Ever since reading the synopsis a few month ago I was intrigued, fascinated and couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy. I’m a HUGE fan of everything unique, in this case it’s a heroine with Asperger’s. Not only did that pique my curiosity, it reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Rosie Project.

Helen Hoang’s debut novel was enchanting, sweet, romantic, and utterly heart-warming. I’m blown away by the author’s writing style, which was crisp, eloquent and impressive. Her writing was vibrant, and captivating. I loved the amount and detailed description of Vietnamese culture that was part of this book. Having such a diverse and lovable cast made this novel utterly endearing, not only but also by the wonderful main characters.

The story was incredibly well plotted and executed. Fresh, unique and interesting from beginning to end. There was nothing clique about this book. And that’s even more impressive since it was a debut novel.

I adored Stella. She was straight forward, blunt at times, fascinating, and adorable in her quest. And the way she melted into Michael was just the BEST. Whenever he touched her, hugged her, or cuddled her, she melted into a boneless heap. I couldn’t prevent myself from smiling from ear to ear. I loved how Stella only cared about Michael as a person. She had no false perceptions or prejudice about him.

And Michael, OMG, he was swoony. Not in your face all alpha swoony, rather understated, and because of that he was even more devastatingly handsome in the way he treated Stella, and his family. His personality was just beautiful. He was honestly THE perfect man. And WOWZER – let’s not forget about that gorgeous tattoo. I couldn’t have kept my hands to myself either – kudos to Stella.

This book is a definite recommendation.

A sweet love-story, the author called it a gender-swapped Pretty Woman, with a wonderful main couple and a wonderful and heart-warming and very personal backstory. I can’t wait to read book 2 – The Bride Test – which will be released in January of 2019.

The "Kiss Quotient" is a hard book to put in a specific category. It is a compelling read, a good look at the insecurities in relationships, an awareness of knowing who you are, a romance and somewhat erotic. Although the main characters start out interacting in a quasi-sexual relationship, this is not really the main focus of the book for me.

The main focus appears to me, to show the problems that the main character has with social interactions and insecurities due to being on the autistic spectrum. It helps to clarify what some of those situations may feel like for people who do not experience these sensations. At the same time, the other main character is “normal”, but has similar insecurities and trust issues to overcome. As they forge a true relationship it shows how people can adapt to another persons needs if they are caring and trying to understand each other. Labels, whether put in place by society in general, or by ourselves don’t define who one is, but may help us if we use them for understanding.

I feel this story is one worth reading. I wish I could recommend it for inclusion in a high school library, but educational settings are not liberal enough for the actions and a bit of the language (especially the frequent use of the “F” word) in this book.

Part of the author’s stated purpose was in making people more aware of how women with autism function in society and how that differs from their male counterparts. I feel she has succeeded in shining a light on this topic and making us more aware of others and ourselves.

I would definitely recommend this book for most adult/young adult readers.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I honestly laughed out loud once, and genuinely teared up twice. Stella is fabulous. She is adorably and tragically awkward. And here's what this book does so well: it reflects her struggles without being overly romantic about it, but also without treating autism like the world's worst diagnosis ever. And Michael totally gets it. He appreciates her quirkiness, and sympathizes with how hard life is for her sometimes. He accommodates her sensitivities and cluelessness when appropriate, but he also gently pushes her past her comfort zone when she needs it. Their relationship is messy, funny, sad, illuminating, and inspiring. And did I mention ROMANTIC?! Serious hot/swoony moments here. All in all a pitch-perfect story that the minute I was finished made me wish I could go back and read it for the first time again.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Wow did I love this book! Such a sweet romance. I can’t say enough good about it!

We got a winner!!

The Kiss Quotient was marvelous!

So what happens when you're smart, have Asperger's and your parents want you to get married and provide a progeny of grandchildren but you aren't good at social situations or intimacy? Well, you hire an escort!!

Stella Lane is in her thirties. She is very successful and driven. She's an economist and a workaholic. She knows her limitations and having sex is one of them. She believes that if she can conquer her fears of intimacy, she can then be in a relationship.

Michael Pham is paying his mother's hospital bills by using his body as an escort. He's part Vietnamese and part Swedish. In other words, this combination makes him stunning. When his next job takes him to meet Stella, he can't help but be grateful. She fits his hot librarian fantasy to a tee. After their first meeting, he knows he's in trouble. He usually doesn't see a client twice but this time he wants to make an exception.

I love Stella and Michael together. Michael was so patient and understanding. He was also great with his whole family. He had his own insecurities and fears. I liked to think that being with Stella helped him realized he was worth it. Stella was amazing too. She tried her hardest to face her limitations. It takes great courage to try something new when you're so used to your routine and structure.

I can't but fan myself at their sexy times. Let's just say WOW is an understatement.

The Kiss Quotient was a wonderfully crafted novel. It's uniqueness and fascinating characters sets it apart from the rest.

I found myself doing a happy dance after finishing it. The ending was just perfect! I'm crossing my fingers we get to see more characters getting their own books. Mrs. Hoang has plenty of material.

5 AMAZING FANGS!

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is EVERYTHING. I love all that it represents. Stella and Michael are such interesting, nuanced characters. There are elements of Stella that everyone can relate to, autistic or not. When it comes to love, we all feel that bumbling, insecure feeling that overrides our judgment and makes us second-guess ourselves. And it's so heartwarming that she has Michael to balance her out because we all yearn for that person who loves our quirks. It's been a while since a romance has captured my heart like this one. And this book is HOT. It belongs on everyone's TBR list. I'm so excited for whatever else Helen Hoang throws our way!

I really adored this book! Best book about consent that doesn't explicitly spell it out for you. Instead, it models what enthusiastic consent looks like, and how to go about it. The characters are so, so real - could really see them in my mind.

I loved this Pretty Woman re-telling with swapped genders. (I devoured this in one sitting.) I’m not pariticuatly fond of that movie and this book is better than the inspiration. With great, full-fleshed characters, intense emotions, swoony moments, it’s a great contemporary romance. I’ve never read characters like Stella and Michael which helps make this so fresh.

Bonus points for featuring POC, high functioning autism, STEM girls, a guy not afraid of a brainy girl, tons of delicious foods, K dramas and lots more.

I loved this book. I loved this book. I loved this book.

Did I mention I loved this book? The Kiss Quotient is Pretty Women if Julia Roberts was a man and Richard Gere was a thirty year-old woman with Asperger Syndrome. Honestly that should be enough to convince you to read it.

The characters were relatable, the chemistry was undeniable, and the story left me with a huge smile on my face.

If you're looking for a fresh and unique story, then this is the one for you. The Kiss Quotient is diverse, unique, and completely captivating. The characters are adorable and you can't help but fall for them. I mean, these two could not be more opposite and they really should not work, but somehow they do. Somehow they are able to get past their differences and ideals of who they should be. They discover a love that they never knew existed or that could be possible. These two characters pulled me into their story and had me rooting for their happily ever after.

There is a ton of buzz surrounding The Kiss Quotient and I am definitely glad that I checked it out. The Kiss Quotient is a fantastic debut novel.  It is very well written, with a unique and fresh plot. It is a story that you can easily finish in one sitting and one that you won't be able to put down. I know I couldn't stop myself from devouring each word. The Kiss Quotient hit all the marks for me, delivering a sweet and swoon-worthy romance with loads of steam that will keep you begging for more. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I transcribed this from an audio recording I made, so brace for rambling. (Deal with it though, because my ramblings are my truth!)

I was so excited when I read this synopsis, and I'm happy to say IT'S AS GREAT AS IT SOUNDS.

My immediate thoughts: I'm so joyful. This is an EXCELLENT romance. It is an insanely entertaining, and addicting contemporary love story. The writing is great--I inhaled this book in a nearly uninterrupted few hours (which is unheard of for me!). I blew through it, even though it's nearly 350 pages. No part of the story dragged or was uninteresting.

The characters...Well, I was going to say Michael is my favorite character, but I love both him and Stella equally. Michael is one of the better heroes that I've read in a looong time, and if I look over the span of my history of reading romances, he's on the list of one of the best heroes I've read, period. He isn't the typical hero, and even though the story centers around a non-typical heroine--one with high functioning autism--Michael doesn't fit the mold either. He's a beta, he's the dam..? What's the opposite of damsel? A lad in distress. But he is also perfectly lovely, and understanding, and sexy, and masculine, and emotional--just the best person for Stella. I LOVED MICHAEL. I want to see more heroes like this. He's a family man, he has a dream, he has passion, he has insecurities (some of which frustrated me, but not too much), he's cocky, he knows how to use it...

I've spoken about him too much.

And Stella, she is so endearing. She jumps off the page--as cliche as that is. I loved every single scene with her. And the scenes with them together...this is the time of romance I freaking love, because their chemistry is insane from the very beginning. Also, there's a slow burn for about 50% of the book which was juicy and frustrating for me as they interacted with each other. Then, once things got more heated, it was PERFECT. This book has just the right amount of heat and sexiness. I loved that the protagonists spent the majority of the novel together, and I did not care one bit for the scenes when they were separated (although I know it's necessary, since that's the formula, no matter how original the romance is). I was deeply into their connection together and how they sizzled.

I loved this book.

I don't know why it's listed on GR as #1 in a series, because there wasn't a cliffhanger--it's a standalone. However, if there are other characters that are in this book that might get their own book, then I am all for it.

This is Helen Hoang's debut and it is FANTASTIC. I need more romances like this. You should definitely read it.

P.S. Thanks for the ARC, Berkley. Publish more books like this. *muah*

Whoa....I mean...holy s*itballs this book blew me away! Being intrigued by the premise I jumped right in with no expectations and I was done for by the second chapter. I consumed The Kiss Quotient in a day and read it word for word because I absolutely adored Michael and Stella!!!

The romance was a perfect blend of steamy and sweet as the plot kept you on your toes,especially on their Friday dates.😋 Michael was all sexy-dreamy guy while Stella made my heart explode with sweet happiness. I’m usually all about the hero of the story (and don’t get me wrong Michael is THE man) but Stella stole the show for me.


The Kiss Quotient will definitely be on my list of Top 2018 reads and Helen Hoang will be on my watch list!