Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

208 reviews

criticalbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

laudea98's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

I liked the book but in my opinion this is not a romance which is what I expected and was excited for. The main focus is Annas mental health and so the relationship and even Quan as a character become secondary. It was quite a heavy read and left me feeling more sad than everything else. However it is still a good book!! Just read the content warnings and dont go in expecting a sweet romance! 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism

jhaneveauguste's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

maja_mecia's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

It does not have as much spice as The Kiss Quotient but deals with more than just romance. You can really tell that the author grew in her storytelling. It's also great how the books shows that sex which can be put of pause in a relationship

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, and Terminal illness

just_hebah's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense 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? Yes

5.0

This was such a powerful story, but the ~50-75% mark left me feeling physically anxious for these two characters even though I know that it would be OK since it was a romance. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

alyssasaurus's review against another edition

dark emotional informative tense fast-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

3.0

Oof, this book. I LOVED Anna and Quan. Their chemistry and the way they meet each other where they need is beautiful. But the tension with the family and the detailed description of burnout and suicidal ideation were pretty triggering for me. And, the explanations of how Anna starts to get better toward the end got kind of stilted. 

It’s a bummer, because the first half of the book handled mental health and therapy so gracefully and realistically without being boring or heavy handed. All in all, loved the couple, but the story was kind of hard to finish. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief

sara1621's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Toxic relationship and Death of parent

jessgreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: The Heart Principle

Author: Helen Hoang

Genre: Romance / Contemporary

Setting: California, USA

Month Read: February 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 339

*February 2022 Book of the Month Pick

TRIGGER WARNING- 

Sex / Death / Burnout / Cancer 

"No one should need a diagnosis in order to be compassionate to themself."

No Spoiler Summary:

The Heart Principle is the third book in The Kiss Quotient series, and we finally get a book about Quan! The story centers on Anna, a violinist, who has semi-recently reached viral fame with a video of her playing violin, and seems to be buckling under the pressure and high standards she sets for herself. As this is happening, her boyfriend announces he'd like to have an open relationship before they settle down, and Anna decides that she's going to use this time to have a one night stand for revenge.

Enter Quan, who is not looking for anything serious, and decides to have some fun with Anna. Except, the one night stand plan keeps failing, and he finds himself enjoying spending time with Anna even with no sex involved. Anna and Quan have a hard time figuring out what they are with each other, but hopefully they can let down their walls and let love find them.

Review (partial spoilers):

I'm such a fan of this book, and I would definitely go so far as to say it was my favorite in the entire series. I empathized with Anna SO much, and being a musician in my own right, I wanted her to beat her burnout, or artistic block so badly and it pained me every time she couldn't get through the piece. I think she was such a lovely character, and found myself rooting for her to find herself, her courage, her artistry, and love the entire novel right from the first page. 

Can I also mention how much I adore Quan? I was in love with him with the snippets we got in the other books, but to finally get a first person POV from this man just gave me everything I could have ever wanted. I loved seeing how absolutely soft he was under his bad boy persona, and I loved how good he was in every way for Anna. I have been honestly getting a bit tired of the third act breakup, but Helen Hoang makes them so perfectly set, that they haven't really bothered me, and they feel so absolutely natural.

If you like romance novels, and want to dive into some that feature neuro-divergent or autistic characters, run to these books. They are so beautiful, and so different, and the characters are so incredibly lovable that I can't say enough good things about them. I'm so happy a discounted E-Book + Book of the Month led me to these novels because I've so enjoyed them the past few months, and cannot wait to see what Helen Hoang writes next! 

"Tough love is brutally honest and hurts you to help you. Tough love cuts you when you're already bruised and berates you when you don't heal faster."

See more reviews at:  https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Blood, and Alcohol

uwidinh's review against another edition

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

annakelcey's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting