Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

176 reviews

electricute's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

The romance in this book is tender and understanding, but it was the relationships with the main character's family that made this book special. The interactions and conversations are complex and meaningful.
</As someone who also went through hospice care for a parent in my mid twenties, I feel like this book had a good understanding of the complex feelings that go along with care taking. The descriptions of grief and guilt felt real and healing for me in some ways.>

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Terminal illness

evidoe's review against another edition

emotional 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

5.0

This is packaged as a romance but I really wouldn’t class it as one. It has romance in it but it,, it deals with some heavy themes around carer burnout and the mental toll of masking neurodivergency that some readers might find a bit raw for a romance but they are the reason I loved this book: 

I think that this was half fiction half memoir really shines in this book. As someone who is neurodivergent who masked most of my life AND had been/is a carer for family this book just spoke to my experiences, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so seen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Grief

Minor: Cancer

viireads's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Alcohol, Body shaming, and Blood

library_kb's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really loved this book--first off, Anna and Quan are fantastic characters--the way that they worked to get over their own hurdles together was so satisfying to read about. I would say Anna takes a more central role in the story--and there is definitely some tough stuff that goes down. The way the book was written puts you so close to the characters and their struggles and thoughts that it is important to check content warnings--however if you are at a time to handle the content, highly recommend this story, for some it will validate their own experiences and other it will open eyes to what navigating life as an autistic woman can feel like. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Ableism

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse

helfire124's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Cancer

solspringsreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Death of parent, Grief, Ableism, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

lost_windsock's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book. This book had me so full of feels. I was absolutely furious for Anna. The way her family treated her, and the way she felt trapped in her own mind, unable to say no, was devastating to sit through. I wanted to jump into the pages and shout NO for her! It was truly heartbreaking to see that no one would listen to her. Except Quan. Sweet, loving, caring Quan. What a journey he'd been through between the second book and this one. Quan was always one of my favorite characters, and while his story had a painful tinge in this book, it was still just perfectly him to be there for Anna and learn to trust himself again. This book made me feel so many things, and I just could not have loved it more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Cancer, Death of parent, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

mswarning's review against another edition

emotional 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

This book was pretty different from the two in the series. It's definitely more serious and less.. contemporary romance? Anna's family and her father's in-home hospice care completely take over the book. My heart broke for her, and I can only imagine how difficult it would be stand up for yourself with the pressure/family dynamics like hers.

I really expected Priscilla to have a hand in the deal going sour between MLA and LVMH. I was relieved that Hoang did not take that route with the family backstabbing. In the second book, Quan traveled to New York for work. And then Priscilla works there and has a LV purse. My mind definitely tried to make connections that weren't there.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts

cnricochet's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Infertility

Minor: Classism, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

shindanker's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Death, Ableism, and Terminal illness

Minor: Suicidal thoughts