The Heart Principal: Tackling Grief and Romance

Hey book lovers!

This novel has been on my TBR since its announcement. But the pandemic made me forget some of that excitement, and so many releases from then have slipped my mind that I needed to finish the last book in this beautiful series. 

Like previous novels, The Heart Principle centers around a protagonist on the autism spectrum and follows their adventure into romance. But what I like about this series is that it follows a family, and they make cameos in each other’s stories.

The initial two novels in this series lean more towards romance while also tackling some serious topics. But The Heart Principal-is the opposite. It’s an enjoyable read, but it’s heavier than the initial novels.

Summary:

Anna Sun’s thrown into the spotlight after a video of her playing the violin goes viral, but now she’s stuck trying to live up to that success. Then Anna’s long-term boyfriend decides that their relationship needs some space and that opening their relationship will be best. Anna’s not thrilled about the news, but if her boyfriend wants to sleep around, then it’s only fair she does too.

That’s when Anna matches with Quan Diep, a local heartthrob, and CEO of his own company. But their attempts at one-night stands don’t go according to plan. Quan’s changed so much, and he’s not interested in his old routine of hookups, but he likes Anna. And Anna likes Quan too. 

Just as Anna and Quan begin to hit it off, Anna’s father suffers from a stroke, and she becomes a full-time caregiver. But Anna’s a different person around her family- she’s bubbly and eager to please. And it’s slowly eating away at her. Anna knows what she needs to do, but finding the courage to advocate for herself is tough. That is until she accidentally hurts Quan. Now Anna must fight for herself and the possibility of a future with the man she loves.

Thoughts:

Anna, the protagonist, is very likable. She’s nerdy, a perfectionist, and has a lot of heart. Anna’s passionate about the violin and obsesses over playing the perfect piece. The majority of Anna’s conflict revolves around her finding her passion to play again and to quiet her insecurities about living up to her online fame.

“I want to be the person she thought I was, a confident motherfucker who wouldn’t give a shit about any of this. But I do give a shit. I want to be enough —for her, for me, for the people in my life.

Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle

On the other hand, Quan is very different to the person he was in the previous novels. He’s less playable and more patient and understanding. And although I loved the meddling Quan, I don’t hate the more mature version of him. Quan’s main conflict in this novel is his failure to communicate his feelings to Anna and to Micahel, his business partner. I thought this was an interesting part of his character to explore because he was always in everyone else’s business but his own.

As mentioned, this novel deals more with grief and the exhaustion of being a caregiver. Which is a challenging topic in itself, but when mixed with romance, it becomes even more difficult. This novel handles this topic very interestingly. It initially begins light-hearted and hopeful. Anna begins to understand herself more once she learns she’s on the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her relationship with Quan is slow, and they slowly fall for each other. Just as Anna and Quan fall in love, the novel shifts and becomes somber.

Anna struggles as her new role becomes that of a caregiver, and as an anchor for her family. She struggles mentally and stops seeing her therapist while also overexerting herself. And on top of that Anna’s older sister, Priscela, is dismissive of her diagnosis while also pressuring Anna to give more of herself to her family.

I simply hated Anna older sister in this novel. And it’s easy to villianfy Priscela, but she’s also grieving and handles their family situation by denying that things are changing. That said, I would love to know what happens next for this character because she was so complex, and I am noisy.

“Nothing I actually do can compete with the boundless potential of what I could do. But if I allow the fear of imperfection to trap me in perpetual beginnings, I’ll never create anything again.”

Helen Hoang
The Heart Principle

I also wanted to mention one thing about this novel that felt both random and a nod to another fantastic author. Jessie Q. Sutanto writes fun mysteries, and her debut novel, Dial A for Aunties, is both hilarious and a page turner. But what stuck out to me in that story is that Sutanto names characters after famous actors. For instance, there’s a character name Tom Cruise Sutapo. And in the Heart Principal, Anna’s therapist is named Jennifer Aniston. That tidbit would feel random to the everyday readers, but I feel as if Hoang gave a shout out to Sutanto via this character.

The Heart Principle covers heavier themes than the previous novels. There are still romance and spice scenes, but the book focuses on Ana’s journey of discovering she’s on the spectrum, becoming a caregiver, grief, and her personal growth. 

Overall I enjoyed this novel, but you need to be in the right mood to digest and process this story. Nevertheless, fans of The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test will enjoy Quan’s story. 

I enjoy Helen Hoang’s writing and the stories she pens. I hope she continues to write more romance stories.

What novel should I read next? I am always open to review suggestions even if novels have a hint of romance I’ll read them.

until next time book lovers let’s go back to living in libros,

Gabriela

• Instagram
• Goodreads
• Pinterest
• TikTok