The Heart Principle

UHHHH this book! This book was 100% my most anticipated book of the year, and has become my favorite book of the year! I went into this book blind, when the book release date changed so did the blurb. I had heard that this was going to be an emotional one, and at that point I decided not to read the blurb. I am so happy with my decision to go into this book blind. This book was so beautifully written. It had so much heart, it was a story of loss and self discovery. This book was very much Anna and Quan coming to terms with who they are, who they were and who they strive to be. I have seen multiple reviews of this book, that feel like this book isn't a romance and I am on the fence with were I stand with that. This book has everything that makes it a romance. It is about two people who fall in love, there is a conflict, a resolution and ultimately a happy ever after or a happy for now. BUT this book heavily focuses on Anna, and I do feel like the relationship part of this book was put on the back burner. Do I wish that we got more of Quan and Anna together? Absolutely! Quan is a character that has had my attention from the start, and truthfully I wanted a book that was more Quan focused. But with all of that said it doesn't change my feelings about this book. Quan is still the man that I have come to love, maybe even more. One of my favorite parts of this book is when Anna is breaking down, and Quan just holds her. There is a conversation about why he's such a good hugger and my heart melted. I wish I had better words to articulate my love for Quan. The only thing I don't like about Quan is that he isn't real. I love Anna so much. She is one of my favorite heroine's probably every. Again I wish I had the words to describe why I adored her so much. I think at the end of the day it all boils down to all of the feels I felt not only when reading this book, but being in her perspective. As far as the story it was emotional. Not only do we see Anna get her autism diagnosis, we get to learn about her childhood and her family (which was extremely toxic), and we learn that Quan had testicular cancer and he is coming to terms with his life now. I can not tell you the last time I cried so much in a book. This book is the last book in this series and I will definitely miss this world she created. I never read the author's notes, but I did for this book. I loved reading about this process for Helen Hoang, and I think it made this book that much better for me. This book definitely wont be for everyone. But for me it was everything.

I feel so conflicted about this book. It's beautifully written, poignant, heart-wrenching and triumphant. Helen Hoang is clearly a talented writer, and I loved the first two novels in this series.I also did NOT enjoy this. In fact, finishing it was kind of a traumatic experience for me, and the only reason I finished it is because not knowing that these two characters got a happy ending would be worse.First, the content warning that this book should have had: this book deals with some dark, emotionally wrought subjects in great detail: caregiving for a dying loved one, severe depression, emotional family abuse, and suicidal ideation. If, like me, you are not seeking a deep-dive into such topics while reading a romance novel, I'd suggest that you pass. I have had a lot of experiences that are very, very similar to Anna's in the book (in fact, reading the novel made me suspect that *I* may have undiagnosed adult autism), and this book was extremely triggering for me in a way that I don't think I've ever experienced before.I wrestled with whether or not that detracted from the number of stars, and the type of review, that I would give this book. After all, the reason that the content WAS so triggering was because of how relatable, how true, how achingly accurate Hoang's depictions of these struggles were. I thought perhaps if I was expecting that kind of experience, perhaps I would've enjoyed it more?But I considered, and I realized: no. This book is simply a joyless tour through an incredibly depressing, heartbreaking experience. (No spoilers.) It starts off promising, with a sexy premise like the first two. It stars Quan, who I was unreasonably excited to see finally getting love after helping his two closest relatives get theirs. I *loved* Quan. Anna, his love interest, was sweet and dorky and relatable. Their false starts in love were amusing and tantalizing and sweet.I think what might make me the maddest about this is: Quan didn't deserve any of this! he was such an endearing, wonderful character in the first two books and so much of his charm and personality was stripped away here.Halfway through the novel, something happens (both narratively and in the writing), and suddenly we're in a completely different story. The two main characters, supposedly involved in a passionate romance, barely interact with each other through the second half of the book. The reader is dragged through the nadir of Anna's life, a crushing and depressing experience with no bright spots, no hope, and definitely no romance. She becomes a completely unlikable character. Her family members are evil, cruel caricatures. She does what I consider to be two truly horrible things, one to her father and one to Quan. Quan is given a lame attempt at a side story, but we never really fully explore his feelings about his trauma - this is Anna's story. There is no romance. The reconciliation between the two of them makes zero sense and is deeply insulting given what Anna did to Quan to cause the "boy loses girl"; it's more like they're back together because they don't know what else to do (and Anna needs a crutch so she can get better). And then we're brought through a long almost-epilogue detailing the steps in Anna's recovery - in which the only mention of Quan is as the emotional support pet and financial support for Anna. The resolution is unsatisfying, especially since - again - it revels in Anna's glory and merely throws a dog biscuit to Quan.It's nothing like the other two books. Go read those.

I absolutely loved this book with its completely amazing main characters. So excited this is a series where we get to read the love stories of the friends/ cousins in the other books.

I admit that I hoped to see more about Khan. But, I enjoy so much the book and their love story, I like that it was a lot of self discovery, and self acceptance, and being there while the other recover, they decide for each other not in a perfect situation, but in a hard one. Even thoug it was not what I expected, I like it a lot.

I’m sick and should be resting and asleep but I couldn’t stop reading. As a late-diagnosed autistic person and an author myself, I have been trying to make sure the next generation has books they can see themselves in. Their messages keep me going. This book gave me the chance to feel what they feel—a book I didn’t have to write myself. Anna feels so much like me that I must have wept ten times reading this. Thank you, Helen, for showing autistic love. 💚🥹

This was my first Helen Hoang novel however I was aware that her adult romance books all featured autistic protagonists but it was only on reading the author’s note, in which she refers to this book as “half memoir”, that it becomes clear just how personal The Heart Principle really is. Needless to say there is a lot to unpack and the romance is one of the less credible and secondary aspects of a very affecting story. At times a tough read, particularly given it is written in the first-person, and covering a number of important issues, many that often go unaddressed, do be warned that the hookups are also pretty steamy. Although readers of Hoang’s earlier novels will have met both the central protagonists before this book worked just fine for me as a stand-alone.Professional violinist Anna Sun became internet famous when a YouTube video of her went viral and now all she hears are the imperfections and mistakes as she struggles to master a composition written specifically for her. Her family practice tough love and she has always laboured under the weight of their judgements and expectations. When Anna’s long-term boyfriend, Julian, one of the things about her life that her parents do actually approve of, announces his wish to try out an open relationship in the belief that Anna’s won’t actually experiment, her friends encourage her to give it a go. Deciding to try a one-night stand in the hope of overcoming her sexual inhibitions she joins a dating app and meets tattooed and shaven-headed biker Quan Diep, who comes with his own emotional scars. After her therapist suggests that she might be on the autism spectrum and Anna finally recognises herself and her struggles in the literature, she is dismissed by her bossy older sister who thinks she is simply looking for an excuse to justify being different. Despite three consecutive date nights with Quan not going to plan he accepts Anna in a way that nobody else does and she is able to shed the exhausting masking that has led her to burnout point. Deciding to overcome their intimacy issues together after making an emotional connection and finding acceptance with each other, The Heart Principle features multiple graphic, albeit very well-written, sex scenes. Life gets even more complicated for Anna when he elderly father falls ill and her older sister makes the decision for the family to care for him at home.Quan’s role in the book seems primarily to be patient and understanding and accept Anna without judgment, thus giving her the confidence to express her desires and I was disappointed that there was so little focus on his own personal issues. Although chapters alternate between Anna and Quan I found the focus centred almost exclusively on Anna and the actual growth of their relationship was minimal. There is an awful lot of turmoil in the novel and whilst it is incredibly easy to empathise with Anna and her predicament I would argue that it is not a fully-developed romance. All the giving is from Quan and readers expecting an out and out romance might be disappointed by moments of swooning and passion being back-to-back with hard-hitting issues such as suicidal ideation and autistic burnout. The ending crams a huge amount in and feels rushed as it glosses over Anna’s later struggles. Overall a rather harrowing read for me, probably because I could personally identify with some of Anna’s issues. In all honesty the sex scenes didn’t always feel appropriate or fitting bearing in mind the trauma Anna’s character was undergoing and left me with reservations about the novel.

Much like Hoang’s previous protagonists, Anna and Quan join the ranks of characters that are so fundamentally good, it was impossible to feel anything other than adoration, empathy and a fierce sense of protectiveness for them.They are each in a time of crisis when they come into each other lives. Anna, an incredible violinist has hit a brick wall not only with her questioning her talent but also her relationship with her less than stimulating boyfriend. The end of said relationship prompts a discovery that she nor I were prepared for where it would take us.Quan is character that would be familiar to lovers of the series. He is faithful cousin and business partner to previous leading man Michael, but it’s here we truly experience the boundless selflessness Quan possesses. He has experienced health issues that left him feeling rudderless, but it’s his connection with Anna that helps to steer him in a direction he didn’t think he was capable of.The Heart Principle is a multi layered story that is extremely melancholy at times, but at the heart of it is the message of what love, whether it be familial or romantic, has the power of achieving.It’s a funny old thing to have finished one of the most stellar books I’ve read this year, but yet find myself at a loss of how to put into words just how much it meant to me. Emotionally The Heart Principle packs a punch, and combined with it’s moments of levity and it’s heart warming love story, it’s nothing short of a knock out read.

I feel sad to give a one star review to an author whose books i love but i just had to speak up about it. Firstly, this book was very well written and was an emotional and heart wrenching read. It is a fantastic women’s fiction book.However this boom is not romance. Romance was not the main focus of this book and i felt cheated. Many of us who loved the first two books in the series also felt that Quan was cheated out of his own book. He was just an after thought in this story. We didn’t even get to explore all the things he went through.Its disappointing that this is how the series ended. Also it felt like the author wanted to write this book and used Quan as an add on to include it in this series. Many of Quan’s actions or lack of made no sense. He has an autistic brother. He was immediately cognisant of what Stella was struggling with way before Micheal did yet somehow he was less helpful to his romantic interest. Quan could have easily connected Anna with His brother or Stella but he didn’t. The reason was obviously because this story was based on her own life just as the author nite says so it therefore did not fit into this world or align with Quan’s character. It made no sense. So i feel frustratingly cheated

I am one of those late diagnosed aspie women. Though my love life has been supersorted since teen years (found the love of my life early on), this book to me is ME. The way my thoughts work, the type of things I focus on, the freedom gained by the diagnosis. I spent 37 years trying to fit. I felt like somebody let me out of jail when I got it.This is a romance. And it should be. Contrary to popular opinion, aspie women are amazing at romance - we focus on the person , we can argue a fight rationally, we don’t make rash decisions, and romance is one on one - the best type of social relation for an aspie. Where else would you find acceptance for your whole being, but in a romance relationship? Loved the book.

Like the first two books in the series, I enjoyed reading The Heart Principle. But, I'd been looking forward to Quan's story for a while, and being honest, I felt a bit cheated by how little I got of him in this book, especially towards the end. I was invested in his HEA, but he seemed to be swallowed up in Anna's story.This was tough to read because I struggled to warm to Anna, and maybe I'm a terrible person, but I identified more with her sister. Don't get me wrong, her sister said and did some awful things. Still, the need to take over and shoulder the load when it comes to family issues is me in a nutshell; I've been there, done that, and had the inevitable breakdown. So reading this book, it made me kind of sad that she got the villain edit.