The Kiss Quotient

I heard about this book from many #BookBesties... and all of them had nothing but praises to say about it... and since it sounded unique and very interesting I decided to give it a try... technically it's the first book in a series, but the second one will be about a completely different couple... the hero appears here very briefly, so I assume the same secondary characters will be present throughout this series :) we shall see ;) so before I get into all my thoughts and feelings about this novel, let me tell you a bit more what it's all about :) What originally drew me to this book was the fact that Stella has Asperger's syndrome... she's authistic and I was really interested to read a romance story with a heroine like that, especially since the author herself is also diagnosed with it... I was looking forward to reading an own voices book like that :) Stella is in her early thirties and very successful at her job... but she struggles when it comes to relationships... when her parents, and by that I mean her mom, start talking more and more about her settling down, starting a family and such, she decides that she needs help... so she figures out who would be better to help her overcome intimacy and relationship issues than a professional... an escort... that's how she meets Michael... and I know how that may sound, but bear with me :) I don't really want to say too much about how their relationship progress... how one meeting change into three... and then into more... I want you to be able to form your own opinion about this novel, and I will explain why in a second :) but I definitely enjoyed their story and I think it's worth giving a try :) Ok, so now for the biggest reason why I don't really want to say too much about it or hype it too much to you guys... because before I gave it a try, I heard about this story everywhere... all my #BookBesties were reading it and loving it... so it was hyped to epic proportions in my mind... and I think it actually turned into a bit of a disadvantage for me... because I built it up soooo much in my mind before I even started it... my expectations were insanely high for it... and in the end I was left... not really disappointed, because it is a wonderful story, worth the praises, but... it wasn't as amazing as I built it up in my head... which is not really surprising based on how high I was hyped... :) so yeah... listen to all the hype, but not too much ;) it's better if you get into this book with an open mind and fresh perspective :) I think from all the reasons why I loved this story, the biggest one is the writing style... it was amazing, especially if you take into consideration the fact that it's a debut novel... :) I am seriously impressed :) it's a very diverse cast of characters, and I loved it :) both the main couple and the secondary characters are complex and flawed, which only make this novel that much more interesting to read... I inhaled it in one day... I knew I would want to finish it once I started it, so during one weekend, this book was my sunday :) it was a beautiful mix of funny, emotional, sweet and serious moments, that blended together perfectly into this heartwarming story that gave me all the feels... I definitely recommend you guys this gem... give it a try :) now that I read it, I'm gonna impatiently wait for something else published by this author :)

Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks! RATING SYSTEM: 5 – Absolute Love 4 – Enjoyed it 3 – Kind of Neutral 2 – Forced myself to finish, it was bad 1 – Couldn’t finish it, Horrible Moments: My highlighting system involves highlighting scenes I find funny, enjoy (this could be a scene or sentence), and things that make me go “aw”. My highlights for this book are 13 funny, 9 enjoyed, and 7 “aw’s”. What I Liked: I loved the MC’s, they were so cute. The romance was adorable as it started to unfold and I loved the way that the FMC thought, she was very blunt about it all. The MMC’s cousin, Quan. The reading itself was easy. The FMC’s reactions to things. The representation <3 What I disliked: The timeline became a little foggy because there was so much skipping forward. I’m glad we didn’t get boring chapters about their week leading up to Friday but it felt like it had not been very long by the time they fell in love. However, I did see them falling so that was nice. My biggest thing was that the MMC’s house was so chaotic I was very confused and overwhelmed reading about his sisters. Stella’s boundaries and ‘quirks’ about touch and such seemed to disappear with Micahel, I don’t know, it kind of felt weird. Notes: POV = 3rd Person Characters: Michael (MMC) was sweet. I felt bad for him. The way he spoke made me feel like he didn’t really like himself or his life. He was patient and nice. Stella (FMC) was funny and my favourite. She was blunt and adorable. I would love to read more about her. Despite the bar being in Hell, the other men of this book could still go lower and that’s slightly annoying because there’s no depth there. Plot/Story: It’s interesting. Stella hires an escort to teach her how to have sex which evolves into teaching her how to be in a relationship and then evolves again into them falling in love. I’ve never seen Pretty Woman but I see a lot of people mentioning it so I do wonder how my opinion would change if I watched it. Romance: Sweet. Pretty believable. It does kind of bother me that Michael simply had to do the bare minimum for Stella to fall for him. The “winning her back” portion was so cute, though. General: You know those reviews where it says, “if you’re looking for something quick/cute/funny, this book is for you!” Well, if you’re looking for something quick/cute/funny, this book is for you! ;) Joking aside, books like this are so incredibly important for awareness and diversity. Even the people who weren’t the biggest fans liked that aspect. Overall: This is a cute little book with very low stakes so if you’re looking for something fluffy to read between big books, I’d definitely recommend.

Wow was this a fantastic book!! I did as a Buddy Read (see below) with Teresa, my fellow Bookstagrammer—we did a check-in at around the midpoint (39% or end of Ch13) and a final wrap-up ... we had planned to do more, but the book was too addictive and we didn't want to stop until we were done. Leaving out the midpoint check-in from here, and just including the end musings (see my GR review if you want to see the full back-and-forth). BUDDY READ WITH TERESA Juliana: So: wow. This was such a fantastic book, I kind of don’t even know where to start. I finished it with one of those stupid-silly grins on my face that I couldn’t get rid of and I think I fell asleep that way. After our mid-point check-in I had to read the rest straight through and stayed up until I finished; it was just so good! Teresa: Agreed! If we hadn’t had a mid-point check-in this would have been a one sitting read for me. Honestly, I am a little surprised I loved the book as much as I did. The premise isn’t one I am big on, as I mentioned before, prostitution is usually a romance no-go for me, and the hype about this book was a little overwhelming so I had sky-high expectations. Luckily, Hoang is a genius and this book checked all of my romance reader boxes. Ditto on the silly smile! J: I didn’t have the potential-disappointment factor, since I didn’t really have any expectations, but what I was unsure of going in was how much of a romance it was. It’s not a mass market paperback and so I didn’t know what mindset I should have. Fortunately, it delivered on all fronts on the romance side, but I also think it could attract mainstream non-romance readers … granted, it has more sexy times than the average “mainstream” fiction, but I’m definitely not going to complain about that (the chemistry was SIZZLING!!). T: The chemistry and sexual timing was perfect. I agree that this was a lot of sex for a mainstream audience. I loved it. I think each sexual encounter (idk what else to call it!) furthered the character’s emotional connection or furthered the plot in some way and that is what I look for in a great romance novel. I worry that a mainstream reader would get caught up in the graphic parts and not see the beauty of the character’s sexual connection. J: I think you hit the nail on the head—I completely agree with the progression, and “regular” readers could be caught off guard if they’re not used to it. I think that’s why it’s all the more fascinating that it was chosen as one of the Book of the Month selections; I doubt they’ve ever chosen one of our types of romance books before, and I’m curious to see what the reaction will be. For me, The Kiss Quotient delivered on all romance fronts: fantastic leading pair, real character development for both, laugh-out-loud moments, great supporting cast, really sweet and romantic exchanges, and terrific chemistry. I honestly don’t think there’s a single thing I would change about this book. T: I hope people go into this book with open minds because that is what a book of this caliber deserves. Hoang tapped into so many important aspects of the human condition with both Michael and Stella. The fact that she was able to portrayed such beautifully flawed characters and a well constructed and believable happily ever after was awe inspiring. I was overjoyed, charmed, and delighted by The Kiss Quotient and the fact that I have to wait until May of 2019 for the next book is cruel and unusual punishment. I loved this book and I want to recommend it to all my friends regardless of genre preference. J: [Stepped aside for a moment to do just that!] I completely second that; I feel like this could be one of those romance books that challenges people’s (horrible and unfair) impressions about the genre. And I love that it’s being done through such a strong heroine who is on the Autism spectrum. I cannot WAIT for Khai’s story next year, where we’ll get to see some of the same struggles, but through the male perspective. All I can say to everyone is: read this book! T: I second that statement! Hoang is an instant favorite author and I know she will do the topic justice. Also, dibs on Quan!

Let me first say that I'm not someone who feels that every book, movie, TV show, song, etc., has to change your life or "mean something". That being said, The Kiss Quotient did not change my life. It's a cute story, and Stella is a pretty easy character to connect to, even for those of us not on the spectrum. The level of writing was moderate, neither poor nor life changing. Ms. Hoang definitely has talent as a writer and storyteller. Unfortunately, I found Michael's character development to be lacking. Without giving too much of the plot away, I felt the "I'm a bad guy because my Dad was a bad guy, and I'm just like him" storyline was much too cliche. The plot also seemed to peak too late and was pretty predictable, down to the introduction/resolution of the "antagonist", Phillip and his final interaction with Michael. Two of my cousins have Asperger's. One male, one female. We're just about the same age and I know from growing up with them that Ms. Hoang's writing comes from a genuine place. Nothing about Stella's character is exaggerated beyond belief. Her behaviors and thought processes are in line with that of a typical woman with Asperger's. They do not usually act like their male counterparts. In fact, my male cousin was diagnosed around 8 years old. My female cousin at 30. They're only 18 months apart in age; 18 months. Not 18 years. Although this novel was not quite what I expected, it did bring Asperger's into mainstream literature with a likable, relate-able, character and story. All things considered, I give it a C+ rating. Would I recommend it to a friend? Probably not. Did I hate it? Not at all.

Wow. WOW. The Kiss Quotient is easily my favorite romance of this year and it will definitely be on my best of 2018. For those of you who have heard the hype for this book, it’s ALL TRUE. This is a diverse, Asian-American, #ownvoices for autism, reverse-Pretty Woman romance. It’s all of that and so much more. Author Helen Hoang draws you into the world of Stella Lane, an econometrician (think statistics for marketing) who is devoted to her work, wealthy, extremely independent – but isn’t great with socializing or recognizing social cues. As a result, all attempts at a love life have been half-hearted dates and sexual encounters that left her extremely cold. After a coworker makes a nasty comment about how she might need to practice in order to get intimate, Stella decides to take matters into her own hands and hire an escort to help her figure out this whole dating thing. The escort turns out to be Michael Phan, a half-Swedish, half-Vietnamese man who is desperately in need of money, but also really good at the sex thing. Their first date ends up with Stella and Michael both intrigued, and an offer on the table. Michael will give Stella lessons in how to date for an extraordinary amount of money. It sounds like a ridiculous premise, but Hoang really makes it sing. Stella and Michael both leap off the page with their quirks and interest. Their attraction is absolutely sizzling. I don’t want to tell you too much about each of them because every detail about Stella and Michael is so beautifully unfolded by the other. It’s best to come to this book knowing very little and uncovering the story bit by bit, like the characters. I honestly haven’t read a romance this captivating and unique in a long time – it’s weeks after I finished, and I’m STILL thinking about scenes. Aside from the leads, The Kiss Quotient is filled with secondary characters who delight and surprise. Michael’s family, particularly his mother, is super close to him, so we get to see them through Michael’s eyes as well as through Stella’s fish-out-of-water eyes. Even though I’m not Vietnamese, the way Michael’s family teases each other feels similar to the way my Chinese family interacts, and it rings very true. And for those of you who love the steamy, sexy scenes, holy HECK is this one spicy. I haven’t blushed at a romance in a long time (call it conditioning), but this one made my cheeks hot multiple times. I love that the romantic scenes are also respectful and not in any way icky. You know what I mean. Michael is such a great lover, and Stella (and I, and multiple other readers) just swoons for him in a way that makes you want to be in her shoes. And makes you want to re-read again right after finishing. THE FINAL WORD: I wish I could say more about the perfect details of this book that make it soar, but honestly, I think it would be robbing you of the little pleasures of finding them out. The Kiss Quotient unfurls its story delicately and deftly, inviting readers to savour each encounter and detail. You will fall for Michael and Stella as they fall for each other. This may be a debut novel, but its confidence in its story and its writing makes it feel like a romance that has been years in the making. Put The Kiss Quotient at the top of your TBR – you aren’t going to want to miss talking about this one with other readers right away.

I was immediately drawn to this book based on the gender reversed "Pretty Woman" plot line, and I was not disappointed! Though the cover might make you think otherwise, this book packs a heck of a spice punch 👀 Stella Lane is your average hard-working businesswoman. She's great at her job, has built a successful life, and also happens to have Asperger's (ASD). Though Stella is very happy with her life, her mother insists that she needs to find a man and start popping out children ASAP. Due to Stella's difficulty with social interactions (especially with men) she decides to hire an escort named Michael to improve her sex skills. The couple's intimacy begins to grow into something beyond a client/escort relationship, and they both realize they're entering dangerous territory. "Michael was mint chocolate chip for her. She could try other flavors, but he'd always be her favorite" This book was absolutely ADORABLE. If you're looking for an easy read with well-written characters, amazing growth, and a chunk of spice then this is the book for you. As someone who doesn't have much experience with ASD, I was very interested in Stella's character and how she developed over the course of the book. I loved reading hers and Michael's interactions, and the different ways he made sure she was always comfortable made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. This book dragged a little bit in the middle, but not enough to make me stop reading. I would have liked to see more time spent on the actions following the benefit dinner, but Hoang did a great job of bringing things full circle at the end. Pros: 💚 -Good representation -Fun "Pretty Woman" plot line -VERY spicy (4🌶 out of 5 🥵)--some reviews say there's too much, but this is a book about a male escort teaching his client how to have good sex so you should expect that going in. -Kept me interested and reading (~1 day read) Cons: ❤️‍🩹 -Story gets slow in the middle (somewhat repetitive) -If you're looking for a slow-burn romance, this is not the book for you **Spoiler below!!** -I've mentioned this a couple times, but I'm not a huge fan of the immediate proposal at the end of the book. In this case, I thought it was cute but it was still super fast.

This was everything I was looking for in a book like this. It was sexy and dramatic yet sweet. I loved everything about it.

The Kiss Quotient is a contemporary romance set in San Francisco. It follows Stella, a highly successful econometrician and Michael, a male escort. Stella is autistic, but she doesn’t want to disclose it to anyone. With her good coping mechanisms, not many people notice, but it has led into some very bad dates and sexual encounters. Disgusted with herself, she hires Michael to teach her how to be better in bed. This soon turns into teaching her how to be better in relationships. It turns out, she’s just fine with both. She just needs a partner that takes her needs into consideration. But as she is bad at reading people, and he is keeping secrets from her, what could’ve been a start of a great relationship dissolves into misunderstandings and heartbreak. Both need to do some thinking before the happily ever after. This is a satisfying romance, with enough angst to give it a bite. Sex scenes are great and there are quite a lot of those, especially in the beginning. I liked Stella and Michael both, but side characters remained somewhat vague. What I didn’t like, and which almost made me give this one star, is how Michael never told Stella that her romantic problems aren’t her fault. He doesn’t tell her that she’s good as she is, and that her problems with sex stem from her partners. Instead of telling her she should let the relationship grow before sex, he pretty much treats her like a porn object, forcing his needs to make her feel good on her. That she does enjoy everything, eventually, didn’t really compensate for it. Stella figures it out by herself, in the end, and Michael works on his issue too, but as they do it separately, it lessens the romantic impact of the ending. It was satisfying, but not very emotional. But I liked the book well enough to read the next one in the series too.

Rating: I actually rated it 4.5/5, but for the purposes of this review I can bump it up to 5! Steaminess level: freshly served bowl of pho. ****. The Kiss Quotient is a reverse Pretty Woman story, with a twist. Stella is a successful, sexy and autistic econometrician without much of a love life. She's much more interested in her job, anyway. But her parents (well, her mother) want grandkids, so Stella decides that the logical thing to do is to hire escort Michael to teach her how to be good at sex and relationships. Sparks fly and they fall in love, of course. Who would have guessed? I hadn't read romance novels in a whiiiile, but this book single-handedly has gotten me into reading romance novels again. There's something so relaxing about reading a sweet, fluffy love story where you know things will work out in the end. But this book is also a thoughtful and insightful read that touches on a number of important issues. I didn't know both were possible, and now I'm on the constant lookout for similar reads because I enjoyed this one so damn much. There are issues with a relationship developing with someone hired for sex, and the author deftly handled those issues. The dynamic between Stella and Michael is such a delight, I loved the delicious tension and sizzling chemistry as they got to know each other better and started to fall for each other. The premise of the book is sex, but it wasn't rushed into. There's a slow and careful build-up that's so worth it, as it adds to and is integral to the story. One of the things that was so wonderful about this book is how careful and considerate Michael is throughout. This book could be a textbook for enthusiastic consent, basically, and it's so important to see that establishing consent can be very sexy. Speaking of sexy... *fans self* I am someone who likes my romance with explicit scenes, and this book has a healthy number of them. And they're wonderfully written - writing good erotic scenes is a skill, and Hoang has it is spades. If you're someone who likes your romances a bit tamer, that's worth noting. It's also notable that the book is never judgemental about Michael's sex work, which I very much appreciated. One of the things that took this book to the next level for me was that while it was a straight-up romance, the story is also more than the romance. There are a number of lovely side characters I enjoyed getting to know, like Michael's whole family. His mother and grandmother were a delight to read. I loved how much he cared about them, and I also appreciated the development of Michael's backstory and why he did what he did - (view spoiler) I also really enjoyed the nods to his Vietnamese culture with food, worship and movies, which added such warmth and authenticity. The scenes with food made me hungry, everything seemed so yummy! The humour is on point, I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. Also, straight up, Michael is such a hottie. He's got his own issues, but the man is gorgeous, does swordfighting as a hobby, and knows the value of foreplay. He even adds it to her lesson plans. Yes, she's got lesson plans. Autism in women doesn't get much representation. I don't know much about it, but Stella is rendered in loving detail that gives the reader better understanding of it. There were so many small things I wouldn't have considered that are an issue in her life. It's important that this book exists, if only for that. The author's note is well worth reading, as she's an autistic woman herself, and was able to bring her own insights to the character. This book couldn't have been written in such vivid detail without her own life experiences, and the value of her ownvoices writing is evident throughout. But beyond that, Stella is a strong, generous and thoughtful woman who knows and accepts herself. I loved that she appreciates her own value, and that she does her best to be helpful and considerate of others wherever she can. Also, her house has solar panels and she drives a Tesla so as an environmentalist, she gets bonus points from me. My only complaint with this book is that it's left me wanting more thoughtful, multifaceted, heartfelt and sexy stories like this, and it's a high standard to match!

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang - 5,0⭐️ “𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘪-𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 . . . 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥.” Meet Stella Lane, she is comfortable with numbers and after a lunch date with her mother she realizes she needs to get better at dating to find her perfect match, even if the person always gets uncomfortable knowing she has Asperger’s and she hates kissing. That’s when Michael enters her life, she hires him to teach her how to date properly and be “normal” around the opposite sex when on a intimate way. What she didn’t expected was to fall in love with him. What a funny and sexy read! I was hooked since page one and kept going because of the fluid narrative, smart dialogues and kdramas references. Stella is a different character that I loved to get to know what goes inside her head, she is sweet and strong despite all the insecurities and how people treat her because of some of her actions due to her autism. And Michael is always so patient with her, a little intrigued by her forthcomings comments, and honest remarks during their encounters. He is kind of infatuated by her since day one and he is a sweet pie in general. Michael with his troublesome past, and also having insecurities even though he transpires confidence and a perpetual easy going smile, that becomes a real one when with Stella by the way. Their relationship has a gradual construction, it wasn't love at first sight which is something that's puts me off constantly in books and movies, we can follow Stella and Michael's thoughts as they realize that their feelings are bigger than only attraction, so it felt natural and beautiful. Philip was a disgusting man that unfortunately we see a lot in real life and it bugged me so much his interactions and disrespectful actions towards Stella. And Stella's dad and mom were super inconvenient but they tried their best to make their daughter happy so I think it's what counts in the end of the day. The author was very respectful when portraying Stella' autism, with nuances and delicate writing. Me having a close experience with people that has the same issue made me have a more deep insight through what Stella goes through, even if the author does a splendid job when describing it. So plus points to the author. This was a perfect way of starting my year, just what I needed and what would I give to see this book as movie!

Een zelfstandige vrouw in de hoofdrol is wat ik erg leuk vind aan dit boek. En toch een man die er voor haar is zonder "meer" te willen zijn. Love it.

This book deserves all the stars! I did not expect to love this but it is now, hands down, one of my top favourite books ever! Everything about this was perfection. The characters, the autism rep, the Asian rep, all of it was done so perfectly and was realistic! Something we don’t get very often in these types of books. I don’t think I’ve read a book this good in ages. I’ve only just finished it and I already want to go back and read! That utter adorableness is ridiculous and I want more. Stella and Michael are the most loveable people ever, I never want to stop reading about them!🥺 Seriously I can not get over how cute this is! Another thing I absolutely loved, and let me tell you-I loved everything, was Stella and Michael, not just as couple but individually. They were beautifully written characters. I adored the way Michael handled everything with Stella, even before he found out she had autism, was so sweet. I loved that he loved her quirkiness and he fell for her because of that. He loved her for Her! I don’t think I’ve met two characters who were so perfectly in sync with each other before. And the steaminess between them was 🥵🔥 was not expecting it to be so sexy! There was not a single thing that I did not love about this book. Honestly I could probably go on and on about how amazing this is but we’d be here all day 😅 so I’m just going to say if you’re looking for your next cutesy RomCom that will have you grinning ear to ear then read this one!!!

HIGHLY RECCOMEND READING THIS BOOK! This book is amazing I'm so glad it exists. It was such a good read, there really wasn't a dull moment! The story of a woman with autism navigating the world of relationships and sex whilst having sensory sensitivities and difficulties in certain social areas, (all varying depending on where you are on the spectrum and who you are as an individual), is a real life struggle for people who have autism. It is so important that society becomes less stigmatized and stops alienating people with developmental disabilities. People with a developmental disability have a right/need for love just as any neurotypical person does! It's great to see a story including someone who is neurodivergent, written from their perspective, and on top of that written by an author who is autistic herself, who's has done further research on autism, and other women's experiences to help form this story. It just makes the book that much better; it's more authentic. As a DSP just starting in the field, seeing change in society around stigmas with such developmental disabilities is a passion of mine and this story was so cool. Normalizing life experiences specifically around romantic experiences for people who have a developmental disability is really important and I look forward to a day where society isn't so harsh on uniqueness. It's important to understand that every human being has a right to relationships and every other right a person may have regardless of neurological state and especially if that person is an adult. All in all, I'm so glad I came across this book and that it got published! I'll be looking for other reads from this author, I'm a sucker for romances and this book hit the spot! :)