Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

205 reviews

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I read this book about two months ago so I quite frankly don't remember much. I do recall liking this slightly better than "The Bride Test" so I rated it a 3.75 (but part of me wanted to rate it a 3.5/5). I honestly wasn't going to pick this up, but I really enjoyed Quan in the last book so I was excited to read his love story. Now, I just want to warn people that if you're going into this thinking that it will be a rom-com, DON'T! I feel like this should've been marketed as "women's fiction" with a romance subplot rather than a romance. If it was, I probably would've rated it higher. The romance was going for the first part of the book, but after the second part, the romance takes a major backseat. This would've been a nice women's fiction book that tackles depression, people pleasing, cultural expectations, autism, and sibling relations
Her mom and sister were awful!
, coming into your sexual desires, and the struggles of being of a caregiver (especially for family). I really enjoyed Anna as a character, but I think she kinda sucked when it came to being a love interest.
I applaud Quan's patience because it couldn't be me. I forgot the scene specifically but there was a time in the book when her people-pleasing went too far. I think her ex announces to their entire family that they're engaged and she just goes along with it. And doesn't correct them. Then Quan finds out and honestly, if I were him, I wouldn't get back with her. Honestly, there were times when Anna frustrated me so much! Her inability to have any agency just annoyed me so much. Like I know that was the point, but still. It was too much!
Anna was in no place to give him the love that he needed and I ended up feeling so bad for Quan and wasn't really rooting for them to get together. Quan was a sweetheart and although I liked Anna. I definitely feel like he deserved much better!

Spice Rating:🌶️🌶️.5/5
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jimins's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

absolutely loved anna and quan together. but a lot of what anna went thru definitely hit home and i struggled reading thru that part. but im glad it’s something helen hoang chose to highlight in this book along with autism. 
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ndmngz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book.

Quan and Anna were an amazing match of characters as love interests. The love that grew between them was a bit fast, but it didn't feel like unrealistic insta-love, it more so felt like two people who understood each other and fit right together finding each other at the right time. I wish I got more development of Quan's backstory, but it was certainly a plot focused on Anna's struggles. Quan wasn't a flat character by any means though (I just loved him and wanted more), he stood firm and fought for his relationship with Anna and understood his place as a new partner in her family struggles, but still advocated for himself when things were pushed too far.

I will say, this is not the rom-com it appears to be. Though the other books in the series tackle serious and emotional topics in parallel with the romance, this book is even more of a heavy hitter. Huang tackles a lot of topics that are reflective of her own experiences, more so than any other of the books she's written (according to her Author's Note), and because of this the writing is even more poignant, intentional, and impactful. It was more of a contemporary fiction with a subplot of romance, and though it wasn't what I expected, I truly loved it and was moved to tears at the end. Huang beautifully articulates the painful struggle of being poorly treated and regarded by family, while still loving them and feeling the need to adhere to family obligations. As well as a very rough and real portrayal of mental health, grappling with diagnoses and adjusting your world view as an adult, and how family fits into that picture.

Please note some trigger warnings include emotional abuse from family members, familial illness and death, caregiver burnout, and suicidal ideation.
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gartimar's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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literary_laur's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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kelsimitchell's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Probably my least favorite of the three. The way her family treats her makes me sad. Love Quan though, glad he got his own story! 
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teatunesandtales's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Part fiction, part memoir. Thank you Helen Hoang for writing my story also.
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jillkaarlela's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Taylor Swift songs: “I’m only me when I’m with you”

Age rating: 17+ (3 brief steamy scenes, 1.5/5🌶️)

This was a fairly emotional romance where the fmc has to cope with her autism spectrum diagnosis and unlearning her habits of masking. Please read with care and check the TW. This deals with pretty heavy topics. She has spent her whole life living for other people, doing only what everyone else wants, and it’s eating away at her. I love the journey of her finding the one person who never makes her feel like she has to put on a show. Quan is the one person who sees and loves Ana for her, and the only one who she doesn’t have to “mask” with. Their love is so tender and healing for both of them. I love the “failed” one night stand trope, where they plan to have a one night stand, but can’t seem to let each other go. They hold each other through truly dark times. They are just so perfect for each other!! 

The way that Ana’s family treats her makes me want to scream. They always tell her what to do, and treat her with “tough love”, which is actually just bulldozing her wants and needs. It truly hearts my heart. This novel was definitely heavier than Hoang’s other novels, and it wasn’t my favorite, but it was still really great! 

“When I realize I’m going south on the 101, I’m not surprised that I’m going straight to her. My compass always points to her.”

TW: emotional abuse, cancer (testicular), ableism, gaslighting, “tough love” very unsupportive family, terminal illness/end of life care, grief, death 
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marleens's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is a tough one to review, because I feel like I went in with the wrong expectations. I wasn’t expecting full-on romcom vibes, but I definitely think that the first 2 books of the series were a lot more lighthearted than this 3rd book. I did absolutely love Anna and Quan, both as separate characters as well as their relationship. Their characters and the romance could have made this a five star read. But the heavy plot was such a big part of the story that it became a very tough read. This is of course a good thing if that was the intention of the author, and I do think she did a great job writing this (and I’m glad I read the author’s note at the end). But this book just made me sad and angry so often, which is not the reading experience I’m looking for in this genre.
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saraavowlerr's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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