Another amazing book by Helen Hoang who is up there as one of my favourite Romance authors. This book was well worth the wait, it was so beautifully written like her other books. I was so excited to get a book with Quan as one of the main characters, and it was interesting to see the changes he went through in this book. Something significant happened to Quan since The Bride Test, and I really liked seeing a more vulnerable side of him.

I loved the introduction of Anna, who is a character I loved from the first chapter. Her journey to discovering she was on the autism spectrum and learning what that means and how that resonates with her was so well done. She also struggles with anxiety and panic attacks which something I can relate to, and my heart just went out to this character. I was rooting for all the way. When something really serious happens to her and her family, seeing how she had to learn to handle that, and the stress it brought upon her. Everything about that segment of the book was heartbreaking and something I closely can relate to. Tears were shed many times with this book, but for good reason.

Helen Hoang writes beautiful books! I can't wait to read more from her. She's one of those authors that when she releases a book, I immediately need to read it as soon as possible. Doesn't matter if I'm in the middle of another series, I'll pause to read her latest. I can't wait to talk about this book with others!

“I’ll draw a line around you, and I’ll protect you and stand up for you and speak up for you when it’s right. I’ll keep you safe. And I’ll do the same for me. Because I matter, too.”

It took me sometime to write my review and can you imagine after days still remembering the story??One of the best books I’ve ever read! Emotional, intense and heartwarming! I loved Anna and Quan with all my heart!

My feelings were over the place with this one from the beginning!These two touch me so much, they have their personal issues and I fell hard for them.I couldn't get enough of them!

They were just perfect for each other.

"Just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean we need to throw it away.”

Anna hasn’t been able to play her violin since she went viral. Add to that her boyfriend Julian now wants them to be in an open relationship so he can be sure of what is out there before he commits to Anna. Well if he can go sleep with others, Anna can too. Except when she sets up her first date with Quan her anxiety goes into full effect. Quan is immediately attracted to Anna and is willing to wait until she is ready.


Helen Hoang does it again! The most important thing you need to do after finishing this book is read the authors note. I found it so interesting and it just made my respect for Hoang explode. It made the book all that more great when you read her notes about what she has dealt with and what she faced while writing this book. I loved the story, the characters, and seeing Anna learn that she deserves what SHE wants, not just what everyone else wants from her. I loved Quan and how open and generous he was with Anna, especially after their first interactions. Julian was the worst and I hated him from page one. This book discusses real issues that people face, but in a fun, loving, while also heartbreaking rom com. I love seeing things like autism openly discussed in books, and I had no idea what autism burnout was until reading this one. I personally don’t love it being referred to as “my sex” so that was the only thing I didn’t enjoy in this book.

This book is different from the first two books in The Kiss Quotient series and the author's note at the end explaining the memoir-esque aspects of the book is really poignant. While both Quan and Anna have a lot to overcome and learn about themselves, Anna's story is really brought the fore forefront. I wanted there to be more romance in the final quarter of the book but I understand needing to bring Anna's personal journey full circle. Hoang is still a must-read for me, even if I liked this one just a smidge less than the first two. Anna and Quan's love story is truly lovely.

THE HEART PRINCIPLE is not a light romance, it's a complex love story mixed with an emotional, soulful, and occasionally heartbreaking character story.

Although we've met Quan from Hoang's previous novels, vioinist Anna is the protagonist and the character with the most development. It's a story about her discovering more about herself and dealing with complicated and often toxic family dynamics. Caregiving and caregiver burnout, neurodivergence, emotional abuse, and more are all topics that are covered here. It's not a light read, but it's a powerful one and, ultimately, a hopeful one.

As much as I loved Anna and Quan, the romance did tend to take a bit of a backseat to these other storylines. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it just meant that the romance didn't click quite as much as I would have liked it to. It still worked and I still rooted for them. It's an incredibly touching book and absolutely worth the read.

Helen Hoang doesn't disappoint! This semi-autobiographical story is my favorite thus far. The signature steaminess is balanced by realistically flawed and vulnerable characters. Including the challenges of caregiving and family acceptance helps make The Heart Principle stand out.

While I was reading this book I felt every emotion and really was there with Anna. As I was reading all I felt was that this was so realistic. So I wasn’t surprised to get to the author’s note. Please make sure you read this as the author has put some really important information in there.

Phew man. This one was heavy. You can definitely tell that this is a much more personal story to the author. Before I get to the review I do want to say this is a phenomenal read and touches on some really important topics and I loved it. That being said, I think this reads more like women’s fiction than a romance. To me a romance means the plot is moving forwards because of the relationship. And while that might be true for portions of this book, most of the plot is Anna’s realizations about herself and learning how to set boundaries and learning to be okay with certain things.

I loved Quan, he’s been the hero that I’ve been wanting to read the most but I feel like I only got to know him a little bit whereas we got to see Anna’s whole story. I adored their relationship and how it grew with her but it felt slightly unbalanced. All that being said, Anna’s story holds immense value and shouldn’t be overlooked. I appreciate how Hoang unraveled things for her and we got to discover things with her. I highly recommend this story for one of grief, adapting, and overcoming in all aspects but probably not as a light rom com as the cover makes it seem.

Anna, a struggling musician who can't play through to the end of a song, is forced into an open relationship with her boyfriend. When trying to achieve a one-night stand, she meets Quan, a tattooed bad boy with a heart of gold, A relationship forms as they continue to fail at completing their one-night stand. As with all of Hoang's novels, this book includes fantastic representation of people with Autism.

If you're approaching THE HEART PRINCIPLE looking for a light romance, that's not what you're getting. But if you're good with a complex love story mixed with an emotional, soulful, and occasionally heartbreaking character story, then this book is absolutely for you.

(For the record: I realize that paragraph may seem like I'm implying this is "miscategorized" as a romance or doesn't have a HEA/HFN. Rest easy - it does!)

Although Quan is the character we're well-acquaintd with from Hoang's previous novels, vioinist Anna is the protagonist and the character with the most development. It's a story about her discovering more about herself and dealing with complicated and often toxic family dynamics. Caregiving and caregiver burnout, neurodivergence, emotional abuse, and more are all topics that are covered here. It's not a light read, but it's a powerful one and, ultimately, a hopeful one.

As much as I loved Anna and Quan, the romance did tend to take a bit of a backseat to these other storylines. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it just meant that the romance didn't click quite as much as I would have liked it to. It still worked and I still rooted for them, I just would have expected a little bit more romance in a romance, if that makes sense! That being said, it's still an incredibly touching book and absolutely worth the read.

I'm a big fan of Helen Hoang's previous books in this series, and I've been most anxious for Quan's story. He's so much more than I'd previously thought--so thoughtful and kind, the perfect boyfriend. I might have liked him to be a bit less perfect, but he needed every bit of that perfection to be with Anna. Anna was very interesting, very complex. I appreciated that the timeline wasn't compressed for the sake of the romance. Depression can truly take weeks/months/years of one's life, and that is the case here. Be aware that there are many CWs with this book; take them seriously if that is an issue for you as a reader. Anna's autism, her issues with her family, her father's failing health, and her creative block take center stage much of the time. But she can still appreciate the happy, peaceful moments with Quan, and I very much wanted that for her.
I very highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Well. Hmmm. This is hard to rate because I understand this book is very personal to the author. As Quan’s much anticipated HEA, & the third in the kiss quotient series this is a big disappointment. This book is nothing like the other two, nor is it anything like it was marketed to be. Clearly the premise was rewritten and the originally intended novel was scrapped. I think the author would have been better served to deliver the intended emotional rom-com with Quan and then written a separate novel for Anna because this was not a rom com. It was more like an emotional mental health drama with a slight love story element. 80% of the book is really about Anna and the many serious obstacles & challenges she faces. Quan is kind of jammed in there around her but it feels perfunctory. We certainly don’t get any character development for him nor are we shown any reason for him to fall in love with Anna. It’s mentioned that they have fun conversations & texts but we are t shown those interactions, just told they occur. Quan sees her picture online snd is pretty much immediately ready to do anything to be with her even though he knows nothing about her. He’s kind of a Mary Sue, his character exists as a support to Anna rather than as an individual of his own. That’s what makes it not a romance for me. To me romances are about partnership but in this book Anna isn’t really a support or partner to Quan as he is to her. They’re literally hardly ever even together.

If this were marketed as a contemporary emotion drama I’d give it 4.5 stars but because it’s posing as a romance in the KQ series it’s more like a 1.5-2. I’m splitting the diff and slotting it 3 stars to be fair but personally I was disappointed with this and it really needs the author note snd content warnings to be in the front of the book. I wouldn’t have read this if I’d known the CWs because end of life caregiving is not a topic I can really safely handle reading about right now. I read romances because I need HEA books right now so if I’d known this book was not a romance like KQ, I’d have not read it because of my triggers.

For me this wasn’t s good book but I’m sure others w/o those particular triggers and a need for it to be a romance will enjoy it. If you like heartbreaking books you’ll like this book.

I can't believe I forgot how much I adore Helen Hoang's romances. I've rated every book in this series five stars and this was no exception. I felt that this was so heartfelt and the characters, specifically Anna, was crafted so carefully she felt real.

Our main character, Anna, finds herself people pleasing to the point of personal pain. She stuck in her life and she can't seem to find a way out or a way to be herself. After she's diagnosed by her therapist with autism she finally begins to find her way. In the meantime, her long term boyfriend wants to see other people and so she goes on the hunt for a one night stand that doesn't exactly go as planned.

Hoang manages to seamlessly weave romance, mental health, emotional struggle, and growth into her books. These characters not only found love but they found themselves and that's what made this book so incredible. I absolutely devoured it in less than 24 hours, I was staying up past my bedtime to read. Next to The Brown Sisters, these are my favorite contemporary romances hands down.

Content Warnings: Thoughts of suicide, diagnosis denial, verbally abusive family, cancer, parental death, body dysmorphia, masking

The Kiss Quotient heralded a lovely new voice in contemporary romance. This third title in Hoang's shared universe focuses on an earlier side character, Quan, and violinist Anna. Anna's boyfriend wants an open relationship, so she goes in search of a fling, and finds Quan. Their one-night stand doesn't happen, and yet Anna and Quan find themselves wanting to give it another try. In addition to the requisite obstacles one expects in a romance novel, the story is deepened by a side plot involving Anna's father's health.
Hoang's characters are well-drawn, not only the main characters, but their friends and families, as well. Anna's boyfriend is a bit one-note, but reader loyalties will be with Quan from the start. Anna's struggles to assert herself with her sister and mother are painful to read, and her victories are hard won, set against the austere backdrop of her parents' home, and contrasted with the support and acceptance Quan offers her from the start. She finds comfort in an autism diagnosis, but finds a decided lack of support from her family. Her battles with burnout are vivid.
This is another excellent title from Hoang, with unexpected depths. Watching Anna struggle as a caregiver to her parent evoked strong memories in this reader, making the reading experience less straightforward than in Hoang's previous books; this one's extra-cathartic.

The Heart Principle was delightful. Helen Hoang is wonderful at creating characters that are so true-to-life, imperfect yet endearing. This was hard to put down. I really liked the tie ins to her previous books too. A great read!

DNF. I liked Hoang's previous books and unfortunately THP is nothing like THE KISS QUOTIENT or THE BRIDE TEST. It's very dark and introspective. Not a bad book but I was caught unaware and it's not for me.

Heavy, raw, emotional. I read this through in one sitting. This is very different from the other books in the series, but in a great way. It's a deeply honest story. The romance and the struggles Anna and Quan go through are more realistic, gut-wrenching. Helen Hoang puts her soul into creating this sad and much needed book about falling apart, healing, and the power love has to keep us going.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang is another excellent entry in Hoang's repertoire, but it is significantly different from the two previous entries in her Kiss Quotient series. The romance and sex are still there but are almost incidental to the story of trauma navigation and self-discovery that the main character takes. Instead of a romance as the inciting factor to the drama of the story, it becomes the anchor that the main character can use to navigate the interpersonal drama with her family and her journey to understanding herself. It's noted in the afterward of the book, and all the promotional material that this novel, that The Heart Principle has an element of autobiography that drastically changes its tone. This is a worthwhile read, but I also think that both its inclusion in a comparatively lighter series and a flirty cover make the tonality of the content unexpected and perhaps a little misleading.

I apologize in advance, as this review will be vague. Not intentionally, but because I can't pin down exactly why I liked it so much. I can't relate to either of the characters' life situations - location, family, job, physical characteristics - but still, something about each of them drew me in and made me care about them as individuals and as a couple.

This is my first Helen Hoang and I loved it! Definitely a VERY steamy romance, but also so much more than that. Burnout, grief, and complicated family relationships are big themes. I loved watching Anna and Quan grow and will definitely recommend this!