Less a romance & more an emotionally raw story of one woman’s later life autism diagnosis.

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This was my first Helen Hoang novel however I was aware that her adult romance books all featured autistic protagonists but it was only on reading the author’s note, in which she refers to this book as “half memoir”, that it becomes clear just how personal The Heart Principle really is. Needless to say there is a lot to unpack and the romance is one of the less credible and secondary aspects of a very affecting story. At times a tough read, particularly given it is written in the first-person, and covering a number of important issues, many that often go unaddressed, do be warned that the hookups are also pretty steamy. Although readers of Hoang’s earlier novels will have met both the central protagonists before this book worked just fine for me as a stand-alone.

Professional violinist Anna Sun became internet famous when a YouTube video of her went viral and now all she hears are the imperfections and mistakes as she struggles to master a composition written specifically for her. Her family practice tough love and she has always laboured under the weight of their judgements and expectations. When Anna’s long-term boyfriend, Julian, one of the things about her life that her parents do actually approve of, announces his wish to try out an open relationship in the belief that Anna’s won’t actually experiment, her friends encourage her to give it a go. Deciding to try a one-night stand in the hope of overcoming her sexual inhibitions she joins a dating app and meets tattooed and shaven-headed biker Quan Diep, who comes with his own emotional scars. After her therapist suggests that she might be on the autism spectrum and Anna finally recognises herself and her struggles in the literature, she is dismissed by her bossy older sister who thinks she is simply looking for an excuse to justify being different. Despite three consecutive date nights with Quan not going to plan he accepts Anna in a way that nobody else does and she is able to shed the exhausting masking that has led her to burnout point. Deciding to overcome their intimacy issues together after making an emotional connection and finding acceptance with each other, The Heart Principle features multiple graphic, albeit very well-written, sex scenes. Life gets even more complicated for Anna when he elderly father falls ill and her older sister makes the decision for the family to care for him at home.

Quan’s role in the book seems primarily to be patient and understanding and accept Anna without judgment, thus giving her the confidence to express her desires and I was disappointed that there was so little focus on his own personal issues. Although chapters alternate between Anna and Quan I found the focus centred almost exclusively on Anna and the actual growth of their relationship was minimal. There is an awful lot of turmoil in the novel and whilst it is incredibly easy to empathise with Anna and her predicament I would argue that it is not a fully-developed romance. All the giving is from Quan and readers expecting an out and out romance might be disappointed by moments of swooning and passion being back-to-back with hard-hitting issues such as suicidal ideation and autistic burnout. The ending crams a huge amount in and feels rushed as it glosses over Anna’s later struggles. Overall a rather harrowing read for me, probably because I could personally identify with some of Anna’s issues. In all honesty the sex scenes didn’t always feel appropriate or fitting bearing in mind the trauma Anna’s character was undergoing and left me with reservations about the novel.