Thank you so much to Berkley for an eARC of The Heart Principle!

Anna Sun is a violinist on her way to burnout. She can't seem to play anything all the way through. When Anna's boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before deciding if he wants to be with her forver, Anna can't say no. Her entire life, she'd been told ot be quiet and listen as the youngest daughter. Well, now it's about she does something for herself.

Quan Diep, motorcycle-riding, tatooed CEO of children's clothing brand, MLA, is finally ready to see someone. Michael convinces him to download some apps, and that's where he sees Anna, this beautiful, smiling woman who isn't looking for anything serious.

THIS BOOK.

MY goodness, this book has my heart! I loved Anna and Quan. Quan is so sweet, sexy and caring, and he'll do anything to make sure that Anna is happy and comfortable. When they're one night stand turns into two, then three, then four tries, you can't help but smile.

This is one of my new favorite couples, and probably my favorite Helen Hoang book as well! She really put her soul into this one, and you can tell. The caregiving side of the story when it comes to Anna's father is so heartbreaking, and I can see why Quan just wants to pull her close and hold her. Helen Hoang also mentions that she worked closely with someone who is Chinese-American to give the best rep for Anna that she could, and I really appreciated that she mentions that in her acknowledgements.

An absolutely wonderful piece of literature. So sweet, so spicy, and it'll make you cry!

CW: stress, anxiety, talk of suicidal thoughts

I'm still trying to decide between 3 and 4 stars for this read...

The Heart Principle is a heartfelt and honest story. It’s a hard-hitting read, with insight into complex family dynamics, autism spectrum disorder, and the importance of being able to say ‘no’.

I wrongly assumed this book would be a light and fun summer read like The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test. I added it to my list of highly-anticipated reads for this reason. But The Heart Principle isn’t the same kind of romance as its predecessors. In fact, I wouldn’t really class it as a romance. Hoang’s writing style is still enjoyable and humorous, and it fits the genre of women’s fiction perfectly. However, the book is much heavier and features memoir-esque elements that really ground its narrative.

Unfortunately, this means the romance takes a backseat. I can’t lie, this did disappoint me. I like Anna but Quan is a fascinating character, and his appearances in previous books has always made me smile. Plus, the chemistry between Anna and Quan is effortless and I was really looking forward to getting to know their love story. But this felt overshadowed by Anna’s family tragedy and unlikeable characters. As a result, Quan’s character development was stinted which is a shame as the exploration of his mental health and recovery would have blended brilliantly into this novel. Instead, majority of the book focuses on Anna’s struggle.

Still, the challenges Anna faces are important and will be relatable for many readers. As always, Hoang pays special attention to autism spectrum disorder and the burdens of family duties. Anna’s family is Chinese, and the insight into her family’s traditions and views is intriguing and stirring. Although it can be frustrating to read the way Anna is treated, it’s essential to the story and an accurate of many who experience an autism diagnosis at a later stage. The book is also a reminder to learn to listen and appreciate yourself, and we see this through Anna's struggle and therapy sessions.

And after reading the author’s note, I have a deeper appreciation for this story. I learned new terms, such as “autistic with low support needs”, and love that Anna’s experience is different to Stella and Khai from the previous books. I just wish Quan played a bigger part! He deserves more attention. Also, the character of Priscilla is truly one of the worst personalities I have ever come across in contemporary fiction and it breaks my heart to know insensitivity like this exists in the world. I can certainly understand why Hoang found this book to be the most disquieting to write.

I didn’t love this book as much as The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test, but it’s still a satisfying read. If you’re looking for a light and breezy rom-com (which is what the cover suggests), you won’t get it in The Heart Principle. It’s emotional, soulful, and introspective. The story is occasionally heart-breaking, but discerning and forthright. And the romance is present, but second to the exploration of family dynamics, mental health, and learning to understand autism.

If I were to rate this as a romance, it wouldn't earn much. The starts really belong to Hoang’s writing and the awareness The Heart Principle raises.

I did the story as much as I did The bride test and Kiss Quotation. However, Quan is a redeeming factor in this novel. Every women and man deserves a Quan in their life. Quan is a man who excepts a person for their so called 'quirks'. There is no pressure with being with him and every person wants o be accepted for who they are and his or her faults. Just seeing a women being treated as she should by her partner is heart warming. What I like best about this is you have the added pressure of family and the other side of the coin with 'Julian.' Julian represents what happens when you settle and except the below your wants and needs as a human being.

This is the first book of Hoang's I've actually read. The others have seemed appealing but the timing wasn't right.
I enjoyed the characters and their development but frankly, the mother's backstory would be pretty interesting in its own right.

Helen Hoang just keeps getting better and better. This is the story of Quan-- introduced in Kiss Quotient and Bride Test-- and Anna, a professional musician with quirks, as Quan likes to say. Both characters are fully and richly developed, and share traits of people-pleasing, compassion, and a nagging sense of often being less than enough. It's interesting to see the parallels between them, and how these similar traits play out both in a man and a woman. That sounds way more academic than how it's presented on the page. How Quan and Anna meet and how their relationship develops is lovely and rings absolutely true, not to mention tender and just the right level of steamy. Complications ensue when Anna's father suffers a stroke and her family expects her to drop everything in her life, including Quan, to help take care of him. I love how this story is resolved, not neatly with a bow around it, but messy and real and with love. This is one of the best books I've read this year and I highly recommend it.

I love all of Helen Hoang's book and THE HEART PRINCIPLE was no exception! I loved the characters and felt deeply connected to Anna as she struggled to find her way. A moving rom com with great heart and depth that tackles big issues. Read it one sitting!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed herein are mine alone and may not reflect the views of the author, publisher, or distributor.

So many people make the case for romance as more than just "kissing books." (Thanks Princess Bride.) At first I was hesitant to read them because I thought they were absolutely not up my alley. But my colleague--and head librarian--has been standing on the Romance Soapbox for a while now, and I've been fascinated by her arguments for the genre. When I say she's opened my eyes, I'm not exaggerating. I had vowed not to read romance because I thought it was silly.

Well, joke's on me, cuz THE HEART PRINCIPLE was the final nail in that particular coffin.

I'm quickly discovering that romance as a genre is just as varied and widely-niched as any other. Here we have a heroine learning about herself after being diagnosed with autism in her 20s. Anna can't seem to play the violin anymore, and she has to stop playing anytime she makes a mistake, go back to the beginning of the piece, and start over. She gets caught in this loop, and in the loop of fighting against the masking she puts on for other people: she's unhappy with her boyfriend who uses her, and feels like she has to be with him because her family approves; she's always trying to please her older sister Priscilla; she's been raised to believe she has to fit in, that she has no voice because she's female and the youngest and not yet established in a career.

That's enough to burn out anyone, but then you throw autism into the mix and it becomes a crap tornado real quick. So when her boyfriend, Julian, decides that they're going to see other people, Anna is thrown for a hard loop. Yeah, he just tells her, "I'm going to see other people before I decide to settle down with you." And Anna is left sitting there as if someone has already cast her ballot for her--she doesn't get a choice, and objection goes unheard. She decides, fine. If he can see other people, I can too. And sets out to have a one-night stand.

Enter Quan, the shaved-headed tattooed motorcycle enthusiast, cancer survivor, and kids' clothing designer. He's ready to get back in the game after surgery to remove his testicular cancer. It's in remission, and he decides he's going to have a one-night stand. No attachments. Just wants to see if everything is in working order, wink wink. Interests include long hugs, animal documentaries, and bringing homemade Vietnamese food to the people he loves. (Someone bring the smelling salts, I may just swoon.)

I loved the characters here. More than anything else, they drove the book forward and kept the gears turning. They grew and changed and made mistakes, and we still got our Happily Ever After. The side plot really cramped up my heart, because I'm a co-caregiver myself for my sick older brothers and have been before with an elderly person.

When Anna's father has a stroke, he's relegated to relying on his family for every tiny piece of care: feeding through a tube, diaper changes, baths, clean clothing, everything. The stroke has rendered him unable to produce speech or move on his own, so the line of communication is just cut. There's a moment when Anna is trying to put his liquid food into his feeding tube, and he keeps pushing her hand away and shaking his head, and oh my gracious, my heart just squeezed into a tight little ball. Anna's blur of grief is portrayed so realistically, and that being set beside her growing love for Quan--and Quan's for her--makes for a killer combination.

I enjoyed this so much. Once our library has it, I'll be practically throwing it at every patron who walks in.

Although we had to wait a bit for this book and understandably so, it was cute. My heart went out to Ana for sure. She was stuck with her music, then her douchey boyfriend wanted an "open relationship". So she does what any almost single girl does and starts online dating wherein she meets Quan. He's sweet and romantic, but has a bad boy exterior. You know what they say, never judge a book by its cover.

This was heartwarming and strung on my heart strings. Anna always the people pleasurer when she needs to please herself, literally and figuratively.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

Helen Hoang's The Heart Principle is an honest look at love for one's self, for one's family, and for any space for love itself. This was such a great example of pain and truth when duty and responsibility is mixed in.

The Heart Principle is a bit sad, a lot of sweet, emotional, painful, and honestly personal. I felt seen, even if this book had nothing to do with me. But especially with the past year and a half, I related to this story much more than the others. As a POC, I 100% understood the responsibility and duty that comes with a family. It was such a great representation of how things could be in a family such as Anna's, but also how it could be different from a family like Quan's. Both examples were true and real, and I really appreciated that.

I felt emotional and cried. A lot. Pressures of performance, of family duty, of even just trying to be who everyone thinks you should be? It all hit home.

I loved this so, so much.

P.S. Read Hoang's author note after you finish it. You'll feel more FEELS.

This book is such a great example of why representation matters. Not just in race, but in neurodivergent characters. I recognized myself in the pages of this book, and I have never felt more seen or understood. Helen Hoang doesn't just write amazing love stories; she also gives a voice to people who never quite feel normal but don't know how to articulate it.

Anna’s boyfriend wants to take a break to see other people before settling down, even though he’s pretty sure he wants to marry Anna. For revenge, she opens a dating app account - if Julian is seeing other people, so can she.

Quan has not been on a date since his cancer diagnosis. His friend, Michael convinces him to reopen his dating app account and put himself out there. He’s nervous and decides something casual - a one night stand - would probably be best to start. He comes across Anna’s profile and she only wants a one night stand - perfect.

Quan becomes the only person Anna can really be herself around, especially after discovering so much of herself and her people pleasing tendencies (masking) are related to an autism spectrum diagnosis. After 3 failed attempts at hooking up, they both realize they’d like to continue seeing each other - they’re very drawn to each other. Drama ensues as Anna navigates trying to please her family and also be true to herself.

This book is fairly emotional. It tackles adult diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum, anxiety, depression, living up to high family expectations, cancer, stroke, and the toll of being a caregiver. Helen Hoang’s author note explains this book is more personal to her. She writes it in the first person, instead of the third person like her first two books. Be prepared for all the feels, and revel in how well Hoang tackles them.

Thanks to Net Galley and Berkeley Publishing for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Anna and Quan have my whole heart. The Heart Principle is exceptional. I have been a fan of Hoang's work since The Kiss Quotient was released and have loved every word she's ever written. However, The Heart Principle is different than her earlier novels. It is more intimate. More personal. In the afterward Hoang shares that the narrative was inspired by her own experience as a caregiver and her experience of burnout. I happened to read The Heart Principle while experiencing my own burnout. I felt how Anna felt. I watched my partner work to support me as Quan worked to support Anna. Hoang's depiction of love blossoming amidst extreme emotional exhaustion and distress is exquisite. The Heart Principle beautifully balances the joy and excitement of new love without shying away from the challenges posed by neurodivergent experiences in a neurotypical world.

I am loving the new subset of "heavier" romances, the romance/women's fiction hybrids we've been seeing lately and this one is no exception. Helen Hoang did a great job bringing Anna and her struggles to light and keeping her romance with Quan compelling while also dealing with the heavy subjects of depression and caretaker burnout. I felt like Quan's recovery storyline was handled well but his business subplot with Michael (while it was nice to see him and a little of Stella!) didn't always feel necessary. I hadn't loved The Bride Test so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this one but I'm so glad I read it.

Honestly, I was very nervous going into this one. It's been a long wait, I loved Quan in the first two books, there were mixed reviews, and I was warned that this one would be different. And it was but I loved it.

The Heart Principe tackles a lot of issues and I believe someone has a list of TWs so if I find it I'll add it here later. For now, I'll say it was tough but in a good way. I cried. A lot. But I also rejoiced in Anna and Quan's victories, because even though there is loss there is still the HEA I'd expect from Helen Hoang.

Also, unlike the first two books this one is told in dual first person narration, which surprised me but made so much sense for this story. Quan I've loved since The Kiss Quotient so getting a peak into his head was amazing. With Anna she's facing a lot so being in her head was eye opening but also made this story feel even more personal. And that's what is. Very personal. Even before I got to the author's note at the end I could tell this was a bit autobiographical. A lot of Anna's experiences sounded familiar based on what I know of the author and not at all in a bad way. I cried reading the book and then cried again reading the author's note. So do with that what you will. 😅

I think this book will resonate with a lot of people but I do think it's important to know this isn't a romcom. There were a lot of moments that made me swoon and the romance is top notch. But this book really talks about family, discovering your true self and then fighting for that person, grief, and suicidal ideation. It is not an easy read but it is a good one. 10/10 would recommend.

I (incorrectly) assumed this was going to be a really light-hearted and fun book. The story is pretty heavy from the start, and after reading the author’s note, it’s very personal and it made me respect the story so much more. It’s tender and painful and full of a lot of heart. My only complaint is I felt some things were a tad disjointed and underdeveloped, but I think the emotion and honesty behind the writing make it an incredibly compelling read.

This is about a girl finding her voice and learning to speak up for herself and those she loves.

All her life Anna has felt different from everyone around her, always having to try harder to please people, even at her own suffering. Over the years she changed herself to fit what other people wanted, masking herself to the point where she didn’t even know who she was anymore.

Quan is a text book definition of “looks like he could kill you, but is actually a cinnamon roll.” Covered in tattoos and a motorcycle as his main source of transportation, he has never cared what people think of him, but then something unthinkable happens and he goes through a surgery that makes him lose his confidence.

When these people meet they find something in each other that they have longed for, acceptance.

Hoang beautifully captures what it feels like to be trapped in a life you don’t want but are supposed to.

Regardless of whether or not readers have read the previous two installments to Helen Hoang’s book series, readers should love the heartfelt honesty Hoang infuses into her latest work.

Anna and Quan are well paired. Their vulnerabilities and personal quirks are complementary, helping to balance their various strengths. Due to their personal histories, both tend to struggle with trust. Through Quan’s observant patience and persistence, he’s able to gain Anna’s acceptance. Anna’s quirkiness and unexpected reactions also manage to break through the barriers Quan’s developed as an effect of his past illness and resulting sense of inadequacy.

Hoang also takes readers beyond Anna and Quan’s developing relationship to illustrate varying family dynamics and relationships. Quan’s supportive family situation is juxtaposed with the varying tensions surrounding Anna’s family regarding health, wellness and competition. The situations and sentiments described are authentic and overpowering. It’s easy for the reader to see how such dominant personalities can override personal thoughts and intentions, leading one into an automatic, unconscious response that would please the family group. It’s also interesting to see that Hoang offers no easy resolutions as a result of the changes that do occur. Relationships are often complex; sudden role changes that affect perceived understandings and understood perceptions can take time to reconcile and/or rebuild. Hoang does a great job of developing this theme.

Thanks to this insightful and well-planned story, readers will be excited to read whatever Hoang produces next.

The Heart Principle is BRUTAL but inspiring. Hoang has the ability to weave romance with some hard hitting scenarios. This book gave me goosebumps. I have been waiting anxiously for Quan's story because he was always my favorite and this book was worth the wait, the way he is with Anna melts my soul. Anna's difficulties are definitely intense and Hoang explores them in a way that makes my heart physically ache. I can honestly say that Anna's sister wins the award for most disliked side character in a book because I disliked her character so much it gave me chest pain.

Hoang gives us a really intense book that is messy, beautiful, heartbreaking, inspiring, and steamy. She deals with Quan's medical difficulties and Anna's autism with grace. She writes about depression in a very authentic way and doesn't tie up the story with a pretty bow.

Hoang has delivered an incredible book and I cannot wait to add the physical copy to my library.

Thank you to Helen Hoang, Berkley, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Helen Hoang can do no wrong. I was blown away by “The Kiss Quotient” and really enjoyed “The Bride Test,” but she knocked it out of the park again with “The Heart Principle.” I loved Anna and Quan together. It felt effortless and easy and he was so swoon worthy. While I think the story had plenty of substance with Anna’s coming to terms with her autism and Quans recovery, the part with Anna’s father really added a lot and showed a realistic strain on what it is like living and caring for someone so sick. Even though it obviously made the plot more stressful, I really enjoyed it and all it brought. Now I’m just sitting here anxiously awaiting whatever Hoang does next, because I know it’ll be great! Highly recommend this title.

Thank you @berkleyromance for a copy of this book. Hoang does it again with another amazing story with characters that are real, raw and full of emotions. I love seeing Quan and getting his story and also seeing Michael again from TKQ.

I love the relationship between Quan and Anna. Quan was so amazing and I fell in love with him each time he interacted with Anna. My heart broke for Anna as she struggles so much coming down at her from her struggles with her career, her recent diagnosis and familial duties.

I highly recommend reading the authors note. This was such a personal journey for Hoang.