This book broke my heart and mended it all in one. So refreshing to see a romance that's not afraid to delve into painful topics.

I'm not a romance reader, but I like Helen Hoang's stories. It follows the genre conventions but I enjoy her sweet characters, even when I'm yelling at her to stand up for herself, to speak up! ;-)

I've been a fan of Quan since The Kiss Quotient and was very excited for his story. I loved the inclusion and representation of mental health. While it isn't a favorite for me, I did enjoy it and the author's note is great and makes you appreciate this story so much more.

I have never felt so seen in a book, as an Autistic person diagnosed in adulthood who also went through burnout while caretaking for a sick loved one, this book felt so personal to me. It was incredible for me to see myself in this story, and I hope readers who are not Autistic or caretakers and maybe understand a bit more what navigating the world for people like me is like. The love story was also so sweet and felt so real to me. It was amazing to see someone be so supportive and understanding. I just love this book so much it's hard to put it into words.

This book was so well written and a fantastic representation of autism/depression.

Unfortunately it just wasn't a book for me. Going in I was expecting a romance and that wasn't what I got. Yes there is romance but the heart of the story was a women's journey to discovering herself and the diagnosis of her health.

Overall I was left feeling sad and depressed after reading it. While I appreciated the heart and soul that was put into the story it ultimately wasn't book a book for me.

I absolutely loved this book! I was so engrossed by the characters right off the bat. Helen Hoang's writing is out of this world, if you've been in a reading slump this is a great place to start, it absolutely blew me away!

I am very, very, late getting to this book, but I am so glad that I finally got a chance to read it. This was a long awaited read, after loving the first two books in the series. But I was kind of taken off guard when I started reading because it is quite different from the first two. First off, the Heart Principle is written in first person, which I wasn't expecting, and quite honestly I'm generally not a fan of. But the writing here was so well done that the first person didn't bother me at all. Also Hoang explains why she chose to use first person in the afterwards and it makes sense and it does give a more personal feel to the book.
I have to say that I absolutely love Quan and have so since the beginning of the series. I was so excited to see him get the HEA he deserved. But I did struggle with Anna. And honestly I think that's understandable since there were some very serious topics addressed throughout the book. I think we really got to see some great character progression throughout the story but things were not quite wrapped up with Anna and her family, and I felt like things that probably would have been major issues in her and Quan's relationship were kind of just glossed over. That might have been a testament to how caring and accepting Quan was, but I think I would have like to see more of how the two would have interacted during those difficult situations where Anna was dealing with burnout. I like my romances to end without continued conflict and that didn't happen here but as the author described it, this was not just a romance, but also somewhat of a memoir of her life. The end of the book definitely didn't have a romance feel and I was honestly a bit disappointed. Despite this, Helen Hoang is definitely a talented author and I would like to read more from her in the future.

Thank you, Berkley Publishing, for the gifted copy of The Heart Principle!

Genre: Romance
Author: @helenhoang
Pub Date: 8.31.21
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Steam Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

"I have to choose. I can spend my time trying to make her accept me, either through bending her will or bending her to mine, or I can accept myself and focus on other things. How do I want to spend my life?"

For the past few weeks, every book I've read has just felt blah to me. I decided to give Hoang's newest book a try because I've loved her previous books. I was in love with both Anna and Quan following their introduction chapters. The story had me laughing out loud within the first few pages. Oh, and the steamy-ness of the book didn't hurt at all.

It's funny, to me, how in every book that Hoang writes, I can find bits and pieces of myself within the story. But, with Anna's character, I felt like I could relate to her in countless ways. The Heart Principle was just the book I needed to read.

🔥 Steamy right away
🥰 Love the ease of Anna & Quan's relationship
🧩 Autism aspects to the story
🤣 Hilarious
💜 Wonderful, unpredictable ending

I recommend reading The Heart Principle if you enjoyed reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown, The Happy Ever After Playlist, or The Bride Test.

heartwarming and beautifully written. helen does it again!! this romance is oh so sweet and sexy! couldn’t put it down

TYSM to NetGalley & Berkley for my copy of this book.

What a heartwrenching novel. I was hooked from the very first chapter (and, to be honest, before even starting this as I am a fan of the Kiss Quotient). That said, I could have never imagined the intense rollercoaster this book would take me on. While many might look at this from the outside and see a romance novel, it is so much more than that. The way Helen Hoang is able to capture the intense feelings that come with family, relationships, and discovering yourself is nothing short of incredible. This novel dives deep beyond just surface-level issues and feelings and that made the reading experience all that more impactful.

Helen Hoang can write romance like few writers in her genre. Her protagonists are not conventional and lack the polished perfection of the typical romance characters, but this is what makes them so relatable. In The Heart Principle, which is the third installment in a series that began with The Kiss Quotient, violinist Anna Sun is so heartbroken after being unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, that she vows to sleep with the first man that crosses her path. The less suitable, the better.
Along comes Quan Diep, a motorcycle riding "bad boy" that checks all of Anna's one-night stand boxes. But as their first time together doesn't go quite as planned, neither does Anna's revenge plan when she starts feeling more than lust for Quan.
Fans of Hoang's work will not be disappointed.

Helen Hoang posted a note about how The Heart Principle is different from the previous two and is not a rom-com. That changed my perspective on this book.
The Heart Principle is still a romance book, but it’s more about Anna’s discovery of her autism and her relationship with her family. I still enjoyed the romance aspect of this book. I wished there was more of that, but I would still recommend this book.

I have loved every one of Helen’s books and this one was no different. As much as I loved the romance story, the emotional journey for Anna was my favorite aspect. It was very relatable for me and I would highly recommend this book!

This book was a real emotional journey for me! At times, it was gut-wrenching, I just wanted to solve all the problems, so much so that I found myself thinking about the book when I wasn't actively reading. This is a really powerful read-about autism, about expectations, about first generation families. The characters are well-developed and realistic. I wish there wasn't as much spice in this one because I think a lot of people could learn so much from reading it, but the explicit sex will make it a hard sell for many of my patrons.

Though I usually love Helen Hoang, this one wasn’t as strong in the romance department as her other books. The dark side of care giving seemed out of place.

There is so much truth and heart to this book, it really touched me. There is romance as Anna and Quan embark on a relationship after first attempting a one night stand. Anna is blocked with her music, unable to play her violin. When her father suffers a stroke, Anna spirals further, and Quan is there for her. Anna is struggling with understanding that she is on the autism spectrum, close to what used to be called Asperger’s. To take off the mask she wears for family and friends to cope, and be herself, presents a tremendous challenge. I loved the book, from the sexy romantic scenes, to the heartbreaking, realistic portrayal of caregiving. I highly recommend this novel and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

Anna is a violinist currently having performance paralysis after a video went viral and she feels she can’t replicate the success. Her longtime boyfriend has also decided to open their relationship so they can see other people. A lot going on for Anna, she decides to take him up on that and have a string of one night stands with men that she wouldn’t normally go for. But she seems to get stuck on one after, for one reason or another, they don’t actually have sex.

Those are just some of the things Anna is dealing with. Her story in this book is definitely a deep journey. From her relationship with her ex and her reclaiming her sexuality, to family and the core of her identity. There’s something magical that happens when Helen Hoang sits down to write her novels. There’s a vulnerability in her characters that I can’t help but be drawn to. And Anna certainly was that character for me. I can see why Quan was smitten.

And then Quan. I loved him in every way. He’s the perfect book boyfriend. I loved how tender he was with Anna. How loyal he was to Michael. How vulnerable he was about his past and his insecurities from it. He’s such a special character and everything Anna needed. He was the missing piece in her emotional healing, and the other way around. They were just so perfect together.

I picked up this book fully expecting one thing because of the reviews I had read. And then, turns out I felt it delivered something different. So my perspective on this one, as opposed to others calling this almost a women’s fiction novel, is that is as much a romance as The Bride Test was. Yes, it deals with some heavy topics (much like the previous book did in my opinion) and focuses on our heroine’s life journey. But I think it balances well how that journey also includes a romance and it plays a pretty central part to the story. And rest assured, the sex is also pretty hot.

THE HEART PRINCIPLE is a must read. One of the best I’ve read this year! Helen Hoang does it every time and I can’t wait for the next one.

A story of acceptance, love, and survival, The Heart Principle is more than a romance. Anna's life is complicated, messy, and hard. When she get a late life diagnosis of autism while caring for her terminally ill family member, life is really hard. When her and Quan start to move closer to romance, they both learn that accepting someone as they are (even themselves) just may be the best decision.

I really liked The Heart Principle. It was my first Helen Hoang book. I will definitely be going back and reading the previous books!

The third book in The Kiss Quotient series. I loved Anna and Quan's story and I feel most readers will. I would recommend this to contemporary romance readers who love a well earned adult HEA.

I loved it!!! I haven't read the second book, but I really enjoyed this third book. It gets a little dark and sad but I really loved the characters enough to work through it.