The Heart Principle

A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected—and the man she enlists to help her—in this new New York Times bestselling romance by Helen Hoang.

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.

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Published Aug 31, 2021

351 pages

Average rating: 7.41

138 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Heart Principle* is a deeply emotional and relatable story, especially praised for its portrayal of autism, mental health, and the co...

jess.withbooks
Jun 05, 2025
8/10 stars
“I shouldn't be so glad to go. But I am. Even worse, I never want to come back. I want to run and keep running.”
raeallic
Oct 09, 2025
10/10 stars
I cant believe its over.... I need more books Helen Hoang! I hope she writes more about this series. I wouldnt mind a book 2 to this one.
JoyousBookworm
Jul 26, 2025
9/10 stars
Very heart-felt and touching. It captures so many challenging aspects of Chinese culture.
Melissa
Jul 22, 2025
8/10 stars
I enjoyed this book but not as much as the first two. I felt like the ending was too short and a little unresolved.
Lauren Greely
Jul 01, 2025
6/10 stars
3.25 ⭐️ 2.25 spice

really disappointed in this book :/ I didn’t like Anna at all and Quan seemed so different in this book than the last two

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