Review: The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Thank you Libro.fm and Berkley Publishing for my copy! All thoughts are my own,

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang was my gateway to contemporary romance and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve learned A LOT about the genre since reading that book back in 2019 and have read even more that have made it my favorite genre! But it was so nice to be back in that world and I truly loved this book. I was so great on audio!

Synopsis

“When violinist Anna Sun accidentally achieves career success with a viral YouTube video, she finds herself incapacitated and burned out from her attempts to replicate that moment. And when her longtime boyfriend announces he wants an open relationship before making a final commitment, a hurt and angry Anna decides that if he wants an open relationship, then she does, too. Translation: She's going to embark on a string of one-night stands. The more unacceptable the men, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. Their first attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, because being with Quan is more than sex—he accepts Anna on an unconditional level that she herself has just started to understand. However, when tragedy strikes Anna’s family she takes on a role that she is ill-suited for, until the burden of expectations threatens to destroy her. Anna and Quan have to fight for their chance at love, but to do that, they also have to fight for themselves.” —Amazon

What I Liked

The Characters—I loved Ann and Quan so much. I could really relate to Anna’s people pleaser mentality and the anxiety that brings, though of course it led to a greater diagnosis for Anna on the autism spectrum. I saw myself in so much of her words and kept nodding along as I read. It was also so great to see characters from the previous books in the universe, like Michael and Stella!
The Romance—The SPICE! I found it so authentic and believable how things progressed between Anna and Quan. I was really rooting for them and loved how they supported one another.
The Representation of Mental Health—It’s just so good, so right.