yes… another Helen Hoang novel

The Heart Principal – Helen Hoang 

Romance, autism, cancer, survivors, comedy, fiction. 

Rating 10/10

Anna, a violinist, became famous over a video of her art. Now everyone expects her to be the same level of expertise. She seeks therapy to help understand herself. What hits her is that her boyfriend Julian wants to have an open relationship. She agrees to the terms and decides to download and sign up for dating apps. Quan is recovering from surgery for testicular cancer and his brother tells him that he should go back into the dating world. He reopens his old account and finds Anna. Both want just a one night stand. However, fate had something else planned as Anna’s world began to fall apart and Quan wanted to be there for her in every aspect possible. Love can be unexpected and scary as they both learn. 

I’m hooked onto this author’s writing style. This novel I consumed like there was no tomorrow. I absolutely loved this one. Anna finding out that she has autism is a genuine reaction that most women experience since autism in females is very different than in males. It is important to know that finding out as an adult is very tough because coming to the terms of the diagnosis was not easy for Anna but that is a reaction a lot of folks have, especially women. I love that this author addresses these issues with novels and that they are realistic. I love the characters’ interactions, mostly Anna and Quan. I didn’t like her sister who was not being accepting and that’s a very real issue too. Some family members especially within the Asian community aren’t as accepting. They see it as excuses as to not being one’s best that they can be according to their definition. It is with their lifestyle to always be achieving the best and doing the best without complaining. Anna’s sister was like this. Overall, this book or rather this author emotionally destroyed me throughout. I cried and laughed while reading this. I would recommend any of Helen Hoang novels. 

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…this was fine…

A Heart So Fierce and Broken (The Curse Breaker Series: Book 2) – Brigid Kemmerer

Fairy tales, retellings, fantasy, young adult, fiction.

Ratings 7/10

Grey is on the run with the new information that can get him killed. He is the true heir to Ember Fall. He nearly escaped and murdered the Enchantress who told him the truth of his birth. Karis Luran and her two daughters travel to Ember Fall to try to make a treaty of marriage to solidify the two nations. Lia Mara knows the true intentions of her vicious sister and wants peace between the two-warring kingdoms. Karis Luran meets with Rhen and blackmails him into trying to make a treatise. Rhen doesn’t want any of that. Lia decides into her own hands that led to her to becoming her mother’s pawn. Rhen finds Grey and confronts him about the heir. Grey is the heir but Rhen doesn’t know. The manhunt becomes benevolent. 

I wasn’t fully into the second installment of the trilogy. The writing is amazing, and organization of the different narratives helped build the world in making this world easier to understand. The new characters in this story were interesting and this revealed a lot more than the first book of the magical world. I should say not fully invested as I was with the first book. For those who have read the first book would be into the second book. Someone let me know if the third is good or comment below if I should continue. Convince me in other words without spoiling. I see this series all over TikTok and so many others. For those who are into the first book and are deeply invested in the series then this book is for those who are into it. I just personally am good with having the first book as a standalone because the second book was all over the place for me personally.

Heart Warming Teenage Romance

This Heart of Mine – C.C. Hunter

Young adult, romance, heart conditions, mystery, suspense, fiction.

Rating 10/10

Leah wears her heart on her back, quite literately carries her heart around on her back. She needs the artificial heart to live due to the heart condition that left her without a heart. One day, she gets a call that changed her fate, she got a heart waiting for her. Matt finds that his brother was found in the woods dead, presumed suicide. Matt doesn’t believe this news and his mother doesn’t want the heart donated but Eric was a donner either way. Matt sees Leah arriving and puts the pieces together, she is going to receive his brother’s heart. Eventually their fates will become intwined to figure out what really happened to Eric while slowly falling in love with each other along the way.

I don’t cry when I read books but this one made me use a whole box of tissues because this was a rollercoaster of emotions. Beautifully written and the author had really freshened up the usage of the dying teenager trope with some mystery and added a lot of drama. To be honest, I have read this book a few times and had to buy it because I couldn’t wait for the library to have the book due to others borrowing the book. This book caters to not just only young adult readers but new adult as well as adult because of some of the themes. I can’t stress enough how much I love this book. Anyone who’s into mystery romance should give this book a read.