Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Heart Principle

I would say this book is quite sad and there are a lot of trigger warnings, so take care of yourself.

In the author’s note, Hoang said Anna felt the most like her, which is why she used “I” instead of “she” in the Anna’s chapters. I like that this is a book where the man falls first. There is some romance, and I would say the majority is about being a caregiver, finding yourself, families deciding when to let someone go, and family pressure.

What I didn’t love is I felt like Anna was replacing therapy with Quan. Perhaps that’s realistic, and people ignore getting help when they’re happily with someone.

All in all, I would say this was my favorite of the 3 books because it didn’t seem like miscommunication was the main reason they broke up in the middle. She was figuring herself out while her dad was dying, and although it seems unrealistic that she’d say yes to a marriage and tell herself to deal with it later, I can understand how masking can take over your life.

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dua_liepard's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

3.5

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chi__'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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mackie9999's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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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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