Review – The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Posted August 31, 2021 by Carole in Reviews / 7 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review – The Heart Principle by Helen HoangThe Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
Narrator: Brian Nishii, Natalie Naudus
Series: The Kiss Quotient #3
Published by Dreamscape Media LLC on September 2, 2021
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Length: 9 hours 31 minutes
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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five-stars

USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang returns with a witty and sizzling new romance about a woman’s quest to find the perfect note in both life and love.

Anna Sun has been a violinist for as long as she can remember. Playing the violin is her passion, and she has major successes to show for it. When she suddenly loses her ability to play, the explanation is due to her being a pathological people pleaser. If Anna ever wants to play again, she has to learn to listen to her own heart, but that’s not easy when her greatest fear has always been disappointing others. Her solution is to practice in a low-stress environment. Translation: Anna is going to embark on a string of one-night stands, and the more unacceptable the men are, the better.

That’s where tattooed, motorcycle-riding Quan Diep comes in. But nothing goes according to plan. Their attempt at a one-night stand fails, as does their second, and their third, until it starts to feel like a real relationship. As they both fall for each other, Anna begins to retreat to her old ways, molding herself into what she thinks he wants. When her old-fashioned parents disapprove of the match and the person she’s slowly discovering herself to be, Anna must choose between meeting expectations and finding happiness in who she really is.

I loved this book! I liked the other two books in this trilogy by this one was my favorite by far. Once I started listening, I didn’t want to stop. I was captivated by Anna’s journey in this book and just had to see how things would work out for her in the end. I found this to be a very entertaining and moving story.

This really felt like Anna’s story. Quan is an important character in the story and there is a romance but the heart of the story was about Anna. At the start of the book, Anna spends her days trying to be what other people expect her to be. She controls her reactions so that she fits in. She has a boyfriend that she tries hard to please despite the fact that he does not treat her well. When he decides to open up their relationship, Anna signs on a dating app to find a one-night stand for herself. She ends up finding something more with Quan.

The second half of the book switches gears and we see Anna trying to deal with her family in the middle of a tragic situation. Quan and Anna spend little time together during this part of the book but he did try to support her as much as he could. Anna has spent her life trying to be the person that her family expects her to be and they are really not interested in her new diagnosis. I felt so bad for Anna as she tried to navigate this difficult situation and be allowed to be the person she really is.

This book brought on the feels. I really felt for Anna throughout the book. It was hard to imagine her playing her violin trying for the perfection that was always just out of reach. Quan had his own challenges after having a serious health issue and dealing with some stress on the job. I thought that these two were really good together and I love how patient and caring Quan was throughout the story. Some parts of the book were more difficult to read and my heart broke for Anna.

Brian Nishii and Natalie Naudus did a fantastic job with this story. I thought that they were able to bring the story to life and I loved the voices that they both used for the various characters. I felt that they both added a lot of emotion into their narration. I believe that their narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to others. This book is a little different than the first two books in the series but I really appreciated what the author was able to do with Anna’s story. I will definitely be planning to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.

7 responses to “Review – The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

  1. I’m so happy to see you give this one a 5 star review! After seeing so many mixed reviews I’ve really been on the fence about it. I still feel like I’m going to be wishing for more Quan, but I do feel a little more confident about starting it now.

  2. I am glad you enjoyed this book. Reviews are all over the place though. I am preparing myself for not a hardcore romance and something a bit heavier. I think managing my expectations will allow me to enjoy this too.

  3. Yours is the 2nd enthusiastic review of this book I’ve seen and you’ve got me well and truly sold! I haven’t read anything by this author but I’m really going to have to pick up this trilogy.