The Kiss Quotient

A fun, sexy book with a unique and endearing main character. Loved it.

It started off so good and I loved it but then.... yeah. Just went downhill from there.

This book was okay. I loved the autism rep and the fact that it was own voices was AMAZING. However, some of the writing really took me out of the story. I struggled to root for the characters and found myself getting kind of annoyed at them a lot of the time. I think part of it might have been trying to go into this right off The Hating Game because I was wanting another romance that made me feel the way that book did and The Kiss Quotient just didn't measure up.

The first book in this series is by far the best one out of the three. First of all, I love how Helen Hoang explored Stella's romance with Michael and highlighting her struggles with romantic and sexual relationships due to her autism and lack of experience. I appreciate that Stella wasn't written as a character whose autism is like I'M AUTISTIC like Sam from Atypical. Rather, the autism was noted throughout the story like her need for strict routines and sensory issues. Also, I want to thank Helen Hoang for giving autistic Asian women like myself a chance to be seen and heard for the first time. I'm so grateful that more people are learning about neurodiversity and while Stella has a stereotypical special interest in mathematics, I love that she chose to write about how autistic Asian women navigate sex and romance in a banging romance novel though the sex scenes were a bit much at times and the romance felt a bit rushed.

To those of you who don't what autism is, please check out the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) and the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network (AWN).

Again, I'm glad I read this book during Autism Acceptance Month, which makes it even better.

This is one of those rare books I like the male MC more than the female one. And not just because he looks like Daniel Henney. It was sweet though, good for them.

After hearing all the hype I decided to give this a try, and while the premise was cute and it was nice to see a relatable character with autism for once, the writing style was too much for me to overlook. This book read like bad fanfiction and the dialogue was unrealistic. I get what the author was aiming for here, but it felt forced at times.

The plot dragged at the beginning to establish the characters, but then suddenly everything was forced into the last three chapters. I didn't feel like Stella or Michael had any real dimension. They felt paperlike and artificial to me, and I couldn't imagine real, flesh-and-blood people as these characters.

I just did not enjoy the “possessive protector” role that Michael suddenly took on, and I was not expecting the detailed sex scenes either. I honestly thought this was going to be more of a rom-com style book, not a Silicon Valley 50 Shades of Grey. That's my fault though, for not reading reviews beforehand.

All in all, it's not something I would recommend or re-read.

I really wanted to love this book. It has great representation and the premise is amazing, but the story and writing fell flat for me. I also really appreciated that Stella was the nerdy math person and Michael was the escort. The role reversal was great to read. I loved the characters but did enjoy the plot as much as I thought I would and there were times I was cringing as I read scenes between the love interests.

The characters were witty and real. It was easy to connect with them and feel like you truly knew them. However, there were a lot of moments where I was uncomfortable reading the characters together. This may have been somewhat intentional by the author, but it didn't work for me. I can see why everyone loves this book, but it just was not for me. I want to love the characters and the story and not be uncomfortable reading about the characters together.

CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 9
Atmosphere: 3
Writing: 2
Plot: 6
Intrigue: 5
Logic: 3
Enjoyment: 4

3.5✨ my full thoughts can be found in my latest reading vlog about hyped romances

I started this because I needed something really get into after a disappointing middle grade book that I didn't finish. And I read this in a day so yeah, it worked! I loved this! Stella is such an interesting, well-rounded character. I want to be her friend. And Michael is hot, obvs. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

very fun book while it helped me learn about stella's struggles

This was a steamy read, for sure! Predictable, enjoyable, though I'm not sure how a neurotypical man would think he's inherently broken because of his father's unfaithfulness. It was kind of a let down as far as big reveals go. The way it was built up I was expecting something MUCH more scandalous.

Ok I was thrown off at first because of the reverse Pretty Woman type story line

This book really impressed me. I loved finally reading a contemporary romance that's just... Different. Being able to see things from the perspective of an autistic character was really interesting and fresh, and makes me wish there were more stories with such diverse casts of characters. I will definitely read more by this author.

Four stars for being one of the best romance novels I've ever read. Actually, can't think of a better at the moment. I read this for the 2019 Read Harder Challenge: A book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse. This is both. Loved the female protagonist, who is rich, brilliant, and has Asperger's Syndrome.

[b:The Kiss Quotient 36199084 The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient, #1) Helen Hoang https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1527983633s/36199084.jpg 57828311] Stella + Michael= Awesome Sauce!We have a mathematical perfect match!! This one is a winner hands down!!!!!!The Kiss Quotient was breathtaking!So what happens when you're smart, have Asperger's and your parents want you to get married and provide a progeny of grandchildren but you aren't good at social situations or intimacy? Well, you hire an escort of course!! Stella Lane is in her thirties. She is very successful and driven. She's an economist and a workaholic. She knows her limitations and having sex is one of them. She believes that if she can conquer her fears of intimacy, she can then be in a relationship. Michael Pham is paying his mother's hospital bills by using his body as an escort. He's part Vietnamese and part Swedish. In other words, this combination makes him stunning. When his next job takes him to meet Stella, he can't help but be grateful. She fits his hot librarian fantasy to a tee. After their first meeting, he knows he's in trouble. He usually doesn't see a client twice but this time he wants to make an exception.I love Stella and Michael together. Michael was so patient and understanding. He was also great with his whole family. He had his own insecurities and fears. I liked to think that being with Stella helped him realized he was worth it. Stella was amazing too. She tried her hardest to face her limitations. It takes great courage to try something new when you're so used to your routine and structure. I can't but fan myself at their sexy times. Let's just say WOW is an understatement. The Kiss Quotient was a wonderfully crafted novel. It's uniqueness and fascinating characters sets it apart from the rest. I found myself doing a happy dance after finishing it. The ending was just perfect! I'm crossing my fingers we get to see more characters getting their own books. The author has plenty of material. This is a new author for me but I will be back as soon as my hold at the library is available of The Bride Test!

Dit is zo'n boek waarbij je meteen al weet hoe het gaat aflopen en dat kon me niks schelen, want het was zo leuk en schattig en extreem vlot geschreven.

Ondanks het feit dat de plot voorspelbaar is, bracht het boek toch veel diepgang en heel interessante personages naar voren. Mensen van vlees en bloed, die je echt leert kennen en die dus niet zomaar op de oppervlakte blijven.

Perfect luchtig tussendoortje met toch net ietsjes meer.

This book...... Oh this book. I knew what I was getting into to a degree in reading a romance book. I mean, I know how romance books typically go and I watch Hallmark movies, so I'm no stranger to the cheesy, the regular drama, and the melodrama. So, I went into this knowing that it was going to be just a cheesy, feel-good type read. And it was. I was excited to have an interracial pairing, to have the lead male be half-Vietnamese, for the lead girl to be on the spectrum. And I was fine with it being over the top. Until about 80% of the book when I was over it. I was over all the back and forth, back and forth and all the melodramatic internal monologues and the lack of communication. Just.... oh. my. lord. The last two hours of the audiobook was just me sitting on my couch rolling my eyes and yelling JUST C O M M U N I C A T E, DAMN IT. It was a 4 star read up until that point and then with all of it continuing literally until the last 30 minutes of the book, I had to drop it down to 3.

..... that being said, I'm complete trash and will still read The Bride Test.

I loved this book so much!
Thanks to #romanceopoly and Peace Love Book's book boyfriend list I decided to pick this one up, otherwise I might have never listened to it, as the cover made me think it was chicklit, but this is such a sweet (but hot hot) romance. Michael is just

Could not put this book down when I started getting into it! Finished it in record time.

Aquí dejo mi link que los lleva directo a mi reseña de The kiss quotient en mi blog.
http://lesporliteratura.com/2019/05/05/the-kiss-quotient/

“How did one not obsess over something wonderful? How did one like something a reasonable amount?”

The overall story was enjoyable and sweet even despite being predictable and having some of my least liked tropes: insta-love and miscommunication. Let me elaborate.

Firstly, the representation was great, Stella and Micheal made a cute couple and I liked how the gender norms were reversed here, Sella was the rich one working in a STEM field and Michael was the artist struggling with paying the bills.

But they were gaga over each other way too soon, I wasn't even midway through the book when they were thinking about falling in love. No. You guys just fell in lust. And there was too much of the devil's tango if you know what I mean. At first, it was fine, definitely better than that Sarah J. Mass cringefest (I think I actually saw her promote this book somewhere haha), however I thought this would be more of a chick-lit romance with “some” steam and there was definitely more than “some”.

It's refreshing to see a protagonist from the spectrum in this scenario because it's important to acknowledge that someone with this disorder can be just as much of a sexual being as anyone, but, for me, this was explored a little too much and it overshadowed the story and it got really repetitive fast. At one point they were touching ever other page and I was rolling my eyes thinking Can you guys not do this right now please? Your family is in the next room. By that point I was ready for the story to wrap up.

The ending was not by favorite either. I can't stand when people don't use their words and assume what you're thinking and make a choice for you. Please, no. Tell me how you feel and we'll take it from here. And they did exactly that, they assumed how the other felt and it got messy. But there's a happy end, don't worry.

Great concept, not so great execution.

I hate giving an own voices book a low rating, especially when the world needs more books featuring disabled or neuro-diverse characters.

Maybe I just don't do romance novels, but ack! One good conversation would have eliminated all the tiresome emotional back and forth. I know insecurities don't fade over night, but if they're that crazy about each other, the least they could do is take each other's words seriously.

Also, “no, leave me alone” actually means, no, leave me alone. I can't stand it when guys push passed women's boundaries because they just know deep down she really means yes.

I finally made time to read this and I'm so glad I did! It's a wow from me. I devoured it! I found that the characters really came to life for me. Michael and his family are so vivid in my mind. The female perspective of being a person living with autism was so enlightening and I found myself strongly relating to this author and Stella. Read the Author's Note!

I loved the gender swapped Pretty Woman angle. This is actually the second of this kind of story that I've read in the last month (Major love to Cara McKenna's Curio! I loved Didier but that story leaned more heavily erotica—not a complaint just FYI 😘. There's still a ton of steam between Michael and Stella) Anyway, it's always refreshing to see a woman in a romance as in love with her career as her love interest. And in a technical field! Love love love!

I also was thrilled to have a half Vietnamese Hero! It's secondary to everything but I loved the cultural touchstones this brought to the story. It really made it a unique romance. I can't say I've read anything quite like The Kiss Quotient and it left me with a sappy smile on my face at multiple points. I highly recommend it!

3.5 stars I had hoped to like this more that I did. I might pick up the second one if I'm ever in the mood for a straight romance.

On one hand, it is always refreshing to have honest lead ladies as protagonists - even if it's because they're autistic... on the other hand, although it's sweet and romantic - and erotic - it was such a mixture of plots, with all the families, the trust fund - what? - and the sex that my brain got fuzzy.