Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

174 reviews

marianaribeiro's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.75


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rlpdean's review against another edition

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5.0


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shannahtan's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.0

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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carnimdream's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.5


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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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maika's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.0


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hayleyvem's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0


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iridian_reads's review against another edition

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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

5.0


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erinlaura's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring 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

4.5

In each of the books in the series there was something significant the characters had to overcome, but this was by far the hardest heaviest read of the 3. The cover is giving light, fun romcom, and then you crack open the book and it gets so real so fast. 
I mean it, this book was full of heavy topics like
going through an autism diagnosis, autistic burnout, the illness of a family member, and the struggle of suddenly becoming a caregiver for a critically ill family member,
while dealing with really complex family dynamics. 
This is a romance for sure, and while I loved the couple, there was a lot more to this than simply their love story. The book is excellent, and I definitely recommend reading it, but make sure you check trigger warnings. Before starting it make sure you know that it’s a lot deeper than the cover might suggest, and might take more of an emotional toll on you than the average romance novel. 
If you’re in the right mindset for something so intense, it’s a very well written story, with an immense amount of character depth, a compelling story, and a diverse set of characters! 

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