This is Quan's book (Michael's business partner from The Kiss Quotient and Khai's brother from The Bride Test).

Anna Sun became an overnight sensation as a violinist when a performance she gave went viral on YouTube. However, she has struggled ever since and has taken a leave of absence from the San Francisco orchestra to try to overcome her obsessive need to be perfect, which is forcing her to restart pieces from the very beginning if she makes a single mistake when practicing. Then her long-term boyfriend (let's call him douchebag Julian) tells her he thinks he may be ready to commit but wants to see other women first, to get it out of his system!!! As the youngest of two daughters (by fifteen years) of a traditional Chinese family, Anna is used to being subservient and obeying her elders at all times, she puts up with her mother's disapproval and her elder sister's bullying without complaint, she's even the perfect girlfriend to Julian, but it is making her unhappy and she has started to see a therapist, although therapy isn't going well because Anna always tells her therapist wants to hear. Basically, Anna is a people pleaser.

Anna reacts badly to Julian's suggestion of an open relationship, she is only dating him because his family is close to her family and he has her family's approval: good job, good family, etc. She determines that she is tired of wearing a (metaphorical) mask when dealing with others, pretending to smile etc, she will have a one-night stand (or more) and act more like her authentic self.

Quan is a Vietnamese, shaven-headed, tattooed, partner in a start-up children's clothing enterprise (think dinosaur dresses with tutus) and a part-time martial arts instructor. He has recently recovered from cancer, but is reluctant to resume his dating activities, particularly because he feels vulnerable after his surgeries, so his partner Michael suggests a one-night stand to get him back in the game (but not phrased as crudely as that). Swiping through potential matches on a dating app, avoiding the women who are clearly looking for relationships, he comes across Anna's profile; she might look like a woman who is searching for a husband but her profile is very clear that she is looking for a one-night stand. They message each other and a friendship is born, not least because each of their attempts at a hook-up is foiled and they end up watching documentaries about sharks or doing something totally PG.

Quan and Anna may be Asian, but they are worlds apart in every way, socially, economically, etc and yet they click. Quan is the only person that Anna can truly be herself with, and she is the only person that he can talk to about his cancer. When Anna's therapist suggests a potential diagnosis for Anna's anxiety and other issues it shines a light on why Anna finds social engagements so stressful, but her family refuse to even entertain the idea. When tragedy strikes will Anna go back to her subservient, people-pleasing ways, or will Quan's love help her to make her own way in life?

I loved this book, it felt really authentic and detailed, unsurprisingly as Helen Hoang has stated that this draws heavily on her own life. My only criticism would be that Quan is not as fully realised a character as Anna, she's turned up to 120% brightness and he fades into the background a bit. Don't get me wrong, he has storylines but the spotlight is definitely on Anna.

I loved Helen's first book, was less enthused by her second but with Anna she drew me in completely and I felt everything that she felt. I understand from the notes at the end of the book that this was an incredibly difficult book to write, and I can understand why because the angst jumps off the page. Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I finished The Heart Principle, read the author's note, put my Kindle down, and I was speechless.
This was not what I was expecting from a new Helen Hoang book. Of course, I knew she was a talented writer, both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test are a delight, but this, this, is something else.

It was the first time I was actually triggered by a book and needed to take a break between one chapter and the other. There's a rawness to The Heart Principle. There's something very unique a human about it. And as someone that sometimes struggles to fit it and has learned to mask emotions, this hit especially hard. But, it was both powerful and empowering.

If you read Helen's previous books you know that we were all waiting to see Quan as the protagonist of this own story. But the Quan we meet here is very different than the one we met before. He had cancer, he survived it, but he's a different man. Gone is his easygoing attitude and the confidence he had in spades. He feels like he needs to prove to himself and the world that he still got it, that he is still worth it.

But, THP is actually the story of Anna, a struggling musician that is stuck in a rut. She became internet famous playing the violin and ever since she feels like she can't reach the potential expected of her. In the midst of this breakdown, she is faced with her diagnosis in the autism spectrum, but, before she can even cope or try to make sense of who she is, there's a tragedy in her family. Her father becomes severely ill and Anna is intimidated into becoming his caregiver. This, paired with so many other challenges happening in her life, become a spiral into caregiver and autistic burnout.

The Heart Principle starts as an unassuming romance between two broken people looking for a one-night stand and quickly morphs into something so much deeper. There are so many intricate themes and nuances. There's so much story and feeling.

The romance is touching, steamy, beautiful, fun, and quirky, just like Hoang is famous for writing. Quan is the perfect hero we all thought he would be. But their story is just something you have to read and absorb for yourself.

Of course, I wanted a bit more resolution. There was so much going on in the ending.
You can almost see how it was difficult to tie all the elements together. But, even though this wasn't perfect, there were so many qualities that I couldn't not give this five stars.

Helen Hoang was already fantastic, but this is a whole different level.
And after reading the author's note I have even more respect for her as a writer.

Trigger warnings for cancer, autistic burnout, caregiver burnout, masking, verbal and emotional abuse.

Thank you so much Atlantic Books and Netgalley for approving me for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first Kiss Quotient book, I feel that it's important to note this before I get into the swing of my review because I came into this book unattached to any characters that may have featured in the previous books. And still loved it.

I was pleased that I did not need to read the others in order to read The Heart Principle. Unlike Anna, I am perfectly able to dive into the middle of things and immerse myself as much as possible without feeling uncomfortable.

Anna is consistently trying to perfectly replicate her violin performance that went viral, it is not going well and she plays herself round and round in circles until she does not enjoy the feel of music anymore. Then, her boyfriend decides that in order for him to marry Anna, he must experience life with other women to want to settle down, therefore he initiates an open relationship, disbelieving that Anna will find anyone else to connect with. Thankfully, Anna makes quick work of proving him wrong when she meets Quan, and their bond is instantaneous. However, a family emergency and Anna's innate need to please everybody soon builds into burnout. Mistakes are made and in order for Anna to fix them, she must forget every obedient mask she has trained herself into, and once and for all, stand up for herself.

As the reader, I could see that any sort of confrontation is physically painful for Anna to experience, and she forces herself to go extreme lengths to avoid displeasing anybody. Quan is unbelievably sweet with her. He encourages her to open up with numerous and simple checking-in questions, "is this what you want?", "shall we stop?", "are you okay?"

Are you okay. Possibly the most important question in the English language. The words by themselves make little difference, but together they emanate care and concern from the speaker. Are you okay is used a lot in this book.

These check-ins, coupled with Anna's struggles, make for an emotionally intense read, the general sensation as I was reading was a sweet sadness; downhearted at Anna's challenges but picked right back up again by Quad.

Saying this, the sexual experiences in this book are surprisingly graphic considering the message of the book. However, the lust between Anna and Quad make their connection that much more deep, and the intimate moments are described powerfully, unapologetically, and passionately. Despite their surprise, they made easy reading.

I definitely have intentions of picking up the other Kiss Quotient books based on this one alone, it's not often that a sequel is this persuasive, which makes me excited for Hoang's other books.

Thank you to Atlantic Books and NetGalley for allowing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully written and undeniably addictive, The Heart Principle expertly blends a heartwarming romance with deeper themes (such as grief and toxic relationships) to create an exquisitely complex and profoundly moving book that I literally couldn’t put down—I absolutely loved it!

After a Viral Video accidentally launches her career—Violinist , Anna Su is suffering from burnout after trying to replicate the success. Now her long-term boyfriend has announced he wants an open relationship,before he can decide if he wants to commit. Hurt and angry Anna decides she’ll go along with it, so long as she can have an open relationship too—deciding to embark of a string of one night stands, the more unacceptable the man,the better.

Enter, Quan Diep—he’s tattooed, rides a motorcycle and the complete opposite to the uptight boyfriend her family approves of.

But as their one night stand fails (as does their second and third attempts) they realise what they share is far more than just physical attraction, leading Anna to invest in and begin to understand herself (and her self worth.)

But when tragedy strikes,forcing Anna into a role ill-suited for her,the burden of expectations almost destroys her. Together,Anna and Quan have a chance at love—but first,they’ll have to fight for it...

This was absolutely magnificent! I loved both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test but I have to say,this surpasses them both. I’m soo happy that Quan finally got his own book, he was definitely one of my favourite characters from the series,so far. Anna was also an incredibly well written and endearingly relatable character,I couldn’t help but root for her and Quan to finally find their much deserved happiness.

I also felt Anna’s family came off as quite insensitive to Anna’s mental and physical wellbeing (it had me heart broken for her) but, her emotional journey was excellently tackled and made me love her more for it.

Honestly this is just soo incredible,I’d recommend it to any and all lovers of contemporary romance—it’s utterly addictive! (Though I suggest you read both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test first.)

Thanks to Corvus and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an absolutely stunning book, Helen Hoang is a genius! The Heart Principle focuses on Anna, whose boyfriend has just brought up the idea of an open relationship with her. From there, Anna decides to empower herself by meeting men on dating apps for one night stands. Enter Quan, who we met in the previous books in series and their relationship blooms from there.
Their story is one of my favourites I’ve ever read about. They both bring their own insecurities to the table and I felt this was dealt with so beautifully. They dialogue and warmth between each other was just so lovely to read, I would happily read 100 more books with them in it!
Not only is this a romance book, but it deals with so many other issues such as mental health, grief and a late stage ASD diagnosis. Anna is diagnosed with ASD during this book, statistically woman are less likely to be diagnosed than men due to ‘masking’, whereby women are naturally more likely to immitate the more ‘desirable’ behaviours. Hoang explores how masking impacts Anna and her mental health and I feel it was honestly such an important read.
Overall, I think this has something for everyone. A fantastic romance with a great plot that has depth and development, alongside tackling very important issues. An easy 5 stars from me, definitely check this one out!

So good! This book was so good.

A combination of steamy, open door romance - realistic three dimensional characters dealing with actual problems - made this book a page turner for me.