TEN STARS for this incredible debut novel! Helen Hoang seemingly effortlessly weaves together an amazing narrative about perfectly imperfect characters. I adored the detail, the drama, and everything else about this book. I have already enthusiastically purchased it for my library and will be recommending it to everyone who enjoys love stories.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO THE KISS QUOTIENT BY HELEN HOANG?
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang basically has all of my twitter trusteds singing PRAISES. That means I had to listen to it sooner rather than later. Granted, I would have been happy also reading the print version. ALSO the cover reminded me a little bit of The Hating Game which I loved. Reader friends, I am so glad that I actually listened to The Kiss Quotient. It was exactly as good as everyone has been saying.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
So, Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient is a contemporary romance about two main characters – Stella and Michael. Stella is an econometrician with Asperger’s. Michael is an escort. Stella hires Michael to teach her how to do the sex and be good at it, ha ha. Anyways, Stella gets a little more than she bargained for and catches feelings for Michael. He realizes that Stella is one hundred percent not like his other clients. The two have a LOT in common. Regardless, Michael also begins to catch feelings for her as well. There’s some drama built in too, otherwise this book would be so boring. ALSO Michael is Vietnamese – so there’s even more diversity. And I WAS HERE FOR IT.

HOW DID I LIKE THE KISS QUOTIENT?
I didn’t like The Kiss Quotient, I LOVED THE KISS QUOTIENT. Ok, ok, I am second hand embarrassed for myself right now too. But friends, this book is so adorable. The characterization is flawless. I loved both Stella and Michael and feel like they are now dear to me. Michael’s family is special and wonderful, minus his dad. The pacing moved along perfectly. I never thought – wow this is dragging. I think that if you want to try contemporary romance (which yes you should because it is SUPERB) give Helen Hoang a shot.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook is narrated by Carly Robins who is GREAT. I always get a little tiny bit nervous listening to a hype book on audio. Why? Because what if it is terribly narrated? Then I miss out on liking a book that everyone else likes simply because I don’t care for the narration. Thankfully this book rocked via audio. I was able to follow along perfectly. I thought the narration matched what I expected of the characters. Also? This made driving and folding laundry go by so much faster. I would totally recommend this to you if you’re in the market for a new good listen (ALSO IT IS ON HOOPLA!).

This book absolutely lives up to all the hype you've seen and I don't say that lightly. As a matter of fact, when I picked up this novel, I was doubtful because I'm cynical and thought it might just be BS but it wasn't, at all. It was the perfect poolside read for me. The romance was sweet and steamy and really just lovely--I loved every single on page moment with Michael and Stella--and every time I think about the way their story developed I just have to smile. I also loved the outside of their romance story of them. I was completely invested in who they were outside of their coupledom and enjoyed reading about their individual stories as much as reading about them together. And I superloved that this novel is an #ownvoices novel and that the author shared a little of her own experiences with autism in the author's note.


You guys, splurge and buy this if you're looking for a novel that's full of all the good feels--you're going to find yourself smiling and laughing and swooning at this couple's romance...and if you're like me, you'll be on the look out for the next thing Helen Hoang writes.

This story was definitely what I would classify as an entertaining, quick, and easy read. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light, steamy and fun read. The plot follows a woman who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and her attempt to over come her personal issues with intimacy.

I did enjoy reading this story despite the cliche plot at times. The parts which discussed autism I found to be well done and over all it was just simply a nice read. Of course it was a bit unrealistic but as are many other novels in the romance genre. Fair warning there were some hot and heavy moments in the book.

Sadly I did not enjoy this book. Michael complained internally way too much. There wasn't enough storyline to hold my interest. I did not feel connected to the characters and the story lacked believability.

Gah! Such a great book. I loved that it was outside the norm of this genre.


It's a bit Pretty woman meets Asperger's.


Such a great story and I loved all the characters.



Stella is a woman who has Asperger's. She tries to hide her quirks but its not always easy, especially where it comes to the opposite sex.



Stella is a woman who wants to learn and be an expert at all things, even sex and relationships. Which makes her sought out an escort service where she meets Michael.



Michael hides his escort life and he never does repeats, but there is something about Stella that makes him want to help her and be near her.



When Stella starts to get overstimulated you feel her pain with her and feel like you are also experiencing what she's experiencing. That part was so well written.



I absolutely adored Stella and Michael together and I LOVED Michael's family.



In the romance genre one of my biggest pet peeves is assumptions and miscommunications. And sadly this book had a bit of it.



~ I was certain you didn't love me back~



Don't get me wrong I totally understand why it was there, as they both had their own issues which led to the assumptions but I still wish the assumption part wasn't there. Because its a personal pet peeve it got in the way a bit for me, otherwise I would have completely been head over heels for this book. And it's only my pet peeve so anyone who doesn't have that issue will love this book from start to finish.


As I was looking up Goodreads for this book, I just found out that this book is now part of a series and book 2 will be coming out next year!!! OMG!! OMG!! I can't wait for Khai's story.

This was such a fun read! I loved Stella and Michael's story. Highly recommended and very enjoyable.

This was fabulous and completely worth the hype. I adored Stella and Michael and I can't wait to read the next book by this author. I think this is going to go over really, really well with my Library's users.

Our blog is doing two reviews of this book.

The first, by Kaetrin, appeared on June 6 and you can find it here:

http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/overall-a-reviews/a-minus-reviews/review-the-kiss-quotient-by-helen-hoang/

Due to illness, my review will run a bit later than originally planned, probably in late June / early July. I will try to remember to add a link here when that review is up, if Netgalley lets me. The grade on that review will be an A-.

Helen Hoang's debut novel is full of vim, vigor, and vitality!

Stella's autism has gotten in the way of having a boyfriend - her solution, hire a male escort to help practice her social and sexual skills. Michael steps into this role for the money, but this intriguing relationship goes in directions neither of the participants originally intend.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC copy.

PS: Many nights after work, I would pull into my driveway and sit captivated by Carly Robins audiobook performance.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I'm very impressed with this first time author. The story and the language flowed easily and I was quickly drawn into the characters. The idea of a woman with autism featuring as the heroine in a romance novel is unlikely, for sure, but I think that is what is so remarkable about this story. It helps to remind people that despite our differences, we are still more alike than we are different. Sure, Stella approaches things slightly differently but in the end, her goals are the same as every other heroine.

There were moments where this story fell short and the characters were acting on mis-information (one of my least favourite plot lines) but I was willing to let that pass. In all, it was an enjoyable read and since this is listed as the first in the series, I'll be happy to continue to read the next one.

Romance is not my typical genre, but this story was so cute it was really accessible and kept those pages turning.

I feel so #blessed to have gotten this book on my radar. I feel like a broken record, but I swear I don't normally like contemporary romance. I usually find them predictable, and worse boring.

However, this does the contemporary genre good. It is fresh, funny, hot, and I love a book that plays with traditional gender norms. Yasss gender swapped Pretty Woman. Can you believe? I don't want to suggest that that is all this is. It's more than a reboot. This novel's heroine is autistic and for the life of me I cannot think of another book that I've read that has a diagnosed/self-identifying autistic female character. Autism so frequently seems like a male disorder because that's what we see in media and I am so much more readily attuned to the male symptoms/experience. What a service to her readers that Hoang has written a novel with a character based on her own perceptions as an autistic woman.

The portrayal of Michael as biracial and his Vietnamese family was also riveting. So often the romantic hero is one dimensional and driven solely by how he relates to the female character. It's refreshing to see a well rounded male protagonist who has a personality, past, friends, family, and work life outside of the key romance.

This book gets all the stars!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkley for the copy I received for review.

The Kiss Quotient was quite remarkable. Even after finishing it a little more than two weeks ago, I can still feel the emotional mark it has left on me. There was not one aspect of this book that I did not fall in love with. The characters were magnetic and dynamic. I loved the gender swap play on Pretty Woman. The writing flowed beautifully and Hoang's tone carried a gentle honesty that brought awareness to and championed those with ASD.

This is a book I will reread again and again.

This book was a breath of fresh air, it had all the feels. I adored everything about this book. This was a stellar debut done right.

Stella in a statistician and loves numbers and order. She has Aspergers which is a type of autism. She is very smart and awkward when it comes to dating. With her mom pressuring her to settle down she decides to hire and escort to teach her how to date.

Michael is an escort that Stella hires. He does this one night a week to help his family financially. When Stella and Michael meet for the first time he can’t understand why someone like her would need to hire him. He is so patient with her.

These two characters I just loved. They formed a friendship and brought out the best in each other. I haven’t read a book this good in a long time. I didn’t want to put the book down to go to sleep. I can’t tell you how long it has been that I wanted to stay up all night and read. I am looking forward to reading more of Helen Hoang’s work

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the summer, so when I got approved on NetGalley for an advanced copy, I was STOKED. So THANK YOU to NetGalley and Berkley for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, this book had me staying up waaay past my bedtime to get in a couple more chapters. It's a compulsive hard-to-put-down read with strong, complex characters. This book would make a fantastic vacation/beach read; although you should be aware that being a romance novel, it was verryyy steamy. Let's just say the sexy-time parts were very... descriptive. But this book is more than just a 'chic lit' romance novel; I felt that it also had some depth. The main character, Stella, is on the autism spectrum, and it was wonderful to see representation we don't see that often.

All-around, I would highly recommend to someone looking for a light, really fun read. I don't read a ton of romance (this is my first this year), but I definitely loved it and am inclined to pick up some more similar books soon.

What a refreshing read! It’s so hard to believe The Kiss Quotient is Helen Hoang’s first book because it was smartly written, refreshing, quirky, sweet, sexy, and unputdownable. It was also nothing like what I expected. This is an adult book with some erotic scenes, make no mistake about it, but it was so much more.

Stella Lane is a very successful econometrician with high-functioning Autism, also referred to as Asperger’s. Because the author has the same thing, our heroine was so real and so special, you couldn’t help but love her. I have a close family member that is so much like her, I feel like I just read her story, and I enjoyed getting in her head. Stella didn’t like the label. She never talked about her “condition”. She felt that once people saw the label, they viewed her differently, so she often went along with things that made her hugely uncomfortable just to be “normal”. One common element of Asperger’s is not liking to be touched, especially intimately.
“I bet you just lie there and run linear recursions in your head while a man does his business. Am I right, Ms. Lane?”
Stella would totally do that if she could figure out how to input gigabytes of data into her brain, but she’d rather die than admit it.

Her previous sexual encounters have been horrible, so she thinks if she learns how to do it right, she will be comfortable doing it and maybe she will find someone. As it is, Stella is lonely. She works 7 days a week, and as much as she loves her work, she wants more. So she decides to hire a professional escort to teach her.

Enter Michael Phan. Half Vietnamese and half Swedish, Michael is using the only good thing his father left him with, his looks, to pay for his family, and he gave up his dreams to do so. He may be an escort, but of course, he’s one for noble reasons. He sees clients Friday nights only and he never sees a client twice, especially after one got obsessed.
She wished she had his cell phone number, but she figured he never gave that to his clients. It was too personal. Especially if his clients had the tendency to get obsessed. Which was actually one of her main weaknesses, and a defining characteristic of her disorder. She didn’t know how to be semi-interested in something. She was either indifferent … or obsessed.

Michael was immediately taken with his new client. He couldn’t understand why such a beautiful woman would hire an escort, but as he got further along with her, he noticed she was a bit different, and he loved that about her.
“Do you always say exactly what you’re thinking?”
“Either that or I don’t talk.” No matter how she tried, she couldn’t overcome it. Her brain simply wasn’t wired for social sophistication.

He also saw that she was not ready for what she wanted to learn. He had to take it slow with her. But he never broke the one-night rule. Or maybe just this once….
“Can I tell you where to kiss me?” she whispered.
A smile slowly stretched his lips. “Yes.”
“M-my temple.”
His breath fanned over her ear, sending goose bumps down her neck, before he pressed a kiss to her left temple. “Now where?” The words were spoken softly against her skin, each one a caress.
“My cheek.”
The tip of his nose grazed her skin as he moved lower. He kissed the hollow beneath her cheekbone. “Now?” he asked without lifting his lips.
So close. She could hardly breathe. “The corner of my m-mouth.”
“Are you sure? That’s very close to being a real kiss.”
Impulsive impatience seared through her, and she sank her fingers into his hair, held him in place, and pressed a closed-mouth kiss to his lips. Bolts of sensation zigzagged straight to her chest. After a surprised hesitation, she did it again, and he took the lead, showing her how it was done, drawing the kisses out.

Michael was so patient with her. He read her so well and knew just when to push and when to back off. Though he grew up with a cousin with the same condition, he didn’t realize Stella had autism, only that she was a little like his cousin. But it made him more patient and understanding with her.

(Quote graphic)

They both tried to keep the relationship about sex, but you know how that always goes.
These were supposed to be simple sex lessons. Why was it getting so complicated?

I found it so sad that Stella didn’t want to tell him her truth.
With the labels, he might be more understanding, but he’d quit viewing her as Stella Lane, awkward econometrician who loved his kisses. In his eyes, she’d become the girl with autism. She’d be … less.

But it’s sad to say, she might be right.
She could change her actions, change her words, change her appearance, but she couldn’t change the root of herself. At her core, she would always be autistic. People called it a disorder, but it didn’t feel like one. To her, it was simply the way she was.


Likes:

•Such a smartly written book.
•Quirky and unique.
•A REAL heroine, with REAL issues.
•How relatable it is for anyone, whether you know someone on the spectrum or not, but especially if you do.
•It never felt preachy, lecturey, or messagey, but it kind of was all three, because it was about learning to accept and love yourself the way you are. About embracing your true self.
•Michael’s family is Vietnamese and we got to get to know his family and their culture a bit.
•Fluid storytelling in a fast, easy read.
•Just enough angst.
•Such chemistry between the hero and heroine.
•Amazing side characters.
•The accuracy of all the things that comprise Asberger’s (although she is a very adventurous eater compared to anyone else that I know with Asperger’s).

Dislikes:

•While the book is about her learning about sex, I liked the build-up so much more, it sometimes felt like it was too focused on the sex.
•It seems all her issues faded away just a little too much with him. I wouldn’t want my family member reading this and thinking that if she just had a guy like Michael, all her issues would be gone.

The Down & Dirty:
I can’t tell you how many people I messaged personally about this book. I think it’s an important read, not only because it features an autistic character written by an autistic author, but it also has a diverse cast of characters. But forget about why it’s an “important” read and let’s focus on why it was a great read. It was a hopeful book, filled with pain, joy, sexy times, love, friendship, family, culture, and diversity. It made me laugh, it tugged at my heartstrings, it made me think, and it made me swoon. I reveled in the uniqueness it brought to a common theme (falling for your escort). The topic of autism could have overpowered the story, but it was more about Stella’s personality and the unique qualities that make her special. It was about overcoming labels, accepting that labels don’t make the person. I loved how they both learned to love themselves as they learned to love the other and accept the other’s love. The Kiss Quotient is truly a book I will remember for a long time and I really look forward to the next standalone in the series, The Bride Test, coming in 2019.

Rating: 5 Stars, 4 Heat

Helen Hoang has started her publishing career off with a bang with The Kiss Quotient. This is the autistic romance I’ve waited my whole life to read as an autistic woman much like Stella.

I received an eARC of The Kiss Quotient from Berkley through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The author and I are also mutuals on Twitter.
The Kiss Quotient features a white autistic woman, Stella, and a bi-racial Vietnamese and Swedish man, Michael, as the main pairing in this stunning romance. Author Helen Hoang is also autistic, though she was diagnosed much later in life than Stella.

This needs some content warnings for severe parent illness (specifically cancer), money troubles, sex work, forced kiss by non-hero, unwanted sexual comments from coworker, intentional sensory overload, accidental sensory overload, explicit sex, internalized ableism, and internalized shame about sex work.

The description of autism for Stella felt so real for me. Even Stella struggling to turn her brain off during sex is something that is familiar. Stella’s obsession after the break up with trying to make herself seem allistic (non-autistic) is definitely something I’ve tried to do when I was particularly frustrated with myself. But I always came back to the same conclusion.

“She could change her actions, change her words, change her appearance, but she couldn’t change the root of herself. At her core, she would always be autistic. People called it a disorder, but it didn’t feel like one. To her, it was simply the way she was.”

Most of the conflict on both sides was internal, and not communicated in a way that both parties entirely understood what was happening. It felt very real to me.

I also adored the loving portrayal of Michael’s family, particularly how he and his sisters work to care for their mother and grandmother in their age and illness, and how it affected their college choices. Stella built a legitimate friendship with his sister, Janie, bonding over their shared love of math and economics. It was beautiful to see.

I can’t say anything other than I loved this book. I look forward to seeing more of Khai and Quan in the next book, The Bride Test, which is out in January. You can pick up a copy on Amazon or Indiebound!

Not exactly the wow-worthy read I was expecting.

There’s been a ton of buzz surrounding this novel and I would say, rightly so—for one reason. With this story, Helen Hoang gives voice to a syndrome that until now, has been absent in the romance genre. Through her cast of endearing characters, she explores the importance of self-acceptance and the desire we all have to find that one person who makes establishing an intimate relationship feel effortless. I just wish I had enjoyed the plot as much as the characters she created. Viewing the world through an autistic lens brings a fresh energy to the storyline initially, but it doesn't take long for the formulaic feel of the plot to overshadow the quirkiness of the cast.

A gender-swapped Pretty Woman of sorts, The Kiss Quotient introduces the reader to Stella Lane, an incredibly smart and driven, thirty-something, living with high-functioning Asperger’s. Her social awkwardness, lack of interpersonal skills and myriad of other eccentricities have been a hinderance on her relationship status and her best bet, she figures, is to start by improving her skills in the bedroom.

So, how does one go about getting better at sex? I guess, if you’re rich and lacking in social skills, you hire a male escort to teach you a few things. Who better to learn from than a professional, right? Lucky for Stella, Michael is the perfect specimen of a man. Tailor by day, sexual escort every Friday night and all around good guy—what could go wrong? In the real world, probably a lot; but this is fiction. Predictable fiction.

What's a romance novel without a happy ending?—it's pretty much a given this is going to happen. Aside from the character traits I admired in both Stella and Michael, their love story felt, dare I say . . . basic. Their budding relationship narrowly avoids insta-love, is paved with convenience and the will-they/won't-they is fueled solely by miscommunication on both their parts, which takes on a stale note rather quickly. And while we would all love to fall for someone who completely understand us—no questions asked—it’s unrealistic to think it would ever happen this easily.

Despite all of my issues with the plot, I still found this to be a worthwhile read. My big takeaway—Helen Hoang’s message in the Author's Note following Stella and Michael's story—be unapologetically you.

“As I pursued and eventually attained a diagnosis (at age thirty-four), Stella, my autistic heroine, was born on the page. It has never been so easy for me to write a character. I knew her intimately. She came from my heart. I didn’t have to filter my thoughts to make her socially acceptable, something I’d been unconsciously doing for ages. And this freedom allowed me to find my voice. Before this, I’d been using every other author’s writing style, trying to be someone else. When I wrote The Kiss Quotient, I became myself, and I’ve been unapologetically myself ever since. Sometimes instead of confining you, a label can set you free.”

*Thanks to Berkley for providing my copy.

What a cute book from a new author to me! The Kiss Quotient is the debut novel by Helen Hoang and what a fun, sweet, heartwarming read.

Stella has Asperger's—a mild form of Autism—that makes it awkward for her in social interactions including those romantic in nature. Stella hires Michael Phan as an escort. What starts off as teachings of the physical turn into lessons of the heart as these two start off as a business agreement and turn into something much, much more.

I fell in love with Stella from the get-go. Her honesty, almost to the point of rudeness at times, her complete innocence in all situations but her true inquisitiveness and want to better herself. Not ever realizing that who she is and how she acts is the true gem of who she is.

Michael, being this really great guy despite his job, sees this from the start and rather than treat her as a business transaction, he has always shown her more... how it feels to be loved, touched, kissed, and treated like she is perfect in every way. I LOVED his gentlemanness, I loved his other side to his escort business—his true self with his family and his career—and I just loved the way he respected and worshipped Stella from the beginning.

Their interactions vary from fun bantering, to sweet moments, to hot and steamy WOW! I was entranced from the beginning to the very end of this book and am amazed by this author's talent. I very much look forward to reading more from her!