Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Heart Principle – L'ipotenusa dell'amore by Helen Hoang

98 reviews

criticalbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

laudea98's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

I liked the book but in my opinion this is not a romance which is what I expected and was excited for. The main focus is Annas mental health and so the relationship and even Quan as a character become secondary. It was quite a heavy read and left me feeling more sad than everything else. However it is still a good book!! Just read the content warnings and dont go in expecting a sweet romance! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Death, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Classism, and Death of parent

maja_mecia's review against another edition

emotional inspiring 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

4.5

It does not have as much spice as The Kiss Quotient but deals with more than just romance. You can really tell that the author grew in her storytelling. It's also great how the books shows that sex which can be put of pause in a relationship

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, and Infertility

jessgreads's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted relaxing 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? No

4.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⬜

Title: The Heart Principle

Author: Helen Hoang

Genre: Romance / Contemporary

Setting: California, USA

Month Read: February 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 339

*February 2022 Book of the Month Pick

TRIGGER WARNING- 

Sex / Death / Burnout / Cancer 

"No one should need a diagnosis in order to be compassionate to themself."

No Spoiler Summary:

The Heart Principle is the third book in The Kiss Quotient series, and we finally get a book about Quan! The story centers on Anna, a violinist, who has semi-recently reached viral fame with a video of her playing violin, and seems to be buckling under the pressure and high standards she sets for herself. As this is happening, her boyfriend announces he'd like to have an open relationship before they settle down, and Anna decides that she's going to use this time to have a one night stand for revenge.

Enter Quan, who is not looking for anything serious, and decides to have some fun with Anna. Except, the one night stand plan keeps failing, and he finds himself enjoying spending time with Anna even with no sex involved. Anna and Quan have a hard time figuring out what they are with each other, but hopefully they can let down their walls and let love find them.

Review (partial spoilers):

I'm such a fan of this book, and I would definitely go so far as to say it was my favorite in the entire series. I empathized with Anna SO much, and being a musician in my own right, I wanted her to beat her burnout, or artistic block so badly and it pained me every time she couldn't get through the piece. I think she was such a lovely character, and found myself rooting for her to find herself, her courage, her artistry, and love the entire novel right from the first page. 

Can I also mention how much I adore Quan? I was in love with him with the snippets we got in the other books, but to finally get a first person POV from this man just gave me everything I could have ever wanted. I loved seeing how absolutely soft he was under his bad boy persona, and I loved how good he was in every way for Anna. I have been honestly getting a bit tired of the third act breakup, but Helen Hoang makes them so perfectly set, that they haven't really bothered me, and they feel so absolutely natural.

If you like romance novels, and want to dive into some that feature neuro-divergent or autistic characters, run to these books. They are so beautiful, and so different, and the characters are so incredibly lovable that I can't say enough good things about them. I'm so happy a discounted E-Book + Book of the Month led me to these novels because I've so enjoyed them the past few months, and cannot wait to see what Helen Hoang writes next! 

"Tough love is brutally honest and hurts you to help you. Tough love cuts you when you're already bruised and berates you when you don't heal faster."

See more reviews at:  https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Cancer, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Terminal illness

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Blood

blackveilbeccy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

I liked this book but it was a much heavier read than the other two. I felt the female lead had way more screen time than the male lead and would have liked this a bit better balanced. The family dynamics of the female lead were challenging for me as they were so toxic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Ableism, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness

Minor: Infidelity, Violence, Classism, Cursing, Racism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

kellyofcali's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

4.5

This book was a delight of a romance - the romance itself was wonderful, yes, but so was the wraparound plot and characters, including their fears and anxieties, their neurodiversity, their joy and warmth. A really wonderful and well-written romance novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Medical content

Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting

Minor: Emotional abuse

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Grief, Medical content, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

internationalreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual content, Bullying, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

lillianreadsalot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

jkiranjot's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Ableism, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Sexual content

Minor: Classism