Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - The Heart Principle

Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

176 reviews

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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emlefe's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

I heard this book covered harder topics but I was not prepared. It was so raw and intense and I could 100% feel the pain and struggle of the characters but especially Anna. The author really poured everything in this book.
The rom-com aspect was not as present as in the first two books but it didn’t botter me because you could feel Anna and Quan’s love, their passion and their connection.
I wish I had read the trigger warning before but that is 100% my fault. I still really enjoyed this book and I recommend it to everyone - but please read the TW before.

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maireadalice's review against another edition

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3.25

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amandadelbrocco's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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

My favorite of the series so far. This book felt incredibly mismarketed... though it's technically part of the same series, this book was completely on a different plane than the first two. Despite that, I absolutely loved the story and I found myself sobbing at 3 in the morning. The characters were so incredibly nuanced and it was so well done. However, Quan has been my favorite character in this series from the beginning so I really feel like he and Anna deserve book 3.5 with their happy ending.

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kiingchika's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

After reading the first two books, I was so eager for Quan to have a story of his own. This book, though, was so much more than that. It hit me in ways I wasn’t expecting, and I just love Anna. It was a lot emotionally, but worth it, and important, I think, to acknowledge.

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jillkaarlela's review against another edition

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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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