From the author of The Bride Test comes a romance novel hailed as one of The Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2018 and one of Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2018!“This is such a fun read and it’s also quite original and sexy and sensitive.”—Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author “Hoang’s writing bursts from the page.”—BuzzfeedA heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves … page.”—Buzzfeed
A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…
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Thankful that I bought this love story and binge-read it in a day.
A successful 30yo woman with Aspergers hires an escort to help her get better at things that would make her good at being a girlfriend. Told in alternating POVs, we get to know what got them both to this point, and see how that affects where they go from here.
Fresh, wonderful, tingly, sweet, new.
And did I mention wonderful yet?
Excellent
Have a close relative with ausbergers syndrome so very enlightening!
Without a doubt the best romance novel of 2018. It was a great year for romance; and with the originality of its characters, this novel was just a cut above the rest.
This was a book I picked up on a sale simply because I’d seen it everywhere this year. I had no idea what it was truly about. Wow! What a fantastic book. Despite the innocent/chick lit looking cover, the hero is a professional escort. This is not some innocent little read. But the heroine is autistic and looking for help because she’s so socially awkward. What happens is a wonderful romance that created an incredible romantic story. I’m so glad I picked this one up. It’s definitely worth the hype it’s been getting.
I highly recommend it…and on audio, too!
The Kiss Quotient was a touching, funny, heartwarming romance with a twist. The story was engaging from beginning to end, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I adore this couple. They are so good to each other, they are so good for each other. Stella’s experiences touch me on so many levels and Michael’s Asian side of the family is so relatable, feels so personal.
Sometimes, life is complicated enough that all we want is just the simplicity and beauty of love. In The Kiss Quotient, romance comes along for the ride, which, trust me, is more than a bonus.
One of the most endearing stories I’ve read in a long time. I am really looking forward to Khai’s story next.
Loved this book! Was not expecting the steamy storyline but I was not disappointed.
I adored these characters and this insight into love from the perspective of a woman on the autism spectrum. Such a hot romance, with so much heart and originality. A breathless read!
This book was good enough that I went looking for anything else the author has written. Unfortunately our library does not carry other books in e-book format which is how I do most of my reading. I might be impatient enough to buy the next one on my own even though I expect my library will eventually carry more books by this author because she writes well and should be very popular.
This was my first book by Helen Hoang and I really enjoy it! not only was very different from what I’ve read but also the writing and the characters where so great and lovable.. especially Stella she was an amazing character..
“She had a disorder, but it didn’t define her. She was Stella. She was a unique person.”
Stella is a very special woman, she doesn’t have any experiences with men, and somehow is afraid to approach them or even have anything intimate with them, she’s desperate to change that but she doesn’t know how or whom to trust with such an embarrassing situation.. until she meets him the only one who will understand her and will be able to help her conquer those fears..
“All the things that make you different make you perfect.”
Michael is working on a side job that is not really making him proud of but life and circumstances had put him into this dilemma. he needs to help his mother and family with a very hard situation and the only way he finds is to do what he does.. but he wasn’t prepared to meet her and have a client like her.. someone who will change his life and game forever.. is just a matter of time for them to recognize each other and accept their destiny..
“I don’t want just a night or a week or a month with you. I want you all the time. I like you better than calculus, and math is the only thing that unites the universe.”
This was a very nice book, Stellas characters was wonderfully written, I really could picture her having all these moments but at the same time she makes you love her because not only she wants to find someone who likes her and loves her from who she is but also she is fighting in silences to be accepted by him.. the one she loves.. “Michael was mint chocolate chip for her. She could try other flavors, but he’d always be her favorite.”
Together, Stella and Michael really made a great couple, both had their own issues to solve and also to conquer but both of them had the need to be with someone who really understood and accepted them for whom they were.. without judging just understanding..
“If you can’t stand being with a woman who’s more successful than you, then leave her alone. She’s better off without you. If you actually love her, then know the value of that love and make it a promise. That is the only thing she needs from you.”
looking forward to read more by Helen..
What a unique love story that reminds us that everyone can love and can receive it. I love the food, the interpersonal dynamics, and the characterization here. I wasn’t initially drawn in by the blurb, but I found myself compelled to read after reading so many positive responses, and I’m do glad I did.
People called it a disorder, but it didn’t feel like one. To her, it was simply the way she was.
Michael and Stella are characters you’ll fall in love with and care for from the very beginning. They have their own issues to work through aside from their relationship. Their chemistry so fiery.
I read 2 or 3 books a week. This has to be one of my top TEN of all times!
Very well written.
Brilliant. I absolutely could not put down this book. It was impossible not to fall in love with Stella and Michael. My favorite book of the year so far – by far.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang received so many rave reviews. I wanted to know why the hype, but I have to admit though I was a little wary at first. I took the plunge after I saw that a few of my blogger associates loved it. I chucked caution to the wind and dived right into the story. I am glad I did.
If I had to use one adjective to describe this book, the term used would be stunning. This is by far my favourite book for the year. There is a plethora of reviews in the blogosphere for this title making it difficult not to say what has already been said about this book. I will say this though, The Kiss Quotient is one of those books you need top pick up when you have nothing else doing, as the story will consume you. Once you start, you will be hard pressed to put it down. The characters will weave themselves into your hearts to the point you will not forget them soon.
I loved Stella and Michael together. An unconventional couple, but perfect for each other. I loved Michael’s patience towards Stella even before he knew about her Asperger’s Syndrome. Even after he found out it never changed how he felt about her.
I loved Michael despite him being an escort. His decision to be an escort was not an easy, but he saw it as the only way out. I may not have agreed with his choice, but who am I to judge.
This story pushed the boundaries of my emotional capacity. I cried (which is a rare occurrence when reading) and I laughed as I rooted for these two. They both deserved happiness as they both had their share of pain and disappointment. The story fulfilled all my expectations. I cannot find anything about the book I did not love apart from the fact I wanted more from Stella and Michael.
Conclusion/Recommendation
If you have not read this book as yet I suggest you make the effort, you won’t regret it. I believe this book is a must read for fans of diverse romance.
The Kiss Quotient is one of the most talked about contemporary romance novels to date this year. It’s the story of a young woman, Stella Lane, who has Asberger’s, a form of autism that makes it really difficult for her to interact socially. Her mother wants to be able to stop worrying about her living on her own and pushes blind dates on Stella constantly hoping she’ll find a match. This makes Stella feel awkward and a failure, but she really wants to please her mom by finding a boyfriend, and even more she wants to alleviate the feeling of being “different” by doing something so normal. However, her approach is a little abnormal. She hires an escort to teach her how to have sex and be in a normal relationship. Michael Phan is half asian, half Swedish and 100% gorgeous. Every Friday night he moonlights as an escort, who, yes, sleeps with strange women. Never the same one twice. However, there is something about Stella that draws him in. She is obviously awkward, but they have a chemistry that intrigues him. Stella asks to hire him for a few weeks and he breaks his rule and accepts.
THE LOVE STORY: I really enjoyed their relationship with each other. Stella was charmingly awkward and even though she managed her Asberger’s very well, she had obvious tells; the rhythmic tapping, the affinity for numbers and formulas, and the problem with hearing multiple sounds at the same time, just to name a few. Michael was somewhat oblivious to all of those tells, being too caught up in his surprising feelings for someone who had hired him. He also had his own secrets and issues, but those are a really big turning point in the story and I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that even though on the outside he seemed to have it all, there was a reason he was hooking. Yes, I am going to call it hooking because if he was a woman that is what he would be called.
MY CONFLICT: It was so hard for me to overlook that Michael slept with other women for money. That’s not a romantic trait. At all. He was charming, sensitive, good looking and very caring towards Stella and that did go a long way towards taking away that hooker taint, but still… I loved Stella. She was so human with all of our frailty’s and issues. Why did her hero have to be so flawed? Why couldn’t an autistic woman be loved by a “normal” man? These were the thoughts that ran through my mind as I was reading this book. I know I am in the minority on this one, but these were my feelings and those thoughts took me out of the story and lessened my enjoyment.
MY CONCLUSION: I had to sit on this one for a couple of weeks before writing my review and I’m glad I did. Looking back on my feelings I realized that in the end I really did like these two characters and did root for them to fall in love. He was the person she needed and it didn’t bother her one bit that he’d slept with hundreds of women. (just an estimate!) He was IT for her. It’s only a fictional novel, but if this were someone in my family I think I could overlook that for her. So, I gave this novel a four rating. It was very well done and really made me think. The Kiss Quotient will probably not fulfill most women’s fantasy’s but it is striking a chord for a lot of people who may or may not have eccentricities and character traits that make them different. It was a story well told.
A completely unique love story! It was so interesting to read a romance from the perspective of someone with autism (Asperger’s). The storyline is very unrealistic though and the way characters just randomly run into each other was a bit too staged. Still it was a cute, fun story. I’m not sure why the audiobook had a soundtrack in the background, I found it very distracting but the narration was good.
I really enjoyed this book. It had the smarts and qwerks of a Penny Reid book. Towards the end it was a little drawn on and predictable. But still enjoyable.
Read in one sitting…super sweet snd interesting characters, super steamy yet sweet. The story is expected yet will turn unexpected on a dime. Very recommended…