Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: THE KISS QUOTIENT by Helen Hoang https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aKG
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori
Rated: 4.5 Stars

Loved this book! THE KISS QUOTIENT is Helen Hoang’s Debut novel and left me with all the feels. It’s one of those books I want to pass on to all my girlfriends so I can to them talk about it. I just loved it! The characters, the storyline and the writing made this book unique and truly enjoyable. I’ll be following and adding this author to my buy list and recommending her to everyone. I recommend this book for contemporary romance lovers looking for a new author’s series to stalk with me and a great summer read.

*Review copy provided by Penguin in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle http://amzn.to/2Eu8vk7

This debut has gotten a lot of hype, and those always make me so nervous to read, but I finally gave in and tried it. I'm so glad I did!

THE KISS QUOTIENT is a gender-flipped PRETTY WOMAN, featuring a male escort and a successful, wealthy woman with high-functioning autism. I realize this doesn't sound like a very sexy premise, but it delivered one of the best erotic romances I've read in a while. (I'm classifying this as an erotic romance because the character development and story was centered around a sexual relationship, but don't let that scare you away! It was also one of the sweetest and insanely romantic romances I've read in ages.)

One of my sons is on the spectrum, so some aspects of the heroine's journey really resonated with me. While this may be considered the story's strength (it's an #ownvoices book), I also really, really loved the hero, too. (I dare any romance reader to read this and not fall for Michael. It's impossible!) Both characters were beautifully drawn, and while the editor in me wished for a stronger dark moment and ending, I was completely pulled into this story.

RATING: B+ (4½ stars)

Ok I read this because my coworkers RAVED about it and I was not disappointed one bit. Stella and Michael are both adorable, insecure, smart, and obsessed with each other once they meet. It's obvious to everyone but them that they belong together. This book was sweet, sexy, and everything I needed in a summer read. Definitely recommend!

Absolutely adored this story of an unconventional heroine falling in love. I identified so much with Stella and thought Michael was wonderful. Full review given during two podcast episodes about the book!

Incredibly fun, sexy, and heartfelt book. Not my usual cup of tea but utterly delightful all the same.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Helen Hoang. It is light-hearted and a quick read while still maintaining substance and depth. It is rare to read the perspective of autism from a female point of view and this book had lots of quirky anecdotes and even a little romance thrown in. Would recommend for fans of Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove. While the writing is not on a par with either of those novels, the story is engaging and compelling and the character relatable, heart-warming and endearing

This book is so steamy! I wanted to read this book since I first saw it on Bookishfirst.com. I was so excited when it popped up as a Book of the Month selection. I knew I had to put it in my box. OH MY GOODNESS, I may have only read part of the description or well I didn’t expect the steam.

I love how the author tackled the high functioning autistic people. You meet Stella Lane and she is knows she isn’t normal but she wants to learn how to have a “normal” relationship. That’s where Michael comes in. He’s only suppose to teach her how to kiss, engage a man in sexual relations and just be in a relationship. Stella knows Michael needs the money and so she hires him. Michael doesn’t know that Stella may be “special”.

I love Michael’s family they are the cutest ever! (I just had to put that in there)

This book is steamy like I said. It’s a very fast read and so good. I know that the author is planning on a sequel but I don’t believe Stella or Michael will be in the story.

Will Michael be able to teach Stella how to be in a relationship? What happens if they fall in love? Will Michael learn the truth?

Rating 4 stars.

There’s only one way to summarize my feelings for this book, and that’s to tell you that it’s an ABSOLUTE FREAKING MUST READ. The Kiss Quotient was quite possibly the most charming, addictingly satisfying romance I’ve read all year! It was everything. ALL OF THE THINGS. And I’m on cloud 9 after finishing it! I don’t even know what I’ll do with myself now because nothing could ever compare to the ultimate perfection that was this unique and wonderful story full feels and steam. Nothing I could say could possibly do it justice, but I’ll try.

The heroine: Stella Lane

How I loved her. Here’s a female that’s the very antithesis of your typical romance heroine and she was PHENOMENAL. When I first read the blurb and saw that Stella has Asperger, I was so curious to see how the author would depict her. And I can tell you that I couldn’t be more satisfied. There’s just something so incredibly endearing and ultimately just…real, about Stella. She’s full of quirks, but she’s also vibrant in her own way. She has a fulfilling and successful career, but relationships and sex are such a foreign subject to her, that she continually suffers through terrible dates and unsatisfying sexual encounters. With her family’s constant pressure for her to finally settle down, she knows that she needs help. And so she gets that, when she hires an escort to guide her through the art of dating and relationships.

The hero: Michael Phan

Gah! JUST GAH! This man. I can’t even begin to describe all of the ways I adored him. Forced to work as an escort in order to help his family, Michael doesn’t exactly brag about being an escort. As a matter of fact, it’s more of his shameful secret. Used to women seeing him for just his looks, he’s almost jaded on relationships….until he meets beautiful and sexually clueless Stella. There’s just something about her that makes him question everything he thought he knew. Their connection is instant and so potent, I felt the energy of it sizzle on the pages. Here’s a man that’s not a playboy (escort aside), he’s not an a-hole either. There was also something so real about Michael to me. I adored his relationship with his quirky and colorful family. But I absolutely loved the way he was with Stella. He’s the perfect gentleman with a filthy mouth. God but I loved him. I loved him so freaking hard.

This book was simply amazing. It was unique and fresh and full of heart. It was unlike any other romance I’ve read and I couldn’t get enough of it. Helen Hoang has got an instant mega fan in this reader. I will blindly read ANYTHING she writes, no blurb required. She’s a talent that EVERYONE needs to discover and this book one that EVERYONE needs to fall in love with. Because that’s exactly what will happen when you meet Michael and Stella; you’ll fall head over heels for them same as I did. This romance will stay with you, it will engrain itself into your memory and make your heart feel full with it’s emotion. In a nutshell; read it, read it, JUST READ IT!!

It was a nice romantic read. I haven't had a chance to write up full reviews yet because I am in the midst of packing for a big move, but I did enjoy this and hope more people read it.

Two coworkers spoke highly of this, so I was expecting greatness. It's ok. The female main character seems real enough (makes sense, since it's a little autobiographical), but the love interest is a cardboard cutout of a modern Prince Charming (maybe that also makes sense, if the author is on the Spectrum?). Another New Adult romance set in California, which is quickly melting in with all the others in my memory; not much of a stand-out on any front.

One of my favorite romance novels of the year (so far)! I absolutely adored the chemistry between these two characters and the premise was both original and still familiar. I had a few issues but by and large it was a steamy, sexy, romantic book I'll be recommending far and wide.

Great, fun book that challenges some of the stereotypes within romance novels. Sadly, this book is not right for my library.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK. I love the representation of Stella's autism. I love how consent is at the forefront for the entire book. I love how sex and intimacy are allowed to be awkward and new and weird. I was so thoroughly invested in Stella and Michael from the first page through the very end. The Kiss Quotient is heartwarming, funny, and sexy.

This was a quick and entertaining read. I enjoyed the premise. It was definitely steamy from the very beginning. I'm curious to see what the next book will be like.

Hey friends! Today I'm reviewing The Kiss Quotient with my good friend, Rashika from Xpresso Reads. We both loved the book so we wanted to do a fun chat-type review. Hope you guys enjoy our ramblings! :)

R: Nick left me here to write a review while she is showering and I don’t know what to say. IT’S HER FAULT I READ THIS BOOK. WHY ISN’T SHE HERE TO TALK? HMPH.
N: BACK FROM THE SHOWER! Let me just preface by saying this: Michael Phan is mine. No one is going to steal my book boyfriend from me.

R: Wow. UM. Michael is mine. I am sorry to break it to you. AND EVEN IF YOU READ THE BOOK BEFORE ME, IT DOESN’T COUNT. WE GET TO FIGHT IT OVER NOW. But speaking, didn’t you find it refreshing to kind of see how the heroine was the rich one showering the hero with presents??

N: Would you even have met him had it not been for me?????? YES. I totally loved that. And I loved that no one acted weird about it. Sometimes in romance books, you’ll have the gift-receiver act all irritated when the rich gift-giver gives them something they want, and it makes 0 sense to me. Stella was such a good bean, I loved her.

R: UGHGHGUGUHGHUG. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS. He loves me more. Yes he does. He told me so. But also, yeah, definitely. It’s always the ‘prideful MC’ that won’t take any help even though they desperately need it. Stella is truly such a good bean though and I think like as much as I love Michael, she was also a big reason why I loved this book so much.

N: HE DOES NOT LOVE YOU MORE. HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW YOU EXIST. Oh most definitely. There would be no The Kiss Quotient without Stella Lane. I loved that she was a smart STEM girl who had worked hard in a field that’s very male-dominated - I can go on 10000 words writing sprint about how much I loved seeing a heroine that is actively in a similar field of study of mine. Besides her obvious intelligence, I loved how aware she was of her autism and consciously worked to overcome the social anxiety that stemmed from that. She knew that she could be perceived as “cold” to others and she tried her hardest to not come across that way.

R: YES HE DOES. HE DOES KNOW I EXIST. WE HAD DINNER LAST NIGHT. I ATE WITH HIS FAMILY. Yeah, and I think Hoang herself made a conscious effort not just to kind of have an HEA story but also to have an open discussion about what it’s like to be on the autistic spectrum and how society perceives people who are on the autistic spectrum. Like there are moments in the story where like people try to understand Stella through their perceived social norms and Stella isn’t like that. She knows and she makes an effort to remind people of that in ways that are just SO STELLA. She is an adorable bean.

N: I think that may have been in your dreams, weirdo. YES to everything you said. I don’t claim to be an expert on autism - though I’m hoping to do some research into autism in the near future - but I found this book to be very eye-opening in many ways and I always appreciate when an author can teach me a thing or two. Helen does it so seamlessly too. Stella’s autism is very much a part of this story and Helen doesn’t shy away from the good and the bad.

R: YOU’RE THE ONE THAT JUST SHOWERED. YOU’RE THE WEIRDO. If it was a dream, it was a good one. Also yeah, I definitely cannot speak much to the kind of rep but also the book is #ownvoices and even if it won’t speak to everyone’s story, from what Helen has said, it’s really personal to her! But like also, you mentioned this earlier and like I think it’s worth mentioning again because Stella isn’t just her disability, IT’S SO GREAT TO HAVE ROMANCE NOVELS ABOUT WOMEN IN STEM. I love how much she loves her job and I LOVE ECON. IT WAS A GOOD TIME.

N: YES. I SHOWERED WITH MICHAEL. Autism rep is a little more complex because it’s a spectrum disorder so not everyone with autism will 100% relate. Though I guess you can say that about every rep. Anyways, how great was Michael’s reaction when he finally understood that she had autism? Ugh. Gosh. Michael was so perfect and I just want to love him forever and cry because real life men are trash. :(

R: NO YOU DIDN’T. SHUT UP. AND YES. HE was perfect and he wasn’t perfect because he was just accepting of the fact and doing the bare minimum, my favorite thing was that he didn’t like condescend to her about it and her feelings. He took time to understand why she was worried and why she felt the way she did. He also just, HE IS PRECIOUS. Like even before everything, he was so attentive and took time to make sure she is comfortable. He didn’t push her and he never really pushes her when she doesn’t want to be pushed. I LOVE him and no man will ever live up to him. THIS IS WHY WE FIGHT.

N: I was just about to say the same thing. I love love love heroes who take their time to make sure the heroines are comfortable. And here, there were MANY times when Stella wasn’t entirely comfortable in the bedroom and he went out of the way to make sure he was giving HER pleasure first and foremost. Boyfriend had some serious moves that had me dying, but more than his dirty mouth (hahaha!), I loved what a good person he was. I mean, the guy was basically selling his body to cougars so he could pay for his mom’s bills. And he never resented his mom for it. His focus was other people’s happiness, especially his family, and damn if that didn’t make my heart ache.

R: Yeah I am garbage for people who would do anything for their family. Did you ever read the Elementals series by Brigid Kemmerer? This is definitely off track but Michael who is the big bro in that series would literally do anything for his brothers and I MELT. I CANNOT WITH THESE AMAZING PEOPLE. I also think it’s 100% worth mentioning that the Michael has a great dirty mouth tho ;) I mean, girls gotta have fun.

N: I DID! Maybe all book Michaels are great human beings! SHHH! You’re too young to be talking about dirty mouths, child. Also, can we talk about his tailoring skills??????? AND HE DESIGNED CLOTHES FOR STELLA. Imagine having a boyfriend who could make you the perfect clothes? WHY IS MICHAEL NOT REAL? *cries forever*

R: LEAVE ME ALONE. I DECLARED MYSELF YOUR MOM. (I thought you were gonna write cock when you were talking about his tailoring skills but then you didn’t) YES I LOVE IT. Also that just kind of plays into the flip on ‘traditional’ romance tropes that’s happening in this novel which is so much fucking fun.

N: WELL. That escalated quickly. I never knew you were such a perv, Rashika.
Right! I think it made the book very fresh. It stood out to me among all the romances I’ve read. Speaking of romance, I loved how the romance between Stella and Michael progressed here. It could easily have been super uncomfortable given that she is his client and the whole power dynamic with her paying him for his services, but I don’t know, man. Helen has got some magic in her writing because nothing about this relationship was icky to me. At one point, when Michael was taking her out on dates and having her meet his family members, I forgot that she had actually hired him. Their whole relationship was just so freaking sweet and shippy and adorable. I loved these two babies together.

R: You know me, I only read romance novels for the sexy times ;) The only thing icky in this relationship is how you bully me into giving up Michael. I love him and you’re just jealous of our love for one another. But yeah, the romance in this boooooook. I think when you were talking about way back when, you mentioned there was a lot of smut but like for all the good quality smut there is, the romance is also so domestic. Like I love that we get to see them meeting each other’s families and building a trusting bond and eventually falling in love. I also love how Michael helps Stella build her confidence in her relationships with other people. Towards the end of the book, she begins to call out SO MANY PEOPLE ON THEIR BULLSHIT. Also like again, it isn’t just Michael who is helping her be her best self you know? Stella does the exact same thing for him. WHICH IS CHEESY BUT IDGAF.

N: Yeah, they were both very good for each other. *heart-eyes* I can’t wait to re-read this book 5 million more times because I can tell this is one of those books that I will never tire of. AND I CAN’T WAIT FOR HELEN’S NEXT BOOK! OUT JANUARY - wooo!!

R: ME EITHER. I AM GOING TO DIE WAITING so TA-TA BYE BYE. PLEASE COME TO MY FUNERAL, Y’ALL. Especially, Michael. Please come.

N: If you haven’t heard of this book, what cave have you been living in? BUT ANYWAYS. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOU AREN’T A ROMANCE FAN. You won’t regret it!

I'm on vacation and was looking for a light romance to read of the crop of books coming out, so I selected The Kiss Quotient.  I will say that it is not what I expected, but I did like the change from a typical romance even though the book was more graphic than I tend to read for romance.

Thirty-year-old Stella Lane has Asperger's and needless to say she has relationship difficulties, and as a result,  unpleasant sexual experiences. Math, however,  rocks her world, and she is successful in her job creating algorithms that predict customer behavior.  She has made more money in this job than she knows how to spend.  One day one of her co-workers (and the man her parents want her to marry) makes a derogatory comment to her causing her to seek a professional, a male escort, to help her in the sex department. Along comes Michael, a mix of a Vietnamese and Swedish hunk to teach her.  He is a tailor by day and works as an escort on Fridays only to make money to help with his family's bills.  Michael is very respectful of where Stella is coming from and lets her take the lead in the progression.  Before long, they have made a reasonably predictable connection.

What I really enjoyed about the book are the unique characters.  Even though hiring an escort seemed a little far-fetched and unbelievable, Helen did an excellent job of developing the relationship.  I enjoyed seeing a different kind of character and thinking about how Aspergers can affect a part of one's life.  I also enjoyed the tight family that Michael came from and the ironically good values he had even though he was doing this job.

The book may not be for everyone because it can be quite graphic, but I appreciated the overall storyline and the unique aspect of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book to review for an honest evaluation.

Oh my godddddddd I loved this book so much. Stella and Michael were both tremendously relatable protagonists who had realistic struggles and yet were so clearly made for each other and it's deeply rewarding to watch them finally get that happy ending. Stella proves that Michael loves her with math! Michael introduces her to the joys of yoga pants! And the secondary characters were great too -- Michael's family especially, but I loved that Stella's mom really came through for her when she needed her. (I wanted to know more about Khai and Quan and I'm therefore very happy to know that the next book is going to be about Khai.) As soon as I reached the end I went back to reread the last two chapters because they were so SATISFYING. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD, IF YOU LIKE ROMANCE DEFINITELY READ IT. (Especially if you like Courtney Milan's Cyclone series -- some strong parallels going on.)

This book was fantastic. A steamy passionate read with a whole lot of heart to it. I loved Michael’s family and how his character has such depth and backstory. Stella has a wonderful journey and it’s so refreshing to see diverse girls represented in romance. She has Asperbergers but it doesn’t stop her from functioning in society nor finding romance, I loved their chemistry together and how close they become. Written so well and I just want more! Fully enjoyed and wold recommend to anyone.

What can be said about this book that hasn't already been said? It was sexy, heartwarming, diverse, gripping and sweet all at once. We loved the dynamic relationship and the life circumstances of both of the main characters. getting to see a romance from the perspective of someone with Autism was so powerful and we can't wait to read more from Helen Hoang!

The Kiss Quotient is a cute, quick read. The characters of Stella and Michael are likeable and the plot is a different spin the on usual boy-meets-girl.