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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
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
kalin_grace's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
quasinaut's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
This book captures the toll of caregiving, the pressure of living up to others' expectations, and the value of finding people you can be your authentic self around. That said, there were a few things that didn't work for me. For example, how was Anna able to get by without working for so long? Just... financially, her situation doesn't make sense to me. I've read other books, particularly romances, that skim over these practicalities too, but it felt odd when other harsh realities of life were given such thorough attention in this book.
A lovely book, though not for those seeking a relaxing, lighthearted romp of a romance.
A lovely book, though not for those seeking a relaxing, lighthearted romp of a romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
martinaaw's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol
rini's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Child abuse, Infertility, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
tense
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 was my favorite in the series! It was so raw and emotional. I loved the characters, and I can tell the author's skill is growing. Beautiful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Excrement, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Child abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Alcohol
self-loathing, romantic rejectionshieldingeffect's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Liked the book but disappointed we didnt get more development from Quan all he seemed to do is give and give and be the patien bf
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Terminal illness, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, and Abandonment
essie__reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
⚠️This review may contain spoilers!! ⚠️
Please look up content warnings before reading this. A few I would like to point out: mentions of cancer, infertility, care giving for parents, ableism, and parental death.
End of CW/TW.
•
•
•
My review:
Like I said before, Helen Hoang is an instant-buy author from me. I love the diversity in her books, and the characters she creates. Her books have a perfect balance of romance and steam, in my opinion. They aren't overly steamy and there is always a solid plot and great character development, outside of just the sexy scenes.
I found The Heart Principle a little less steamy than her other 2 books, but it placed the same emphasis on relationships and family. It had amazing characters and representation present.
This book really gives more insight into what it can be like to recieve an ASD diagnosis as an adult, and how it could feel to process and share that news with others.
I loved the dynamics of Quan and Anna's relationship, and how they were able to help each other through their insecurities in the relationship.
I enjoyed getting to learn Quan's story and more about him. One thing about Helen Hoang's books is that she usually ties in character's from her past books. It was nice to see Stella, Michael, and Khai again, in The Heart Principle.
The authors note at the end reveals that Anna's story is very personal to Helen and a reflection of her own experiences as a care giver for her Mom. She leaves an important message about making sure care givers are also being taken care of in society, due to their risk of burn out and suicidal ideation. The phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was included. I thought that was a very personal and thoughtful touch to include.
5/5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I cannot wait to read more by this author!
Please look up content warnings before reading this. A few I would like to point out: mentions of cancer, infertility, care giving for parents, ableism, and parental death.
End of CW/TW.
•
•
•
My review:
Like I said before, Helen Hoang is an instant-buy author from me. I love the diversity in her books, and the characters she creates. Her books have a perfect balance of romance and steam, in my opinion. They aren't overly steamy and there is always a solid plot and great character development, outside of just the sexy scenes.
I found The Heart Principle a little less steamy than her other 2 books, but it placed the same emphasis on relationships and family. It had amazing characters and representation present.
This book really gives more insight into what it can be like to recieve an ASD diagnosis as an adult, and how it could feel to process and share that news with others.
I loved the dynamics of Quan and Anna's relationship, and how they were able to help each other through their insecurities in the relationship.
I enjoyed getting to learn Quan's story and more about him. One thing about Helen Hoang's books is that she usually ties in character's from her past books. It was nice to see Stella, Michael, and Khai again, in The Heart Principle.
The authors note at the end reveals that Anna's story is very personal to Helen and a reflection of her own experiences as a care giver for her Mom. She leaves an important message about making sure care givers are also being taken care of in society, due to their risk of burn out and suicidal ideation. The phone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline was included. I thought that was a very personal and thoughtful touch to include.
5/5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I cannot wait to read more by this author!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Infertility, Grief, Cancer, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, and Vomit
readingforamoment's review against another edition
5.0
The Heart Principle was absolutely worth the wait. Getting to know Quan after seeing pieces of him in the other two Kiss Quotient novels absolutely surprised me; he was so much more than I expected. He was in the perfect place to love and be loved by Anna. The amount of personal experience, heart and soul Helen poured into Anna's character was moving and amazing; I don't know that I'll ever come across another character who is like her again.
This book is tough. There is romance and there are happy moments, but especially when it comes to Anna and her journey towards her Autism spectrum diagnosis, her family and her caretaker role, there was really just a lot to unpack and go through. Quan was also in a mode of discovery and experienced some growth and self-doubt, but this was really Anna's story and I'm so glad Helen took the time to write it and tell it write.
This book is tough. There is romance and there are happy moments, but especially when it comes to Anna and her journey towards her Autism spectrum diagnosis, her family and her caretaker role, there was really just a lot to unpack and go through. Quan was also in a mode of discovery and experienced some growth and self-doubt, but this was really Anna's story and I'm so glad Helen took the time to write it and tell it write.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Alcohol
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