5 stars for The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang!
Synopsis:
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 has just started to understand herself. 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.
This was the September book for my new IRL book club, The Romcom Book Club, and I loved being able to chat about this with some awesome people! The Heart Principle was not like the first two. While The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test deal with very real and personal issues with each set of characters, The Heart Principle is on another level. The level of pain, fear, and anxiety plaguing Anna is extremely raw and overwhelming. Even if I hadn't read the Author's Note, I would have been able to sense that this book was more personal for the author than the others, but reading the Author's Note really puts the story into perspective. I welled up so many times while reading it.
Anna realizing she has autism. Her extreme anxiety causing her music block. Her difficult relationship with her family. Feelings of suicide. It's a heavy book and while Quan has his own very real fears he's working through, this book is about Anna and Quan is her silver lining. It highlights that in the midst of the storm, you can still find a rainbow. Their relationship evolves not only just as they get more serious, but also as they each need it to. As both Quan and Anna work through their demons, they are both able to open up to each other and understand what the other needs. By finally standing up for herself, Anna is able to protect herself and in turn, protect Quan and their relationship. Quan becomes Anna's rock and her strength when she's considering ending it all.
Is this your "typical" romcom? No. But there's no such thing as "typical" when it comes to love and life. This is still a love story. It's just not a fairytale.
I do wish there was more Quan in the book though. He's such a great character and I feel like he had more story to tell.
Anna loves noodles. She makes Quan pasta with a white wine sauce. Quan brings fried chicken, egg rolls, and noodle soup (among other things) from his mom's restaurant to Anna's parents' house after her dad's stroke. Quan makes ramen for Anna when she finally gets a weekend off from taking care of her dad. Noodles are a food theme in this book. Because of that, I decided to make pan-fried pork with stir-fried vegetables and egg noodles in a spicy Chinese-inspired sauce. I 100% overcooked the thing cuts of pork, but the seasoned flour I dipped it in and the delicious sauce my husband whipped up saved the day. I understand why Anna loves noodles. Besides being tasty, there's just something comforting about a big bowl of noodles.
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim
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