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A review by mariahlindz
The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? No
2.5
Trigger Warnings for familial abuse, verbal abuse, terminal illness, autistic burnout, caregiver burnout, suicidal ideation,
The Heart Principle isn't a romance. Let's clear that up for anyone going into this novel expecting The Kiss Quotient. Normally, I wouldn't be upset about the darker subject matter, especially since it has such deep meaning for the author. However, because the storyline is so chaotic, rushed, and unfinished the pain and the loss a caregiver goes through came off insincere.
The worst part of the book, technically speaking, comes in the form of single-page chapters we get towards the end when Anna is grieving the loss of her father and suffering autistic burnout. It's a shallow dive into someone going through suicidal ideation. One or two-page chapters can be a way to show depression physically as the loss of time and voice. This might have been compelling if it hadn't all been wrapped up in the laziest way possible - basically a fade to black and a two-year gap in the story where Anna gets better. However, we don’t get any details surrounding her recovery, other than a short conversation with her mother and a surprise rendition of "Happy Birthday" on her violin. We don't see whether she has developed any relationship with her sister or how her mother and her get along. We don't learn how she was able to start playing music again. We don't hear her talk to her therapist about what she went through. We don't hear from her friends. We don't hear about her relationship at all (which is the book's main point?) She doesn’t meet Quan’s family or his friends? The plot is lost at this point if it ever existed.
And poor Quan. He was set up through the entire Kiss Quotient series and ended up an afterthought in a novel where he was supposed to be one of the main characters. Sheesh, he was going through just as much as Anna, and yet we barely hear about him - except for a couple of obligatory sex scenes and a random business merger subplot that is boring oh and he runs the Grand Canyon because I think Hoang forgot she made him a runner at the beginning and had to circle back to that detail somehow. Justice for Quan. He had a bigger role in The Bride Test.
I would also recommend to the author and publishers that some trigger warnings be applied? Maybe an author’s note at the FRONT of the book instead of at the end? It's a bait and switch to have a cute cover and market this as a rom-com like the rest of the KQ series; the story is far from a romance; it's a sad, mediocre read. And I know Hoang can write better than this, so I don't understand what happened.
What a disappointing end to one of my favorite series, honestly.
The Heart Principle isn't a romance. Let's clear that up for anyone going into this novel expecting The Kiss Quotient. Normally, I wouldn't be upset about the darker subject matter, especially since it has such deep meaning for the author. However, because the storyline is so chaotic, rushed, and unfinished the pain and the loss a caregiver goes through came off insincere.
The worst part of the book, technically speaking, comes in the form of single-page chapters we get towards the end when Anna is grieving the loss of her father and suffering autistic burnout. It's a shallow dive into someone going through suicidal ideation. One or two-page chapters can be a way to show depression physically as the loss of time and voice. This might have been compelling if it hadn't all been wrapped up in the laziest way possible - basically a fade to black and a two-year gap in the story where Anna gets better. However, we don’t get any details surrounding her recovery, other than a short conversation with her mother and a surprise rendition of "Happy Birthday" on her violin. We don't see whether she has developed any relationship with her sister or how her mother and her get along. We don't learn how she was able to start playing music again. We don't hear her talk to her therapist about what she went through. We don't hear from her friends. We don't hear about her relationship at all (which is the book's main point?) She doesn’t meet Quan’s family or his friends? The plot is lost at this point if it ever existed.
And poor Quan. He was set up through the entire Kiss Quotient series and ended up an afterthought in a novel where he was supposed to be one of the main characters. Sheesh, he was going through just as much as Anna, and yet we barely hear about him - except for a couple of obligatory sex scenes and a random business merger subplot that is boring oh and he runs the Grand Canyon because I think Hoang forgot she made him a runner at the beginning and had to circle back to that detail somehow. Justice for Quan. He had a bigger role in The Bride Test.
I would also recommend to the author and publishers that some trigger warnings be applied? Maybe an author’s note at the FRONT of the book instead of at the end? It's a bait and switch to have a cute cover and market this as a rom-com like the rest of the KQ series; the story is far from a romance; it's a sad, mediocre read. And I know Hoang can write better than this, so I don't understand what happened.
What a disappointing end to one of my favorite series, honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
caregiver burnout, autistic burnout, suicidal ideation, mentions of medical procedures and care, familial abuse