly in the romance camp, so THP’s cover & marketing & spot on bookstore shelves were preordained. But like so many of the romances I encounter lately it is testing the fences of that genre with enough intensity that I’m not sure it fits. Certainly a larger target audience would benefit from exploring the pages of these books. But since pubs & bookstores love a categorical breakdown, what should we call them?
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Huge thank you to @dreamscape_media & @netgalley for fulfilling my ARC dreams for this one! The wonderfully narrated audiobook accompanied me on my Jurassic Park treasure hunt yesterday & I couldn’t put it down before I’d finished at bedtime. THE HEART PRINCIPLE is out from @berkleyromance on 8/31 and I hope you’ll check it out.

5 stars
This book was such an emotional rollercoaster, but in the best possible way. I'll start by saying that this book has a much more serious tone than the other two books in the series. Although all three books have neurodivergency rep and touch on social issues, the other two books still felt like romcoms, whereas The Heart Principle is both a romance and a character study. These two aspects of the book are balanced expertly. Anna's personal struggles, as well as some of the other themes of this novel were incredibly relatable, but there are still tons of really sweet romantic scenes with Anna and Quan. As much as I loved the romance in this book though, my favourite aspect of The Heart Principle is how committed it is to delivering it's message. This books discusses, in depth, family relationships, the stigma surrounding mental illness and autism, burnout, cancer and the body insecurity that often goes hand-in-hand with serious illnesses, and grief, and it explored all these subjects incredibly well. If a social issue was brought up, it was never just for shock value, or to drive the plot forward. That subplot was always seen to its logical conclusion, even if said conclusion ended on a bittersweet note. Sometimes this book did get stressful, as there was a lot going on, and one of the central conflicts was Anna's inability to voice her opinion, but this wasn't a bad thing. The struggles that the characters in this book go through are stressful, but they feel incredibly real, and by the end of the book, far less daunting. Even though Anna and I have many differences, her struggles, as well as growth, always felt deeply relatable. Lastly, I loved that this book has such a healthy outlook on sex. I find a lot of the time in the romance genre, concepts like mutual satisfaction and consent are generally glossed over, but this book discusses them in a respectful, yet natural way. I appreciated seeing Quan adjust his approach to sex and relationships so that Anna felt the relationship was moving at a comfortable pace, and as a whole, the way that Quan and Anna helped each other through their respective issues was beautifully written. Overall, I'm very impressed by the writing quality of this book and am so glad I decided to read it. I'm a fan of all the books in this series, but I find The Heart Principle to be the most impactful. I'd highly recommend this book to any romance readers, but fair warning, it does get heavy at times (never overwhelmingly so though - the romance and light hearted moments are still there in abundance).
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Anna is a musician that has been feeling the pressure from going viral and please her boyfriend, so she agrees to an open relationship even though is not what she wants. Quan is the same confident and sweet but tough guy we met in The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, except he really isn't thay confident after some health issues he had to deal with. When these two decide they need a one night stand, they aren't prepared to find someone who understands them and makes them feel more themselves.

This book was truly amazing. I love all of Helen Hoang's work but this one got to touch very deep and important issues, not only about autism and masking, but about mental health in general and self-acceptance. The love story is still adorable and sexy (although nothing as steamy as The Kiss Quotient), but it's also such an important heart wrenching read, it was hard at times but I felt so proud of the characters, they had and amazing journey individually and as a couple, and Quan didn't fail to make me laugh! I truly adore this man.

Some will say because this isn't a romcom this isn't a romance, but they couldn't be more far from reality. This book shows us than even when we are at our lowest we are deserving of love, not only from ourselves but from others, and that it's okay to lean on others while we learn to stand on our own. Truly one of my favorite reads of this year so far!

The narrators are really good at portraying the characters and their voices match their personalities really well.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang follows violinist Anna Sun who 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 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.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the Kiss Quotient which is the first book in this companion series and I was so excited for this installment to see Quan fall in love. I love Hoang's representation of mental illness especially in Asian characters. This book was adorable and I enjoyed both of the main leads. I had a great time reading about Anna and Quan's home lives as well as their romance. Highly recommend!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.