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A review by stephabell716
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.25
Overall, I really enjoyed this. This is my first Helen Hoang book and I'm now somewhat curious to try the other TKQ books. The main characters are loveable and well-written, and their love story is heartwarming and satisfying.
That said, I had some issues with other aspects of the book that at times affected my enjoyment of it, and feel like I'm trying to balance my appreciation of the story with what I consider to be great writing. For example, a huge part of the story is Anna's dad getting sick, and we hear her thoughts as she mourns his loss (both after he gets sick and when he actually passes on). However, he is barely mentioned in the first part of the book, so I felt like her thoughts about how sweet he was to her when she was a child, how great their relationship was, etc., didn't hit me as hard as they would have if his character and plot line had been set up better. I also wanted more background of Anna's career and moderate fame! I understand why Hoang didn't tell us what the viral Youtube video actually was until midway through the book, when Quan watches it, but I wish we had started off with more details about that concert and the ensuing tour, and the events that lead to Anna feeling as burnt-out as she does when THP begins.
Additionally, I felt like some of the side characters either didn't have enough depth, or Anna's relationship with them didn't have enough nuance. Priscilla was really, truly, awful for a lot of the book in a way that I found almost unrealistic (although maybe I'm being naive and overly optimistic!) Also, while I was extremely content to despise Julian and everything about him, I don't think it was necessary for his character and relationship with Anna to be quite so...bad. It really feels like the only redeeming qualities about him are the fact that he has a "good job" and that her family approves of him. Did he ever make her happy? Did he ever understand her or ask about her wishes, even a little bit? Hoang says that this book is part memoir, so if elements of these characters are based on people from her own life, I of course don't want to undermine that. But as a reader of the story, it felt a little one-dimensional at times. Julian's relationship with Anna also makes it so that, while Quan isn't her first relationship, he is her first love and first time truly enjoying sex; Quan also was never in love or (from what I gathered) had emotional sex before Anna. This makes for a very sweet story, but the realistic part of me was also thinking that this wasn't necessary. They both could have had satisfying, loving relationships with other people before meeting, and still have an exciting, meaningful relationship with each other that feels deeper/better/etc. than what they've experienced before!
A spicy thought to finish this rant: It was nice how we see that towards the end of the book, Anna actually likes giving blow jobs when she makes the choice to give them and when she's super into the person she's performing them on. Part of me wanted to see something with similar with Quan performing oral sex on her and her LOVING it. Of course it's not necessary to the book, and also some people just don't like certain sex acts no matter the circumstances, but that was a thought I had!
Additionally, I felt like some of the side characters either didn't have enough depth, or Anna's relationship with them didn't have enough nuance. Priscilla was really, truly, awful for a lot of the book in a way that I found almost unrealistic (although maybe I'm being naive and overly optimistic!) Also, while I was extremely content to despise Julian and everything about him, I don't think it was necessary for his character and relationship with Anna to be quite so...bad. It really feels like the only redeeming qualities about him are the fact that he has a "good job" and that her family approves of him. Did he ever make her happy? Did he ever understand her or ask about her wishes, even a little bit? Hoang says that this book is part memoir, so if elements of these characters are based on people from her own life, I of course don't want to undermine that. But as a reader of the story, it felt a little one-dimensional at times. Julian's relationship with Anna also makes it so that, while Quan isn't her first relationship, he is her first love and first time truly enjoying sex; Quan also was never in love or (from what I gathered) had emotional sex before Anna. This makes for a very sweet story, but the realistic part of me was also thinking that this wasn't necessary. They both could have had satisfying, loving relationships with other people before meeting, and still have an exciting, meaningful relationship with each other that feels deeper/better/etc. than what they've experienced before!
A spicy thought to finish this rant: It was nice how we see that towards the end of the book, Anna actually likes giving blow jobs when she makes the choice to give them and when she's super into the person she's performing them on. Part of me wanted to see something with similar with Quan performing oral sex on her and her LOVING it. Of course it's not necessary to the book, and also some people just don't like certain sex acts no matter the circumstances, but that was a thought I had!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Emotional abuse