Another fun read by Helen Hoang. The only thing negative I have to say about this book is that I waited way too long to read it. It so damn cute!!! I loved the characters and the reverse “Pretty Woman” pulled me in from the start. I’m such a sucker. Loved it!

This book is sexy as hell, adorable, and so, so genuine and heartfelt.

I am in love with this book. We are in a serious committed relationship and “save the dates” will be in the mail soon.

This is one of my favorite books ever. I love Helen Hoang and everything she puts out. I am always pushing all three of her books because they are sooooo amazing.

This was so good that almost all I remember are the chest clenches and the tears. Excellent trope usage and a wonderful couple with great chemistry. The Kiss Quotient made Helen Hoang a must-read author for me.

Why, oh, why does it feel like the romance genre will take one step forward and two steps back?

Step Forward: The inclusion featured in The Kiss Quotient. At least one of the characters is of Asian descent (Stella's race isn't ever discussed, which poses a double-edged sword of assumptions) and the other has Asperger's. Stella's representation of the female traits concerning Asperger's has lead readers to identify with the disorder and seek professional help for something they've dealt with all their lives alone. That's the power of romance. ♡

Two Steps Back: This can be summarized by two words: Phillip James. Through him, sexual harassment and sexual assault (in the workplace, no less) was normalized in order to move along the plot. Read. My. Virtual. Lips: SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IS NOT OKAY. IT IS NOT A PLOT DEVICE. IT SHOULD BE HANDLED WITH THE IMPORTANCE AND CARE IT IS DUE.

GAHHHHHHHH!

I read this book back in 2018 because everyone told me I needed to read it. Normally when there is so much hype around a book I am the black sheep....but this time I loved the story and characters as much as everyone else did. Such a wonderful and heartfelt story and just loved everything about it.

Hoang masterfully writes about it all: love, family, work issues, neuro diversity, acceptance, letting people in.

This story told in both Stella and Michael’s POV is captivating, their minds are so different and yet the reader can see just how they are perfect for each other.

I love a good homage and this gender-reverse Pretty Woman was so much fun. Intersect the rules of family expectation, personal expectation, and such well-written Asperger’s POV., and this sexy book fills your heart in all the best ways.

We recommend this book on Episode 189 of What Should I Read Next: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/189-episode/

If the last three days of my life are anything to go by, it would seem that I have become utterly OBSESSED with Helen Hoang's books. I could seriously kick myself for not reading them sooner. The stories are nothing like I expected them to be—so much sexier, angstier, and in many ways, a lot more serious in tone than the cutesy covers would suggest—and I can confidently say that Hoang is now one of my new favourite authors. The Kiss Quotient is the story of a brilliant young econometrician on the autism spectrum who knows everything there is to know about algorithms and economic principles, but doesn't know anything about romance. So in an effort to become better at dating, she hires a male escort to teach her everything there is to know about sex and relationships. But it doesn't take long for the rules of their business arrangement to change altogether. A tender yet passionate romance with vibrant, endearing characters that I loved so so much.

This book! One of the best romances I've read in years. Intelligent, heartwarming, and even instructive - I definitely learned a bit about living with autism.

The Kiss Quotient is not a book I typically would pick up. I enjoyed the gender-swapped Pretty Woman idea, although the plot was a little thin for me. However, I did love her characterization of Stella and her realistic portrayal of a woman who is also autistic. I'm looking forward to seeing Helen grow as an author and will read more by her.

I. AM. OBSESSED.
From the moment I've read the blurb for The Kiss Quotient , i knew—I KNEW— it was going to be my 2018 treat.
And do you know what I do with my treats? I make them last. I draw the pleasure out. I savour them.
That's exactly what I've been doing with Helen Hoang's remarkable debut.

And you know I was pretty much sold with the book knowing these few facts :
-heroine has Asperger
-hero is an escort (I have a real thing for Escorts in romance, don't ask, it's just hot and mysterious)
-pretend relationship

But even knowing the heroine hires an escort, I don't know why— maybe the cover, or the shy smile's on the author official picture— I thought The Kiss Quotient would be a whole lot sweet, a little awkward, and plenty swoony.

What I hadn't expected was the level of STEAM, hot sex and angsty feels! Guys, my heart hurt, my heart swooned, my heartbeat quickened, and my feels were all over the place. The Kiss Quotient was sex focused, yes, but the heroine's issues to become intimate weren't glossed over.

Helen Hoang kept me on the edge of my seat (ok I was lying in bed all night, so what. Details.) and had me entirely too obsessed in seeing through Stella and Michael’s HEA.
Her “not so perfect for in our society” characters turned out to be pretty much an ideal. I’m daring you not to root for these two to stop pretending and become a real couple!
Stella altough perfectly aware of her social skills defect, was determined to live her life regardless. Even if it meant trying to overcome issues she has very little control over. Some scenes where she finds herself unable to understand social “etiquette” were truly heartbreaking.

Stella's shortcomings didn't make her weak, I was glad to discover a driven and strong heroine, no self-inflicted pity party for Stella. She was in constant adaptive mode, collecting new data, processing and moving on.
I adored Michael’s gentle and caring nature, the patience he relentlessly demonstrated toward Stella made of him a real hero with a golden heart.

As much as I tried to make my treat last, I ended devouring The Kiss Quotient. It's impossible not to fall in love with Stella and her daily struggles to fit in, impossible not to wish for a Michael, impossible not to share shy smiles with Me, Ngoài, and laugh at Michael's sisters bickering.

Even if I was a tiny bit disappointed with the way Michael’s secret profession blew over near the end (predictable and unimaginative), I spent an amazing time and was left wanting more.

I'm in love with this book and a little obsessed with this author.
"-I do not look like Daniel Henney.
-No, you look better."

http://shhmomsreading.com/the-kiss-quotient-by-helen-hoang/

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!

What a fun witty book. I ignored all my adulting that I had to do and just kept on reading until I finished. I regret nothing.

You know how you read a book and you feel like your heart will spring right out of your chest? That was me as I read The Kiss Quotient, so beautiful and poignant.

Stella will grab you from the start. She’s quirky, a woman with a closer affinity to numbers than people. I love that Helen Hoang made Stella’s Aspergers almost a non-starter. Yes, her social chip occasionally goes on the fritz, but you know, as do her friends and a family member or two, that she cares and cares deeply.

Our hero, Michael, is perfect. He recognizes everything that Stella can’t see in herself, and he yearns to show her how wonderful she is. The problem, however, is that Stella may not want that.

Grab your tissues, dear readers. I wept (more than once) as Stella tries to overcome the difficulties she faces. She is a treasure, and you will want her to find her path. Helen Hoang doesn’t always make it easy for Stella, but she sure makes it worth it.

This was alllll kinds of fantastic! Such a breath of fresh air. I haven't read a book quite like this before, and I loved that feeling of finding a new, unique and special read.

What a cute and steamy read — I mean, wow, I was not ready for that. I thought this book was going to be a lot more wholesome, but alright. I’m not complaining.

So, it’s a funny story. I actually got this book from NetGalley months before it came out, and I never read it. I want to shake myself but I also don’t want to, because I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as much as I did now.

Anyways, Stella and Michael were adorable. I literally wanted them together from the moment they started talking at the hotel. The connection was incredibly real, which made the book so much more interesting and amazing. And even though there wasn’t much that happened asides from their relationship (asides from the typical family drama), I was still invested in the story and romance.

Unfortunately, there were some chapters I felt a little bored, which is why I didn’t give this book five stars. I felt like the scenes with Michael’s best friend and mother could have been more interesting or less filler-like. But I’m also wondering if those chapters felt dull because I just wanted more Michael and Stella moments.

Overall, a fast and entertaining romance — one I see many people enjoying. That being said, if you can’t handle some heavy/hot scenes, then maybe this one isn’t for you, because I was certainly caught off guard by all of that action.

This is a delightful book. I love reading from the point of view of the main character who is not a typical romantic heroine.

This was! So cute!

No, seriously, I adored this in so many ways :) It was meaningful and well-written and just the right level of angsty. I would have liked a bit more exploration of the heroine's relationship with her mother, but beyond that, I was so happy with this book & absolutely cannot wait for BRIDE TEST.

The Kiss Quotient first had me when I heard about how adorably awkward the heroine, Stella was. I’ve now read and finished the book, only to realize that while she may be adorably awkward, she’s so much more than that. Stella is the type of character that has you wishing she were your best friend because she’s so completely honest and kind. It’s hard not to fall in love with her charm and naivety.

Stella is need of some loving—more like she needs help perfecting the act of intimacy. So she does what any intelligent and wealthy woman would do and hires an escort. Enter Michael—said escort. One of the coolest (and best) things about the book is the fact that all the roles were reversed. Instead of a wealthy man picking up an escort; it’s the woman. Think Pretty Woman in reverse! Stella has the status and the money, even if she doesn’t quite fit the mold of how an insanely rich person would act.

Michael is just trying to survive and help out his family the only way he knows how—by selling his body for money. When he and Stella meet for the first time, she treats him as an equal, not someone that she’s paying for intimacy. The thing is, Stella starts wanting his expertise in more than just sex. Michael doesn’t do repeat clients for many reasons though. So why can’t he stop thinking of her?

I loved, adored, and cried such happy tears while reading this book. It’s one that’s completely unique to the genre, in my humble opinion. I loved the fact that the hero is Vietnamese (well part anyways) and the heroine has Aspergers. Huang brings us something completely fresh and in the process will hopefully help open the eyes of those who don’t understand autism as well. I feel like this is a changing point for the autistic community (and those with other forms of disabilities) as a whole. You aren’t alone.

Diverse books are absolutely something we need more of—and this one will most certainly not disappoint. It’s smart and sexy—a lethal combination! Seriously, if you’re in need of something sexy yet romantic, and a hero that genuinely cares about those around him, including the heroine, pick this up. You won’t regret it! These characters will stay with you long after you finish reading.