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A review by ashlightgrayson
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
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
4.5
This book is mainly a romance, but it is also so much more. Quan has recovered from a major surgery that has changed many aspects of his life and affected his self esteem. Anna is a professional musician who is struggling to live up to the recent success of her last live performance. They end up trying to have a one night stand, but fail multiple times and in the process start to find a friend in one another. Anna struggles with setting boundaries in her personal relationships and her internal emotional struggle with that is intriguing. We see her interact consistently with her family and she is consistently dismissed and talked down to by multiple members of her family. She also struggles with social interactions and communication in general, even in her own romantic relationship at the beginning of the book. This leaves her open to judgment from others when she does not comply to their wants and needs. Her entire life she has conceded to others even at her own expense.
Anna has an unfortunate event within her family that pushes her mental health and personal boundaries farther then ever before. The topic of caregiver fatigue and the judgment that comes from not being well suited to that role are heavily explored. I previously volunteered at a hospice, so these topics strongly resonated with me and I feel it gives a lot of insight for individuals who have never been exposed to this topic. I appreciated how it also gave perspective as to how culture can affect a family's perspective on caregiving.
Just as Anna is judged by her family, Quan is judged in a similar manner for his appearance (namely his shaved head and tattoos). He struggles in both his personal and professional life to be taken seriously because of his appearance. Deep down however, it's clear that he is a responsible and hardworking. He is a loving person in his personal life, even to people he barely knows. When he meets Anna, he is incredibly understanding and non-judgmental. He provides her the support she didn't know she needed without asking for anything in return.
Through their relationship, Quan is able to be more comfortable with himself. Anna learns to put her own emotional and mental well being before the wants and needs of others. Best of all, both of them gain a friend in each other. They each have insecurities, but their relationship helps them grow to be better. It always makes me happy to see that in any relationship. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a romance novel that has a lot of emotional depth and healing (and topics noted in the trigger warnings if that is of interest to you).
Anna has an unfortunate event within her family that pushes her mental health and personal boundaries farther then ever before. The topic of caregiver fatigue and the judgment that comes from not being well suited to that role are heavily explored. I previously volunteered at a hospice, so these topics strongly resonated with me and I feel it gives a lot of insight for individuals who have never been exposed to this topic. I appreciated how it also gave perspective as to how culture can affect a family's perspective on caregiving.
Just as Anna is judged by her family, Quan is judged in a similar manner for his appearance (namely his shaved head and tattoos). He struggles in both his personal and professional life to be taken seriously because of his appearance. Deep down however, it's clear that he is a responsible and hardworking. He is a loving person in his personal life, even to people he barely knows. When he meets Anna, he is incredibly understanding and non-judgmental. He provides her the support she didn't know she needed without asking for anything in return.
Through their relationship, Quan is able to be more comfortable with himself. Anna learns to put her own emotional and mental well being before the wants and needs of others. Best of all, both of them gain a friend in each other. They each have insecurities, but their relationship helps them grow to be better. It always makes me happy to see that in any relationship. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to read a romance novel that has a lot of emotional depth and healing (and topics noted in the trigger warnings if that is of interest to you).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Vomit, and Infertility