While this is definitely the heaviest of Helen Hoang’s romance novels (and it is indeed a romance, even if it’s not specifically a ~romcom~), I think I can safely say that THE HEART PRINCIPLE is my favorite of her books. I felt FEELINGS while reading this and was definitely sniffling by the end, which was totally unexpected but weirdly cathartic 😵‍💫. This romance is definitely a journey about boundaries and self-acceptance, but also allowing yourself to love and be loved even when you’re an absolute major work in progress.

The Heart Principle has the following representation: autism with low support needs; cancer survivor; anxiety and depression; and infertility due to cancer.

Trigger warnings: anti-autistic ableism; death of a parent; toxic relationships; infertility.

Talia Hibbert does it again, y'all. I think what I really enjoyed about this particular novel are the characters. This is one of those romance novels that is completely character and romance driven. Ruth is a Black woman with autism living in a town that has deemed her unworthy for a myriad of reasons. Evan is new to said town and doesn't particularly care for the culture of gossip. Throughout this novel, we see Ruth grow as a person to realize her potential and her worth. What I absolutely loved is that Ruth's character growth is not her "overcoming" her autism or changing her entire personality, but rather her growing within herself. Also, Evan meets Ruth where she is at, and he's definitely not a "savior" type character. While we do spend half the book from Evan's perspective, this story is definitely mostly Ruth's, and I don't think that takes away from the balance of the story at all.

This is a solid Young Adult novel that tackles SO MANY things: toxic masculinity, ingrained misogyny, the varying degrees and complexities within Christianity, the importance of sex education, and more. At first, you might be a bit turned off my the protagonist, but then you realize he is a product of our society, the one that tells boys they have to be sexually active and teaches them to "go get girls" like they're conquests. There a sense of entitlement and Nice Guy™️ that rolls of of Del, and for those of us who have dealt with the men that start out as young men like this, it can be pretty frustrating. What's masterful about Giles' writing is that Del goes on a journey and is checked on his toxic masculinity and entitlement SEVERAL times; it's a sneaky way to send a message to the audience that needs it most, and it's brilliant.