A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
Title: The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1)
Author: Helene Hoang
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Review:
This one has been recommended to me so many times I was anxious to finally jump into it and see what all the hype was about!
Stella is autistic but never wants anyone to know. She feels like it will always change how they are with her and in the past she has not been wrong. Michael is an escort who only wants to help his family and keep them out of debt. When the escort service brings these two together, because Stella wants to learn how to make it in her future relationships, the two begin to have a budding romance, which neither of them will admit to having. Will their love prevail?
I listened to this book on audio. I enjoyed it this way as I think the narrator did a good job in capturing Stella and Michael's personalities.
I was happy to see representation not only of the autistic community in this book but also of the Vietnamese culture. I do not know anything about this culture and this book brought much into perspective with that.
I loved Stella's character development. I think the author did a great job showing how her autism effected her daily life. She kept is very close to the cuff because she was fearful she would not be accepted due to her differences. For sure this is something I'm sure this community deals with on a daily basis. Her need for structure and consistency was very well done. Even in the relationship she begins to build with Michael, she needs this, as it helps her feel in control. Also, I love her braininess. She reminded me of the Ali Hazelwood STEM characters and they are some of my favorite FMC in romance.
Michael was an interesting enough character. I didn't love him. And I didn't really love him for Stella. They didn't seem to really have that organic click I was looking for. The author's choice to make him an escort was an interesting one. He notes several times how good he is at sex and how many women he's had sex with. I didn't love this. I know it was part of what made him who he was, that all he was goo for was this one thing. But overall I felt it was over the top for me. On the other hand, I loved his ability with tailoring. I did not find him all that relatable for a MMC. I truly wish that had been more central to the story, though I know the escort part was essential to how he and Stella meet.
My favorite part of this book was how the author approached intimacy. It is not your typical romance in that way. Stella's autism often times makes it hard for her to understand how intimacy works. I loved that Hoang made Michael very understanding in this way. I love how he did not judge Stella and tried to learn and understand her needs, rather than write her off as someone who could not truly feel things during the sexual process.
Despite what I've heard from others, I did not cry during this book. Not one tissue was needed. Did I get a little choked up here and there, sure. But there were no tears. There were, however, lots of laughs. And quite a bit of family drama. This aspects rounded out the story well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, though not as much as I wish I would have.
Looking forward to Khai's story and seeing how the author treats his particular set of skills!
Stella is autistic but never wants anyone to know. She feels like it will always change how they are with her and in the past she has not been wrong. Michael is an escort who only wants to help his family and keep them out of debt. When the escort service brings these two together, because Stella wants to learn how to make it in her future relationships, the two begin to have a budding romance, which neither of them will admit to having. Will their love prevail?
I listened to this book on audio. I enjoyed it this way as I think the narrator did a good job in capturing Stella and Michael's personalities.
I was happy to see representation not only of the autistic community in this book but also of the Vietnamese culture. I do not know anything about this culture and this book brought much into perspective with that.
I loved Stella's character development. I think the author did a great job showing how her autism effected her daily life. She kept is very close to the cuff because she was fearful she would not be accepted due to her differences. For sure this is something I'm sure this community deals with on a daily basis. Her need for structure and consistency was very well done. Even in the relationship she begins to build with Michael, she needs this, as it helps her feel in control. Also, I love her braininess. She reminded me of the Ali Hazelwood STEM characters and they are some of my favorite FMC in romance.
Michael was an interesting enough character. I didn't love him. And I didn't really love him for Stella. They didn't seem to really have that organic click I was looking for. The author's choice to make him an escort was an interesting one. He notes several times how good he is at sex and how many women he's had sex with. I didn't love this. I know it was part of what made him who he was, that all he was goo for was this one thing. But overall I felt it was over the top for me. On the other hand, I loved his ability with tailoring. I did not find him all that relatable for a MMC. I truly wish that had been more central to the story, though I know the escort part was essential to how he and Stella meet.
My favorite part of this book was how the author approached intimacy. It is not your typical romance in that way. Stella's autism often times makes it hard for her to understand how intimacy works. I loved that Hoang made Michael very understanding in this way. I love how he did not judge Stella and tried to learn and understand her needs, rather than write her off as someone who could not truly feel things during the sexual process.
Despite what I've heard from others, I did not cry during this book. Not one tissue was needed. Did I get a little choked up here and there, sure. But there were no tears. There were, however, lots of laughs. And quite a bit of family drama. This aspects rounded out the story well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, though not as much as I wish I would have.
Looking forward to Khai's story and seeing how the author treats his particular set of skills!
Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And 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. Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT. She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.
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