The Kiss Quotient Review: Adorable and Steamy Own Voices Story

October 16, 2018 by Jenna | 4 stars, Books, Reviews

The Kiss Quotient Review: Adorable and Steamy Own Voices StoryThe Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Published by Berkley on June 5, 2018
Source: Purchased
Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary, Diversity, Own Voices, Romance
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble
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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...

The Kiss Quotient was such an adorable read! I’d been dying to get my hands on a copy since hearing all of the love that other bloggers and reviewers have been giving this book, including our very own Aila! So I was beyond excited when Jeann sent me her copy. It was an extremely cute and quick read, with ownvoices representation for the Autism Spectrum community, as well as Vietnamese and biracial communities.

The book follows Stella Lane, who is a highly successful econometrician but has been diagnosed as a high-functioning autistic. She is awkward in social situations, honest to a fault, and dislikes physical contact from other people. Despite having a few unsatisfying (and honestly traumatic) sexual encounters in the past, she gives in to pressure from her family and work colleagues and decides to explore and improve that side of herself. She hires an escort, Michael, to give her lessons on how to have sex, but sparks fly from their very first encounter, and soon Stella realises that she wants more than just sex.

I absolutely loved the romance in this book. Stella and Michael were so perfect together. They enjoyed watching the same kind of movies and both had a love for martial arts movies and K-dramas. It’s easy to see why they were so drawn to each other. Which brings me to my only real point of criticism: I thought that the romance was built upon their instant attraction to each other. I do, however, appreciate that that was kind of necessary in order to drive the plot forward and keep the story moving in the first third of the book. I enjoyed all of Stella and Michael’s interactions together, and that they loved each other’s strengths and imperfections. Stella doesn’t begrudge Michael for his lack of a successful career, and supports him in his pursuits. In return, Michael doesn’t treat Stella differently because of her disorder, but instead helps her see her potential in all aspects of her life. They were so absolutely adorable together and I was hooked on their romance from the first few chapters.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this novel because of their authenticity and the representation that was in the book. Even though Stella is autistic, she’s never defined by it and her character was never reduced to her diagnosis as a high-functioning autistic. Although Stella does try to improve on her social skills, she doesn’t try to change all aspects of herself to fit, and it was refreshing to see a character be so shameless in her love for her work and passion in the things that she enjoys. Similarly, I also loved our sexy Vietnamese-Swedish escort Michael, for his dedication to the things he loves most: his mother and his family. I found his drive to provide for his family to be really admirable and I loved how much pride he had in his Vietnamese background and upbringing. Stella and Michael both felt like extremely real characters, who I felt were like my own friends and that kept me invested in their story and their romance.

I really really loved The Kiss Quotient. It was fluffy and adorable, with just the right amount of steamy sexy times. I loved the characters and the representation, and I cannot wait for the companion novel to come out next year!

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Jenna is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves to indulge in great books and great food. She is a doctor (of philosophy) and can usually be found fangirling about something, devouring delicious food, or taking a nap. You can find her on Twitter @readwithjenna and on Instagram @readingwithjenna.

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