Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

155 reviews

noshelfcontrolll's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring 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

I will read and buy anything Helen Hoang writes. This book was such a beauty. I appreciate Helen for pushing the boundaries of what we see in romance novels, and not being afraid to include heavy topics that can be relatable to masses. By discussing things like burnout, mental health, autism, cancer, strained familial relationships, caregiving, and sex, she creates a beautifully relatable and deep novel fit for everyone’s bookshelves. (I do recommend reading both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test because the characters and their relationships cross over and while it isn’t the biggest deal, I feel it’s most fun to see those after you know about them. Anna has become one of my favorite characters written by Helen. Love love love this book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Chronic illness

Minor: Cancer

memorable's review

emotional reflective fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Grief

Moderate: Ableism, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

jenniferlynn43's review against another edition

3.0

Something was just missing for me with this book. I'm not sure if the romance was the focal point and I felt that the ending was very rushed. I loved this series and I was so excited for Quan's book but I felt a little let down after reading it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

readwithde's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

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

4.75

Wow. I literally picked this up and read it in one night; it was un-put-down-able. 

I was a big fan of Quan before, and his story in this book really spoke to me.

Testicular cancer can be a very difficult thing for men, especially when things change or look different physically. A lot of men dream about having a family, and the loss of that can be devastating, and I love seeing that as so many narratives focus on women wanting families, not men.

I loved how he loved Anna, how he saw her and accepted her. It was beautiful. 

Anna was amazing to read. I felt like I completely understood what she was going through, why she was having trouble and couldn't just change, push through, or turn it off. Her struggles with intimacy, family, and her career blend beautifully into how overwhelming life can be, especially when you have no voice or ability to be yourself. I felt that in my soul.

Honestly, the end of the book came too quickly for me.

I wanted to see Quan help Anna, wanted to see her reunite with her sister and be understood,

but instead, we got to read something realistic

-- people don't always understand, and you can't always reunite with everyone.

Beautiful, emotional, steamy and romantic, heartfelt, incredibly personal and real... amazing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Minor: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

laurasbestlife's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

I think that this is an important book and the subject matter is close to Hoang’s heart, however it was not what I was expecting based on the marketing and the idea that it is a continuation of the world building that took place in TKQ and TBT. It’s very dark and emotional, and I didn’t feel the connection between Kwan (I listened on audio so I hope that spelling is right!) and Anna that I wanted to. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

 This book was A LOT darker and more depressing than I thought it would be. Not really the rom-com I was expecting but still good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer

freequency's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer and Grief

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional inspiring tense 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

This was my favorite in the series! It was so raw and emotional. I loved the characters, and I can tell the author's skill is growing. Beautiful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Excrement, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Vomit, Car accident, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

self-loathing, romantic rejection

e_flah's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

As I was trying to sort out my feelings about The Heart Principle, I found myself coming back to a remark from Kirkus' review of the book: "Grief and suffering make for an emotionally moving novel, but without fully exploring healing and recovery, is it a romance?"

The Heart Principle is a big deviation in tone from The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test. Hoang's earlier novels have heavy topics but still brim with steamy yet cute romances. The Heart Principle is drastically darker in tone and focuses a lot less on the romance. The blurb for this book is beyond misleading. This is a meaningful look at the burdens of caregiving and the struggle to find acceptance from your family rather than a sweet romance.

There is technically a romance plot, which starts out super cute!, but the book largely lives in the nightmare of Anna forced to be a caregiver for her father while subject to cruel treatment from her family. There was no swoony happily ever after/happy for now. After about the first 30% of the book, the romance becomes largely a source of more pain and frustration for Anna as she tries to figure out how to balance her growing feelings for Quan as her world crumbles around her. I really, really would've loved a more sweetness between the two of them in this story, particularly after enduring an emotionally grueling significant chunk of the book.

I don't think enjoy is the right word but I did find The Heart Principle an emotionally gripping read. I loved Anna and Quan, which made watching them have horrible things happen to them really hurt. Anna in particular is forced to endure so many cutting remarks and horrible treatment. The way others treated her regularly filled me with rage. It was clear even before the author's note that this story was deeply personal for Hoang. Her writing has always excelled at delivering emotional punches but The Heart Principle was a whole new level.

This is a dark, heavy read that does not really have the clean resolution that I expect from romances. I knew it was going to be a hard and potentially triggering read but was still not prepared for the reality. The Heart Principle is a very different experience from Hoang's other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Vomit

readingunderthecovers's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-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

4.0

I love Helen Hoang. She might be my favorite romance author. The Heart Principle had all the best parts of Hoang’s writing. It was emotional without being dramatic, lighthearted enough to make me laugh, and had the sweetest romance. The Heart Principle had slightly darker themes than either The Kiss Quotient or The Bride Test so check the content warnings if you are concerned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Early in the book Anna has a panic attack. Her sister is emotionally abusive to her and gaslights her at least one time.

Midway through the book Anna's father suffers a huge stroke and is confined to bed/severally disabled for the rest of the book before passing away. Her father does not enjoy the process of being kept alive but her family cannot let you. The whole thing is very hard on Anna who has suicidal thoughts after her father passes.