Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

72 reviews

scarlettrogue's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

dua_liepard's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Sexual content

Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Gaslighting, Infertility, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

gabbatron_'s review against another edition

I DNF’d this at 72%, I just really think it should’ve have come with some trigger warnings. I thought this was gonna be a fun cute romance and it was in fact the opposite

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Ableism, Bullying, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

mackie9999's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and Infertility

Minor: Car accident

zids's review against another edition

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

2.0

Never have I needed an author's note so much in my life. I was sitting reading this book thinking "Helen Hoang EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
I was a big fan of the Bride Test, and I thought the Kiss Quotient was fine. But Jesus Christmas, this book.
I can't even say I didn't enjoy it. I was just kind of baffled by it. It was very different than the other books in this series. It was miserable. It seemed so focused on it's own misery that the relationship between Quan and Anna kind of took a back seat.
I knew at a certain point that something like this MUST'VE happened to the author, it was extremely personal, and I don't think I was prepared to read a book about carer burnout when I was expecting something very lighthearted. It certainly didn't mention any of this on the blurb.
The end of the book didn't particularly satisfy me, either. Anna starts to struggle with suicidal ideation like fifteen pages before the book ends. This part of her story seemed like a footnote when, TO ME, it maybe should've been focused on more? Or completely omitted, really. Not much would've changed without it. Quan stopped feeling real after a while, his problems certainly weren't as big as Anna's, so he naturally took a backseat. Reading about him floating around as she tries to exit a depression really didn't do anything for me.
Also, I don't hate this as a plot point, but the fact that his cancer left him infertile AND with a bad case of body dysmorphia. This book pulled no punches. Misery all the way down.
I almost feel like Hoang's pain was a little too big for this book. The type of book she was writing and the volume of her suffering don't... match. I don't think it can't be done, but I also don't think she did it. I truly hope writing this was cathartic for her.
Again, it wasn't so much that I hated the book, it was just baffling to me how much misery could be packed into such a small book with such a bright, flirty cover.
I guess I have to accept that Bride Test was a one off for me, which makes me sad, because it made me so excited about Hoang as an author. Woof.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Excrement, Grief, Cancer, Death of parent, Infertility, and Medical content

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

kenzithereader's review against another edition

emotional 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

3.0

The book wasn't bad, but it was my least favorite of the series. I loved the first two and their lighthearted good time romance with a sprinkle of issues. This third book felt more like it was about the characters struggle with family and autism and was really bleak for a lot of the book. The romance started to feel like the side plot and the story was much heavier than I'd anticipated. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Medical content

Moderate: Ableism and Infertility

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

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

---

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

matcha_pages's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

If you're looking for a light hearted romance don't read this book. It deals with some heavy topics, which is fine...but not something I want in romance books.
 It starts off fun and exciting but quickly becomes Anna's journey with her autism diagnosis, family acceptance, and learning how to standup for herself. It gets really heavy and dark at points, especially with how Anna's family views her neurodivergence as weak and lazy character flaws. There's also a fair amount of family gaslighting going on. These experiences were incredibly raw and left me angry, emotionally drained, and appreciative of Hoang's vulnerability. 

Given the above it felt wrong trying to enjoy the hot smutty scenes. And it didn't gave space for Quan to make mistakes, he felt stifled being perfectly patient and even keeled for Anna. I was really hoping we'd get other sides of him or learn what it was like being Khai's older brother. 

I feel like Anna's story was strong enough to stand on its own.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism and Sexual content

Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

takarakei'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

5.0

(Reread on audio) MY GOD THIS BOOK!!!! Helen Hoang I am in your walls. 
This is not a lighthearted romance (jail to anyone using that tag here???). Anna deals with a LOT of really hard things throughout the book. But everything that happens, while difficult to read, is handled with such raw realness. Quan is everything and I will protect him bodily forever.

4/5🌶️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Ableism, Death of parent, and Sexual content

Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Racism

I really don't know why 'cancer' has been tagged because Anna's father is unwell due to

a stroke... There is a lot of caretaker exhaustion. Anna is diagnosed as autistic which especially her sister responds poorly to (telling her she's not). She struggles with masking and the diagnosis due to that response. Anna eventually spirals into a severe depression.

mlovesbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical trauma

Moderate: Death of parent and Classism