Review: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Title: The Kiss Quotient

Author: Helen Hoang

Series: The Kiss Quotient, #1

Published: June 2018, Berkley

Format: Paperback, 336 pages

Source: Library

Summary: 

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…

My thoughts:  It’s been a while since I’ve read a romance book, but let me tell you…I absolutely loved this one and I certainly will be adding this genre to my reading repertoire. With so many books out there and my love for thrillers and psychological suspense novels, it’s so easy to fall down the rabbit hole and get caught up in one genre, but then I forget that there are all these other books out there. I realized that with historical fiction earlier this year, and now thanks to #notyomamasbookclub for selecting this as it’s August pick, I have found my love of romcoms again!

This book is so sweet and tender, yet it sure has it’s steamy parts! I found it contained the most endearing characters, ones that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. But even more than that, this book is filled with substance – it’s not just a light, fluffy chick read.

I loved Stella. She is what made this book for me. She is an econometrician and has Autism and so she doesn’t do well in social situations. She’s gone out with a few guys in the past but the guys have been jerks. She is convinced she needs lessons in order to have a successful relationship, so she hires Michael, an escort to teach her. As soon as these two meet, I could feel the sparks fly and while I knew how things would ultimately end…it is a romance novel after all…I loved watching their journey. To me, that is what these books are all about and this one was one of the best ones I’ve read in a long time.

One of the most striking themes that came across in this book when it came to relationships and the sex was consent. I loved that…it was so refreshing to see that being taken so seriously, that nothing was taken for granted just because Stella had hired an escort or because of her autism. But a word of caution…this book is plenty steamy when it comes to those sex scenes, so if that is something you aren’t a fan of, be forewarned…and let me just say, these scenes come on rather quickly…like chapter 3!

I loved having the book alternate from Stella and Michael’s points of view, though I will say I looked forward to Stella’s chapters sections more. Her voice was very unique and Helen Hoang did a fantastic job capturing the vulnerability and uniqueness of Stella. I think in part this is because Helen herself was diagnosed with Autism and she used what she knew to write this character. 

This is the first book in this series and I definitely plan on reading this series for however long it lasts. I loved the writing and knowing what I know about Helen Hoang, I can only imagine that these next books will feature smart, endearing characters as well.

Books in this series:

1. The Kiss Quotient
2. The Bride Test
3. The Heart Principle