Helen HoangContemporary Romance · Romance·b. 1982
The Kiss Quotient
Synopsis
Stella Lane is a successful econometrician who is very good with numbers and much less certain about people. Autistic and used to being told she is unusual, she has decided that the reason her few attempts at dating have gone badly is simply that she needs practice. So she does the logical thing: she hires a professional escort to teach her.
Michael Phan is charming, gorgeous, and moonlighting as an escort to support his family. He expects their arrangement to be simple, but Stella's blunt honesty and single-minded determination get under his skin, and their practice sessions start to feel like something real, something neither of them can quite fit into their carefully controlled lives.
Warm, funny, and unusually tender, Helen Hoang's debut is a contemporary romance about intimacy, self-acceptance, and learning to be loved exactly as you are. Inspired by the author's own experience of an autism diagnosis, it brings rare heart to the story of two people who never expected to belong to each other.
How it reads
- Plot : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Story : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tropes : strangers to lovers, escort Michael au. Pacing : medium. Characters : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What I loved : What I struggled with : Loveable characters or not : loveable, so loveable. Strong character development : yes, stella and Michael both have character development. Plot driven / character driven : plot driven. but so damn gooood. Favorite quotes/ highlights : none. Similar authors : helen’s other books, please read them. Similar book recommendations : read the heart principle by the same author. Any other details : Gaaah! This book will always be my forever favorite. When I got stuck not finding good book to read, this one was definitely not wanting to be in the list of ‘to be read’. Stella is me, i’m her, i don’t like French kissing either, all the wetness and s••• doesn’t feel good, at all. I don’t remember the story exactly but the pacing, the characters, the storyline : everything is so good, I want to keep rereading the book again and again. Helen’s writing just flows so beautifully. It flows so smoothly, keeps readers wondering as to what will happen next. I love Stella and Michael, both. They are both going through their own s•••, but come together and form a bond that says “I understand you, you understand me. ” I loved how Stella doesn’t act how people want her to act. She talks : is brutally honest, and doesn’t understand what people would do in her case. She’s sensitive and kind. Also, that bitch of her boyfriend had the audacity to blame her, when he was a s••• boyfriend. That s••• piece of asshole— Michael’s protectiveness, mhmm, he’s hawttt! Stella is rich, but she does not show off her wealth to every guy she meets, she’s down to earth, kind and a beautiful woman inside out, it really made me shy when she says to Michael that she’s not a cat, when he describes her pussy. She’s funny without trying. I loved stella’s character so much. She’s sensible, responsible, and witty all at the same time. Michael compliments her well, he does not have an inferiority complex like most men do, when the woman is earning more than them. He infact loves it that Stella is reaching new heights and wants the best for her. WE LOVE A SUPPORTING MAN. Overall, this book is a 1000000/10 ⭐ read, so if you haven’t read this book, read it. Not based on this review, but because it’s a really good book, and you must give it a try.
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang received so many rave reviews. I wanted to know why the hype, but I have to admit though I was a little wary at first. I took the plunge after I saw that a few of my blogger associates loved it. I chucked caution to the wind and dived right into the story. I am glad I did. If I had to use one adjective to describe this book, the term used would be stunning. This is by far my favourite book for the year. There is a plethora of reviews in the blogosphere for this title making it difficult not to say what has already been said about this book. I will say this though, The Kiss Quotient is one of those books you need top pick up when you have nothing else doing, as the story will consume you. Once you start, you will be hard pressed to put it down. The characters will weave themselves into your hearts to the point you will not forget them soon. I loved Stella and Michael together. An unconventional couple, but perfect for each other. I loved Michael’s patience towards Stella even before he knew about her Asperger’s Syndrome. Even after he found out it never changed how he felt about her. I loved Michael despite him being an escort. His decision to be an escort was not an easy, but he saw it as the only way out. I may not have agreed with his choice, but who am I to judge. This story pushed the boundaries of my emotional capacity. I cried (which is a rare occurrence when reading) and I laughed as I rooted for these two. They both deserved happiness as they both had their share of pain and disappointment. The story fulfilled all my expectations. I cannot find anything about the book I did not love apart from the fact I wanted more from Stella and Michael. Conclusion/Recommendation If you have not read this book as yet I suggest you make the effort, you won’t regret it. I believe this book is a must read for fans of diverse romance.
- 4.5 ⭐ as someone who’s also somewhere on the spectrum, I really appreciated the autism representation in this book the romance was super cute—yes, a little cheesy—but in a comforting way. I was eating it up… until the miscommunication trope started dragging a bit and got frustrating at times. overall, wholesome and soft read
- <div>What a lovely book 🥰<br>Their vibe was so cute. I was almost the whole time grinning 😍☺️<br>I'm definitely going to reread it over and over again 😍 I just loved the characters so so much and I can't wait to read the 2nd book 😍<br><br></div>
- Being led by the blurb, I thought this would be a cute, adorable read... Instead what I got was sex scene after sex scene that got boring really freaking fast.