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.

This book had the right feel! So sweet and spicy!!! I loved Stella and Michael’s story!!! This is my first book of Helen Hoang and it won’t be my last. I’m now a fan and can’t wait to read her other books. I love her writing style and the way she portrayed those two characters. Really loved them!

"The Kiss Quotient” (KQ) made some best books of 2018 lists and attracted my attention. It is a first novel for author Helen Hoang, who is releasing her second book, “The Bride Test” in May, 2019. In both books a lead character has autism spectrum disorder, as does the author. Like most readers, I had thought autism was virtually totally disabling and pretty much a “you have it” or “’you don’t have it” condition. KQ makes it very clear that there is a spectrum involved and some victims have widely varying degrees of life impact attached to it. Learning this was a “duh” moment for me, and as a consequence I was glad that I had read the book. I can only assume that the author did not take too many liberties in identifying the degrees to which those with this condition can modify behaviors including reactions to certain uncontrollable triggers that may pop up at any moment. And I don’t want to minimize that point - I think that learning of the spectrum alone made reading KQ a very positive experience for me. Most of my reading is split between crime fiction and history/politics so KQ was intended to be an escape. I rarely read romances. And this one turned out to be a lot sexier than expected. Which was fine with me. Another star added for the total rating! However, I didn’t care for Michael’s Friday nights job. There are some things you just don’t do no matter how pressed you are. I think of all the families in dire situations today (Jan, 2019) because of the government shutdown. What’s the message to them ? I think the author made a bad decision there. I also have problems regarding several characters, the plot, pacing, etc. Some were OK, mainly boyfriend Michael’s mom, sisters etc, though Mom seemed too easily won over. More tension between Stella and future-mother-in-law would have been a much better sub-plot than Philip. Philip is another pursuer of Stella and needed a lot more work. He had no depth, a boring bad guy, too easy to dislike, too cartoonish. Ditto for most of the characters at the meet-the-parents dinner. And bringing in a former client for the dinner was over the top. And the ending didn’t really build to a climax. It was rather a dull finish. I just wanted the book to be over by page 300. But it’s a very nice debut for Ms. Hoang and KQ shortcomings are all fixable….And one last piece of tough advice to the author – while I am glad to have read this autism spectrum disorder themed book, I’m not interested in reading another.

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!

4.5 stars Plot: The Kiss Quotient was everything that I needed. Helen Hoang wrote an emotional, heartwarming, and incredibly sexy romance novel. Stella and Michael came together with one objective in mind, to help Stella get over her distaste for sex and attract a proper boyfriend to make her mother happy. Of course, one thing led to another and we've got a gender-swapped Pretty Woman situation (yassssss). I can't praise this book enough, it made me laugh, had me near tears, and just had genuine moments that warmed my soul. I'm officially obsessed with Hoang's writing and I can't wait to read her next book. Characters: Stella had autism which she only felt as a weakness when her mother chastised her for her lack of social skills. She was more comfortable with routine and numbers than attending social events. Michael lived his life to prove that he was nothing like his father. As the only son, he put it on himself to take care of his mother and six sisters and did whatever it took to pay the bills, including escorting once a week even though he hated it. Stella and Michael were complete opposite but the attraction was instant (and hotttt). Michael's family was a joy and probably some of my favorite chapters. It was those chapters that showed Michael's true self and it felt like a safe space for Stella and Michael. I adored all of their scenes together and how they navigated their differences, especially their misunderstandings regarding the other person. With all great romances, there had to be an external force to keep them apart and that was where our "villain" came in. He made me feel uneasy because there were times that Hoang tried to make him a sympathetic character but he just came across as problematic. Worldbuilding: There wasn't much to the world that made it stick out to me, but it did feel authentic. Hoang did an astounding job of describing the world through Stella's eyes. The overcrowded clubs felt claustrophobic and panic-inducing and I related to all of her anxiety which made everything seem three dimensional to me. Short N Sweet: The Kiss Quotient is a book you don't want to sleep on. The hype is real.

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.

Stella Lane is a successful woman in most aspects of her life, but when her mother brings up the subject of dating and children, she can’t prevent the fear creeping up her spine. Aware that social interaction and sexual prowess are not high in her list of qualities, she decides to hire an escort to help with at least one of her shortcomings and that’s how she meets Michael, the man who will change her life. This is one of those books I chose to meet a Kindle challenge and is one of those great gems I didn’t get around to read when it first came out. Stella and Michael are one of those couples one might have never in a million years put together, but work so well and seamlessly that you can’t avoid falling in love with them. Another plus for this book is the fact that I’m the parent of one of those “highly functioning autistic” persons and I could see my son in a lot Stella’s struggles which made my heart go out to her. There are a lot of good things in this story from the challenges of the main characters, their insecurities to the love for each other and the family values that make a person push their dreams aside to help the most important people in their lives. I found TKQ a great read and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author. 4 stars

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 was hard to put down near had me ignoring all my responsibilities. Stella is written perfectly and gee did I see myself in her, beautifully written autistic woman, not fetishized or infantalised. Real raw and oh my god understood had me in tears at some points. Again this book is perfect!! Sexy, real and beautiful.

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! :)