The Heart Principle
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4.3 • 591 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Helen Hoang’s The Heart Principle has everything we want in a romantic comedy: complex characters, an emphasis on diversity, tons of compassion, and a great storyline. After years of striving, classical violinist Anna Sun accidentally went viral on social media, but her professional and personal life has been a mess ever since. Enter leather-jacketed bad boy Quan Diep (a fan-favorite supporting character from Hoang’s earlier two books), who has been going through some things of his own. These two strong but vulnerable characters meet at just the right time to do each other some good. (And we’re not just talking about Hoang’s trademark steamy love scenes!) A little more serious—and as Hoang explains in her author’s note, a little more personal—than the frothy fun of her earlier books, The Heart Principle is as tender and inspiring as it is romantic and sexy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A classical musician struggling with professional burnout, family judgment, and a faithless long-term boyfriend gets her groove back in the beautifully melancholy and meditative latest from Hoang (The Bride Test). Violinist Anna Sun is already in a major professional rut when, instead of the marriage proposal she expects, her parent-approved long-term boyfriend proposes that they experiment with an open relationship. Given what he perceives as Anna's lack of interest in sex, he doesn't expect that the experiment will go both ways. But then Anna meets sexy, tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep. Quan quickly proves that he only looks like a bad boy; he's patient, kind, and supportive as both a friend and sexual partner and, sweetly, brings food for Anna's unwelcoming family when her dad lands in the hospital. Hoang strikes a more somber tone in this outing, giving Anna daunting challenges to overcome, including some serious hang-ups around sex. Readers shouldn't expect a typical rom-com, but many will still swoon for this sensitive love story.
Customer Reviews
Different perspective
The main characters explanation of certain emotions and experiences made me love this book. It made me feel less alone in the thought process on expectations and burnout. I also really enjoyed the trust build up between her and Quan. Really enjoyed it:)
Emotions and experience relatable
It is rare to see how other Asians perceive Chinese American in a novel. That is one thing I like about this book. Although some of the detail is a bit off. Like the history of contemporary China and difference in Chinese from various region. The relationship between Vietnam and China are complicate. Such complexity is reflected in the book like how Anna’s family doesn’t prefer a Vietnamese boyfriend. Even though he possess radiant smile and god figure. The part about how Anna tired of caring aging parents is relatable to me as well.
Quan deserved better!
Definitely my least favorite of the three.