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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Like practically everyone else, I loved this book. The heroine’s perspective through her Asperberger’s lens is fascinating, but…it’s the hero who makes it for me! A male escort? Who actually comes from a good family who love him, yet have no idea how he’s really paying Mom’s medical bills? I was fascinated at his process to get ready to go to work, at the practicalities of having sex for hire, at his thoughts about his clients. That was surely as interesting as the heroine. The hero begins from an objectively immoral base–a hooker for money, as far as we know–but as the book goes on, the hero’s life and motivations gain unexpected detail after detail. With each scene, he becomes more heroic. I was completely cheering for him to win everything good in life by the last page!
There is much insight and empathy in this story. Very original. Absolutely loved it.
Absolutely loved everything about this book. Every second of it. The characters are incredible, the heroine who is autistic occasionally broke my heart, and the hero is perfect. They just fit perfectly together. I loved loved loved it and I highly recommend it.
It’s been over a year since I read this book and for the first time ever in a romance or fiction saw myself. Because Helen put herself out there and wrote from her heart, her struggles, her triumphs, I realized I had autism. Since being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, my life is truly a different existence. I’m proud to be autistic, proud to be different, and in part that’s because my first introduction to my reality was a romance about self-acceptance and loving partnership that celebrated and desired not in spite of struggles or differences but because of them. This is why #OwnVoices matter so much! They show us marginalized experiences and foreground them in a genre that’s too often prescriptive about who’s beautiful, who’s worthy, and who’s lovable. I adored how this book threw those criteria out the window and wrote an honest, sexy, heartfelt story about autism love.
I couldn’t get enough of Stella—her curiosity and her frankness, her blunt, witty explanations for life which resonated with me so much. Most people with ASD don’t filter; they simply share what’s on their mind, and I loved that Michael loved Stella for that, and I also appreciate that Helen didn’t shy away from how that unfiltered tendency in autistics can make things tough sometimes.
Michael was sweet and just right for Stella. A man who sews a sensory-processing challenged gal french seams in her clothes? Yes please!! Also, wowy, their chemistry was HAWT. I found the talking-as-they-went both endearing and pleasantly realistic; good intimacy requires communication and trust and a sense of humor, and Helen nailed that.
I will always be grateful for this story. It’s given me courage to know myself deeper, to love myself for who I am, and to read and write stories that celebrate love’s universality and healing power.
I have read this book multiple times (I own the ebook) and listened to the audiobook (for free via my local public library) and am obsessed with it. I found it on a website listing, shall-we-say *respectable* romance novels that still had a lot of, um, steam. The premise is somehow both touching and tawdry at the same time: a highly intelligent, highly successful woman from a well-to-do family, who happens to have Asperger’s, hires a male escort to help her improve at intimacy. Both of the main characters are intensely likable and you want everything to work out for them so badly it hurts. The author handles the main character’s autism supremely well and offers insight for those of us without much understanding into what it can be like to live (and date) with such a diagnosis. The story, while seemingly predictable, doesn’t seem to rush through anything, and instead takes readers on a journey and makes them think, forgetting they’re trapped in a bit of a trope. Masterfully written and just oh-so sweet, this book is a winner all-around. This is one of my favorite romance novels. Period.
I personally preferred reading the book to the audiobook because (a) it’s faster, (b) easier to reread, and (c) there’s something about listening to romance novels that’s just… odd. But, the narrator was quite good, so if you want an audiobook to listen to while driving, walking, etc. it’s still a good choice.
*5 Stars*
I had heard so much about this book, and when I saw it on sale at the bookstore, I couldn’t pass the chance to snatch it up for myself. I finally got around to picking it up, and I’m so glad I did. I was hooked by this book right away.
I’ve never read a book before where one of the main characters is autistic. It adds a whole new and interesting level to the story, and really highlights the issues that people on the spectrum deal with in their everyday lives. Stella was a fascinating character and I really liked her.
Michael was a great character too, and whilst I hope that this book doesn’t romanticise the escorting profession, I still liked the fact that he had a job such as he did, but was doing it for the specific reasons that he was. I mean, I guess that happens in real life too, but its easier to believe that people lead those kinds of lifestyles because they need money for drugs or gambling. Michael is completely different to that, and I really liked his personality underneath the exterior that he shows.
There were some interesting secondary characters in this book too. Some that I liked, and others that I didn’t. I really loved watching Stella and Michael get to know each other, and thought that their story was interesting and it definitely had me captured from the start.
I definitely want to continue this series, and see where their lives take them.
This was a cute, charming, and romantic read with characters I’d enjoy meeting face-to-face. I loved this book.
So much insight into difficult personalities and how with the right approach people can, like flowers bloom.
A refreshing and addicting read! I wanted to see what everyone was raving about it, so I devoured The Kiss Quotient over a few afternoons on the beach—and it left me with a smile on my face. I loved reading about a heroine and hero that each break the mold in her and his own way. If you’re looking for something different in romance, plug this one into the equation. I look forward to reading more from Helen Hoang.
I listened to The Kiss Quotient during the Romanceopolyathon (April 8th – 14th) for the Romanceopoly (Library) Challenge. I enjoyed this book when listening to it and liked the narrator, Carly Robins who narrated the story too.
The Kiss Quotient is a charming story with two lovable characters. Stella Lane, who is a very successful and smart woman. She works with math daily dealing with algorithms to predict customer purchases. She also has Aspergers Syndrome, which happens to be my first book that has a heroine/hero with autism. I loved Stella though because of her character and her successes she’s had in her life. She wants to have a successful dating life though and hires a professional escort to help her in that department. Michael Phan is the escort she employs in the story and let’s say I adored him to in the story. He was hesitant at first on helping Stella when she hires him for more than one night to help her because he usually doesn’t do but one night with a client. Michael is intrigued with Stella though and thinks she’s more experienced than she gives herself credit for in the story. Here’s the issue though neither should fall in love with each other. Unfortunately, feelings will get in the way, especially when they start hanging out even more and meeting each other’s family and friends. Michael’s other clients may play an issue in the story if they come across them.
I enjoyed this sweet contemporary book, and I loved how Helen Hoang wrote the characters in the story. I connected with both Stella and Michael in the books with their personalities. There are some very steamy moments, too, so be prepared. Stella’s passion for her job and her growing love with knowing Michael and his family is what I adored most in the book.
I’m so glad I read/listened to this book. After I listened to the book, I bought a hardcover version of the book since I like the cover of the book too. I’m going to read the next book in the series and check out any other books that Helen Hoang writes in the future and if you are looking for something different in the Contemporary Romance genre that is sweet and includes Opposite’s Attract Trope/Element than I recommend this book.
Story Rating: 4.5 stars
Steaminess Rating: 4 stars
Standalone or part of series:
Do I recommend this book? Yes.
Will I read other books from the author? Yes.
Tropes/Elements: Opposite’s Attract Romance, Sweet Contemporary Romance
Heroine: Successful (STEM) heroine with Asperger’s syndrome
Hero: Professional Escort; Mixed-Race (Half Vietnamese & Half Swedish)
I LOVED this book. Its my fav book I’ve read in 2019 so far. So good. I can’t say enough good things about it. Wonderful characters, wonderful romance, wonderful plot and conflict, and wonderful ending. Every bit was pretty much perfect. 10 out of 10!!
Well, this was my 2nd go at this book, this time by audiobook. Romance is my least favorite genre but the hype always suckers me in … and then in the end I’m generally confused between: why the hype when it’s a blah storyline? It started off as a typical boy meets girl and within the first few chapters, predicting the storyline. However …. maybe it’s the audiobook that brought the characters more to life but I found myself suddenly invested in their lives. I was rooting for her, rooting for him, sad, hopeful, worried, anxious and more. There were a few surprises along with a few predictions. And the sex, oh my; that took me by surprise! Over all, I found myself, in the end, charmed by this romance.
I’m often disappointed when I read a book that has received a lot of buzz but this book was a pleasant surprise. I initially read a library copy but had to purchase my own in paper, as I will be revisiting.
Featuring a sex-worker hero and a heroine with Asperger’s, both with a non-WASP background, the setup alone was fresh. But they both have immense emotional vulnerability and the voice has an underlying sweetness with great appeal.
I loved everything about this read, from the snappy writing to the sparking chemistry. It gave me all the feels and then some!
I found this book to be full of feeling and inspiring as well as steamy! Who cannot relate to Stella’s struggles? I also learned about high functioning autism and how Stella defied her labels. Loved Michael too. Well drawn characters, great story!
This is one book that completely lives up to the hype! A gender flipped Pretty Woman with a math-nerd heroine is an irresistible premise. Humorous and heartfelt, with a strong voice and great characters, this story more than delivered.
I have to admit, I started reading this book after seeing an excerpt in some article somewhere, and I wondered if this book would really live up to its hype.
Mystery solved… it does!
From the well-beyond-ordinary characters that I completely fell in love with, to the slow-burn romance, to the steaming hot love scenes between these diverse, unconventional people, Hoang has definitely turned me into a fan.
Stella has a Ph.D. in Econometrics. She’s brilliantly smart, hardworking, and there’s nothing more she likes more than her work… so much so that she works even on her days off. As such, her parents are filthy rich, and she herself, even outside of her family money, has more money than the poor girl knows what to do with. She’s also on the Autism Spectrum.
As a super-introvert myself, I have to say I can 100% relate to this part of the story, but Stella at some point realizes she must turn the act of learning how to be good in social settings into a task to master, including how to successfully be in a romantic relationship with a man. These things do not come naturally to her, so the best way she can come up with to master such a thing is to hire someone to teach her.
Introduce Michael. Michael is a Vietnamese man a few years younger than Stella, described to be very handsome and often said to look like two different movie stars. Michael is such an endearing character on so many levels. So what if he makes money on the weekends as a Male Escort? He has his reasons… and it’s lucky he did when you think about it, because otherwise, he may have never met poor Stella.
When these two get together, sparks fly, and the push and pull of will-they-won’t-they is just enough to keep you wildly flipping the pages to get to the “they will!” parts. The way he takes her and puts her at ease, making her feel comfortable in her own skin, making her see how a man should treat her and making her see that what she wants is just as important as what her partner wants, and making her see that she’s perfect just the way she is, labels be damned.
This book will challenge you, and it will break your heart, and it will restore your faith in humanity once again when all is said and done. If you add one Must-Read book to your TBR this year, I’d say this one should be it.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, is a romantic, hot, warm to your soul, beautiful and charming story. The blurb let you to believe that it’s a book about an autistic woman and an escort male. It’s more than that. Michael, a hottie, wonderful, hero, of Vietnamese-Swedish heritage, a Daniel Henney look alike, is a man in battle with his self worthiness, and in constant control of the powerful anger that cleaning his father selfishness mess unleashed in him. Stella, a lovely heroine battles with her desire of being accepted as she is, and not as less due to her autism. All the characters in the story felt very authentic, and Stella and Michael are beautiful together. I hope cousin Quan gets a book too. I fell in love with both hero and heroine.
This one was amazingly adorable! Quirky and unpredictable fun!
As a mom of a teenage son with Asperger’s, I was thrilled to see a book with such an original twist, which is what we need in romance. I was hooked from the first chapter and quickly became invested in Stella and Michael’s journey. Smart writing, diverse characters, and a fun, adorable twist on a subject that some may not know much about. I’m both impressed and grateful that Helen Hoang tackled the unique dynamic between Stella and Michael, and eager to read more from her in the future.