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A review by hennesieinthepages
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
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
5.0
I adored this novel. I didn't realize this was a series, as I got this book through Book of the Month on a whim, but I now want to go back and read the last two installments.
Anna was a very interesting protagonist, and it felt like a rollercoaster in the best way to follow her story, through her creative burnout, her *very* rocky relationship with her longtime boyfriend, her diagnosis with ASD, and discovering herself through every challenge she faced in this book. I resonated with her emotionally, and it was really easy to lose myself in empathy for her. It really felt like I was in her shoes, and Helen Hoang's incredible writing is the sole reason for that.
I fell in love with Quan from the start. What a wonderful love interest and secondary protagonist to include, and I think his characterization was really great (again, thanks to Hoang). I loved reading from his perspective, and to show that he wasn't this perfect savior who shows up to save Anna from her "mess", but that he has mess of his own. I do wish we got to see a bit more of his development through his own issues and plot points shown in the book, but it's such a tiny criticism that it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of how I feel about this book.
A huge reason on why I love this book is Helen Hoang shows protagonists with mental illnesses in a way that proves people like them can still be the main characters of their stories, and that their neurodivergency isn't a handicap, or something to be ashamed of, but to be accepted as simply what makes them unique and special and all the more lovable. I really enjoyed reading the author's note and truly feeling the personal touch that Helen Hoang weaves into this book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone
I fell in love with Quan from the start. What a wonderful love interest and secondary protagonist to include, and I think his characterization was really great (again, thanks to Hoang). I loved reading from his perspective, and to show that he wasn't this perfect savior who shows up to save Anna from her "mess", but that he has mess of his own. I do wish we got to see a bit more of his development through his own issues and plot points shown in the book, but it's such a tiny criticism that it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of how I feel about this book.
A huge reason on why I love this book is Helen Hoang shows protagonists with mental illnesses in a way that proves people like them can still be the main characters of their stories, and that their neurodivergency isn't a handicap, or something to be ashamed of, but to be accepted as simply what makes them unique and special and all the more lovable. I really enjoyed reading the author's note and truly feeling the personal touch that Helen Hoang weaves into this book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone