The Heart Principle

One

Anna

This is the last time I'm starting over.

That's what I tell myself, anyway. I mean it every time. But then, every time, something happens-I make a mistake, I know I can do better, or I hear, in my head, what people will say.

So I stop and go back to the beginning, to get it right this time. And it's really the last time this time.

Except it isn't.

I've spent the past six months doing this, going over the same measures again and again like a rhinoceros pacing figure eights at the zoo. These notes don't even make sense to me anymore. But I keep trying. Until my fingers hurt and my back aches and my wrist throbs with every pull of the bow on the strings. I ignore it all and give the music everything I have. Only when the timer goes off do I lower my violin from my chin.

My head is spinning, and I'm parched with thirst. I must have turned my lunch alarm off and forgotten to actually eat. That happens a lot more often than I care to admit. If it weren't for the zillions of alarms on my phone, I might have accidentally ended myself by now. It's out of consideration for life that I don't keep any plants. I do have a pet. He's a rock. His name is, very creatively, Rock.

The alarm notification on my phone screen says THERAPY, and I turn it off with a grimace. Some people enjoy therapy. It's venting and validation for them. For me, it's exhausting work. It doesn't help that I think my therapist secretly dislikes me.

Still, I drag myself into my bedroom to change. Attempting to muddle through things on my own hasn't helped, so I'm determined to give this therapy thing a try. My parents would be disgusted by the waste of money if they knew, but I'm desperate and they can't mourn dollars they don't know I'm spending. I remove the pajamas that I've been wearing all day and pull on exercise clothes that I don't plan to exercise in. Somehow, these are considered more appropriate in public even though they're more revealing. I don't

Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And then the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s syndrome. She currently lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two kids, and a pet fish.

"A fiercely anticipated third release from the adored author of romances The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test... If Hoang's previous successes prove anything, The Heart Principle will be a joy." Elle

"[Hoang is] a consummate wordsmith of soulful romances, with soft, honest-to-goodness love stories paired with euphoric steaminess." NPR

"There s something about the way that Hoang writes her characters. They re fully fleshed, vulnerable, sexual, and full of potential, and her newest novel proves no different." Real Simple

Sensitive and sweet, The Heart Principle a worthy follow-up to Hoang s 2019 novel The Bride Test explores a burgeoning romance built on undeniable chemistry. TIME

"The Heart Principle is riveting the whole way through, exploring a complex range of subjects in unique and interesting ways." Associated Press

"The author shows that romance can bloom in unexpected ways and reminds readers that happily-ever-after endings are different for everyone." Shelf Awareness

One of her most raw and autobiographical works, as she notes, and it touches on themes of grief and loss as much as the need for unconditional love and romance. Book & Film Globe