The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
I was really excited about this book based on the description and that it won Goodread’s 2018 Best of Romance Award. I’m all for a good typical and predictable romance book. The will they/won’t they even when everyone knows they will. The miscommunications, the steamy sex scenes.
I don’t necessarily expect a romance to feel realistic, especially one where an escort and his client end up falling in love. But, I specifically picked up this book as the main character, Stella has Asperger’s and thus it should add a certain uniqueness and voice to a syndrome that is absent in the romance genre. Initially, Stella does bring you into her view of the world altered by her autism. It was eye-opening and showed how some of our everyday actions do not come naturally to others, nor really make sense to others. The fact she very logically decides to hire a professional escort to teach her how to be better at sex so she can have a long lasting relationship perfectly shows how her syndrome makes her view certain things.
But quickly, this book only focuses on the sex and hidden emotions and loses sight of the uniqueness of the characters. Suddenly, it seems that Stella’s Asperger’s has disappeared or at least that in the presence of Michael, she no longer has to “deal” with her unique view of the world. This may be where my partial lack of knowledge of autism has me judging too harshly, and I understand Stella has high-functioning Asperger’s but it seems a bit unrealistic that every quirk could so quickly be overcome in a matter of days or hours in the presence of another. It becomes a little too close to insta-love and Stella and Michael understand each other a little too easily. Especially when Stella first seems to never truly understand other’s feelings and actions.
I still enjoyed portions of the book, specifically the beginning and did like the characters of Stella and Michael. There was substance to both these characters and Hoang explores the importance of self-acceptance while also showing that love can be effortless. But overall, I feel like it got a bit stale and basic about halfway through.
Synopsis: 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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