Description
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 crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. 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…
From the Publisher
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J. P. –
One of my favorite reads of 2018 (5+ stars)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 TERESAJuliana: 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!
Laura C –
I loved this Book!I Loved it. Stella, the female main character, is on the autism spectrum. She is an economist. The male main character is Michael who works as an escort and also helps out at the family dry cleaning and tailoring business to help pay his mom’s medical bills even though his dream is fashion design. The author gives us a wonderful love story that made me smile at times, and also made me want to slap them both. I highly recommend reading this.
Kelly –
Love ❤️I absolutely love this book! Stella was perfectly written. She was beautiful inside and out. I love the connection between her and Michael. He was so patient with her and understanding. I literally couldn’t put this book down!
TechieArtMama –
AdorableI couldn’t put this down. I stayed up too late because I had to finish. I was hooked from the start. The pacing was nice and there was a good balance of ups and downs. It has a lot of R and X rates content but somehow its not gratuitous or porny. Every bit of it had a reason behind it and meant something and lead somewhere. For those reasons this didn’t bother me. (I normally prefer more PG content.) The characters were well developed and likable. I loved Stella and related to her in many ways. It was enjoyable watching her unlock and Michael being that key. I definitely recommend this as a must read. It has some heavy themes but they’re handled beautifully and it doesn’t go too in depth. The book for the most part manages to be light hearted and sweet. Also, Michael is basically a look alike for Daniel Henney soooo yum! (Good choice Helen!) I really like this author’s style of writing and will be reading everything by her.I do wish there was an update to remove the Aspergers word since it was named after a horrible nazi man. But I respect that Helen’s journey is her own and that she feels comfortable using the terminology.
Olivia –
Buy the BookThis was such a cute and entertaining book. I read it in 2 days. Highly recommend.
Keiana –
Amazing Cute StoryCute story of guy girl but not the usually basics, written very well, enjoyed the whole plot and overall love it!
Becky’s 2 cents –
Unexpected and AmazedWhen I stumbled across The Kiss Quotient, I was blown away by the unique unrestricted insight to Asperger’s Syndrome and relationships.I always considered using celebrities or public figures to describe a character’s appearance as lazy writing. When the hero of the story, Michael Phan, was compared to Daniel Henney, I stopped reading and viewed Helen Hoang’s bio to figure out why she earned high reviews. She even gained the attention of respectable book critics which was unusual for a debut novelist. After learning she lives with Asperger’s syndrome herself, I finally understood. My son has Asperger’s, and I know Aspies usually think in pictures based on their personal experience. I resumed reading this book, but started from the beginning, and gained anew perspective for this intelligent quirky book. Helen Hoang cleverly written Daniel Henney into the storyline as if Michael Phan spent his entire life living in the action film star’s shadow.Aspies’ have average to above average intelligence, and their biological maturation is the same as everyone else, but they are not the most communicative people in the world and struggle internally with confusing emotions and changes in their bodies. Amazing enough this book gave me a glimpse into my son’s thought process, not that I want to know he’s thinking about sex, but I’m not an ignorant parent either.Now an adult, my son still won’t accept he has autism spectrum disorder because he sees himself as no different as the so called “normal” people. Yes, Aspies have idiosyncrasies, comorbidity, and limited topics that interests them, but don’t everyone? So what if they have robotic mannerisms, formal speech, and socially awkward, but isn’t everyone to a point? What really set Aspies aside from the so called “normal” people, they don’t hide their true self from the public eye and are abruptly honest. They are what you see, take it or leave it, and saddens me most “normal” people choose to leave it, often leaving my son alone. At times he’s attacked by peers for lacking the ability to act “normal,” and in turn he buries himself even deeper in seclusion. My son is brilliant beyond compare and speaks several languages, but he can’t seem to make a single friend outside the virtual world he often visits, and it breaks my heart he may never find a special someone who will accept him wholeheartedly, quirks and all.The heroine of the story, Stella Lane, has Asperger’s and took a scientific approach to overcome her intimacy issues. Like most Aspies, social skills cannot be learned simply by observing body language and actions of other people. They need to be taught the appropriate responses when confronted with specific social situations, however sexual relationships isn’t part of the lesson plans. To make matters worse, human touches and eye contact can be discomforting because they suffer from hyper sensory disorder. Stella hired a professional male escort to teach her to be better with coupling and therefore become more pleasing to the opposite sex. Although the most logical choice would be go to a sex therapist, but that would have produced a boring storyline. Helen Hoang created empathy for her characters’ plight as she heated the pages with Stella and Michael’s chemistry. I am amazed by Helen Hoang’s ability to write about the depth of emotions her characters’ felt I believed people with ASD were pretty much incapable of understanding. Perhaps Helen proved Aspies are not aloof afterall. My son often described himself as being in a constant state of confusion without explaining his reasons why he felt that way. After reading Stella’s journey to her happily ever after, Helen Hoang finally explained it to me and provided me with hope my son’s future may not be as lonely and bleak as I originally thought.
Heather Leigh –
Real and rawStella and Michael both believe love is out of reach but for very different reasons. Stella is repulsed by most physical touch even though she craves it. She employs Michael to teach her how to relax and enjoy. Michael doesn’t want love because love will break him, again.They are perfect for each other but trying to navigate feelings and families are land mines. It’s funny and touching.
Darla –
pity case meets true loveThis soft porn romantic comedy keeps you turning the pages and rooting forThe Girl! Could there be a sequel soon?
A. K. S. –
satisfyingThe 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.