Sweet And Hot, ‘The Kiss Quotient’ Really Adds Up

The Kiss Quotient

by Helen Hoang

Paperback, 317 pages | purchase

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The Kiss Quotient is out this workweek after months of flourish, and I ‘m happy to report it absolutely lives up to the buzz. It ‘s a heartening, fun, and all-consuming floor in which we fall in love with both an endearing on-the-spectrum econometrician and the sexy biracial male escort she hires to teach her everything about advanced dating and sexual activity.
Stella Lane might be a ace with numbers, but after numerous sexual encounters go amiss, she seeks out a master escort to help her human body out what ‘s happening. Michael Larsen — Daniel Henney lookalike and manner interior designer in the create — wants to keep things strictly professional ; he ca n’t afford to complicate his side hustle when his entire family is depending on him. But flush non-romance readers know what happens when you mix business with pleasure — literally, in this sheath. Hoang ‘s intense and descriptive style gives readers the opportunity to live vicariously through Stella and feel all the tingling excitation as Michael very professionally seduces her. Hoang mixes sexy and bid with dash, and she ‘s careful in sketching out the dynamics of the romance, making certain to maintain a balance of office between Stella and Michael despite the commercial ( at beginning ) nature of their joining. Both of them have a real impale in this pseudo-relationship they ‘ve established — so you believe they actually would stick their necks out for dispatch strangers. Hoang unpacks their insecurities, social anxiety, and the abandonment issues that have shaped them ; in many ways, Stella and Michael help each other overcome these challenges, or at the very least determine to deal with them better .

That said, their cultural differences keep them from moving into real-relationship territory, at least at first gear. Struggling to make ends meet, Michael comes from a different economic bracket than Stella — who has a cushy job and a trust fund to boot — and it colors his belief in the longevity of their bond. Stella ‘s introduction to his close-knit family — by and large women — and how she handles ( or truly ca n’t handle ) their volume is particularly noteworthy, given her social awkwardness. She attempts to understand Michael ‘s vietnamese inheritance in the best way she knows how, by doing research before she meets his family, but her accidental fixation on their fiscal weakness and lack of a forefather figure makes for a sincerely cringe-worthy first base dinner. Likewise, Michael ‘s introduction to her affluent ( and slightly aloof ) parents at a gala triggers his insecurities, forcing him to rethink their placement. Stella is peculiarly relatable in her desire to find love and be loved ; Hoang draws on her own experience with autism spectrum disorder here, weaving it thus subtly and organically into Stella ‘s character that she never seems like a token or a stereotype. stella may be trying to brush up on her social and intimate skills, but the true link of her character is her pride in both herself and her achiever — and her flat-out refusal to let anyone use her condition to undermine her. I confess, it ‘s probably not ideal reading material for your commute because you ‘ll find yourself thus immersed that you ‘ll inescapably miss your stop .
Hoang besides explores the implications of consent and what that does to self-worth, both from the perspective of a sex worker who ‘s been used and abused ( at least emotionally ) and a woman used to being neglected during sexual activity and gradually realizing that that ‘s not the average. Michael goes beyond the arbitrary rules of date, and teaches Stella to feel aphrodisiac in her own hide, voice her wants, and demand reciprocality from her spouse. In turn, Stella ‘s deference and taste for him boosts his self-esteem, making him feel less like a arouse aim and more like a person.

Hoang ‘s debut novel is unputdownable, especial, and leaves a potent impression that wo n’t wane anytime soon. I confess, it ‘s credibly not ideal reading corporeal for your change because you ‘ll find yourself so immersed that you ‘ll inescapably miss your stop — but vitamin a tantalizing as it may be to binge-read, it deserves to be drawn out and savor. Stella and Michael ‘s narrative is deeply moving, brimming with social comment on the mark surrounding sex sour and genial health, and skillfully demonstrating that before we can love person else, we must love and accept ourselves .

Kamrun Nesa is a freelancer writer based in New York. Her work has been featured in Bustle, HelloGiggles, PopSugar, BookBub, RT Book Reviews, and Alloy. She besides contributes to USA Today ‘s glad Ever After romance blog .