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.
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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Community Reviews
So good, I loved the main characters and how the author approached everything that was going on and part of the plot.
I loved the first two books in the series but this didnât resonate with me. I read romance novels periodically as a palate cleanser, and this was so bogged down in drama and dysfunction and depressing subplots about caregiver burnout. Did not enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Wow, what an emotional read! Hoangâs writing is always wonderful and personal, and her character growth is amazing and believable. I empathize with Anna as she tries to stop masking and have her family understand that how she was acting around them wasnât really her. When her mom meets with her at the end of the book, and genuinely accepts her, I teared up. It felt incredibly genuine to me and I know thatâs because Hoang was also telling her own story with The Heart Principle.
My only critique is that the end chapters seem to move quickly and it seems to wrap up things rapidly. There are also time jumps where weeks and months seem to pass as she recovers from burnout and it makes the end of the book move faster. But as someone who has cared for someone with autistic burnout, I know that time really does move that way for them.
Wow, what an emotional read! Hoangâs writing is always wonderful and personal, and her character growth is amazing and believable. I empathize with Anna as she tries to stop masking and have her family understand that how she was acting around them wasnât really her. When her mom meets with her at the end of the book, and genuinely accepts her, I teared up. It felt incredibly genuine to me and I know thatâs because Hoang was also telling her own story with The Heart Principle.
My only critique is that the end chapters seem to move quickly and it seems to wrap up things rapidly. There are also time jumps where weeks and months seem to pass as she recovers from burnout and it makes the end of the book move faster. But as someone who has cared for someone with autistic burnout, I know that time really does move that way for them.
I must thank NetGalley for this ARC copy. I truly enjoy this author and this is part of the Kissing Quotient series, book #3.
Sometimes it's hard for people to say "no," especially when you are being bulldozed all your life by your own family and boyfriend. Add being autistic (no matter where you are in the spectrum), which makes it even more arduous.
Anna is a violinist. She was discovered when the first chair couldn't make it and the second chair happened to have gotten into the accident with the first chair. Suddenly, Anna is an overnight sensation, thanks to YouTube and that faithful night. However, she is compounded with self-deprecation and her constant sister's comments on putting Anna down and then there's the anxiety to keep up with how to be, how to act, and oh, did I mention the crappy a$$ boyfriend who cares only about himself and suddenly wants an open relationship "to see what he's missing?"
In comes Quan and Anna discover, donât be so quick to judge a book by its cover. She learns she can be herself and voice her truest thoughts with him.
This is a very good read for anyone who wants to see a personâs journey to learning to have a voice and growth.
âPeople like me better when I make them feel good about themselves.â
3.5 out of 5 stars
Sometimes it's hard for people to say "no," especially when you are being bulldozed all your life by your own family and boyfriend. Add being autistic (no matter where you are in the spectrum), which makes it even more arduous.
Anna is a violinist. She was discovered when the first chair couldn't make it and the second chair happened to have gotten into the accident with the first chair. Suddenly, Anna is an overnight sensation, thanks to YouTube and that faithful night. However, she is compounded with self-deprecation and her constant sister's comments on putting Anna down and then there's the anxiety to keep up with how to be, how to act, and oh, did I mention the crappy a$$ boyfriend who cares only about himself and suddenly wants an open relationship "to see what he's missing?"
In comes Quan and Anna discover, donât be so quick to judge a book by its cover. She learns she can be herself and voice her truest thoughts with him.
This is a very good read for anyone who wants to see a personâs journey to learning to have a voice and growth.
âPeople like me better when I make them feel good about themselves.â
3.5 out of 5 stars
Possible spoilers ahead.
This was frustrating to read. DNF @ about 70%. I loved Quan. Anna... I understand her people-pleasing tendencies, all the masking she does... but even up till that point, I barely see any development on her part. I have to constantly face the frustration that comes with how her family treats her, how her boyfriend treats her, and there she is allowing all of it to happen EVEN THOUGH she already has Quan. I don't see her putting in the effort. The most ridiculous part was when she agreed to get married to the boyfriend she doesn't even love. By saying that she would love his mom to be her MIL. Poor Quan. He deserves so much better. So, so much better.
And honestly... this wasn't something I was looking for. It was too heavy to read. I expected it to be a light-hearted romance (just look at the cover). I may have made assumptions on my own, but I also knew the author as someone who writes rom-com. This isn't rom-com. This is a book full of suffering that I currently don't need in my life.
This was frustrating to read. DNF @ about 70%. I loved Quan. Anna... I understand her people-pleasing tendencies, all the masking she does... but even up till that point, I barely see any development on her part. I have to constantly face the frustration that comes with how her family treats her, how her boyfriend treats her, and there she is allowing all of it to happen EVEN THOUGH she already has Quan. I don't see her putting in the effort. The most ridiculous part was when she agreed to get married to the boyfriend she doesn't even love. By saying that she would love his mom to be her MIL. Poor Quan. He deserves so much better. So, so much better.
And honestly... this wasn't something I was looking for. It was too heavy to read. I expected it to be a light-hearted romance (just look at the cover). I may have made assumptions on my own, but I also knew the author as someone who writes rom-com. This isn't rom-com. This is a book full of suffering that I currently don't need in my life.
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