Cover Image: The Kiss Quotient

The Kiss Quotient

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Member Reviews

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!

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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.

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Super, Super, SUPER cute book! This wasn't my first book with a h on the autism spectrum, and it's quickly becoming a favorite theme. So adorable. I loved their dynamic and how complete the other made them feel whole when everything else in their life left them feeling less than. Everyone deserves a Michael!!!

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Stella has autism. She knows this makes dating a bit of a challenge, so she applies her brilliant mathematical brain to the problem and decides she needs sex lessons. So she hires an escort.
Sounds like the beginning to a woman-centered porn film, doesn't it? Well, LOTS of steamy sex ensues. But along the way the reader really gets to know Stella, and her autism is a huge part of her charm. Her escort is a nice guy, and her interactions with him and his family are genuine. Other parts of they put are a bit hackneyed, but she is such a likeable character that it is easy to ignore those boots. Ok found I really wanted to see her happy ending (I knew they would be one). This is not a book I would buy for my school library. There isn't anything offensive in the sex at all that I can see, but there is enough of it that it rather dominates the story line sometimes. A fun and sexy read for adults!

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2.5 stars

I'm gonna start with the positive. I can do positive.
It's a fluffy book. Sometimes that's just what a person needs after reading one of the dark as night books I tend to lean towards.

It has different main characters than the normal romancey type book. A high functioning autistic main female character with a mixed race Asian male lead. Yes, please.

Now for how I really feel.



The insta-love. Usually I don't really care too much if they want to jump all in the beds together from the very beginning but dang...these two characters seemed to jump to all the bases quicker than I run for coffee in the mornings.


The sex. I bet you NEVER ever thought I'd review a book where I said there was too much sex? Me either! It's totally why I usually read a mushy romance book. I have no shames. But this one just felt weird with the story. I probably read this wrong.



And lastly, it just seemed like the story jumped around a bit much.

But what the hell do I know? Most of the people reading this book have loved it.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

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What a fabulous book! Although on the surface it's just a romance between two mismatched people, underneath it there are much deeper storylines of special needs which really makes you think. The notes by the author at the end the book explained the inspirations behind the book so well. I loved the characters here, and I couldn't put this book down. Fabulous!

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“I like you better than calculus.”

Go read EVERYONE else’s review of this because I am the odd one out and wrongreader here. And I’m totally willing to admit it this time around too. You see when I heard that The Kiss Quotient was about a young woman with Asperger’s who hires a “professional” (if you know what I mean) to make her more comfortable with intimacy, I have to say I was really banking on it being a light little rom-com like The Rosie Project. I can’t help it . . . . .

I did not expect was this to be like SUPER porny - and y’all know I ain’t skeeeeered of the pornos, it was just not what I had in mind which made my face look kind of like I was sucking a lemon a lot of the time while I was reading it. I’m also get a little burned out with the Autism spectrum being turned into a tired trope. This is the same thing that happened for me with rape storylines before this and mental illness/depression before that. At some point I get squicked out by every author hopping the same bandwagon. Not to mention this was the insta-loviest lovefest I’ve read in quite an age – and that pretty much never works for me unless it involves some sort of shapeshifter.

The one thing I did like? ETHNIC DIVERSITY! Once again we finally got some non-white peeps in a G.D. bestseller. I have to confess I was totally terrified that I would be labeled a racist because when it comes to casting an Asian male I only have eyes for John Cho - who is most definitely NOT Vietnamese, but then the author said her leading male Michael looked like Daniel Henney and I was like "WHEW! THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE."

I’m giving this 2.5 Stars because I found it to be perfectly average. I'm rounding up because I read it over a month ago and still remember it. Go old lady brain! You is getting better at this : )

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

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I selected this book as part of The Palm Beach Post's Anticipated Summer Reads. Hoang's characters are not only retable, but also they are incredibly complex. It makes us root particularly for Michael and Stella, who are trying to find happiness in a world that judges them for who they are. Hoang did an excellent job with also portraying multiculturalism and how traditions sometimes stand in the way of happiness.

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“I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.”

Friends, The Kiss Quotient is so deserving of every ounce of hype it has received thus far. I am not sure I’ve ever been so happy, and had such a lame grin on my face, while reading any other book. This was heartwarming, beautiful, and a treat to read. Don’t sleep on this one. Also, Michael and Stella are both partner goals, I swear.

This is an ownvoices novel about a high-functioning autistic woman who has succeeded in every aspect of her life, except for love. Her mother is putting pressure on her to find someone and start thinking about family, now that she turned thirty. Plus, Stella is kind of lonely anyway, and as much as she loves throwing herself into her work, she wants to spend her life with someone who she can completely be herself with. The problem is, Stella thinks her autism makes her unable to successfully date, and maybe even unable to be good at/enjoy sex. So, she hires the dreamiest escort to help her!

“Girls like me intimidate boyfriends away. Girls like me have never been asked out by a single boy. Girls like me have to find their own way, make their own luck. I’ve had to fight for every success in my life, and I’m going to fight for this. I’m going to get good at sex, and then I’ll finally be able to entice the right person into being mine.”

The thing is, Michael is an escort that doesn’t do more than one session per client. Yet, after his and Stella’s first night, he might be willing to make an exception. Michael is biracial (Vietnamese and Swedish), fashion designer, and has always put his family first, especially after the way his father left them all. Michael’s mother is also battling cancer, and the medical bills are piling up.

Trigger and content warnings for unwanted touching and forced kissing, lowkey sexual harassment, anxiety attacks, abandonment, a loved one with a chronic illness, a fatphobic comment/insult, and someone telling someone else about a person’s diagnosis.

Also, this book has very explicit and graphic sex scenes. But, like, all of the sex scenes in this book are 11/10. So damn hot, I swear. I have a lot more experience with sex than Stella, but I would happily let Michael teach me a thing or two. *clutches pearls forever* But please use caution if that is something you do not enjoy in your books!

But besides the steamy sex, the beautiful romance, and the lovely messages that are inside this book, my favorite part is that this book never shames Michael for being an escort, and it sure in the hell doesn’t shame Stella for being on the autism spectrum. A lot of other conflicts happen throughout, but those two things are never put in a negative light and it was such a blessing.

And I never expect a fiction book to teach me anything, but this book gave me such a wonderful glimpse and perspective into some people’s autism. (Obviously, I know that no two people are the same!) From overstimulation with lights, sounds, and smells, to the preferred clothing, to focusing everything into one thing, to the importance of schedules, lists, and reminders! This book was really insightful, and I loved that about it.

The importance of consent is always at the forefront of this novel. I think that’s why most people who are reading this right now are so in love with Michael, and it’s because he always is thoughtful and so very patient with Stella. He truly puts her needs first, and makes sure he is never overstepping any line that she is not willing to cross.

And I just loved Stella Lane as a character. She is actually probably my favorite heroine of 2018. Not only does she know who she is, she refuses to change for anyone, even the guy she has fallen in love with. I had happy tears in my eyes so much while reading this, and it was mostly just because I was so proud of her. Michael might be most people’s wet dream, but Stella felt like the character I’ve been searching literature for forever.

“But I want you to know I can handle the truth. If I’m not enough for you, that’s fair and I accept it. I’ll get over you eventually. I don’t want to be coddled or lied to because of what I am. I don’t need your pity friendship”

Overall, this was such a perfect read! I loved this from first to last page, and I couldn’t put it down. Here, I’ll really sell you on how good this book is: Muse of Nightmares, my most anticipated release of 2018, came in the mail while I was reading this book. And you know what I did? I finished The Kiss Quotient before starting it. Seriously, this is a masterpiece. And I can’t wait to see what Helen Hoang does next.

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The Kiss Quotient has such heart. It’s really beautiful how these two characters grow together in the story. Stella and Michael match each other perfectly, and The Kiss Quotient explores what a romance is like when two people dive headfirst into a romance.

Granted, there are obsticles in their way. Stella masks her autism and doesn’t share her anxieties. Her greatest love is numbers. Michael keeps his past tightly locked behind him and keeps Stella in the dark. They both work under the assumption that this is a business arrangement, but soon it becomes more.

The chemistry between the two is on fire.

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Stella’s not really interested in relationships, but when a jerk recommends that she take lessons in intimacy an idea takes shape. Enter Michael Phan, a professional escort, who is more than willing to help Stella learn.

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This one had a lot of hype built it and I was surprised at how much I liked it. Does it have romance tropes? Sure but it more than makes up for it with a well defined heroine who is neither "cured by love" of her ASD nor totally defined by it. Bonus points for a mixed-race Asian love interest who has a story of his own!

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A totally precious book that gripped me from the first page. I loved both Stella and Michael. Their romance was both incredibly sexy and sweet. This was my first book where I have seen either a character on the autism spectrum written by an author with the disorder, which added a lot of depth to it, or a romance with a Vietnamese character. Both elements were wonderfully refreshing and made the characters feel more like real people. Such a great book I've been recommending to friends already.

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The entire blog agrees, 5 stars for this one! I'm attaching the book chat review we shared on the blog but please know, this was a topic of great and happy discussion across all of our social media platforms!

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Hype makes me nervous to read books, but this is one of those times where the hype absolutely failed to do this book justice. As with The Hating Game, there was basically no way for the hype to be too high to affect this book negatively for me. If I want anything from publishing (which lol I want a LOT of things from publishing), then what I currently want most is more romances like this that are sexy, smart, and incredibly well-written. Most contemporary romances aren't like The Kiss Quotient, but I am so fucking happy this book exists.

Stella Lane, the heroine, has Asberger's (Own Voices, fyiiiiii), and, though she's tried to figure out this sex and romance thing, she has not been successful. Sex disgusts her, and no one ever wants to be in a relationship with her. She's happy with her work and her routines, but her parents are pressuring her to date, to marry, to have babies. As much as Stella may come off to others as brash, because she's always honest, or rude, she really wants to make others happy, so she begins to consider dating.

When the douchebag at the office her parents recommended for her and who she thinks might be at a good match tells her she needs to practice sex before she'll land a boyfriend (he's such a prick—let me at 'im), she takes that advice to heart. And hires a male escort to teach her how to be good at sex. Stella has always felt unlovable, but now she's been given a concrete explanation why, so she sets out to fix this knowledge gap with the determination, focus and work ethic that makes her so brilliant at econometrics.

Now I'll admit that I wasn't sure about the whole Pretty Woman romance set-up, because there's such a power imbalance in a relationship where one person is being paid for sex. However, The Kiss Quotient is super aware of that, and both circumstances and character development unfold in a way as to make that really not feel like an issue. From the beginning, Stella doesn't treat Michael like an object or like he's beneath her, because that's not the way Stella sees the world; it would be a better world if we were more like Stella.

We have Michael's POV too, which normally doesn't work for me in romance, but which pays major dividends here. His POV really works for me, a bit of hard edge without being over-the-top. It's also important to have a view into where his mind is in this scenario, and we can see from the beginning how much he doesn't look down on her either. He's confused by some aspects of what she's doing, but he likes her and wants to help, even if that will hurt him.

The sex scenes in this book are phenomenal, both because their chemistry is off the charts, but because of all the early scenes where Stella is not ready. Something you basically never see in romance is sex that isn't good or where the couple doesn't have sex because one or the other partner is terrified, and, actually, when I have read the latter it's usually been the guy who puts the brakes on. I relate so incredibly hard to a lot of Stella's issues with sex, and it was so validating to not feel alone in that.

The fact that Michael seems to just have a natural ability to get through Stella's discomfort with touch might bother me except for two things. First, I have learned that our bodies do try to tell us who we're compatible with, and there are people you just naturally feel more comfortable around. Ignoring those signals leads to all the discomfort, self-loathing, and fears of being broken that Stella exhibits at the start of the book. Which leads to serious performance anxiety, something that, yes, women can have too. Second, Michael doesn't get through Stella's barriers all that quickly. The main thing Stella needs is time to adjust, for someone to move slowly and not judge her, and he gives her that.

Part of how I can tell this book is amazing is that I shipped the hell out of this couple in spite of so many tropes I usually don't like, and they're not even particularly bantery. In that way, this book reminds me heavily of The Hating Game, though narratively they're not similar at all. It's just that Stella and Michael really do feel like a perfect match for one another. Also, because of the unique scenario they're in, certain things, like the confusion caused by not communicating their feelings, make more sense than they usually do.

I love this book so goddamn much, and I'm going to be ordering a copy ASAP. I cannot wait for The Bride Test. From his first introduction, I was hoping Khai would get a romance too, along with basically everyone else in Michael's family because they're massively wonderful.

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An utterly delightful book. The author makes the characters come alive, and although not an 'everyday' situation one might get into, the story all feels so real. Hoang has obviously done a lot of research to make the story feel authentic (the main character is female and is on the autism spectrum). i loved the focus on family, friends, and doing work that you love.

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Totally lived up to the hype! Such accessible and colorful characters with real life struggles. I loved the way the author grew her characters.

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I really enjoyed this title! While most of my collection work is for tweens and teens, I do have "younger" adults (18-25) that seek book recommendations, and I think this will satisfy many of their interests. They want deeper romances with people with real careers -- not just kids in high school or college! I liked the representation in the book, in terms of neurodiversity and racial diversity; I also enjoyed that it featured an interracial relationship. It was a fun romance with relatable, enjoyable characters. I intend to recommend it to readers seeking titles similar to The Hating Game and The Wedding Proposal.

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Four and half stars: A delightful romance with excellent diverse characters.

Stella loves her job, in fact her whole world revolves around her career. She is thirty years old, and she has never been in love, much to the dismay of her mother who wants grandchildren. Stella struggles with sex and romance because she has Asperger’s. Touching and kissing makes her shudder. In an effort to get better at sex and romance, Stella hires an escort, Michael, not realizing that she is soon going to get more than she bargained for. Michael on the other hand, is trying to pay his mother’s bills so he is an escort on the side. He never sees a client more than once, that is until Stella comes along. What happens when two opposites are thrown together?
What I Liked:
*The Kiss Quotient is the buzz book of the summer, and the praise being heaped upon this one is well deserved. I enjoyed the romance, loved the characters, and I appreciated that the author brought well rounded, diverse characters! Hooray for something different.
*Stella and Michael are stand out characters. Stella is smart, well educated, sophisticated and a bit uptight. She suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. I loved that the author brought us a character with this affliction because I don’t know much about Asperger’s. It was interesting and exciting to explore the way Stella encountered the world. Michael is Vietnamese and Swedish, and he is so much more than a pretty face. I enjoyed getting to know him, especially when it came to his devotion to his mother and his family. He too has his own demons, and it was fun watching Stella and Michael work together to overcome their problems.
*The romance is sizzling hot once it ignites. I appreciated that it took its time to establish roots. It isn’t all about sex. Friendship and trust are deeply established before it explodes.
*I loved the focus on family. Michael’s family was a joy to discover. I adored his mother and grandmother, and his sisters were downright funny.
*This one ends on a high note after a bit of conflict. No unanswered questions or open story lines. It was just right.
And The Not So Much:
*I felt like the sex scenes got to be a little much after awhile. There is a lot of time spent on the sex with lots of details, if you aren’t a fan of lots of sex scenes, you may want to skip this one.
*Even though I liked the romance, it almost felt like insta love.
*I didn’t like the big blow up and the stumble toward the end, it was all totally predictable.

The Kiss Quotient is the buzz book of the summer and well worth the read. If you want character diversity, a delightful romance and a better understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome this is a must read, or just read it for the romance. Either way, you don’t want to miss this book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

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I can’t tell you how many people recommended this book to me, and I have to say THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU for the push to read this one!!



There are so many stellar reviews out there so I’m going to keep this short and simple. This book, god this book had a little bit of everything. The romance between Michael & Stella was a perfect blend of steamy and sweet as the plot kept you glued to the pages. Michael was all sexy and a smoking hot guy while Stella made my heart explode with so much happiness. Both these characters had such extreme kindness, especially towards each other. The chemistry, lord the chemistry these two had, I’m still feeling the burn.



In the end, I loved how it came together. But if you know me at all, I want more. I need more to this beautiful amazing couple.



So for those of you that haven't read this one yet, do it!!!! You are missing out!!
Oh, and seriously Mrs. Hoang, you fricken rock! You most certainly have this writing thing down. I’m excited to see what you bring next❤️💋

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