Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

32 reviews

loquitacass's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Excrement

Minor: Vomit

ashleyvaleria's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

2nd book i read after a long reading slump. different from the other 2 books in this series but still very much enjoyable. a lot more tense and sad than the others but still amazing writing as always. anna’s journey was difficult to read as her journey in this book is very tense but her character development is amazing. again there is autism representation that helps me understand it a little more which i appreciate. overall a pretty easy read with a lot of character development :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship and Death of parent

Minor: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

shingekiyes's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

(listened to audio book from library)

REVIEW TRIGGER WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS BOOK! 

i devoured this book. i was up until 3am reading this and good LORD was it worth it. 

i would definitely classify this as contemporary fiction and not a romance because the main focal point was Anna’s struggle to accept and honor herself, not the love story. though i liked the love story—which added fantastic levity to the serious topics presented here despite also being pretty rocky—i was completely sold by Anna’s arc: her diagnosis, accepting a caretaker role, the epiphany about her needs, her growth. 

once again, Helen Hoang perfectly captures the neurodivergent experience. Anna’s relationship with her family, her friends, herself, and her art were so relatable and heart-wrenching. i can only describe my feelings/reactions towards the ongoing conflicts related to her autism as VISCERAL. chapter 41 literally caused me to sob into a pillow. i am not kidding. i had to try very hard to stifle my weeping. 

the ending, though extremely fast-paced was satisfying and realistic. i appreciated that, unlike The Bride Test, not every plot point received a sparkly, happy conclusion. grief and healing are not linear, and it makes sense that Anna‘s experiences with them were not either. 

i will admit, criticisms of Quan’s story are valid. though i liked that his chapters were brief, i would happily read an entire novel about his journey surviving cancer. i did not feel like his POV was needed at times, which led me to want his storyline to be fleshed out more, to be more on par with the tone and severity of Anna’s. i think each arc could have better paralleled the other and his story could have had a stronger impact. maybe Anna’s story was heavy enough and Helen Hoang felt the need to write something lighter to help the reader escape that darkness, but i think it still could have worked. 

wrt the sex scenes: this book was much steamier and more satisfying (wink wonk) than The Bride Test. it also showed realistic sexual dysfunction and healthy communication of boundaries/needs. i liked the pining as much as i liked the sex scenes themselves, and i never turned the page and felt let down or disappointed by how the scenes ended. they all tended to make sense and feel complete. 

overall this was a fantastic, quick read that i recommend to nd romance readers looking to see and authentic story in a new genre. 

CW (not included below): autism meltdown, autism burnout, career burnout/career issues

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Cursing, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, and Car accident

yclepit's review against another edition

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer and Classism

Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail

thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition

emotional reflective

5.0

This isn't your typical romance novel and that's what makes it Anna's (and Quan's) story. Parts of this book were hard to read because they deal with end-of-life care. Other parts of this book I related to too hard. But I loved all of this book and most of it made me want to cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Infidelity and Vomit

criticalbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Classism

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

pia_h's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Vomit

quasinaut's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book captures the toll of caregiving, the pressure of living up to others' expectations, and the value of finding people you can be your authentic self around. That said, there were a few things that didn't work for me. For example, how was Anna able to get by without working for so long? Just... financially, her situation doesn't make sense to me. I've read other books, particularly romances, that skim over these practicalities too, but it felt odd when other harsh realities of life were given such thorough attention in this book. 

A lovely book, though not for those seeking a relaxing, lighthearted romp of a romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Minor: Vomit and Alcohol

library_of_alexandra_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Helen Hoang just keeps topping herself! This book is fantastic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail