I really do try and enjoy Hoang's books, but I always find the writing really stitted and hard to get lost in. The characters feel so...character-y, and we get random bits of backstory and plot and then miss some critical pieces, for some reasons. I didn't get Quan's job at all, had no real emotional connection to Anna's music other than being mildly annoyed by it, and found the romance of this book really...forced? Calling genitals your "sex" made me feel like it was 1991, and i LOVED Her author's note on compassion fatigue, but for a romance novel...should I have cared most about that part and not the romance at all?

This is a story that realistically portrays somebody on the Autism spectrum and how they navigate life, loss, and falling in love. It is a beautifully moving story. Like her previous books Helen Hoang deftly gives insight into characters who are not the typical focus of Romance stories. But never doubt that this is an incredibly romantic Romance. The happily ever after is well earned and realistic. I highly recommend this book!

This book is so much more than just a romance book. It really digs deep into hard topics and focuses on learning to accept yourself as you are. We follow Anna and her struggles in getting over professional burnout, having to deal with the aftermath of her boyfriend telling her he wants an open relationship, having to take care of a sick family member, and also having to deal with her own diagnosis of ASD and finding herself through all of this mess. We also follow Quan who is trying to get over his own battles with a serious health scare and thinking he will never be good enough for someone again.

I love Anna and Quan’s growing relationship throughout the book, especially the steamy bits when we finally get to them. They start off by trying to have a one-night stand, which doesn’t go well so they decide to try again and again, unfortunately they fail each time which in the end turns into them actually caring for each other and wanting more. Anna’s struggles with her family are heart wrenching and the whole time I was reading I just wanted her family to turn around and tell her they love her just as she is and to stop putting so much pressure on her. The character development throughout was top tier and I loved getting to see how Michael (from book 1) was doing.

This is a very powerful and genuine story of overcoming challenges and coming out of it a better person. Definitely read the author note if you pick this one up, it’s one of the best I’ve ever read. I will definitely be picking this book up again in the years to come.

TWs: anxiety, depression, cancer (not on page), toxic familial relationships, suicidal ideation, death of a loved one

Thank you to NetGalley, Helen Hoang, and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have loved all of Helen's books in this series. But this book was sooo.. OMG the feels!
It wasn't just a well crafted romance but a journey of two people understanding a diagnosis and another recovering from a surgery.
Anna's long term bf has decided that she is the one he wants to marry but they should have an open relationship just to make sure there are no regrets. 🤨😏🤦‍♀️ I mean do people do this. He must think he can pull this one over on her and she will take him back.
She signs up for an online dating account and our Quan messages her. Can you go back from Quan?
This .. ok I was about to write this book felt so real and emotional and as I read the authors note realize it is based on the authors own experiences. No wonder it felt so real! I was so hard to be around the last two days cause I was feeling everything so much, I had to finish it!! ❤️❤️😍😍

I loved the compassion and understanding in their relationship. They were both going through major changes and understandings about themselves. They fell into eachother's lives at the right time.
The frustration with her family for pushing her into a mold she didn't fit. And for someone on the spectrum I can only imagine how painful that must be. Just going along with what everyone wants so they don't pressure her into it. I felt so much anxiety for her. I wanted to protect her and wrap her up into a bubble of hugs. I have an opinionated older sister who doesn't understand me either. It's taken us to be in our 40s to be ok for long periods without fighting, which is me glaring and her saying what I didn't say anything?

My beautiful friend Jenn Chan has created the @SeniorShowerProject to give resources for new caregivers. She had the honor of taking care of her Grandmother.
My parents brought my grandma home when she had lung cancer and it was hard to watch, I was 8 and I think it took me until high school to process. We were also talking about taking care of my Dad at home but we lost him suddenly in the hospital. Ugh we need an advocate to listen in on those meetings cause we don't always interpret or hear what is being said to us, the trauma of losing a parent or loved one is hard to process and make decisions. My sister was about to go Priscilla with my Dad and still feels guilty like she could have saved him. I felt this loss and feelings of duty and shame that I wasn't enough.

This book!! Loved it! I didn't BOTM cause I pre-ordered a signed copy from @therippedbodice

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you berkley romance and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Helen Hoang's latest in her Kiss Quotient series "The Heart Principle" is the best in the series. It centers on Anna coming to terms with a recent diagnosis of autism, while her long term relationship ends, and her family sees itself going through its own tragedy. Though not as strictly "romance" as the others in the series, Hoang's narrative offers both a satisfying romance, and an excellent book on the nuances of grief. Anna's character is fully realized, and the alternating first person chapters with Quan allows the reader to understand the motivations of each of them. This is a beautifully written book with a deep sense compassion both for the characters and for the readers themselves. I cannot wait for whatever Helen Hoang chooses to write next.

The Heart Principle was an incredibly emotional and compelling book. It was sometimes difficult to read, as Helen Hoang’s talent for conveying emotion in her writing made me feel like I was suffering with Anna. I felt her pain and struggles, and I cried when she played again at the end.

As a successful woman who I believe is on the autism spectrum as well, the book resonated with me in ways I wasn’t expecting. I have felt selfish for the way I feel and things I need to do to cope many times. I have words for things I do now like masking and stimming. I now want to pursue a diagnosis if it can help me give reasons for my behavior rather than what I felt were excuses, and maybe help the people in my life understand that I can’t help it either. I am grateful to Helen for writing this book, and sharing a part of her own personal struggles which in turn have helped shed light on my own.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.

“It’s an adult romance featuring a woman who gets diagnosed as autistic and has to come to terms with understanding this part of herself, but especially with how her family reacts to the news,” I explained to my boyfriend. “I’m wayyy more interested in the autism storyline than the romance,” my autistic self added.

And it 100% delivers! Like Anna, my therapist, a year ago, helped me discover that I’m autistic, and it completely changed my life. I absolutely love reading Hoang’s romances because they feature autistic characters (read KQ and BT previously to my diagnosis), but HP was the best yet. I want to give it six stars!

It really delves into autistic burnout, how parents of adult-diagnosed autistics react, and what it’s like to be neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. If I were an easily-cries person, this book would have me sobbing from all the *seen* feelings.

This is Helen Hoang's best book yet, and it is the rawness and realness of the book that allows it to be that way. This book has all the markers of her previous works; likeable characters, great writing, sexiness, but it comes alongside a depth that pulls you in and connects you to these characters in a new way.

Anna's boyfriend has decided that they are currently "on a break" and Anna, burnt out, not sure what to do with her life, and wanting to find more, joins dating apps, where she meets Quan. Together they embark on a relationship of vulnerability, tenderness, and a lot of chemistry.

But there is a lot of other things going on in Anna's life; a later in life diagnoses of Autism, a father struggling with health issues, and a sister who wants to be in control is a lot for Anna, especially coupled with her previous burnout.

In the Afterword Hoang explains that this book was inspired by events in her own life, and it can be seen on every page. This book gave me all of the emotions and is one I will be revisiting again and again.

There are stories that, quite simply, change the fabric of a genre in my eyes, and Helen Hoang astonishes with the strength of her storytelling and the powerful emotional resonance of her searing new novel. This marvellous, eye-opening, and at times, confronting read explores so poignantly a young woman’s battle to find herself and her own strength within a demanding, traditional Chinese-American family, whilst also learning to embrace the love of a man who accepts her as she is. Every character Helen Hoang writes is vivid and beautiful, but she has truly gone above and beyond with the two leads in this intimately written wonder of a novel.

Read more » https://natashaisabookjunkie.com/2021/08/07/review-the-heart-principle-by-helen-hoang/

I had a lot of issues with this book, concerns over the way the main relationship was handled as well as how the main character's illness was handled. I don't think it is safe nor a good model for relationships that aren't co-dependent.

I loved this so much. This book was deeply personal for the author to write and you can tell she poured herself into every page. The Heart Principle is very different from its two predecessors in that the struggles of the main characters are much more heavy. This is one of those perfect books that sneak up on you. Not only was the romance both steamy and adorable at the same time, but the reader sees into the mind of someone struggling with who she is, where she fits in, and if she has any self worth. I think anyone struggling mentally should read this book. It is a romance book yes, but the exploration of mental health and being on the spectrum makes the book seem that much more real. It is also extremely important to me that this book shows that Anna's mental health isn't 'fixed' once she finally gets together with Quan and patches things up with her mom. She needed to seek help and medication after the HEA. Not many books show characters after their HEA's and I am really glad Hoang took this route. As I said before, it is much more realistic.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang was 100% worth the wait. It has been a while since I read the earlier books in this series, but I think this one was my favorite. Quan's story was so important, and Anna was the perfect match for him.

Anna is a famous musician, struggling after going viral for unexpected violin performance. The last thing she needs is her boyfriend to announce he wants to be in an open relationship. Quan is recovering from cancer and has not jumped back into the dating pool yet. When this unexpected pair connects on a dating app, they have a shaky (but cute and nerdy) start filled with insecurities, missed dates, and Netflix documentaries.

I loved how vulnerable Helen's writing is, which translates perfectly into the character's vulnerable personalities. Quan and Anna were each suffering, and they both found a way to save each other. This book was beautiful, and I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end. It's so important to see how Helen Hoang connected with these characters, and I will read anything she releases!

It's really tough to sum up how I felt about this book and I think I need a little more time to sort out my feelings. What I can say is this is one of the most heart-achingly beautiful books I've read in a long time. I couldn't stop reading it once I started and the feels never stopped coming. I literally lost track of how many times I cried while reading it. It's not a "read in public" type of book if you're an emotional reader like me. It certainly skirts the line between WF and romance, but that's not an indictment. A large part of the book focuses on Anna and her journey, but the lovely and soft, quiet romance with Quan is there and vital to the plot. Don't go in expecting a rom com because that's very much NOT what this book is. But it is romance and a beautiful one at that.

More thoughts to come once I sort myself out.

This is a very difficult book to rate and review, because on one level, I don't think it is very successful. That level is as a romance: if you are coming to this book looking for a romance in the same vein as what the first 2 books in the series were like, this book will not comport with those expectations. Though I really liked our h/h, the energy of the book is not in their love story. However, if you look at this as a hard hitting contemporary about grief and family dynamics with a heavy romance element, this is quite effective and very moving. So as a romance? I'd give this as 2.5 or 3. As a general fiction book, I'm happy to give it a 4

CW: emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, family loss, cancer

Wow. So heavy but very good. I had a lot of trouble relating to Anna, especially with her decisions later in the story but this was so eye-opening and a wonderful story. Super sad/emotional/heavy but the romance was great in this one. HH is so talented!!! I'll read anything she writes.

The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient #3)
by Helen Hoang
• contemporary romance

Rating: 5 stars

Suffering burnout after riding the coattails of her viral YouTube success, violinist Anna Sun is suddenly confronted with a hurtful crossroad in her current relationship. Her longtime boyfriend suddenly wants an open relationship. Anna decides, reluctantly, that she will go along and embarks on a mission of one night stands and tries to find the candidates on a dating app.
Enter: Quan Deip. Tattooed, motorcycle-riding “bad boy”. Only their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd night stands don’t go as planned. Quan turns out to be so much more than first it seemed and a heartfelt romance blossoms. Quan helps Anna navigate through a new diagnosis of ASD and the declining health of a family member.

Thoughts: oh this book……it was sweet, swoon-worthy, HOT, heartbreaking, and eye opening. I read this book in 24 hours- 2 sittings. I felt so much for Anna and everything she was going through mentally. Quan was just the perfect mix- bad boy on the outside, but cinnamon roll on the inside….and dare I say, a naughty beast in the bedroom. He definitely let Anna’s comfort and consent rule their interactions, relationship, and bedroom play - I really appreciated that!

Things to Note: please read the author’s note at the end. That’s what broke me and my heart ached for Helen. It made the book hit even more feels as I learned that the story I just read was so real for her.

Interest: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Heat: 5/5
Stand-alone: no- it can be read independently, but there are spoilers for the first two books
Cliffhanger: no
Would I recommend: YES


*** I was given a copy of this book for an honest review by the author/publisher through Net Galley.

A very realistic and romantic story about two broken people who find strength and love in each other.

Anna starts off being so timid and as the tension builds, it was heartbreaking to watch her lose her voice. Hearing her inner thoughts struggle made her character very real and vulnerable. I could not believe her family who misunderstood her. I think the family dynamic was so powerful, it really got to me more than her inability to play her instrument anymore. I loved how she gained her strength and how she found strength in herself and in Quan.

Quan ís a well crafted companion to Anna and a multi layered solid character in his own right. The chemistry was flawless and their romance built very slowly as these two very vulnerable characters came together. I like the way Quan saw Anna, which was very different than how her family saw her. And all of the characteristics that her family didn't appreciate about Anna, Quan loved.

Hoang does such a good job of creating full characters that share realistic challenges and deep vulnerabilities. It's one of the things I love most about her books - the character's struggles are authentic.

This is a wonderful addition to this charming series. Start at the first book because fans have been waiting for Quan's book for a while and I'm happy to report it does not disappoint.

The third installment of The Kiss Quotient series was my least favorite of them all. It lacked the pizazz in the storyline that the other two had. Overall, a good romance, the steamy scenes were in full effect but I felt like it finished without explaining parts of the plot.

Powerful work from Hoang, who infuses her own life and struggles into this book that truly gives it its heart. A profoundly moving, intensely poignant, and sexy contemporary romance. Different from her previous works, but in a meaningful way that is bound to connect with her readers.

Helen Hoang has written a wonderful book that is a great addition to her existing body or work. Fans of The Kiss Quit and The Bride Test need to look at this book through a different lens and open heart. Those who causally jump in (or skip her author's note) might find themselves blindsided by this work of fiction wearing a romance book hat. Our main character's struggles aren't magically solved at the end by the addition of a romantic relationship, opening up to her therapist, or strengthening existing interpersonal relationships. It's an online journey where sometimes stumble off the path.
There are some readers who will leave this book hating it because they expected Hoang's other works. They wanted the regular, safe, expected "romance book" experience. The author's writing is just as smooth and engaging as ever. If anything, I wish Hoang leaned a little harder into the relalities of Anna's everyday life and spent more time fleshing out her relationships with other characters in the novel.
The Heart Principle is a definite read for fans of Hoang and is a completely different book than what they might be used to.