ARC Review | The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Pages: 339

Goodreads Rating: 4.07 / 5 stars

My Rating: 3 / 5 stars

Genre: Adult Contemporary Fiction

Publication Date: August 31st 2021

Publisher: Berkley Romance

Synopsis:

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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.

My Review:

Review also posted on Goodreads

Thank you Penguin Random House International for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Heart Principle has been my most anticipated book for years because this is Quan Diep’s book. I thought this is going to be a feel good romance. Instead, the story left me numb and depressed. Anna’s story hits home and there are situations in this book I had experienced. It drained my energy and I can’t help feeling emotional. I didn’t cry but the heaviness lingered.

Anna has an autism spectrum. She is a people pleaser and has troubles of coping. Having a toxic family doesn’t help because they are so INSENSITIVE, JUDGMENTAL AND CLOSE MINDED PEOPLE. I despise them especially Anna’s sister and mother. It’s if Anna’s feelings are invalid. Ugh. I am frustrated and concerned with her situation. Sometimes it is okay to cut off toxic people for good for being disrespectful.

Forgiving someone is difficult. It’s a tough pill to swallow when someone did something unforgivable. It will take years or forever to do so.

Unfortunately, this isn’t my favorite book. It is a good contemporary fiction and I don’t consider it as a romance novel per se. The story dealt heavily with familial issues and I don’t know if it’s just me….. Quan didn’t get enough spotlight which is quite disappointing since this is his book. That’s just my unpopular opinion.

Moving forward. It is still a solid series but I wish it leans more on romance.