Another incredible book from Hoang that I was so excited to read - this really felt like a book I could get to grips with the narrator in and in the afterword Hoang says that Anna was the character she felt she could connect to the most. This emotion really came across and she was instantly vibrant and jumped off the page from the offset.

My main complaint about this novel is actually that I wanted it to be longer! I wanted more about Quan and more about letting each other in. An even slower burn! I just didn't want to let go of them! I feel like the whole period when Anna was struggling after her lowest point and he was just there for her was magnificent but as a reader I needed more reason to believe in and invest in that. I also didn't know much about his background!

I will still instantly preorder anything Hoang writes!

What a fabulous addition to an already great series.
I have bought all of the books written by Helen Hoang in this series and I just adore her writing and, I love the way the characters grow throughout the book.

I would highly Recommend this book and it explores the main characters individually and allows them to grow on there own as well as a couple

*a big thank you to NetGalley ant the publishers for giving me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review *

An absolutely fantastic, beautifully written book. It's a masterful exploration of a relationship that has to navigate the emotional and practical complexities of ASD and mental health challenges, caregiving and grief, family expectations, corporate machinations... Professional Violinist and social media sensation Anna meets motorcycling kids apparel company CEO Quan on a dating app, after Quan re-enters the dating scene after a health crisis, and Anna is thrown by her long term boyfriend's selfishly suggesting an open relationship to explore his horizons before settling down. They bond over their difficulties navigating relationships and Netflix nature documentaries. Both Anna and Quan are both relatable and challenging of our norms and assumptions of what makes the perfect romantic heroine and hero. Their actions and dialogue are by turns hilarious, sweet, exhilerating and tear-jerking. The treatment of both the ASD and cancer elements of the storyline are highly sensitive and normalising, bringing insights into the characters, and explorations of what it means to be modern men and women in romantic, supportive relationships. The book is definitely slow burn heat-wise, and its exploration is sweet and just the right level for the story. I also loved the friendships and though Anna's family dynamics destroyed me at times, I appreciated the subtle twists and turns in the relationships, and how characters were redeemed, at least partially, by then end, despite some really awful things said and done. I adored this book and genuinely sat staring into space in something akin to shellshock when I finished it, such was the emotional journey it took me on. I read it super fast, and it's one of those books I'll probably return to over and over and definitely will recommend to others. Definitely a 5 star read for me. I don't think it's necessary to read the series in order, but reading the others too does add to the experience. Thank you Netgalley and Corvus for the ARC!

3.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Heart Principle follows violinist Anna Sun after she accidentally went viral and became extremely successful. Now Anna is a bit stuck in her music and is experiencing burnout. To top it all off, her long term boyfriend has suggested they have an open relationship so they can assess if they're truly meant to be together. So Anna decides to go and have a one night stand with Quan.

This book is very emotional and heavy and there's definitely some trigger warnings to look out for including death of a parent, depression, anxiety and toxic family.

The romance did feel a bit rushed and all over the place for my personal opinion but I really enjoyed the way certain issues were discussed in the book and the way Quan and Anna were such incredible characters.

5 stars is not enough, This needs at least 10!

I’d firstly like to thank Helen Hoang and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. It is one of my anticipated reads this year so you can imagine how I excited I was to receive this copy.

Ever since I read book 1 Quan stood out for me, I loved his relationship with Michael and I loved his relationship with Khai in book 2 so I was so excited to read his story!

Things I loved about this book.

✨ Quan - obviously. He is so used to taking care of everyone, for being the strong one and seeing him in this book not only with Anna but also how he feels about and see’s himself (no spoilers here) just made me love him more.

✨ Anna - from the first time I met Anna, I loved her. Everything she felt through the book I felt with her, I rooted for her and I cried for her.

✨ Anna and Quan together - from their very first octopus adventure together I was rooting for them. I thought they were perfect together and they seemed so much in love, their story was so well written.

✨ That you got to see Anna face some challenges (again no spoilers) as they happen. I particularly like how Helen dealt with Anna’s situation and showed how things don’t just get better, they take time and energy and sometimes things don’t get better, you learn how to manage them.

✨ The authors note. Although the book was quite emotional at the end, Helen’s note broke my heart, I cried for longer than I care to admit. If you read this book, read that note. It’s important.

Like I mentioned, this was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it blew me away! I can’t wait for my paperback book to arrive to complete my collection.

Received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book in 8 hours and spent an entire day ignoring life because of it. That's how much I enjoyed it.
The What: Anna is on the autism spectrum and we are taken through her period of diagnosis and autistic burnout. She meets tattooed hottie, Quan, who is impossibly sweet and kind- and who has also come through his own health journey. Romantic adventures ensue.

The Good: I loved that this was not just a love story but is rather a story about two people going through a complicated physical, mental and emotional period together. There was so much heart in this book - I cried alot. I also loved the realistic depiction of sex as something that two people work towards perfecting, even with the initial spark.

The Great: I love the care with which the author holds her characters. They are imperfect and their healing paths are not linear, and sometimes they try and fail- but as with real life, that is perfectly fine. Highly recommend this.

Woah I have a lot of feelings about this book. I really appreciate Helen Hoang writing books with autistic protagonists that all experience it in a different way. This book is very intense, with an awful lot of pain for the protagonists to get through. It is not an easy read, but I found myself drawn into the story and caring so much about Anna and Quan, and their individual journeys.

Anna Sun got internet famous after she steps in for a famous violin player and completes a beautiful solo. But the pressure that comes with fame and catching the attention of composers made playing music a million times more difficult for her. She’s stuck playing the same song on repeat, starting from the beginning every time she makes a mistake, tortured by the desire to perfect it. Anna has been going to therapy, and between her therapist and herself they realise she is autistic, not that her family are supportive of the revelation. When Anna’s boyfriend suggests they have an open relationship, Anna is upset but decides to have one night stands, because if Julian can, why can’t she?

Enter Quan, the brother of Khai and cousin of Michael from Helen’s other books. Recovering from cancer hasn’t been easy for him psychologically, but he’s ready to get back out there in the dating game. Anna catches his attention on a dating app and the two hit it off with their love of nature documentaries. But both are anxious about sexual intimacy with each other, so their one night stand desires take a few hits.

I loved that Helen brought in the modern terminology with respect to autism – I was worried at the beginning that she would be using outdated terms for the whole book. Anna defies the stereotypes perpetuated by the likes of characters like Sheldon Cooper. Apart from music, the other big challenge for Anna is when her father becomes seriously ill and she has to help her mother and sister take care of him. Understandably, this has an extreme impact on Anna’s mental health and her family, particularly her older sister, only exacerbate the problems she’s facing by not understanding and pushing Anna too far. Julian also brought out a lot of anger in me. He’d been using Anna for so long because she was so attentive to his needs and he knows she would do anything for him. I loved that Quan could show her what a positive relationship could look like, and they both learned intimacy and to trust again.

Overall this was an amazing book that tackles a lot of serious issues. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed through a series of flash forwards, but get that the book was probably long enough already! I loved Anna and Quan together. A neat end to this trilogy of romance novels, but it definitely isn’t one to read if you want a fluffy love story.

Anna is one of the author’s stronger characters and this was as much a novel about a woman coming into herself and learning to manage a layered in life autism diagnosis as it is a spicy romance novel. It was also so nice to see Quan and Michael again. I was very affected by this and I found satisfying in every way.. CW: severe anxiety/depression/burnout, ableism, hospice care, cancer, sterility, death of a loved one, toxic familial relationships, suicidal ideation I volunteered to read and review an early copy of this.

I read and loved The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test on summer holidays in subsequent years and was really disappointed not to have a new Helen Hoang novel last year. Having now read The Heart Principle and Helen’s author’s note at the back of the book, it was definitely worth the wait.

Helen Hoang has a real knack of writing romcoms that straddle perfectly the line between authenticity and romantic ideals, with characters that are flawed and nuanced but who you can really root for. It’s been such a pleasure over these three books to see characters intersect each other’s stories and support each other.

As a bonus, I love that these books have Asian and autistic characters at their centres without detracting from the fact they are fun, commercial stories. This is the kind of casual representation done well I want to see more of in commercial fiction. I’ve recommended the first two books to lots of friends and will do so with The Heart Principle too.

As she discusses in her author's note, 'The Heart Principle' is Helen Hoang's most personal book - and you can tell from how she writes it. Interweaving a parent's serious illness, a character who discovers she's on the autism spectrum, mental block and a romance can be difficult, but Hoang's book examines the good moments and the bad moments of them all to create a smart and ultimately, rather hopeful romance.

Like all of Hoang's book, the third instalment in this series is immensely readable, heartfelt and sexy as FUCK. It's honestly one of the things that sets her apart from some other romance writers in this sub-genres - she's not afraid to really write down and dirty. What I especially liked about the sexy scenes was the consistent presence of consent, of no judgement, of partners respecting partners even when they don't feel comfortable enough to share all of themselves with you. Quan is kind of a dream guy in that respect.

There were moments that didn't quite do it for me, generally in just the way the book was plotted and how certain themes were interwoven, but I don't want to pass judgement on it. Especially because I know that feeling of mental block very well - and so much of this has come from Hoang's life over the last few years.

Like 'The Kiss Quotient' and 'The Bride Test' before it, 'The Heart Principle' establishes Helen Hoang as one of the most original and exciting romance writers currently out there, her novels always looking beyond the classic love story and giving its readers something to adore and to think about all at once.

4.5 stars!

Helen Hoang is one of my favorite romance writers. I have absolutely loved The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test by her. So, this new book was a highly anticipated book for me, thanks to Netgalley and Atlantic books for the e-arc.

This is a heartwarming read with steamy romance. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and finished it in a day as I couldn’t stop reading it. Oh Quan, Quan, Quan… what a perfect human being (character). Even after I have finished reading the book I can’t get over how brilliant and a good being Quan is (if only there was someone like him irl)!

Quan has recently become cancer free but he is despondent and feels like he needs to prove himself to the world. Anna is a violinist who has become internet famous but is currently struggling to play her violin because of people’s expectations. Both broken in their way, they sign up for a dating app and plan to meet only for a one night stand but their relationship continues getting stronger.

While I did like and enjoyed the book, it’s not a complete 5 stars for me. I didn’t quite enjoy the last 5-10% of the book. I wish we had More of Quan’s side of the family too as they are only mentioned couple of times. I wanted Anna and Quan’s mother and brother to meet. However, the book is more of Anna’s story so I guess thats why. I was so angry at Anna’s family, her boyfriend Julian and ugh her sister Priscilla. Also, I wasn’t convinced how Anna’s mum miraculously changed more so after Anna’s outburst. It would have been better if there was more reconciliation between them and also Quan.

Overall, I adored Quan and their story is beautiful.

TW: cancer, autism, mental abuse.

Helen hoang is an author I knew wouldn’t disappoint. And I was right! After reading the kiss quotient and the bride test I knew Helen hoang would be an author I’d appreciate in the near future. Her characters are very dear to me and that was of course confirmed after reading the third instalment in the series - the heart principle.

First of all - Quan. What an amazing character. It’s rare I get attached to male characters but Quan was definitely a rarity. He was perfect. Ana and Quan were perfect. I felt several emotions reading their story and I appreciated Hoangs authors note which explained the reasonings of this story and as always you could tell the raw and utter emotion she put into this book. I think Hoang is perfect at writing complex characters with the most perfect romances.

The story of course tackles a lot more then just romance. Ana has ASD and that’s confronted in this book and her confrontation with the past and her ability to adapt to the future. Anxiety and depression are also a major part of this book and I think Hoang did a perfect job at tackling it.

And of course, we saw glimpses of previous beloved characters which was always nice and the perfect touch to this book, I can’t give it anything below 5 stars.

4.5 stars. Honestly, this book was fucking excellent.

I was enthralled right from the start and absolutely loved diving into the complex character arcs of Anna and Quan; two very different people who find one another by chance, forming a beautiful relationship built on vulnerability, trust, respect and acceptance.

Both Anna and Quan have their personal battles and the way these sensitive topics were written was exceptional. I truly felt their pain and trauma as though it were my own.

This was extremely difficult to read at times. I found myself feeling anxious and upset and angry and betrayed and I often wanted to throw my phone at the wall for how unfair Anna was treated by her family; how she struggled with expressing herself and how no one would listen or try to understand her ASD.

Quan, Quan, Quan. What can I say about this beautiful, beautiful character? Not only did he SEE Anna and supported her throughout the book, but he had struggles of his own and was still the most kind, considerate, honest, vulnerable, loving, selfless human.

I adored watching their romance bloom; Quan’s patience with Anna when they first meet paves the way for a beautiful friendship where interactions are pure and comfortable.

The development of both of their characters was exceptional, and I couldn’t get enough of how much they loved one another. Their relationship was honest and raw and open from the beginning and it was extremely refreshing to read.

For me, the sex scenes in this book were a huge stepping stone in their relationship and showed just how much they trusted and accepted one another. You can tell what it took for both of them to open themselves up to judgement, and for the other to meet them with pure love was heart warming.

I struggled massively with Anna’s family - I just wanted to wrap her up and give her all the support she needs. It was difficult seeing how small she tried to make herself to fit to her families expectations. Priscilla, I wanted to throttle.

Occasionally with Anna’s character, I became fairly exasperated with how she couldn’t stand up for herself or say no (which sounds awful considering everything she’s going through), and I related very little to her, yet I understand why that is. Helen Hoang states in her Author’s Note that her personal struggles are entwined into the writing of this book, which clearly shows in how heart wrenching and sensitive the words are.

If I’m being fussy, I would’ve liked to read more of a reconciliation between Anna and Quan at the end; the final 5-10% felt a little rushed and left me needing more of a resolution.

Overall, this was an extremely touching, gut wrenching read and definitely my favourite of the series. The story is beautifully told and despite there being a lot going on, it never feels scattered or too much. Also, Quan is utterly perfect and I adore him with all my heart.

This book made my heart melt. I’ve smiled and cried along Quan and Anna throughout and I’m so happy they got their happy ending.
The topics hit so close to home and I felt like shaking Anna’s sister to make her see sense! Thank you Helen for this beautiful and realistic portrayal of battling our inner demons, I’m so thankful that Anna had Quan there to support and love her unconditionally.

One of my favourite themes throughout the book is their joint journey to self discovery and acceptance.

‘“So I’m not alone,” he says, and there’s such stark vulnerability in his voice that I can’t deny him. He matters more to me than the voices in my head.’

It was refreshing to read Quan’s story and hear about his own self confidence issues, it filled my heart with joy that tthese two helped each other know their worth.

This book took me by surprise, although I read all of Helen Hoang's books. I'm not even a romance reader, but there's something so charming in her books that I love.
This book in my opinion was her best. I couldn't read it faster, I just couldn't put it down. The characters she created, Quan and Anna were just so special and the relationship between them evolving was amazing.
You need to read the writer's note to understand how special this book is. I appreciate the honesty and thoughtfulness Hoang brings to the pages. I'm sure a lot of people will find something that relates and what's important is even if we can't relate or understand, we need to remember to be kind to others and ourselves.
LOVED IT. Highly highly recommended.

The Heart Principle is the third of Helen's books that I've read, it's also the third in her 'Kiss Quotient' universe. The books can be read as standalones, but I was glad I'd read the others prior to this one.

THP focuses on Quan, who is Michael from book 1's cousin and best friend, and Khai from book 2's brother - Quan is recovering from a surgery. The female lead is Anna, whose very foundations are rocked when her long term boyfriend, who she was expecting to propose soon, tells her he wants to have an open relationship. Pissed, and rightfully so, Anna downloads a dating app, where she matches with Quan and the two arrange for a ONS.

Things don't go quite to plan for either of our protagonists and they arrange to try again...and again...and again...THP was a fun and sexy read, whilst the romance wasn't quite on par with the previous two books, I think this one was actually my favorite for the friendship aspect.

Honestly, I think this is a fucking masterpiece. There’s a rawness to it, a conviction and a fearlessness that is absolutely breath-taking. As well as a love story, it’s a story about love: love for oneself alongside love for others, and its capacity to do inestimable harm, as well as to protect, heal and liberate. The Heart Principle devastating. And yet so filled with the promise of hope that it made me go ugly-cry in the shower.

Ahem. Anyway.

Our heroine, Anna, is a violinist who—having obtained some unexpected success—is in creative crisis. Obsessed with an idea of unobtainable perfection, she can get only get partway through a piece of music before the voices in her head, insisting she is flawed and unworthy, force her back to the beginning. In the midst of this emotional crisis, her (clearly rubbish) boyfriend abruptly decides they need a period of time to “see other people” before committing to each other, confident that she’ll patiently wait for him, while he gets to fuck around. Anna’s therapist, meanwhile, suspecting that Anna might have ASD, confronts her about her “masking” – a costly social survival strategy for people with ASD that involves mimicking neurotypical behaviours in the hope of gaining social acceptance.

In an effort to practice, err, de-masking, Anna decides to have a one-night stand. After all, a stranger’s judgement (and potential rejection) shouldn’t matter to her, right? Enter Quan, Michael’s lovely and very, very attractive cousin from The Kiss Quotient, who also needs to re-enter the dating pool, having recently physically (though not necessarily emotionally) recovered from surgery to combat testicular cancer.

As you can tell from just the summary, there’s a lot going on this book, and a lot for the heroine and the hero to overcome, including the illness and death of Anna’s father, and her relationship with her family, who have always made her feel like capitulation on every front is her only hope for acceptance from them. It is far from an easy journey—the late-middle section where Anna, in the grip of autistic burnout, is forced to care for her father who just wants to die with what is left of his dignity is profoundly harrowing—but there is at the same time something courageous and even kind of reassuring in such a frank and unflinching approach to both the reality of trauma and the possibility of rescue and self-rescue.

The Heart Principle is simply this: that it doesn’t matter how badly you fuck up, or how difficult the present feels, you always deserve to go on. To try. To hope for better. You don’t have to go back to the beginning. Or condemn yourself to nothing but blank pages. As someone who has loved and grieved, who has craved acceptance that will never come, who still struggles with art, and for that matter self-love, the book got me in some really vulnerable and personal places. I don’t have anything explicitly in common with any of the characters, but I felt understood and spoken to regardless. That’s … that’s a really special gift for a book written by a stranger to give you.

Something else that struck me as kind of remarkable was the way that the book managed to weave all its very complex themes into a coherent whole, each of the various narrative elements—love, family, desire, art, identity—serving to reflect upon the others. It’s primarily Anna’s story (although I will say Quan is a wonderful love interest and their romance develops beautifully) but I was fascinated by the way Anna’s vulnerability and Quan’s vulnerability spring from the same toxic well of social expectation. Anna has spent her whole life trying to conceal her true self. Quan no longer feels certain of his masculinity because of his surgery. Together, they’re able to let themselves believe that identity is who you are, not how the world sees you or how other people judge you. And watching them find acceptance for themselves through acceptance of each other is incredibly moving.

On a lighter note: the sexing is lovely too. Communication, consent-focused, non-heteronormative. I love heroines who are able to articulate and manifest specific desires, and heroes who are committed to supporting those desires. I feel there needs to be more of this in the genre in general: sex as something broad and individualistic, not just this one thing that starts with kissing, moves to some boob squeezing, and ends in PIV.

I also love the way that Helen Hoang tends to tease apart gendered tropes in her work. There’s a spectacular heroine grovel + very personal grand gesture in this book. Which, needless to say, I was very very here for.

If I had to complain about anything, and honestly I’m not super minded to, I could have done with the final 10% of the book rushing past a little less quickly. With Anna finally able to confront her family, prioritise herself and re-unite with Quan, there’s a lot of collapse/recovery/recover-more ground glossed over very quickly. Obviously recovery is always a slow and, frankly, dull process but I think, by that point, I was sufficiently emotionally invested in Anna herself that I wanted to spend a little longer with her, especially as she put herself back together.

But. Eh. That is a nit on a nit of a nitpick. I loved this book. Deeply and sincerely, and with genuine gratitude for its existence.

If you do pick it up: trigger warnings for … oh dear me. Familial emotional abuse, gaslighting, death of a parent, non-consensual medical care given to a patient, detailed medical treatment, neuronormativity, creative and autistic burnout, non-physical self-harm. As ever, take care of yourself first.

Before I wrap this review, I guess I also want to take a moment to check out the elephant in this room we’re all in. And, listen, it’s not my place to make pronouncements about what the romance genre is or should be. As long as I’ve been writing I’ve been told, explicitly and implicitly, romance is for straight white cis middle class American women and anyone else is here on sufferance. And that’s … that’s what it is. So I’m not positioning myself as any kind of authority or making claims that it isn't my place to make.

But, like, the elephant? There’s an elephant over there. The elephant being, is this book a genre romance.

And the thing is, the question of what a genre romance is has been growing increasingly complicated with the rise of … well—this is another elephant, by the way—marginalised voices.

Do not, however, mistake me here: I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS argue against the central tenet of romance being the HEA/HFN. That is, and should be, indisputable. I just think what HEA/HFN looks like becomes, uh, complicated when you assume it’s this one thing that’s the same for everyone. Much like genre depictions of sex, now I come to think about it.

The slightly broader definition of romance is: central love story, optimistic ending. And, obviously, those are subjective criteria. If you hate the hero, and think he’s a dick, it doesn’t matter if the protagonist gets their HEA with him: that’s not going to read as an optimistic ending to you, it’s going to read as someone making a terrible mistake. Similarly, ‘central’ is always going to be open to debate: basically there are and have always been dual protagonist romances (where each character gets a similar amount of POV and their own arc) and sole protagonist romances where the love interest may or may get their own arc, or POV sections, but exists more to support the arc of the protagonist. In both cases, the love story is still ‘central’ – it’s just presented differently.

As far as I’m concerned, The Heart Principle is a romance because it ends on an HEA/HFN, the love story is central (the narrative could not exist without it, and even when Quan isn’t on page, his presence is felt) and the heroine ends the book in a better place than she started it. Thus the ending is hopeful and optimistic.

Where it becomes difficult, I think, is that the ending of The Heart Principle, like the narrative itself is complicated. It is not perfect. Anna is still estranged from her sister. She is tentatively putting her career back together in ways that feel healthy and meaningful, but she’s not a smash hit. Quan is still a survivor of testicular cancer and will not be able to have biological children. Anna’s father is still, y’know, dead. And her relationship with her family may always be strained – because that is, honestly, a reality for many marginalised people existing in the world as it currently is. She's always going to be someone with ASD and that's going to impact her life in various ways, as are the years she spent trying to re-create herself in the image her family demanded.

But, to me, that doesn't mean it's not a HEA/HFN. Trauma and damage--the compromises of reality--do not and should not negate happiness. The HEA of a character with ASD and an extremely negative relationship with her family should be deemed less H or less EA than the HEA of a character without ASD whose family are super lovely.

To be honest, it troubles me that we are so eager to declare the HEA/HFN’s of marginalised characters (and those presented by marginalised writers) invalid or inadequate simply because they do not reinforce the expected paradigms of non-marginalised people. Do we deserve less happiness, less joy, because we had to struggle more? Because our lives are less perfect? And may not look like yours?

And, yes, we can shrug and shunt such romances into the “women’s fiction” category, claiming that they aren’t a “proper” HEA/HFN on the basis that social compromise, for all that it’s a reality for most marginalised people, means the ending isn’t “happy enough” by non-marginalised standards. Except doesn’t that just continue to send the message that a genre romance is not, in fact, any book with a central love story and an optimistic ending, but rather a book that reflects that most normative ideals of what happiness and love look like. Instead of embracing diverse writers and diverse stories. And books like The Heart Principle which, from my undeniably subjective perspective, only enrich the genre.

Anna is looking for revenge sex after her boyfriend decides he wants to see other people to be sure he wants to marry her. It's soon becomes clear she's in for more than she bargained for with Quan. Meanwhile Quan is looking to move on with his life, starting with a quick one night stand to reset his confidence.

I loved how deep and raw we got with Anna and her emotions. I strongly suspected Helen Hoang had drawn from her own personal experience in many places (which the authors note then proved). We really got to experience every single feeling alongside Anna, the good and the bad.

I also loved this portrayal of sex. I liked that we got to witness Anna start to transform from being too shy and awkward to go after what she wanted, to being willing to put herself out there. This was a breath of fresh air from a lot of romance heroines (who let's be real are ultimate goals) but not everyone is ready to be so vocal or able to get there so quickly/easily right from the start.

I do wish we got more from Quan's perspective. I've loved Quan so much since book 1 and just wish that we got more from inside his head or about him in general. I felt that since Anna did have so much going on and we spent a lot of time in her head and with her problems, Quan didn't get discussed as much. I still have so many questions about how Quan felt in certain situations. Perhaps this may not have been an issue in a completely standalone book, however, since we've previously met Quan I did go into this book wanting to spend time with him, in his head, hence the disappointment.

Another aspect of the book I wanted more from was their actual romance. I may have counted incorrectly but within about 5 meetings Quan was already ready to say I love you which just felt way too soon. I wish we'd gotten more scenes of them together since this was what i loved the most, but other aspects of the story tended to take over sometimes. Also building upon my previous point, while I love Quan I didn't understand why Anna loved him. Since most of the book was about her and little time was spent on him I struggled to understand how she was able to come to that conclusion.

Overall I still adore Helen Hoang's writing and will absolutely continue to read anything she comes out with. I loved both our MCs so much and adored how deep we delved into Anna's character and just wish we'd gotten a bit more of that for Quan. For fans of cinnamon rolls and a lot of self discovery.

**Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are subjective but my own.**

I, as it seems was the case with a lot of readers, discovered Helen Hoang’s books last year and instantly became hooked. Although I really enjoyed The Kiss Quotient, I didn’t quite enjoy The Bride Test as much, but Hoang’s writing style is so enjoyable that her book’s have become instant reads for me. That’s why as soon as I saw she had a new book out, I immediately jumped to read it despite knowing nothing about what it was about or who the characters would be.

The Heart Principle follows Quan, who we previously met in both of Hoang’s earlier books. This book seems to take place about a couple of years after The Bride Test (I think – Michael and Stella make an appearance in this book, as does Khai but there’s no mention of Khai’s partner, so I’m not sure whether I have the timeline correct). Post surgery for testicular cancer, Quan is struggling with his self-confidence and decides that a one-night stand would be the best way to overcome his fear of getting back into dating.

Enter Anna, a violinist who has recently gone viral on the internet and is now struggling with creative and mental burnout. A change in her relationship status leads her to signing up to a dating app, where, of course, she meets Quan…

This was probably my favourite of all the Kiss Quotient books for a number of reasons. Firstly, the characters. I absolutely loved Quan, he’s so sweet and attentive. All other romance writers need to take note because Helen Hoang writes the best male love interests. To be fair, it did seem a bit over the top at times just how “perfect” Quan is, how he always knows how to say and do the exact right thing and doesn’t seem to have any flaws. But honestly, I found him too endearing to even really mind that. I also really like the other main character, Anna. Unlike characters in Hoang’s previous books, Anna is diagnosed with autism in the book, which I found really interesting as we see how she processes the diagnosis and the reactions of people around her when she tells them about it. Together, Quan and Anna make a really likable couple and, not to make yet another comparison to the other Kiss Quotient books, but I thought these two had the most chemistry out of all the previous couples and I was really rooting for them throughout.

The plot of this book was also very interesting. Anna is struggling with creative and mental burnout and the way it was presented felt really relatable. I really appreciated how the author didn’t go down the route of Anna falling in love with Quan solving all her problems, which is the kind of path that a lot of romances tend to take and isn’t realistic at all. The book also covers caretaker burnout as Anna really struggles when her dad falls ill and she has to put her life on hold to take care of him. That whole part of the book where Anna is taking care of her father was really heavy and hit hard; needless to say Hoang did an excellent job of conveying the harsh reality of being in the situation of caring for a parent on their deathbed. Quan is also going through his own struggles, although admittedly they did seem rather secondary to Anna’s which seemed to take centre stage in this book.

The only real issue I had with this book was that from the third act breakup onwards, it felt like things happened very quickly and the pacing felt completely off from the rest of the book. It felt as though the author noticed the page count and rushed to tie up all the ends of the story but still tried to cram in all the bits they wanted to include. I do wish it was slowed down a bit and certain things towards the end were developed more but I also understand that there’s only so long a book can be! Ultimately, I did appreciate the ending, which I felt was very realistic as well as being satisfying. I highly recommend this book, to fans of Helen Hoang’s previous books and new readers – you won’t be disappointed.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Review of The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle is a sensitive, moving, lovely, lovely book, and I have already recommended it to my lifelong friend and to my music tutor! On one level it’s a romance, exploring the relationship between Anna, a troubled musician with (at the start) unrecognised neurological differences, and Quan, who is recovering from serious illness, and coming to terms with the differences the illness has brought to the rest of his life. Hoang tells Anna and Quan’s love story so exquisitely delicately, that dance of developing trust and setbacks, one step forward, one back, taking a chance on trust, and I was rooting for those guys from the get go.
Beyond the love story between two people, Hoang is also telling a story of self-love, and self-acceptance, and this was so beautifully written. I don’t feel qualified to comment on how she portrays Anna’s experience neuro-difference, but what stays with me most are the moments in the story that I think many people must find themselves fighting through (I know I have): the moment when the family gathers and Anna doesn’t have a chair, because she’s the youngest and least important. The expectation that she will “perform” to order, and be and do whatever the family expects of her, no matter what the personal cost, because her voice isn’t the biggest, or even heard. The way that her family project onto her whatever it is they need her to be, and the contempt she’s greeted with, when she lifts her voice to be heard.
The Heart Principle isn’t always an easy read, but that’s because it’s so sensitively written. There were times when I was so worried about what Anna might be about to do—even though I kept telling myself, this is a romance. There’s going to be a Happy Ever After—that I had to put it down and take a break. But it kept drawing me back, and I know it will draw me back again to re-read it.
I received The Heart Principle as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thanks to the publisher and to Helen Hoang for letting me read this lovely book.